Big 12 Tournament 2018: Bracket, TV Schedule, Dates and Predictions

Another Big 12 basketball regular season closed Saturday, which means another Big 12 basketball tournament is ready to dazzle the fortunate fans inside Kansas City's Sprint Center.

This looks like the country's best conference. And if that rings hyperbolic at all, consider this—nine of its 10 teams have either punched their NCAA tournament tickets already or have a chance to do so next week.

Oh, and the lone exception—Iowa State—upset three ranked opponents in conference play.

In other words, expect some appropriately timed madness in the near future.

With Saturday's four-game slate in the books, the brackets are set. We'll run through those, plus examine what you need to watch and make an educated guess about how this all plays out.

Big 12 Tournament Schedule

First Round—Wednesday, March 7

Game 1 | Oklahoma State (8) vs. Oklahoma (9) | 7 p.m. ET, ESPNU

Game 2 | Texas (7) vs. Iowa State (10), 9 p.m. ET | ESPNU

Quarterfinals—Thursday, March 8

Game 3 | Kansas State (4) vs. TCU (5), 12:30 p.m. ET | ESPN2

Game 4 | Kansas (1) vs. Game 1 winner, 3 p.m. ET | ESPN2

Game 5 | Texas Tech (2) vs. Game 2 winner, 7 p.m. ET | ESPNU

Game 6 | West Virginia (3) vs. Baylor (6), 9:30 p.m. ET | ESPNU

Semifinals—Friday, March 9

Game 7 | Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner, 7 p.m. ET | ESPN2

Game 8 | Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner, 9:30 p.m. ET | ESPN2

Championship—Saturday, March 10

Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner, 6 p.m. ET | ESPN

Favorite: Kansas

John Weast/Getty Images

There isn't a better team in the Big 12 than Bill Self's squad. That message was hammered home over the course of the regular season, as the Jayhawks held the conference's top spot in the standings, BPI, RPI and KenPom.com's adjusted efficiency.

Kansas didn't steamroll through this campaign, but it heated up at the right time. The Jayhawks enter the tourney having won five of their last six, and they put together two different five-game winning streaks in 2018 alone.

This team checks off almost every box on March's most wanted list.

Its guard collection is sufficiently stocked with scorers, shooters and playmakers. Senior Devonte' Graham, a Naismith Award semifinalist, paces the club in points (17.7), assists (7.2) and steals (1.6). He's one of four rotation players—along with Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk, Lagerald Vick and Malik Newman—averaging at least 12 points and hitting 37-plus percent from long distance.

There's also loads of experience with this group. Their seven-man rotation includes just one freshman (Marcus Garrett) and has three players from the 2015-16 outfit that won this event (Graham, Mykhailiuk and Vick).

If there's a concern here, it's the defense. It isn't dreadful, but it's not elite (40th in adjusted efficiency). If TCU (sixth in offensive efficiency) or West Virginia (16th) come across Kansas, they have the firepower to exploit that weakness. That said, the Jayhawks' own potency helps them overcome most defensive miscues.

Sleeper: TCU

Ray Thompson/Associated Press

Head coach Jamie Dixon is off to a roaring start at his alma mater.

Last year, the Horned Frogs doubled their win total and sprinted to an NIT title with their final three wins being decided by a total of 65 points. This year, the program is set to make its first NCAA tournament appearance since 1998.

TCU has an elite quality, which can't be said about most teams seeded fifth in their conference tournament. This team is tremendous on offense, pacing the Big 12 in field-goal shooting (50.3 percent), three-point percentage (40.7) and adjusted offensive efficiency (121.6).

There's no go-to option for opposing defenses to focus on, as four different players average between 15.1 and 10.6 points. And all of them are viable threats from distance. Vladimir Brodziansky does the heaviest scoring lifting with 15.1 points per game (on 57.3 percent shooting), while Alex Robinson (6.0 assists) and Kenrich Williams (4.1) share the playmaking duties.

The Horned Frogs split their season series with West Virginia, played Kansas close (two losses by a total of 11 points) and lost a 79-75 nail-biter against Texas Tech in their finale. TCU finished its docket with four wins in its last five.

"I like our team right now; we're playing our best basketball at the end," Dixon said, per Stefan Stevenson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "Our eight guys really understand their roles. I think we're playing as good as anybody so we're excited."

TCU won twice as an eighth seed in the 2017 tourney, including an upset of Kansas. If the Horned Frogs ignite at the right time, they could have another lengthy run ahead.

Bubble Watch

Sue Ogrocki/Associated Press

Four teams can sleep easy heading into Selection Sunday regardless of what happens in Kansas City—Kansas, West Virginia, Texas Tech and TCU. But five other clubs—everyone but Iowa State—head to the conference tourney hovering near the bubble.

Plenty of eyes will be on Oklahoma and freshman phenom Trae Young, the nation's leader in points (27.5) and assists (8.9). The Sooners sizzled out of the gate (14-2 and once a projected No. 2 seed) then fizzled with a 4-10 finish. Still, it would be hard to overlook their wealth of quality wins, including a sweep of TCU and victories over Kansas and Texas Tech.

Kansas State hasn't been great at either end (54th on offense, 48th on defense), but Bruce Weber's bunch finds a way to win more often than not. The Wildcats tied for fourth in total victories (21) and cleared .500 with a 10-8 conference record. They did, however, drop two of their last three contests and last beat a ranked opponent on Jan. 20.

Baylor's up-and-down campaign concluded with three losses in four games. But the dip was preceded by a five-game winning streak that included triumphs over Kansas and Texas Tech. The Bears boast the nation's 15th-best defense, but their offense is light on shooting. Baylor averaged the fewest threes in the conference with only 6.4 per game.

Speaking of offensive shortcomings, Texas' attack won't scare anyone. The Longhorns rank 107th on that end and occupy the Big 12's bottom rung in points (71.4), field-goal shooting (43.6) and three-point percentage (30.9).

Their defense, however, is terrifying. They rank eighth overall (second in the conference) and are anchored by surefire 2018 NBA early-lottery pick Mohamed Bamba. The 19-year-old freshman leads the conference in rebounds (10.6) and blocked shots (3.8). His 7'9" wingspan jumps off the screen, but it's his fluidity and budding offensive skills that seemingly raise his ceiling by the second.

Oklahoma State probably faced the longest NCAA tournament odds of this group entering Saturday, but then the Cowboys routed the Jayhawks 82-64 on national TV. Oklahoma State only went 5-7 over its last dozen games, but it became the first club to sweep Kansas under Self and also defeated Texas Tech, West Virginia and then-fourth-ranked Oklahoma. 

Winner: Kansas

Ed Zurga/Getty Images

Expecting the unexpected is never a bad strategy in March, particularly in a campaign as chaotic as this. But it's hard not to like the Jayhawks' chances of cutting down the nets.

Kansas is both the Big 12's strongest team and one of its hottest. That's a killer combination, even if Texas Tech, West Virginia and TCU all deserve to be considered legitimate obstacles.

The Jayhawks will neither be undermanned nor overwhelmed by this stage. They've been here before, they've won here before and they're perfectly positioned to do it again.

Statistics used courtesy of ESPN.com and KenPom.com.