Big 12 Tournament 2018: Bracket Seeds, Odds, Matchups and Predictions

Although Kansas has been atop the Big 12 for over a decade under the direction of head coach Bill Self, the Jayhawks haven't achieved success in the Big 12 tournament recently.

Kansas advanced to the Big 12 tournament final three times in the last six years, and it won twice in that span in 2013 and 2016.

Iowa State controlled the competition with victories in three of the last four seasons, but with the Cyclones experiencing a down year, the door is wide-open for a new team to rise to the top in Kansas City, Missouri.

The Big 12 was arguably the best conference in men's basketball, and there's a chance eight of the 10 teams in the conference advance to the NCAA men's basketball tournament.

Odds (via OddsShark)

Kansas (+200; bet $100 to win $200)

West Virginia (+350)

Texas Tech (+400)

Kansas State (+700)

TCU (+1000)

Baylor (+1200)

Oklahoma (+2000)

Texas (+2000)

Oklahoma State (+2000)

Iowa State (+2500)

Bracket Seeds and Matchups (All Times ET)

Wednesday, March 7

1st Round

No. 8 Oklahoma State vs. No. 9 Oklahoma (7 p.m., ESPNU)

No. 7 Texas vs. No. 10 Iowa State (9 p.m., ESPNU)

Thursday, March 8

Quarterfinals

No. 4 Kansas State vs. No. 5 TCU (12:30 p.m., ESPN2)

No. 1 Kansas vs. winner of Oklahoma State vs. Oklahoma (2:30 p.m., ESPN2)

No. 2 Texas Tech vs. winner of Texas vs. Iowa State (7 p.m., ESPNU)

No. 3 West Virginia vs. No. 6 Baylor (9 p.m., ESPNU)

Friday, March 9

Semifinals

Winner of Kansas game vs. Kansas State or TCU  (7 p.m., ESPN2)

Winner of Texas Tech game vs. West Virginia or Baylor  (9 p.m., ESPN2)

Saturday, March 10

Final

Winner of semifinal No. 1 vs. winner of semifinal No. 2  (6 p.m., ESPN)

Predictions

1st-Round Predictions

No. 9 Oklahoma def. No. 8 Oklahoma State

No. 7 Texas def. No. 10 Iowa State

Quarterfinals Predictions

No. 1 Kansas def. No. 9 Oklahoma

No. 4 Kansas State def. No. 5 TCU 

No. 2 Texas Tech def. No. 7 Texas

No. 3 West Virginia def. No. 6 Baylor 

Semifinals Predictions

No. 1 Kansas def. No. 4 Kansas State

No. 2 Texas Tech def. No. 3 West Virginia

Final Prediction

No. 2 Texas Tech def. No. 1 Kansas

Texas Tech Denies Kansas of Big 12 Tournament Title

Texas Tech comes into the Big 12 tournament in need of gaining momentum for the Big Dance after losing four of its last five regular-season contests.

Chris Beard's team recovered from a four-game losing streak with a four-point victory over TCU Saturday, but one win won't be good enough to restore confidence in the Red Raiders.

Just making the final alone is an achievement for the Red Raiders, since they'll have to go through a Texas team in need of one more quality win and the difficult press of West Virginia.

John Weast/Getty Images

The Red Raiders won't enter the Big 12 tournament final in fear of Kansas, as they defeated the Jayhawks in Allen Fieldhouse January 2 and lost by two at home February 24.

Keenan Evans and Co. should enter the championship game with more motivation than usual since Kansas recently won on their home floor.

Evans is going to have to be a stud over three games for the Red Raiders to achieve their first-ever Big 12 tournament title.

The senior was the third-best scorer in the Big 12 regular season behind Oklahoma freshman Trae Young and Kansas senior Devonte' Graham, and he has something to prove in Kansas City after struggling over the last few weeks, including a six-point performance against Kansas.

Kansas Comes Up Just Short

Picking against Kansas in the Big 12 tournament is much different than counting it out in the regular season.

The Jayhawks have mastered the regular season under Self, but they've lacked the final knockout punch in tournament action since their run of five titles in six years from 2006 to 2011.

Senior guards Graham and Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk should put the Jayhawks in position to get past the high-scoring Young and Oklahoma in the quarterfinals and either TCU or Kansas State in the semifinals.

Brad Tollefson/Associated Press

However, the Jayhawks will struggle against Texas Tech, as Udoka Azubuike fails to get going down low.

The sophomore center has been under the microscope all season for his poor free-throw shooting, and it wouldn't be a terrible idea for the Red Raiders to send the big man to the line early in an attempt to rattle his confidence.

In two games against Texas Tech, Azubuike totaled 17 points, with six coming in the most recent meeting in Lubbock, Texas.

If the Red Raiders can once again limit the production of Azubuike, the Jayhawks could be in for a long night, and they could lose out on a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament with the loss.

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.

Statistics obtained from ESPN.com.