Big 12 Tournament 2019: Schedule, Bracket Predictions and Players to Watch

Fans are used to seeing Kansas at the top of the Big 12 standings nearly every year during the college basketball season.

It has won or shared every Big 12 regular-season title since 2004-05.

However, that apparently is not the case this year, as Kansas (22-7, 11-5) is in third place, one-and-a-half games behind Texas Tech (25-5, 13-4) and Kansas State (23-7, 13-4) in the final week of the regular season.

Texas Tech and Kansas State each have one game remaining, while the Jayhawks have two. Technically, Kansas still has a chance to gain a share of the regular-season crown, but it is unlikely.

Both the Red Raiders and Wildcats won Monday night, and those two teams have the inside track on the top seeds in the Big 12 tournament. That championship will be held at the Spirit Center in Kansas City from March 13-16.

The opening round of the tournament will kick off with the No. 8 and 9 seeds meeting at 7 p.m. ET, and the No. 7 and 10 teams will tip off shortly after the first game is over.

The four-game quarterfinal round will follow March 14, with the semifinals March 15, and the championship game March 16.

The fourth-place Baylor Bears (19-10, 10-6) have a solid team, but it would be a surprise if Texas Tech, Kansas State or Kansas did not come away with the conference tournament title.

Texas Tech saw its winning streak grow to eight games after beating Texas 70-51 Monday night. The Red Raiders are one of the best defensive teams in the nation, allowing 58.4 points per game and ranking third in that category.

Guard Jarrett Culver is the Red Raiders' leading scorer, averaging 17.9 points per game and shooting 48.6 percent from the field. Fellow guards Davide Moretti and Matt Mooney are the other double-digit scorers on the Red Raiders roster. Moretti is averaging 11.3 points and shooting 49.7 percent from the field, while Mooney is scoring 10.7 points and adding 3.2 assists per game.

Kansas State has won eight of its last 10 regular-season games following a 64-52 triumph over Texas Christian Monday night. The Wildcats have a similar makeup as Texas Tech, as head coach Bruce Weber's team is giving up just 59.5 points per game, ranking fourth nationally.

Guard Barry Brown is leading the Kansas State offense, averaging 15.4 points and 4.2 rebounds per game. Forward Dean Wade is averaging 13.2 points and connecting on 50.4 percent of his shots from the field. Xavier Sneed and Kamau Stokes are also averaging in double figures for the Wildcats.

The Jayhawks regularly impose their will during the regular season in the Big 12, but they have had problems this year. Head coach Bill Self's team dropped back-to-back road games to Kentucky and Texas at midseason, and while they have won six of eight since then, the Jayhawks are not playing with their usual finishing ability this season.

If they are going to turn it up during the Big 12 tournament, look for forward Dedric Lawson to lead the way. He is 19.0 points and 10.4 rebounds while shooting 49.1 percent from the field.

Guard Devin Dotson is averaging 11.8 points per game and connecting on 48.1 percent of his shots. Freshman guard Quentin Grimes scored 17 points in the Jayhawks' 72-67 victory at Oklahoma State Saturday. Grimes is averaging 8.0 points per game, and he is a key performer for Self.

Predictions

While the Jayhawks have been a dominant regular-season team through the years, they have not always shown their championship mettle in the conference tournament. They have failed to win three of the last five conference tournaments.

All three of those championships were earned by the Iowa State Cyclones (20-9, 9-7), but that team comes into the final week of the regular season in fifth place in the conference.

It seems unlikely that the Cyclones will make a championship run. If they do, guard Marial Shayok is likely to lead the way. He is averaging 18.7 points and shooting 49.7 percent from the field.

Kansas is not going to relax or take it easy in this year's tournament, and the Jayhawks should make it to the semifinals. We don't see them getting by the Red Raiders or the Wildcats.

Texas Tech and Kansas State will meet in the championship game, and look for Culver to lead the Red Raiders to the Big 12 title.