Big 12 Tournament 2019: Bracket, TV Schedule, Dates and Predictions

The Big 12 tournament is likely to play out in an unfamiliar manner this season.

Kansas regularly comes into the conference tournament in the top spot, but that is not the case this year. The Jayhawks may have been a first-place team in the league every year since 2004, but head coach Bill Self and his team are in third place this season.

The Jayhawks have not always dominated the conference tournament the way they have the regular season. They have won just two of the last five Big 12 tournaments, with the Iowa State Cyclones winning the other three.

A change seems likely this year.

Texas Tech and Kansas State both finished the regular season with 14-4 conference records and are in the top two spots in the regular-season standings. Those two teams are the most likely to come away with the conference title.

The Big 12 conference tournament gets underway Wednesday in Kansas City with an opening round doubleheader.

Eighth-seeded TCU will meet ninth-seeded Oklahoma State in the opener at 7 p.m. ET, while No. 7 Oklahoma will take on No. 10 West Virginia about 30 minutes after the first game ends. ESPNU will televise both games.

The quarterfinals will follow Thursday, and ESPN2 will televise all four of those games. The action gets underway at 12:30 p.m. ET.

The semifinals get underway Friday night at 7 p.m. ET, and ESPN2 will also televise that doubleheader. The conference title game will tip off Saturday at 6 p.m. ET, and ESPN will televise it.

Big 12 Tournament Schedule (All Times ET)

Day, Matchup, Time, TV

Wednesday, No. 8 TCU vs. No. 9 Oklahoma State, 7 p.m., ESPNU

Wednesday, No. 7 Oklahoma vs. No. 10 West Virginia, 9 p.m., ESPNU

Thursday, No. 4 Baylor vs. No. 5 Iowa State, 12:30 p.m., ESPN2

Thursday, No. 1 Kansas State vs. 8/9 Winner, 2:30 p.m., ESPN2

Thursday, No. 2 Texas Tech vs. 7/10 Winner, 7 p.m., ESPN2

Thursday, No. 3 Kansas vs. No. 6 Texas 9 p.m., ESPN2

Friday, 1-8/9 Winner vs. 4/5 Winner, 7 p.m., ESPN2

Friday, 2-7/10 Winner vs. 3/6 Winner, 9 p.m. ESPN2

Saturday, March 16, Winners of Semifinal Matchups, 6 p.m. ESPN

Big 12 Tournament Bracket

Texas Tech comes into the Big 12 tournament with a nine-game winning streak. The Red Raiders are one of the best defensive teams in the nation, allowing just 58.2 points per game and ranking second overall.

Guard Jarrett Culver is the Red Raiders' leading scorer, averaging 17.9 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. Davide Moretti and Matt Mooney are both playing key roles and scoring in double figures. Moretti is averaging 11.3 points and shooting 50.8 percent from the field, while Mooney is scoring 10.8 points per game and connecting on 37.8 percent of his shots from beyond the arc.

After beating Oklahoma in the regular-season finale, Kansas State comes into the conference tournament having won nine of 11 games.

Guard Barry Brown Jr. is a big-time contributor, leading the way with 15.1 points and 4.2 rebounds per game. Forward Dean Wade is scoring 13.0 points per game and leading the team with an average of 6.2 rebound per night. He is also shooting 50 percent from the field.

The Jayhawks may be more inspired to play their best basketball in the conference tournament than is normally the case. If Self's team is going to make a run at the tournament title, look for forward Dedric Lawson to take on a starring role. He is averaging 19.0 points and 10.5 rebounds per game, and he had a 23-point effort in the regular-season finale Saturday against Baylor.

Guard Devon Dotson is averaging 11.6 points per game and connecting on 38.0 percent of his three-point attempts.

Predictions

It would be a mistake to count out Kansas in the Big 12 tournament, and while there have been some years that Self's team seemed to be more focused on the upcoming NCAA tournament than the conference tournament, that is not likely to be the case this time around.

The Jayhawks will win their quarterfinal matchup against the Texas Longhorns, and that will set up a tough semifinal against Texas Tech.

The Red Raiders and Jayhawks split their two regular-season games, with each team winning at home. However, the Jayhawks have something to prove, and Lawson will play like it. Kansas will survive and get to face archrival Kansas State in the title game.

Kansas will show off its skill and determination, but the Wildcats will match the Jayhawks at every turn. Brown will lead the offense, and the Wildcats will find a way and win the Big 12 tournament.