Big 12 Tournament 2020: Betting Tips for Round 1 Odds, Spreads and Over-Under

Kansas and Baylor enter the Big 12 tournament as the class of the league, but the opening day of action puts four other programs in the spotlight.

Eighth-seeded Oklahoma State will take on No. 9 Iowa State, and No. 7 TCU will meet No. 10 Kansas State. The winners will advance to face Kansas and Baylor, respectively, with a chance to keep slim NCAA tournament dreams alive.

For the 11th straight year, Kansas City's Sprint Center will host the tournament that decides the Big 12's automatic bid to March Madness. Iowa State is the defending champion.

Along with the viewing information for Wednesday's contests, we've highlighted recent trends and betting odds.

Big 12 First-Round Schedule

No. 9 Iowa State vs. No. 8 Oklahoma State

Time: 7 p.m. ET
TV: ESPNU
Spread (via Caesars): Oklahoma State -6
Over/under (total): 142.5

No. 10 Kansas State vs. No. 7 TCU

Time: 9 p.m. ET
TV: ESPNU
Spread: TCU -1.5
Over/under (total): 127

Predictions

Iowa State has understandably struggled since the season-ending injury to do-everything guard Tyrese Haliburton. The Cyclones are just 2-6 in their last seven games, including a 12-point loss to Oklahoma State in late February.

Oklahoma State, meanwhile, is 6-2 in that same stretch and closed the season with a 22-point smackdown of Texas.

"Momentum's only as good as you continue to prepare and as good as your next game," OSU coach Mike Boynton said afterward, per Jacob Unruh of The Oklahoman. "If we prepare the way we've prepared the last four or five weeks, I feel good that we'll be able to perform well on Wednesday evening."

Considering the trends, it shouldn't be a surprise to hear we're laying the points and taking the Pokes. The bigger question is the total of 142.5.

Sue Ogrocki/Associated Press

Iowa State is averaging just 63.4 points over the last five games, shooting a paltry 25.5 percent from three-point range. Oklahoma State's opponents have connected on only 25 percent of their perimeter attempts in the last five contests.

That combination has us leaning toward the under, making our final picks Oklahoma State -6 and under 142.5.

During the later matchup, Kansas State will challenge TCU in a battle of slow offenses. They rank 228th and 316th nationally in adjusted tempo, according to KenPom.com.

Both regular-season matchups fell below the offered total of 127. TCU earned a 59-57 victory in January and 68-57 triumph in February.

Additionally, TCU shot a combined 41.7 percent from beyond the arc in those matchups. That performance will be difficult to match, so there's real potential for an even lower score.

Still, the Horned Frogs are the clear favorite.

Kansas State snapped a 10-game losing streak with a recent win over short-handed Iowa State. TCU isn't thriving by any means, but upsets of West Virginia and Baylor and competitive losses to Kansas and Oklahoma suggest the Horned Frogs should play well enough to cover the 1.5-point spread.

In the nightcap, we're taking TCU -1.5 and the under.

Follow Bleacher Report writer David Kenyon on Twitter @Kenyon19_BR.