The Big 12 tournament is going to be the best conference tournament in the country hands down. Looking ahead there are so many good matchups from the quarterfinals all the way to the finals. There is no bad game and any team can beat anybody on any given night. Here are my predictions for the 2023 Big 12 basketball tournament.
The Betting Odds
Kansas +300
Texas +330
Baylor +475
Kansas State +650
Iowa State +650
TCU +900
West Virginia +1500
Oklahoma State +3000
Texas Tech +4000
Oklahoma +4000
The Bracket
Does Kansas’ Big 12 Tournament Dominance Continue?
The Kansas Jayhawks have won 12 Big 12 tournaments, including winning six since 2010. Kansas is the defending national champion and could easily go back to back this season. The Jayhawks average 75.6 points per game which is fifth in the conference, but they give up the fourth fewest points per game in the Big 12 also (66.2). They are led by junior forward Jalen Wilson who is averaging 19.7 points per game to go along with 8.4 rebounds per game. Kansas also has a top five freshman in the country in Gradey Dick (14.3 points per game on a 44/41/85 shooting split).
They lost so much production from last year’s National Champion team that people thought they would take a step back. Wilson takes a step forward and they get good guys to come in and contribute. Look for Kansas to continue to be Kansas when it comes to the Big 12 tournament.
Can Baylor Win Their First Big 12 Tournament Title?
Surpringsly, Baylor has never won a Big 12 tournament title. They have made the tournament final once and they lost in that one. This year’s Baylor team averages the second most points per game in the Big 12 (77.3 points per game) which is also 62nd in the country. Baylor is led by freshman guard Keyonte George, senior guard Adam Flagler, and junior guard LJ Cryer.
George averages 16 points per game which leads the team. Flagler averages 15.6 points per game to go along with a 42/41/80 shooting split. Cryer averages 14.6 points per game on a 45/42/90 shooting split. These three guards are the key to Baylor’s success this season. If Baylor is going to make a run at the Big 12 title, they will need these three guards to get the job done.
The “Sleeper” of The Tournament
If Mike Miles doesn’t miss six games during the season, we would be talking about this TCU team a different way. The Horned Frogs average 75.5 points per game which is top 100 in the country. Mike Miles is a big name to look out for, but TCU also has senior guard Damion Baugh and senior forward Emmanuel Miller that are vital to this team.
Miles averages 17.2 points per game on a 50/33/73 shooting split. Baugh averages 13 points per game to go along with 4.4 rebounds per game and 6 assists per game. He also averages just under 2 steals per game as well. Miller averages 12.8 points per game to go along with 6.5 rebounds per game as well. TCU matches up with any team in this conference and they will play a good game against anybody they play in their route to a potential Big 12 tournament title.
The Don’s Winner
This is the best conference in the country and any of the top six can win this tournament. I like TCU at +900 as a flier, but I am all in on Baylor +475. The Bears are hungry and will be ready to go in this tournament. It is one of the only things that Scott Drew hasn’t done at Baylor. Look for the Bears to finally get this trophy for Scott Drew’s trophy case.
The Don’s Game By Game Predictions
First Round
8 West Virginia over 9 Texas Tech
7 Oklahoma State over 10 Oklahoma
Quarterfinals
1 Kansas over 8 West Virginia
4 Baylor over 5 Iowa State
2 Texas over 7 Oklahoma State
6 TCU over 3 Kansas State
Semifinals
4 Baylor over 1 Kansas
6 TCU over 2 Texas
Finals
4 Baylor over 6 TCU
