The Kansas Jayhawks and Iowa State Cyclones have dominated the Big 12 Tournament dating back to 2013 with the former taking home the title three times and the latter four. Though the Kansas Jayhawks somehow managed to snag the No. 2 seed, it’s not even the fourth best team in the bracket according to linemakers! The top dog is unsurprisingly the Baylor Bears who went on to accrue the regular season title and win all but one of its 22 played games. Even so, this bracket is loaded with teams destined to lace up their shoes next week when the NCAA Tournament kicks into high gear. I mean come on; the Oklahoma Sooners are the No. 7 seed for crying out loud! As easy it might seem to pencil the Bears and Jayhawks into the championship game with both teams unable to meet a third time last season due to COVID, a number of other teams will have something to say about that. Buckle up and get ready for one of the premiere conference tourneys in the land to take college basketball bettors on a wild ride!
The Big 12 Tournament is set to tip-off on Wednesday, March 10, 2021 from the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, MO. The games will be broadcast live on ESPN.
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ODDS TO WIN BIG 12 TOURNAMENT
Baylor +120
Oklahoma State +400
Texas +550
West Virginia +600
Kansas +700
Texas Tech +900
Oklahoma +1500
TCU +15000
Kansas State +30000
Iowa State +50000
Favorite to Bet: Baylor Bears +120
I’m not exactly sure why Scott Drew’s kids are offering up a slight plus-money return to win this tournament. In fact, I’m not happy about it at all considering I laid -170 at the end of January before the team was forced to put the program on pause due to the coronavirus. Though it went on to win four of its five played games since returning, it only managed to cover two of those matchups and likely should’ve lost in its return against the Cyclones; at home! Recency bias is however a Bears’ supporters best friend right now. This team is undoubtedly the cream of the Big 12 crop. So much so that it could bow out early and still be awarded a No. 1 seed by the selection committee come Sunday night. Regardless, there aren’t many flaws on this team. KenPom ranks them out as the No. 2 team in the country with efficiencies at both ends of the court that dramatically separate it from all that gets in its way. Jared Butler is a special player who could not only shoot this team to its first-ever B12 Tourney title, but also allow the team to cut the nets down come the beginning of April.
Underdog to Bet: Texas Longhorns +550
Kudos go out to Shaka Smart for turning this team around in a big way after entering the regular season sitting on the hottest of seats. UT went on to win 17 of its 24 played games. At one point, the Horns sat 10-1 SU and ranked amongst the top-5 teams in the nation! Then injuries and corona took the wind out of the team’s collective sail. Numerous games were cancelled and it took some time for Courtney Ramey and company to rediscover their rhythm. They seemed to find it at the best possible time by rattling off three straight wins and pointspread covers against Iowa State, Oklahoma and TCU away from Austin. Though West Virginia, Kansas and Texas Tech are currently ranked slightly ahead of them by KenPom, I still think they’re better than each and every one of those teams. They get the benefit of playing on the other side of the bracket than the Bears who will be forced to deal with scarier teams like West Virginia and Oklahoma State who battled them tough in the regular season. The Horns swept Kansas, won the most recent meeting with the Sooners, and would get a third crack at a Texas Tech team that surprisingly busted the broom out on them. I like that path much better and love the payout even more with this No. 2 seed!
Longshot to Bet: Oklahoma Sooners +1500
Though K-State closed the season out nicely, Bruce Weber’s Wildcats aren’t winning this tournament. This selection was a toss-up between the Red Raiders and Sooners. Ultimately, I went with Lon Kruger’s troops who enter this tournament vastly under seeded at No. 7 overall. There’s just something about Texas Tech that I don’t like this year. The defense isn’t as good as in year’s past, and watching the offense makes my eyes bleed more than I’d like. Mac McClung could ultimately put the team on his back and lead it to the Promised Land, but the kids been in a rut going on a month now having scored 20 or more points only once in Texas Tech’s last seven games. I’m a huge fan of the Sooners guards. Austin Reaves and/or De’Vion Harmon could flip the HAM switch at a moment’s notice, and I love Kruger’s basketball mind when it comes to tournament time. With the betting market souring on the Norman folk due to their recent play in dropping four of five and not managing a single cover, now’s the time to take advantage and buy low. At the very least look to back OU on the pointspread throughout this tournament; especially against Kansas who it went 1-1 SU and 2-0 ATS against this season.
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