Big 12 Tournament Preview

The Kansas Jayhawks and Baylor Bears were the toast of the Big 12 over the course of the regular season. Had Baylor not gone down in defeat at West Virginia, the teams would’ve shared the regular season title. With that, it comes as no surprise to see Bill Self and Scott Drew overlooking the two favorites to win the Big 12 Tournament at online sportsbooks. Sorry Cyclones fans, Iowa State won’t be in the running this time around. With no other team in the league winning 10+ games in conference play, it’s nearly inconceivable to think both powerhouses aren’t destined to meet up for a third time in the final come the conclusion of this week’s action in KC. Even so, there’s betting lines out there that must be broken down, and that’s exactly what we’ll do in hopes of pegging the team that ultimately goes on to cut the nets down on Saturday night.

The Big 12 Tournament is set to tip-off on Wednesday, March 11, 2020 at 7 p.m. ET from the Sprint Center in Kansas City, MO. The games will be broadcast live on ESPN.

CBB Betting Odds at BookMaker.eu

ODDS TO WIN BIG 12 TOURNAMENT

Favorite to Bet: Kansas Jayhawks -125

Go ahead and flip a coin here. I wouldn’t fault you if you went the way of Baylor instead. The Bears dominated KU in their visit to the Phog that resulted in the program’s first all-time win in the venue. Kansas had to hold on for dear life to pull out the 64-61 win in Waco. That said, Baylor got the benefit of not running up against a healthy Devon Dotson in the first meeting after he was forced from the first half with a hip pointer and wasn’t the same player once he returned. Kansas is figured to be the lone blueblood that college basketball bettors can move through their NCAA Tournament brackets with confidence. Since dropping that eye-opening 67-55 decision to the Bears, KU has rattled off 16 straight victories and covered the closing college basketball odds in 11 of those matchups. KU’s implied probability of winning this tourney checks in at 55.6 percent, while Baylor’s comes in around 33.3 percent at the current futures odds offerings. With this tournament being played right in the Jayhawks backyard, I believe there’s value at the current number and suggest you back Big 12 Player of the Year Udoka Azubuike and company to secure the program’s 12th Big 12 Tournament title.

Underdog to Bet: Texas Longhorns +2000

After dropping a 97-59 decision at West Virginia, I seriously thought those calling the shots in Austin would leave Shaka Smart in Morgantown. But with so much money still owed to the coach living off past glories from VCU, absolutely nothing was done to shake the underperforming program up. But after dropping four straight that concluded with an embarrassing 81-52 demolition in Ames as short 2.5-point underdogs, the Horns started winning ball games; No longer going off for one half and then vanishing for the second. UT was actually putting two competent halves of basketball together with regularity for the first time all season. The end result saw them take a five-game SU and ATS win streak with them into the regular season finale at home against an Oklahoma State team it already defeated by 12 in Stillwater. Fittingly, the Horns went on to get smashed but it’s within the realm of possibility that no team would’ve beat the Cowpokes in that game as scorching hot Thomas Dziagwa and company were from the field. With an implied probability of 4.8 percent, it would take a miracle to cut the nets down; but keep in mind Texas led Kansas at halftime in both regular season meetings.

Longshot to Bet: Kansas State Wildcats +12500

I can’t say with a straight face that I have any inclination of throwing any beer money on Bruce Weber’s Wildcats who grossly failed to build off of last season’s solid campaign. The folks at Teamrankings.com only give Carter Diarra and his mates a .33 percent shot of being the last team standing in this tournament, while their implied probability of doing so checks in at a laughable .74 percent; Quite a precipitous fall for a team that reached the semis a year ago before falling to Iowa State in a closely contested battle. Regardless, the tourney is still taking place close to campus and you can’t help but think its fan base comes over from Manhattan chewing bubble gum looking to kick some butt. This is still a team that plays a solid brand of defense evidenced by being ranked No. 51 in efficiency per the current Pomeroy Ratings. If it can avoid dropping a third straight to TCU and then shock Baylor, K-State can get the best of Oklahoma and/or West Virginia who showed time and time again how badly each was when playing away from the comforts of their own gyms.

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