The Big 12 will likely send more teams to the NCAA Tournament than any other conference. That makes the rest of its schedule must-watch basketball for anyone looking to lay down accurate picks for Championship Week and Selection Sunday.
Top 10 NCAA Basketball Predictions for the Big 12
[sc:NCAA240banner ]1. Kansas Will Get a Number 2 Seed
#8 Kansas’ two conference losses against the #19 Longhorns earlier in the month and the Kansas State Jayhawks last week were heavy blows to their chances at locking up a number one seed. Although the school is No. 1 in RPI in the nation and has six wins against top 50 RPI teams, they are also being held back by six losses against such teams.
2. Kansas Will Win the Big 12 Championship
Player for player, no team can match Kansas as the coming tournament will demonstrate. The Jayhawks will likely face Texas in the finals, and the two teams’ match up on February 22 could serve as a heated conference championship preview.
3. Iowa State, Kansas State, and Oklahoma State Will Make the Big Dance
Since the Big 12 is the nation’s No.1 conference in the RPI rankings, the double-round robin conference schedule has benefited Big 12 teams chasing tickets for the Big Dance.
There is little to separate some of these elite teams that have been playing each other very closely. Take for example the Kansas State Wildcats, who have four wins against top 25 RPI teams and are 6-4 against top 50 teams. They lost a close game to Kansas (#1 overall in RPI) earlier in the season but upset the Jayhawks in overtime in their most recent meeting.
4. Joel Embiid Will Be Big 12 Player of the Year
Before the season began, Andrew Wiggins was the talk of Kansas basketball. Fast forward to today, Wiggins finds himself second in many people’s minds to fellow freshman Joel Embiid, who was a less heralded recruit from Cameroon. Scouts have been raving about the 7-footer, even ranking him above Wiggins as the NBA’s top prospect. In his first year at Kansas, Embiid is averaging 10.7 PPG and 7.8 RPG. He also leads the conference in field-goal percentage with 61% shooting from the floor.
5. TCU Will Finish the Regular Season Winless Against Conference Opponents
The Horned Frogs are 0-12 against Big 12 teams and it’s not about to get any easier for TCU. Four of their next six opponents are top 40 teams, with the other two being #42 Oklahoma State and #68 West Virginia. It’s tough out there for a frog.
6. West Virginia Will Not Make The Tournament
Prior to the Mountaineers loss to Texas last weekend, they were 4-for-5 against top 50 RPI teams, and improving their chances of making the NCAA Tournament by the day. However, the loss to the Longhorns left them with lots of work to do if they hope to make the Madness. In particular, the Mountaineers would likely need win out through their last five games, all of which come against top 50 RPI teams except for #192 TCU.
7. Texas Tech Will Also Miss the Boat
Texas Tech’s biggest win was their 68-60 road victory against Oklahoma, a game overshadowed by Marcus Smart shoving a fan. Aside from that win, the Red Raiders only have two wins against top 50 RPI teams. Pulling them down are their 11 losses against top 100 RPI teams, three of which are against top 68 or higher teams.
8. The Big 12’s Final Four Will Be: Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Texas
Kansas and Texasare expected to reach the finals so these teams being in the semis should be no surprise. The shock will be provided by Kansas State who will beat the Cyclones in the quarterfinals to reach the conference’s final four alongside the Sooners.
2014 SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament
9. First Round Match-Ups and Winners
#8 Oklahoma State Cowboys def. #9 Baylor Bears
#7 Texas Tech Red Raiders def. #10 TCU Horned Frogs
10. Quarterfinals Match-Ups and Winners
#1 Kansas Jayhawks def. #8 Oklahoma State Cowboys
#5 Kansas State Wildcats def. #4 Iowa State Cyclones
#3 Oklahoma Sooners def. #6 West Virginia Mountaineers
#2 Texas Longhorns def. #7 Texas Tech Red Raiders
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