More conference basketball tournament action is on the way from the Southeast, as the final conferences in college basketball get their respective tournaments underway before one of the greatest days in sports history: Selection Sunday. 

So we take our eyes towards the city of Kansas City, Missouri as 10 teams from universities out of the states of Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, West Virginia and Iowa will vie for the crown of Big 12 tournament champions

This conference has been one of the toughest to win in this season. Some NCAA Tournament bracket projections have scenarios where nine of the ten teams in the conference could get into the NCAA tournament. It feels as if any team could win this tournament if they play a good set of games this week.

All of the Big 12 teams will be hoping history repeats itself as well. The Kansas Jayhawks, who won this tournament last year by beating Texas Tech in the tournament final, went all the way to win the national championship. Could the Big 12 produce yet another national champion this year? It’s up to the teams in the conference to answer that question.

So now that the facts have been laid out, join me as I break down the favorite, the contenders, the dark horse, and my pick for the 2023 Big 12 Conference tournament!

The Favorite: 

Kansas Jayhawks (29-2, 17-1)

Whether you like it or not, the defending national champions are back in the college basketball picture and they are not messing around, as the Jayhawks won their 16th Big 12 regular season title in 19 years under head coach Bill Self. Those are incredibly impressive numbers that surpass those of legendary Duke Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski and former North Carolina Head Coach Roy Williams.

The team that won the Big 12 regular season title, the Big 12 championship, and the national championship last season will look to do it again with a strong, well-built roster headlined by Big 12 Player of the Year, Jalen Wilson. The junior forward led the Big 12 in points per game (19.7), and rebounds per game (8.4). He even scored 38 points in a conference game this season against Kansas State. If it wasn’t for some other players doing very well in their respective conferences across the nation, Wilson would be the frontrunner for national player of the year.

His supporting cast is elite as well. Returners from the national championship squad like Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year Dajaun Harris Jr., and the Big 12’s Most Improved Player K.J. Adams, give the experience that the Jayhawks need to make deep tournament runs. Add on Texas Tech transfer Kevin McCullar Jr. (11.1 points per game), and star freshman Gradey Dick (averaged 14.3 points per game), and you have a team that has everything that you would find in a championship team.

But the Jayhawks aren’t invincible. Kansas did have a stretch where they lost four out of a run of five conference games midway through the Big 12 season, which was one of their worst stretches under Self in history. They were also humbled at Texas on the final day of the season, losing by 16. All the pressure in Kansas City will be on the Jayhawks to meet difficult expectations to repeat as Big 12 tournament Champions, and that could very well carry on into the NCAA tournament.

The Contenders

Texas Longhorns (23-8, 12-6)

Texas is an example of a team that has had to deal with some major unexpected speed bumps during their season, but have been able to handle that adversity in a very strong way.

Things couldn’t have started better for the Longhorns, who won their first six games of the season and were ranked second in the nation, but in early January Head Coach Chris Beard was fired after he was arrested in early December after being charged with an assault on his wife. That charge has since been dropped.

So in stepped Rodney Terry, the former assistant coach who stepped into the acting head coach position after Beard’s dismissal. It’s safe to say that Texas hasn’t skipped much of a beat since. The Horns have gone 16-7 with him as head coach, and had their highest conference standing finish in 13 years.

Terry has had some good assets to coach on the court as well. Senior Guard Marcus Carr was picked on the All Big 12 first team after scoring 16.6 points per game. He plays alongside National Sixth Man of the year, Sir’Jabari Rice. The fifth year senior transfer from New Mexico State has been a great asset off the bench, finishing his season with 23 points in their victory against KU on Saturday. If Carr, Rice and company can play like they did in that regular season finale against the Jayhawks, Rodney Terry might have a team on his hands that can capitalize on a very competitive Big 12 tournament field this year.

Kansas State Wildcats (23-8, 11-7)

The Wildcats from Manhattan were not supposed to be in this position. Kansas State, the team picked to finish dead last in the conference this season by the media, were just hopeful that they could win a couple of games in the conference this season. It was strictly supposed to be a rebuilding year.

But Big 12 Coach of the year Jerome Tang and the “Comeback Cats” had other ideas. A longtime assistant coach at Baylor under Scott Drew, Tang utilized the transfer market to assemble a team that has brought Kansas State basketball back being competitive. The Wildcats swept Baylor, beat Kansas at home and Texas on the road in thrilling games, and will come into the Big 12 tournament as a top-15 ranked team in the country, according to the AP Poll. 

Tang decided to take a chance on former Florida Forward Keyontae Johnson, who has had a great comeback story of his own. Johnson suffered a medical emergency while playing for the Gators on December 12, 2020. Some thought he would never play basketball again. He proved the doubters wrong and averaged 17.8 points per game this year, winning the Big-12 Newcomer of the Year. Another All Big 12 first team selection, Markquis Nowell, joins Johnson on the squad as one of the best guards in the country. He was one of the few K-State players who stayed with the program when Tang was hired.

Everyone can agree that Kansas State is the feel-good story of college basketball this season. They’ve already locked up their best season in terms of wins since 2018, and they’ve proved they can compete with any team in the conference. The Cats will now have the chance to find a happy ending by finally winning their first Big 12 tournament championship in program history.

Baylor Bears (22-9, 11-7)

Head coach Scott Drew and the Baylor Bears are back with yet another strong team that no one wants to play against. The Bears are the fourth and final team in the Big 12 that have won more than 20 games this season, and have a team setup that Drew will definitely like his chances of winning with going into the Big 12 tournament.

Leading the way is Big 12 freshman of the Year, Keyontae George. The former five star out of high school has scored a nice 16 points per game, and has been a tough person for Big 12 rivals to guard this season. But, the Bears will hope George can return back to his best after he suffered an injury near the end of the regular season.

However, what I like about this Baylor team is the veteran players that Drew has in this lineup, very similar to the ones he had on that national championship just two seasons ago. Adam Flagler and LJ Cryer, who were both small pieces on that title winning team, are now both averaging double digits for the Bears. Scott Drew will hope that Flagler and Cryer can become leaders for this Baylor team in March, so that the Bears won’t have to be so reliant on a recovering Keyontae George.

The Dark Horse

Every Other Team

I wasn’t lying earlier when I said that literally any team in the Big 12 this season can win this conference. It feels like everybody has beaten everybody in this conference, which means whatever team is playing their best basketball in Kansas City could make a surprise run to make the championship.

Iowa State (9-9, 18-12) were ranked as high as 11th in the AP Poll this season, but they have been inconsistent down the stretch, and will be without starter Caleb Grill for the rest of the season as he was dismissed from the program for not meeting the standards set. Head Coach T.J. Otzelberger made miracles last season, getting the Cyclones unexpectedly to the Sweet 16. Who says they can’t make an exciting run in KC?

TCU (20-11) Are a very tough out in the Big 12 tournament under head coach Jamie Dixon. Don’t let their record fool you: The Horned Frogs went 1-4 in a stretch without their All Big 12 Second-Team guard Mike Miles Jr. in February. He’s now back, and if he’s firing like he was when TCU beat Kansas in Allen Fieldhouse by 23 back in January, the Frogs will be scary good in the tournament.

Oklahoma State (17-14, 8-10) have had an up and down season down in Stillwater. The Cowboys won five in a row in the middle of the winter, but lost four of their final five regular season games. It looks as if OSU will need to win multiple Big 12 tournament games in order to secure their place in the NCAA tournament, so they’ll need a balanced roster led by former Kansas guard Bryce Thompson to put together some good performances this week.

West Virginia (18-13, 7-11) is always a threat to compete under longtime head coach Bob Huggins. The Mountaineers have been on the wrong side of a couple of results in conference play this year, but Erik Stevenson can light it up for the guys from Morgantown, as he has shot nearly 40% from three this season.

Texas Tech (16-15, 5-13) will be limping into Kansas City this week after head coach Mark Adams was suspended for “insensitive comments” that he made to players. The Red Raiders do have former Oral Roberts Forward Kevin Obanor leading their line, and he knows a thing or two about making Cinderella runs.

And of course you can’t count out Porter Moser and Oklahoma (15-16, 5-13). They beat 2nd ranked Alabama at home by 34 in late January, and Moser has made great runs in March when he was coaching Loyola Chicago. Who knows, he might shock the toughest conference in the nation!

My Pick: Kansas

As a Mizzou student, it isn’t a great feeling picking the Jayhawks to repeat as the Big 12 tournament champions, but the Jayhawks just have so much going for them here. Every team in the Big 12 has some great strengths, but they all have weaknesses. I don’t see many weaknesses in Bill Self’s team, and he’ll have his players’ attention after the drubbing at Texas at the end of the season.

I got Kansas to win the 2023 Big 12 tournament, but many people in Lawrence won’t care too much about this tournament. They’ll be hoping that the Jayhawks can complete the trifecta of titles, culminating with another NCAA tournament title this April.