2025 Big 12 Tournament Preview: Bracket, Schedule, Odds and Betting Predictions

Reed Wallach | Mar 11, 2025

Iowa State Cyclones guard Tamin Lipsey (3) goes for a layup around Cincinnati Bearcats' guard Day Day Thomas (1) during the second half in the Big-12 men’s basketball at Hilton Coliseum on Feb. 15, 2025 in Ames, Iowa. / Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Big 12 descends on Kansas City for its annual conference tournament. 

Last year’s winner, Iowa State, will look to repeat as champs in a crowded conference race that is sure to lead to an epic tournament. The Cyclones, who are healthy for the first time in weeks, will look to come from the middle of the pack to try and become the first team since Kansas in 2010 and 2011 to repeat as champions. 

However, the new look Big 12 has been dominated by Houston over its first two regular seasons in the conference, the top seed entering the Big 12 Tournament both times. Will the team be able to navigate the conference tournament and win it all this year? 

We have you set for this year’s Big 12 Tournament below!

Big 12 Tournament Schedule

The 2025 Big 12 Tournament Bracket. pic.twitter.com/5Ljoj8gsZh

— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) March 9, 2025

The Big 12 Tournament begins on Tuesday, March 11 with five rounds of action, culminating on Saturday, March 15 with the championship game. at 5 p.m. EST on ESPN.

SI College Basketball Staff Writer Kevin Sweeney's First Round Picks

• No. 13 Cincinnati over No. 12 Oklahoma State
• No. 9 TCU over No. 16 Colorado
• No. 10 Kansas State over No. 15 Arizona State
• No. 11 Utah over No. 14 UCF

Big 12 Tournament Odds

• Houston: +100
• Texas Tech: +440
• Iowa State: +550
• Arizona: +700
• Kansas: +1200
• BYU: +1600
• Baylor: +3500
• West Virginia: +10000
• Cincinnati: +15000
• Kansas State: +20000
• Arizona State: +25000
• Oklahoma State: +25000
• Colorado: +25000
• TCU: +25000
• UCF: +25000
• Utah: +25000

Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook

Big 12 Tournament Dark Horse

Iowa State

The Cyclones battled several injuries during Big 12 play, but this is still a bonafide Final Four contender when it's fully healthy, evident in recent wins against Arizona, for example. 

Even shorthanded, the Cyclones hung close with Houston on the road and bolster a bruising defense that is top 20 in turnover rate while shutting off the rim for its opponents, ranking 42nd in average shot distance while ranking third in mid-range field goal percentage allowed. 

The reason why last year’s Big 12 Tournament champions are so dangerous is their development on offense. The team is far better on that side of the ball, ranking inside the top 60 in effective field goal percentage with an array of quality shot makers. 

With Tamin Lipsey back navigating the offense and at the center of the team’s ferocious defense, don’t overlook Iowa State despite its worse seed than last year. The team may have had some blips in Big 12 play, including a recent two-game losing streak in addition to a three-game losing streak in late January and early February, but it's as talented as any in the league. 

Big 12 Tournament Prediction and Best Bets

Reed Wallach, SI Betting College Basketball Expert

Texas Tech

Yes, Houston is the best team, but in this tournament, I’m going to go further down the board to grab the second choice in Texas Tech. 

First, Houston. The team is correctly rated as the best team in the Big 12 behind its physical defense and elite shot making. The Cougars have offset some of their on-ball creation by shooting about 40% from beyond the arc as a team. Further, the team is in the top 10 in the country in offensive rebounding rate, making for a potentially unstoppable offense when the 3-point shot is on. 

However, my bet is on that falling off during the course of this week-long tournament. The team’s bruising style still makes me concerned about its prospects of holding up in a single-elimination format as the team plays at a bottom-10 adjusted tempo, per KenPom, and is bottom 35 in the country in free throw rate. If the 3-point shot isn’t falling, Houston can quickly fall behind and be unable to come back. 

So, why Texas Tech? To me, this is the second best team in the league who has a win at Houston already this season and kept pace with the Cougars on its home floor despite being down two starters in Darrion Williams and Chance McMillian. 

Texas Tech is also an elite shooting group, top 30 in the country at over 37%, while providing far stronger spacing around its elite frontcourt of Williams and New Mexico transfer JT Toppin. 

The defense isn’t as elite as Houston’s, but it’s the best defensive rebounding unit in Big 12 play and has a viable offense that can score from all three levels, led by transfer point guard Elijah Hawkins. 

I believe TTU is built for the rigors of the Big 12 Tournament, and as I search at teams to go against Houston with, the Red Raiders are at the top of my list as the No. 2 seed with far longer odds.

Kevin Sweeney, SI College Basketball Staff Writer

As dominant as Houston has been, the Cougars have had their struggles in conference tournaments, tripped up a year ago by Iowa State in its first Big 12 go-around and stumbling twice as a favorite in the American tournament in its final four years in the league.

That creates an opening for the Red Raiders, who’ve quietly played as well as just about anyone in the country since the outset of conference play. The trio of JT Toppin, Darrion Williams and Chance McMillian is elite, and the draw for Tech is slightly more manageable than Houston’s, which likely has to get through either Iowa State or BYU just to make the title game.

The Red Raiders are the last team to beat Houston back on Feb. 1, and hung around with the Cougars despite McMillian and Williams being out two weeks ago in their second meeting of the year. 

Get all of Kevin's work this March here, and follow him on Twitter @CBB_Central

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