NCAA basketball: Predicting who wins every major conference tournament

DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 07: Tre Jones #3 of the Duke Blue Devils reacts during the second half of their game against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Cameron Indoor Stadium on March 07, 2020 in Durham, North Carolina. Duke won 89-76. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 07: Tre Jones #3 of the Duke Blue Devils reacts during the second half of their game against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Cameron Indoor Stadium on March 07, 2020 in Durham, North Carolina. Duke won 89-76. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
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LUBBOCK, TEXAS – MARCH 07: Center Udoka Azubuike of the Kansas Jayhawks gestures “thumbs up” to the crowd during the second half of the college basketball game against the Texas Tech Red Raiders on March 07, 2020 at United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TEXAS – MARCH 07: Center Udoka Azubuike of the Kansas Jayhawks gestures “thumbs up” to the crowd during the second half of the college basketball game against the Texas Tech Red Raiders on March 07, 2020 at United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) /

Big 12

  • Dates: March 11-14
  • Location: Kansas City, MO
  • Top Seed: Kansas

You can always expect a brawl in the Big 12 tournament and this year should be no exception. The league is projected to have two no. 1 seeds at the NCAA Tournament, including the potential top overall seed in Kansas.

Despite playing with an NCAA investigation hovering over the program, Kansas is well-positioned to make a deep run in March. Bill Self has done a masterful job getting the most out of a talented roster as the Jayhawks can beat their opponents in a multitude of ways.

The other top dog in the Big 12 is Baylor, which stumbled a bit down the stretch, dropping three of its final five regular-season games. The Bears were, however, the only team to beat Kansas in Big 12 play after scoring the program’s first win at Allen Fieldhouse back in January.

The other intrigue in the Big 12 tournament concerns the fate of the league’s three bubble entrants: Texas Tech, Oklahoma, and Texas. The Longhorns face the Red Raiders in the 4-5 matchup and whoever loses that game will face a long and painful wait for Selection Sunday.

There is potential for Kansas to be upset here, but Jayhawks fans travel well so Kansas City will be a virtual home site for them. Take the Jayhawks to complete the double-dip and claim both Big 12 titles.

Prediction: Kansas