With seven teams ranked in the top-20, the Big 12 has widely been credited as the toughest conference in college basketball this season.
No. 3 nationally-ranked Baylor (20-1, 12-1), has paced the group all season long, with their lone defeat coming last weekend to the hands of No. 13 Kansas.
A surefire No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament, head coach Scott Drew has had the luxury of leading a veteran team featuring five upperclassmen in the starting lineup.
However, at a staggering -140 to win the Big 12 tournament, it’s difficult to warrant laying a price on the Bears when the conference features six other programs with legitimate Final Four aspirations.
With teams like No. 13 Kansas, No. 15 Texas, No. 17 Oklahoma State, and No. 18 Texas Tech all playing their best basketball of the season, and other teams like No. 6 West Virginia (losers of two straight) and No. 16 Oklahoma (losers of four straight) destined to right the ship, it should make for a wildly entertaining and competitive few days in Kansas City next week.
Rock Chalk, Jayhawk
Bill Self’s Jayhawks have mostly flown under the radar this season, as this hasn’t exactly been a vintage Kansas team we are used to. However, with wins in seven of their last eight contests, Kansas has gotten hot at the right time.
This starting lineup is really well balanced, with all five starters averaging double figures, and they really don’t have any glaring weakness.
They get really steady guard play with Ochai Agbaji and Marcus Garrett and can pound you inside with 6-foot-10 David McCormack. They can hurt you from all three phases offensively and can count on multiple players to hit big shots for them.
Also, they’re the only team in the country who has proven they can beat Baylor, which will likely loom large as we go deeper into the conference tournament.
At +500, there’s plenty of value still out there to justify taking action on these Jayhawks.
Cade’s Cowboys
The story of the college basketball season, freshmen sensation Cade Cunningham and the Oklahoma State Cowboys have been super impressive all season long.
Now at 18-7 (11-7 in Big 12 play), Mike Boynton’s Pokes have all but locked up a top-6 seed in the big dance and are peaking at exactly the right time.
Their resume features a number of Quad I wins over the likes of Wichita State (AAC champions), Kansas, Arkansas, Texas Tech (twice), Texas, Oklahoma (twice), and West Virginia.
They have gotten unlikely contributions out of Avery Anderson III, Kalib Boone, and Matthew-Alexander Moncriefe to go along with the sensational play of Cunnigham and Isaac Likekele.
+550 is a nice number to back the Cowboys in this spot.
Sleeper: Texas Tech (+900)
