Big 12 Sets Basketball Championship Format

The Big 12 Men’s Basketball Championship is set to begin March 12. With the addition of UCF, BYU, Houston, and Cincinnati, this is the first Big 12 tournament with 14 schools competing.

Championship Format

With four new teams added to the Big 12, there needed to be adjustments to the format of the tournament from previous years.

Starting with the first out of five rounds, which includes game one between the 12th and 13th seed, and game two between the 11th and 14th seed. The second round includes games three through six.

Game three will be the fifth seed squaring off with the winner of game one. Game four will be a matchup of the eighth versus the ninth seed while game five will include the seventh vs tenth seed. The winner of game two will play in game six against the sixth seed.

In the quarterfinals, we get our initial look at the first through fourth seeded teams in the tournament. The fourth seed will play the winner of game three. The first seed will play the winner of game four. The second seed will play the winner of game five, and the third seed will play the winner of game six with the remainder of the tournament continuing as it normally would.

Leading the Way

There’s a new face atop the Big 12 as Houston sits first in the conference. The Cougars are coming off a fantastic 2022-2023 season after heading the way in the AAC Conference last year before ultimately losing in the championship game. With their switch to the Big 12 this year, they are answering the call. Houston currently has one of the best records in all of men’s college basketball at 19-2 and are ranked No. 4 in the country.

https://twitter.com/UHCougarMBK/status/1752784062471946332

Big 12 Newcomers

Houston has impressed early in their first season in the conference. However, Cincinnati, BYU, and UCF currently sit No. 9, No. 10 and No. 11 in the conference respectively. Each team has made an impact at home, but have losing records in away games. With the current format of the championship, only UCF would have to play in the first round as it stands.

Longhorns Struggling

Last year’s Big 12 Championship winner and Elite Eight contender, the Texas Longhorns currently sit at No. 12 in the conference. While Texas boasts a 14-7 record, they are only 3-5 in conference play. With their current seeding, the Longhorns would be playing in the first round of the conference tournament, but with how competitive the Big 12 currently is, all 14 teams still have it all to play for.

https://twitter.com/TexasMBB/status/1752175209136689378

A lot of basketball is yet to be played before the tournament tips off March 12-16.