2021 Big 12 Tournament - Prediction & Preview | NCAA Men's Basketball

The 2021 Big 12 Tournament is nearly here, with some of the best teams in college basketball heading to the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri. The 2nd-ranked Baylor Bears enter the tournament as the number one seed, having clinched their first regular-season title since 1950.

The Big 12 conference boasts an NCAA-leading seven ranked teams, proving why it is notoriously dangerous in March Madness. With just ten teams in the conference, the Big 12 tournament promises to deliver one star-studded matchup after another.

Previews and predictions for 2021 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament

The Texas Longhorns will play the Texas Tech Red Raiders in the quarterfinals

The Kansas Jayhawks represent the second seed in the bracket, three games behind the Baylor Bears with a 12-6 record in conference play. The Texas Longhorns and the West Virginia Mountaineers finished the regular season with the same Big 12 record, but the former held the tie-breaker and took the third seed.

Cade Cunningham and the Oklahoma State Cowboys won six of their last seven regular-season games, building valuable momentum before the postseason. The Cowboys' hot-streak earned them a first-round bye, but their quarterfinal matchup with the West Virginia Mountaineers will be a huge test.

Here are the first round and quarterfinal matchups of the 2021 Big 12 Tournament:

2021 Big 12 Tournament - First round

A limited amount of 🎟️s are on sale now for the 2021 #Big12GYM Championship 🏆➡️ https://t.co/ZjglDkW2on pic.twitter.com/vQjglRWFmt

— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) March 8, 2021

(Ranking numbers represent tournament seeding)

Wednesday, March 10th, 2021 - Kansas City, Missouri

Game 1: (8) TCU vs. (9) Kansas State - 6:30 PM ET - ESPN

Game 2: (7) Oklahoma vs. (10) Iowa State - 9:30 PM ET - ESPN

2021 Big 12 Tournament - Quarterfinals

🏀 #Big12MBB 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿 🏀 pic.twitter.com/HT9jWzzCDj

— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) March 8, 2021

Thursday, March 11th, 2021 - Kansas City, Missouri

Game 3: (4) West Virginia vs. (5) Oklahoma State - 11:30 AM ET

Game 4: (1) Baylor vs. Game 1 winner - 2:30 PM ET

Game 5: (2) Kansas vs. Game 2 winner - 6:30 PM ET

Game 6: (3) Texas vs. (6) Texas Tech - 9:30 PM ET

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2021 Big 12 Tournament Prediction

Despite a dominant season from the Baylor Bears, the Big 12 Tournament will be an extremely tough challenge for each of the teams in the conference. The Bears will be the favorites as the top seed, but any of these teams can thrive in a sudden-death format.

The Oklahoma State Cowboys are my pick for the sleeper of the tournament, featuring the Big 12 player of the year, Cade Cunningham. As March Madness nears, each of these Big 12 teams will gain valuable experience in high-pressure situations. Nonetheless, with such a high-powered offense, the Baylor Bears will be the team to beat in this bracket.

Where to watch 2021 Big 12 Tournament

All opening-round and quarter-final games will be broadcast live on ESPN and ESPN2. Broadcast scheduling is subject to change.