Big 12 Tournament 2020: Preview, Predictions and Players to Watch
The Kansas Jayhawks and Baylor Bears have been the class of the Big 12 all season, but over the last few weeks, a few programs have emerged as challengers to a rematch between the two sides in the Big 12 tournament final.
Although the top-seeded Jayhawks did not get upset, they only won by single digits against the Kansas State Wildcats, TCU Horned Frogs and Texas Tech Red Raiders.
Baylor suffered defeats to TCU and the West Virginia Mountaineers, which handed Kansas the outright regular-season title.
The Oklahoma Sooners and Texas Longhorns are the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds, respectively, and due to their late surges, they could join a growing collection of Big 12 teams in the NCAA men's basketball tournament.
Kansas' Udoka Azubuike and Baylor's Jared Butler are two of the individuals expected to shine in Kansas City, but there are a few players currently off your radar that could also feature in starring roles.
Big 12 Tournament Bracket
Preview
After Baylor stumbled to the finish line, Kansas has to be the clear favorite to cut down the nets in Kansas City.
Bill Self's team went 28-3 overall with a 15-1 conference record and there is a strong chance it lands the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA tournament.
The Jayhawks possess one of the most dominant big men in the nation in Azubuike, who averages 13.7 points and 10.4 rebounds per game.
Azubuike has a crop of talented guards around him, including Devon Dotson, Ochai Agbaji and Marcus Garrett.
Kansas' defense has also been strong, as it allowed each of its last five opponents under 70 points, with the largest total scored by TCU Wednesday.
The Jayhawks also own two wins over every Big 12 team with the exception of Baylor. Although it may be hard to beat some teams on three occasions, Kansas is much better than a majority of the sides in the conference.
Baylor does not come into the Big 12 tournament with a ton of momentum after it shot 22.2 percent from three-point range in Saturday's defeat to West Virginia.
Scott Drew's team won its first 13 games of conference play and won 23 games in a row, so it has the quality to rebound from its tough finish.
Freddie Gillespie is the Bears' inside force, as he averages 9.7 points and 9.1 rebounds per contest, while Butler, MaCio Teague and Mark Vital lead one of the deepest guard rotations in Division 1.
If Kansas and Baylor were to meet for a third time in the Big 12 tournament final, another close affair would be projected.
The second meeting in Waco, Texas, was decided by three points, and with Baylor looking to lock up a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament, it should be a hotly-contested matchup.
If that matchup does not occur, any of the teams seeded third through sixth could spring an upset.
Oklahoma won three of its last four, including triumphs over Texas Tech and West Virginia, and Texas reeled off a five-game winning streak to reach .500 in conference play.
Texas Tech and West Virginia both challenged the two top teams and their competitive nature should make the matchups with Texas and Oklahoma two of the best games of the early rounds in any power conference tournament.
Players to Watch
Udoka Azubuike, C, Kansas
John E. Moore III/Getty ImagesAzubuike will generate the most individual buzz at the Big 12 tournament, and rightfully so, after he dominated the second matchup with Baylor.
The double-double machine is coming off 15 points and 11 rebounds in the regular-season finale against Texas Tech, and in Kansas' home finale, Azubuike torched TCU for 31 points and 14 rebounds.
Azubuike has been a matchup problem for the majority of his Big 12 opponents, and if that continues in Kansas City, he could walk away as the Most Valuable Player.
He has become more dominant over the last five games, as he picked up four double-doubles and shot over 80 percent from the field in three of those contests.
The one weakness he has is free-throw shooting. He is shooting 44.1 percent from the charity stripe and went 8-for-21 in the previous two games.
If opponents want to stop Azubuike, it could be by hacking him and sending him to the line.
No team has been deliberate in attempting that strategy, but it may be something that is tried to negate his offensive impact.
Jared Butler, G, Baylor
Ronald Martinez/Getty ImagesButler is Baylor's leading scorer with 16 points per game and he has a 42.1 field-goal percentage.
Over the last seven games, the guard has produced at least 15 points in every contest for the Big 12 runner-up.
He finished the regular season with 21 points, four rebounds, two assists and a pair of steals in the loss to West Virginia.
Like most of Baylor's guards, Butler chips in in every statistical department and helps it lock down on defense.
If the Bears meet up with Kansas again, look for Butler to be the key figure in their offense, as he put up 41 points in his two clashes with the Jayhawks.
If Baylor does pull off its second win over Bill Self's team to solidify a No. 1 seed in NCAA tournament, Butler will likely be involved in a handful of key offensive plays.
Desmond Bane, G, TCU
Chris Covatta/Getty ImagesTCU's Desmond Bane is a star to watch on the first two days of the competition.
The senior guard put together back-to-back 20-point showings versus Kansas and Baylor, and in the win over the Bears, he showed no fear shooting from deep.
Bane averages 16.6 points per game and shoots 45.3 percent from the field, so he will likely wreak havoc against Kansas State in the opening round.
How Bane deals with the Baylor guards for a third time could be one of the top stories to watch in the quarterfinal round.
Overall, Baylor is a better team than TCU, but if Bane plays at the high level he did at home February 29, the Horned Frogs could make things interesting.
Predictions
Kansas over Baylor
Kansas and Baylor are by far the two best teams in the Big 12, and they will use the tournament as a chance to warm up for March Madness.
Azubuike should be able to dominate his quarterfinal matchup with either the Oklahoma State Cowboys or Iowa State Cyclones, and Kansas should handle either Texas or Texas Tech in the semifinals.
The Longhorns or Red Raiders will be up for the challenge, but if Kansas is able to blow out its quarterfinal foe, it could rest some of its key players down the stretch to be ready for the final two games.
Baylor has a chance to avenge its defeat to TCU, and it could do the same with West Virginia if the Mountaineers take down Oklahoma in the quarterfinals.
The Bears should be motivated by leaving no doubt that they are deserving of a top seed in March Madness to move on to the final.
Azubuike proved in the second meeting with Baylor that the Bears do not have an answer for him.
If he shines again and gets some scoring support from his guards, Kansas should make one final statement before earning the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA tournament.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
Statistics obtained from ESPN.com.
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