NCAA Men's Basketball Big 12 Tournament Betting Preview: Kansas, Baylor Ready to Battle

Defending national champion Baylor is a slight favorite over Kansas at SI Sportsbook to win the Big 12 tournament.

Baylor and Kansas finished the season as co-regular season Big 12 champions with identical 14-4 conference records. The tiebreaker in the conference was each club’s head-to-head record against No. 3 seed Texas Tech.

Since the Bears lost to the Red Raiders twice, Kansas, who split with Texas Tech, was awarded the No. 1 seed in the Big 12 tournament.

The 2022 Big 12 men’s college basketball tournament will get underway on Wednesday from the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo. Texas Tech grabbed the No. 3 seed, with Texas slotting in as the No. 4 seed.

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Big 12 Tournament Betting Odds

Baylor +230
Kansas +260
Texas Tech +350
Texas +600
TCU +1300
Oklahoma +1300
Iowa St +1700
Kansas State +2500
West Virginia +3000
*Oklahoma State will not participate after receiving a postseason ban

Check the Latest NCAA Men's Basketball Lines and Odds at SI Sportsbook

Reed Hoffmann/AP

CONTENDERS

No. 1 Kansas (25-6 straight-up (SU); 14-16-1 against the spread (ATS); 14-4 Big 12): +260

The Jayhawks have the dubious distinction of joining Texas as top Big 12 teams that own a losing ATS record on the year. In fact, over the last 17 games Kansas is 13-4 SU but has posted a correlated 7-10 ATS mark over that span. ‘Rock Chalk’ continues to lean heavily on the production of senior guard Ochai Ogbaji (19.8 ppg), who leads the club by converting at an 41.9 % clip from beyond the arc. Christian Braun (14.9 ppg) and Jalen Wilson (10.8 ppg) join David McCormack (10.1 ppg) as Jayhawks averaging double-digits in scoring. Kansas will need McCormack to provide consistent scoring and dominant rebounding if the Jayhawks have any hope of winning the Big 12.

No. 2 Baylor (26-5 SU; 16-13-2 ATS; 14-4 Big 12): +230

Despite losing starting center Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua (knee) for the season, the Bears have shown the heart of the champion. Baylor, who lost the No. 1 seed for the Big 12 Tournament by virtue of a tie-breaker, has entered the discussion for a potential No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament thanks to having more Quadrant 1 wins than any school in the country. The Bears receive balanced scoring production with four players averaging double-digit scoring, but it's the improved play of Jeremy Sochan and Flo Thamba on the frontline that makes the Bears a solid value at +230. Baylor, who has played the last five games without second-leading scorer LJ Cryer, will only get stronger once he is able to return from a foot injury.

Sue Ogrocki/AP

No. 3 Texas Tech (23-8 SU; 20-11 ATS; 12-6 Big 12): +350

After enjoying a 7-1 stretch, the Red Raiders closed out the regular season losing two of its last three games to Oklahoma State and TCU in two games oddsmakers had them listed as favorites. However, upon a deeper dive, we uncover that Texas Tech has rewarded bettors posting a very lucrative 10-4 ATS mark over their last 14 games. Texas Tech will have immense confidence in a potential matchup with Baylor in the semifinals after beating the Bears in both regular-season meetings. The Red Raiders rely upon a balanced scoring attack that finds four players averaging double-digit points. However, it is on the defensive end that this club truly shines, ranking as the top team in the country in adjusted defense, according to KenPom rankings.

No. 4 Texas (21-10 SU; 12-19 ATS; 10-8 Big 12): +600

Texas is led by senior forward Timmy Allen (12.2 ppg, 6.5 rpg). Allen will need help from his backcourt teammates Andrew Jones (10.9) and Marcus Carr (11.0) if they have any hopes of winning the Big 12 Tournament for the second straight year. Both Jones and Carr have been sensational from three-point range, but the key player is senior Courtney Ramey, who needs to become a more consistent scorer for head coach Chris Beard. Texas will be difficult for bettors to support after posting a 1-5 record against Kansas, Baylor and Texas Tech. Should Texas beat TCU for a third time this year in the quarterfinals, they will likely face top-seeded Kansas in the semifinals.

Frankie’s Breakdown

Baylor is 0-3 in Big 12 title games but has an excellent chance to win the Big 12 tournament championship for the first time. However, the Bears will need to find a way to beat Texas Tech in a potential semifinal showdown. The Bears lost both games to the Red Raiders in the regular season and will have to find a way to flip the script! Baylor’s only loss in final eight games was a 10-point road loss to Texas Tech, but over that span the Bears have beaten both Texas twice and Kansas. The Jayhawks have made the Big 12 Championship game five times since 2013, winning the hardware in three of those appearances, which lands them as the value play at odds of +200.

Pick: Baylor +230
Value: Kansas +260

2022 Big 12 Tournament Schedule

Location: T-Mobile Center—Kansas City, Mo.

First round—Wednesday, March 9

Game 1: No. 8 Kansas State vs. No. 9 West Virginia | 7 p.m. ET | ESPNU

Quarterfinals—Thursday, March 10

Game 2: No. 4 Texas vs. No. 5 TCU | 12:30 p.m. ET | ESPN2
Game 3: No. 1 Kansas vs. Game 1 winner | 3 p.m. ET | ESPN2
Game 4: No. 2 Baylor vs. No 7 Oklahoma | 7 p.m. ET | ESPN2
Game 5: No. 3 Texas Tech vs. No. 6 Iowa State | 9:30 p.m. ET | ESPN2

Semifinals—Friday, March 11

Game 6: Game 2 winner vs. Game 3 winner | 7 p.m. ET | ESPN2
Game 7: Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner | 9:30 p.m. ET | ESPN2

Big 12 Tournament Championship Game—Saturday, March 12

Game 8: Game 6 winner vs. Game 7 winner | 6 p.m. ET | ESPN

SI NCAA MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL BET REVIEW

2021: SI Betting is hoping to pick right up where we left last season when our NCAA tournament betting plays yielded major financial success, thanks to Alabama (+220), Illinois (+375) and Georgia Tech (+2500) all delivering conference tournament championship victories in the SEC, Big Ten and ACC, respectively.

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Frankie Taddeo is a successful high-stakes fantasy football player who created the first-ever DFS program ever offered in a Las Vegas sportsbook. Frankie is SI Betting's Senior Analyst and provides his significant experience and resources in the sports betting scene. You can follow Frankie on Twitter @Frankie_Fantasy for his latest betting and fantasy insights from Las Vegas.

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