Big 12 Record in NCAA Tournament (Updated After the Elite Eight)

How the Big 12 has fared through the NCAA tournament.
The Big 12 is hoping to make a splash in the 2025 NCAA tournament
The Big 12 is hoping to make a splash in the 2025 NCAA tournament / William Purnell-Imagn Images

Entering the 2025 NCAA tournament, the Big 12 was well-represented. It didn't break the record for most teams named to the dance, like the SEC did, but well-represented nonetheless, with a total of seven Big 12 teams getting chosen to participate in March Madness.

There were some darn good teams in the field, too. The conference earned one of the four No. 1 seed spots with Houston and a pair of No. 3 seeds in Iowa State and Texas Tech. Arizona, BYU, Kansas, and Baylor all checked in with middle seeds as well.

A competitive season for the conference was rewarded with a healthy group of NCAA tournament teams. Here's how they are performing now that the games are underway.

Big 12 Record in NCAA Tournament After the Elite Eight

Through the Sweet 16, the Big 12 boasts a record of 13-6. The seven teams from the conference chosen to participate in March Madness went 6-1 in the first round, followed by a 4-2 performance in the Round of 32. The four teams left went .500 in the Sweet 16 to give the Big 12 two representatives in the Elite Eight.

Once there, the Big 12 went 1-1. One school from the conference is left to do battle in the Final Four.

What Big 12 Teams Will Play in the Final Four?

The last Big 12 team remaining and set to play for a spot in the 2025 national championship game is No. 1 Houston.

MATCHUP

DATE

TIME

No. 1 Houston vs. No. 1 Duke

Saturday, April 5

8:49 p.m. ET

Biggest Wins and Most Disappointing Losses

Houston's win, as the only Big 12 victory of the weekend, qualifes as the biggest. And it was, indeed, a big one. The Cougars took advantage of a brutal start from the field by Tennessee to hammer the Volunteers into submission and kept them at arm's length throughout the contest. It wasn't as exciting as Houston's final-second win over Purdue but fans definitely breathed easier. Now Houston returns to the Final Four for the second time in five seasons.

On the disappointing side, Texas Tech fans will be losing sleep over the team's loss to Florida. The Red Raiders had a Final Four berth in their grasp and let it slip away as the Gators mounted a wild comeback capped off by Walter Clayton Jr. There's nothing wrong in losing an NCAA tournament game to a guard on an absolute heater, but to do so after holding a 10-point lead with six minutes left in the game is brutal.

How the Big 12 Compares to Other Conferences in the 2025 NCAA Tournament

The Big 12's conference record is excellent in comparison to other conferences, with the 13-6 record neck-and-neck with the Big Ten's 13-7 showing for the best winning percentage of the tourney.

The SEC laps both, setting an NCAA record for overall wins in one tournament, but owns a worse winning percentage at 21-10, while the ACC and Big East both disappointed big-time this tournament. Those two conferences combined to go 9-8 heading into the Final Four, and the Big East has zero representatives remaining in March Madness.


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Liam McKeone
LIAM MCKEONE

Liam McKeone is a senior writer for the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has been in the industry as a content creator since 2017, and prior to joining SI in May 2024, McKeone worked for NBC Sports Boston and The Big Lead. In addition to his work as a writer, he has hosted the Press Pass Podcast covering sports media and The Big Stream covering pop culture. A graduate of Fordham University, he is always up for a good debate and enjoys loudly arguing about sports, rap music, books and video games. McKeone has been a member of the National Sports Media Association since 2020.