Joe Lunardi released his latest bracketology update on Saturday morning, and things are looking up for the Big 12 Conference.
Despite appearing to be in the midst of what some describe as a “down year,” the Big 12 Conference is still expected to place multiple National Championship contenders in the field.
In the recent update, a total of eight teams were featured as tournament participants with three more in contention. Of the eight current tournament teams, four league members were listed as a No. 3 or better.
That group consists of Houston, Iowa State, Kansas, and Texas Tech. Kelvin Sampson and the league-leading Houston Cougars check in as the Big 12’s highest-ranked team as a two-seed while the other three all check in as three-seeds.
They are followed closely behind by No. 20 Arizona, who is tied for first place in the Big 12 with Houston. ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has the Wildcats marked as a four-seed. In addition to the top five teams, Baylor, West Virginia, and BYU would all reach March Madness if the season ended today, while UCF, Arizona State, and Cincinnati would miss out on the wrong side of the bubble.
As the calendar turns to February, each team will have several opportunities to improve their stock ahead of the 2025 NCAA Tournament. With the Big 12 Conference widely regarded as the nation’s best basketball league, it wouldn’t come as a shock many to see double-digit league members slip into the tournament field.
