ESPN’s Joe Lunardi released his latest bracketology projections on Friday, with eight Big 12 teams projected to claim bids to the tournament while the other eight programs are on the outside looking in.
Kansas, still one of the eight teams projected to get in, has fallen to unprecedented depths in the Bill Self era, though. Kansas has never been lower than a No. 4 seed in the 20 consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament, but in the latest projection, they’re all the way down to a seven seed.
It’s particularly shocking when you consider that everyone had Kansas as their No. 1 overall team coming into the 2024-25 season. The Jayhawks will host Oklahoma State this weekend with hopes of getting back in the win column, but with games against Arizona, Houston, and Texas Tech all still looming, it’s hard to see the silver lining for this group.
There are still four teams with a fighting chance of earning a bid if they close out the season on a hot streak, but where do they sit on the bubble in Lunardi’s latest update?
West Virginia is the lone team listed there right now, coming in just behind Texas on the “last four byes.
Bubble Watch (Feb. 21, 2025)
LAST FOUR BYES
- Texas
- West Virginia
- San Diego State
- Nebraska
FIRST FOUR OUT
- Oklahoma
- SMU
- Georgia
- North Carolina
LAST FOUR IN
- Vanderbilt
- Arkansas
- VCU
- Wake Forest
NEXT FOUR OUT
- Xavier
- Indiana
- Boise State
- Pittsburgh
Here’s a look at the projected seeding and opponents for each of the Big 12 teams.
Big 12 Bracketology (Feb. 21, 2025)
(2) Houston vs. (15) Montana
(2) Iowa State vs. (15) Cleveland State
(3) Texas Tech vs. (14) Towson
(3) Arizona vs. (14) Utah Valley
(7) Kansas vs. (10) Ohio State
(9) Baylor vs. (8) Oregon
(10) West Virginia vs. (7) St. Mary’s
(11) BYU vs. (6) Clemson
