Joe Lunardi released his latest bracketology update on Friday morning, and there are some pretty major changes from this time last week.
The Big 12 is currently in what some are describing as a “down year,” but with the NCAA Tournament approaching, the league has once again rounded into form and looks to have several national championship contenders among its ranks.
According to the latest projections, the Big 12 is slotted to have eight bids in the tournament, with a ninth team just missing the cut as one of the next four out.
Houston (24-4, 16-1) is guaranteed at least a share of the Big 12 regular season title after their win over Texas Tech earlier this week, and has rejoined the one-seeds in Lunardi’s latest bracket, grabbing the No. 1 seed in the West.
Iowa State (21-7, 11-6) is still slotted as a No. 2 despite their loss to Oklahoma State on Tuesday, while Texas Tech (21-7, 12-5) maintained their spot as a No. 3 seed. Arizona (19-9, 13-4) checks in as a No. 4 seed, while Kansas (19-9, 10-7) is clinging to a No. 6 seed after putting together a couple of much-needed wins.
BYU (20-8, 11-6) is holding steady as a No. 8 seed, while West Virginia (17-11, 8-9) and Baylor (16-12, 8-9) are both 10-seeds. The Bears are on the bubble now, coming in as one of the last four byes after their latest loss, a 69-67 defeat at the hands of Cincinnati.
The Bearcats, meanwhile, have risen to the “Next Four Out” on the bubble and are on the verge of making the Big 12 their ninth bid.
Here’s a quick look at each of the Big 12 teams’ seedings, as well as their projected opponents.
(1) Houston vs. (16) Omaha
(2) Iowa State vs. (15) Montana
(3) Texas Tech vs. (14) Towson
(4) Arizona vs. (13) Akron
(6) Kansas vs. (11) Nebraska
(8) BYU vs. (9) Utah State
(10) West Virginia vs. (7) Louisville
(10) Baylor vs. (7) Ole Miss
