How West Virginia Women’s Basketball Shook Up the Big 12 Tournament Seeding
The Big 12 Women’s Basketball Tournament picture just changed dramatically—thanks to West Virginia’s win over Kansas State. On Monday, the Mountaineers took down the 12th-ranked Wildcats 70-57 in a crucial President’s Day matchup, creating ripple effects throughout the conference’s postseason seeding.
Updated Big 12 Women’s Basketball Tournament Seeds
Just hours after initial projections were released, West Virginia women’s basketball reshaped the upper tier of the bracket with their impressive performance. According to the Big 12 Conference tiebreaker rules, here’s how the updated seeds would stack up if the tournament began today:
Seeds 1-4: Double Byes
- TCU (12-2)
- Baylor (12-2)
- Kansas State (12-3)
- Utah (11-3)
Kansas State’s loss pushed them from the top seed down to No. 3. TCU takes over the No. 1 spot because they hold the head-to-head advantage over Baylor, despite identical records. Baylor slots into No. 2, and Utah stays at No. 4 based on win percentage. However, K-State would retain the No. 3 seed if tied with Utah, since the Wildcats won their only meeting this season.
These top four teams earn double byes, starting tournament play in the quarterfinals.
Seeds 5-8: Single Byes
- West Virginia (11-4)
- Oklahoma State (10-4)
- Iowa State (9-5)
- Colorado (8-6)
West Virginia jumps to the No. 5 seed, edging out Oklahoma State based on a higher winning percentage (.733 vs .715). While WVU and OSU split their season series, further tiebreakers come into play. OSU has a key win over TCU, while WVU’s matchup with the Horned Frogs is still to come. Tuesday night’s game between OSU and Utah could heavily influence the final standings—especially in a potential three-way tie among OSU, WVU, and Utah.
These teams earn single byes, beginning their tournament run in the second round.
Seeds 9-16: First Round Matchups
- Arizona (6-8)
- Cincinnati (6-8)
- Kansas (4-10)
- BYU (4-10)
- Texas Tech (3-11)
- UCF (2-12)
- Arizona State (2-12)
- Houston (1-13)
No major changes here. Arizona owns the tiebreaker over Cincinnati thanks to a head-to-head win. Kansas and BYU are tied, but have yet to face off—making their upcoming game crucial for seeding. UCF holds the edge over Arizona State with a head-to-head win as well.
What’s Next?
With a few regular-season games remaining, Big 12 women’s basketball fans can expect more shakeups as teams battle for positioning. For West Virginia, their surge couldn’t have come at a better time, putting them firmly in the mix for a favorable seed and a deep conference tournament run.
