College Basketball Conference Tournament Betting Preview - Big 12

The countdown to the NCAA Tournament is less than two weeks away, and Selection Sunday is March 16. The small conference tourney's have started to finish with some teams punching their ticket to the Big Dance. That includes top seed Drake in the Missouri Valley and the St. Mary's-Gonzaga winner Tuesday in the West Coast Conference title game March 11 along with the Coastal Athletic Conference winner between big longshot Delaware and No. 1 seed UNC Wilmington. But the power conferences will crown their winners this week with many at-large teams completing the March Madness brackets. The Big 12 tournament tips off Tuesday, March 11, and No. 1 seed Houston (19-1) is looking to win this year's conference tournament off back-to-back regular season titles.

It's wall-to-wall basketball every day this week with conference tournament engaging action providing many of the most exciting games as the memorable moments build into March Madness and the most live bet games of the season as the media coverage ramps up for the the NCAA Tournament. 

Follow the ACC and Big Ten tournaments and teams along with the SEC as those CCT's also provide the most watched and wagered games this week ahead of March Madness. The top seeds Houston, Michigan State and Auburn lead a number of teams that will make the NCAA Tournament with top teams odds and stats to review as you craft your bets ahead of March Madness. 

While the college basketball conference tournament and March Madness generate billions of dollars wagered, the money bet offshore is 3-4 times that amount. So, there are still many benefits to wagering offshore, and Off Shore Gaming Association provides benefits for players to get more out of their online gambling experience. Especially fans and bettors in the three most populous states that still do not offer wagering options with U.S. sportsbooks - California, Texas and Florida. Neither does Georgia, Alabama or South Carolina for SEC faithful fans, or Minnesota and Missouri, with the Show Me State pushing hard to change that yet this year. 

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Check back as I update stats, content and coverage including select matchups, odds and any picks. 

All odds provided by BetOnline, a top online sportsbook and the largest gaming company in Panama. 

Big 12

Odds to win the Big 12 tournament from BetOnline and leading online sportsbooks refresh periodically and are subject to change, including on props and live betting. Each teams offensive and defensive efficiency ratings from KenPom.

Houston (19-1) dominated the conference with their only loss at home in overtime to No. 2 seed Texas Tech (15-5). The Red Raiders have never won the Big 12 tournament. Before they get a potential shot at Houston, TT will have to tackle some other conference teams who were all ranked top-10 at some point this season, No. 3 seed Arizona (14-6), No. 5 seed Iowa State (13-7) and No. 6 seed Kansas (11-9), who started the season ranked No. 1. And No. 4 seed BYU (14-6) joins the other five teams as locks to make the NCAA Tournament, according to ESPN's Bracketology. All Big 12 conference games on ESPN or ESPN2.

Despite Houston's dominance, this is still a tougher conference to predict a winner with greater depth. Houston is one of just four teams in the country that are top-20 in both KenPom's offensive and defensive efficiency ratings - a metic that has produced 21 of the last 22 NCAA Tournament winners. Arizona was there recently but fell back defensively. Texas Tech is now closer, along with Iowa State with those adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency numbers. 

Big 12 Stats, Trends and Notes 

The last 5 Big 12 tournament champions are Iowa State, Texas, Kansas, Texas, Iowa State. 

The value of having a bye in conference tournaments is typically significant, especially when they are believed to be the better team. In fact, heading into the 2025 action, VSiN research notes that conference tournament favorites off a bye are 312-106 SU and 219-191 ATS (53.4%) over the last five seasons against teams that played earlier in that tournament. 

Teams off an earlier round bye in the Big 12 tournament and favored have gone 17-2 SU since 2015 and have won their last seven ATS (100%).

- In expectedly competitive games (lines -3.5 or less) of the Big 12 tourney, Under the total is on a 13-5 ATS (72.2%) run.
- Underdogs in the opening round of the Big 12 tourney are on an 8-9 SU and 14-3 ATS (82.4%) run.
- Big 12 semifinal favorites are on an 18-2 SU and 15-5 ATS (75%) run dating back to 2013.
- Totals of 147 or higher have gone 15-5 (75%) Under over the last 11 years in the Big 12 tourney.
- Playbook notes that No. 8 or worse seeds in Big 12 tourney are just 7-18 ATS as favorites, including 2-8 SU and 0-10 ATS with a win percentage of less than .525.

Houston (27-4) will likely be a No. 1 seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament with only a Big 12 quarterfinal loss potentially damaging their chances. The Cougars are top-5 in the nation in scoring margin (+16 ppg), FG defense (38.2%) and a defensive dominator allowing just 58.1 points per game - best in the country. Iowa State (23-8) opened the season top-5 in the AP Top 25 poll, and ISU is top-15 in the country in scoring margin (+12). The Cyclones are 13-6 SU and 16-2-1 ATS in Big 12 tournament play the past 10 seasons, per Playbook Sports. Texas Tech (24-7) was not ranked in the AP Top 25 to start the season, and the Red Raiders went 8-4 vs. Quad 1 opponents and split two games against Houston with a 1-point road win in overtime. Texas Tech also lost at home to Iowa State by 1 point in overtime. Baylor (18-13/10-10) severely underachived after starting the season ranked top-10 in the AP Top 25 poll. Kansas (20-11/11-9) started the season ranked No. 1 in the country, and finished 6th in the Big 12. 

Big 12 Tournament Schedule 

First Round: March 11
Second Round: March 12
Quarterfinals: March 13
Semifinals: March 14
Championship: 6 p.m. March 15

Matchups and Odds 

Tuesday, March 11 

- No. 13 Cincinnati (-5.5) vs. No. 12 Oklahoma State, 139
- No. 16 Colorado vs. No. 9 TCU (-1.5), 134
- No. 15 Arizona State vs. No. 10 Kansas State (-5.5), 142
- No. 14 UCF vs. No. 11 Utah (-1.5), 156.5 

Wed., March 12 

- Cincinnati vs. No. 5 Iowa State (-9.5), 135.5
- Colorado vs. No. 8 West Virginia (-6.5), 129
- Kansas State vs. No. 7 Baylor (-6.5), 136
- UCF vs. No. 6 Kansas (-10), 154 

Thurs., March 13

- No. 5 Iowa State (-2.5) vs. No. 4 BYU, 146.5 
- No. 16 Colorado vs. No. 1 Houston (-17.5), 127
- No. 7 Baylor vs. No. 2 Texas Tech (-6.5), 140
- No. 6 Kansas vs. No. 3 Arizona (-1.5), 148.5

Friday, March 14

- No. 4 BYU vs. No. 1 Houston (-7.5), 134.5
- No. 3 Arizona vs. No. 2 Texas Tech (-2.5), 153

Sat., March 15

- No. 3 Arizona vs. No. 1 Houston (-7), 135 

Houston captures Big 12 tournament title with a 72-68 win over Arizona and the Cougars 13th straight win entering the NCAA Tournament as a No. 1 seed. 

Select matchups and game odds with any additional stats and information you can bet on provided as able as the conference tournaments progress. 

Follow along and check out more college basketball conference tournament betting odds and futures at BetOnline.ag. 

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FairwayJay is a proven sports handicapper and insightful analyst. He chips college basketball and additional sports betting coverage and reporting on industry news and events. Read more great insights from FairwayJay and follow him on  X: @FairwayJay