Big 12 men’s basketball tournament bracket: Matchups, seeds, and schedule revealed

The road to March Madness is getting closer as the 2026 Big 12 Men’s Basketball Tournament bracket has been officially outlined. The tournament is scheduled to take place from March 10 to March 14 in Kansas City, Missouri, with teams battling for the conference title and an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

With several ranked programs in contention and multiple teams still fighting for positioning, this year’s Big 12 tournament is expected to be one of the most competitive in college basketball.

Current seeds heading into the tournament

• No. 1: Arizona Wildcats men’s basketball (13-2)
• No. 2: Iowa State Cyclones men’s basketball (11-4)
• No. 3: Houston Cougars men’s basketball (11-4)
• No. 4: Kansas Jayhawks men’s basketball (11-4)
• No. 5: Texas Tech Red Raiders men’s basketball
• No. 6: UCF Knights men’s basketball
• No. 7: BYU Cougars men’s basketball
• No. 8: TCU Horned Frogs men’s basketball
• No. 9: West Virginia Mountaineers (7-8)
• No. 10: Cincinnati Bearcats (7-8)
• No. 11 Colorado Buffaloes (6-9)
• No. 12 Arizona State Sun Devils (5-10)
• No. 13 Oklahoma State Cowboys (5-10)
• No. 14 Baylor Bears (4-11)
• No. 15 Kansas State Wildcats (2-13)
• No. 16 Utah Utes (2-13)

First round matchups and early schedule

The tournament begins on March 10 with four first-round games.

• Arizona State vs Oklahoma State
• West Virginia vs Utah
• Cincinnati vs Kansas State
• Colorado vs Baylor

All games will be streamed on ESPN+.

Winners from these games advance to the second round on March 11,

• Texas Tech vs Winner Game 1
• TCU vs Winner Game 2
• BYU vs Winner Game 3
• UCF vs Winner Game 4

Broadcast across ESPN/ESPN2 and ESPN+.

The quarterfinal stage starts on March 12, when the top four seeds:

• Kansas vs Winner Game 5
• Arizona vs Winner Game 6
• Iowa State vs Winner Game 7
• Houston vs Winner Game 8

Semifinals and championship game

The semifinals are scheduled for March 13, setting up two high-stakes matchups between the remaining contenders. The winners will then meet in the championship game on March 14, where the Big 12 champion will be crowned just one day before Selection Sunday.

Last season, Houston captured the conference tournament title, highlighting how momentum in Kansas City can carry into the NCAA Tournament.

Bracketology projections suggest that multiple Big 12 teams are likely to make the NCAA Tournament, including Arizona and Iowa State as potential No. 1 seeds. Programs like Houston, Texas Tech, Kansas, BYU, UCF and TCU are also expected to be part of the field.

With several teams fighting for improved seeding and bubble spots still undecided, every game in Kansas City could have major postseason consequences.

As March approaches, the Big 12 tournament promises high-intensity matchups, possible upsets and a final opportunity for teams to strengthen their NCAA Tournament resumes before the national bracket is revealed.



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