Big 12 basketball predictions: List of probable teams that could make March Madness 2024 ft. Kansas

Modified Mar 01, 2024 16:06 GMT

Houston and Kansas are Big 12 favorites for deep NCAA Tournament runs.

Big 12 basketball is poised for a big March Madness. Expectations are sky-high for perhaps the nation's deepest basketball league.

NCAA frontrunners like Kansas and Houston make the Big 12 a particularly meaningful group. But which Big 12 teams will be in the NCAA Tournament, and which ones will be on the sidelines?

Big 12 basketball predictions 2024: Top contenders

Kansas

The Jayhawks (21-7, 9-6) haven't left the top-10 all season. That's unsurprising with inside/outside duo Hunter Dickinson (18.3 ppg, 10.9 rpg) and Kevin McCullar (19.0 ppg, 4.4. apg) running the show.

Kansas leads the nation in assists per game (19.5) and is fifth nationally in shooting (49.8%). They're definitely in the Tournament.

Houston

The No. 1 Cougars (25-3, 12-3) are all about defense. They hold opponents to just 56.2 points per game on 37.7% shooting-- both being leading marks in the nation.

Houston averages 10.4 steals per game but commits just 8.7 turnovers per game. LJ Cryer (15.3 ppg, 2.4 rpg) and Co. are likely the No. 1 seeds in the Tournament.

Iowa State

Iowa State moves into March ranked eighth overall, and looking for a jump.

The Cyclones (22-6, 11-4) are nearly as stingy defensively as Houston, giving up 62.3 ppg (seventh nationally) and forcing 17.8 turnovers per game.

A balanced team with four double-digit scorers, Iowa State is quietly making waves and may continue doing so in the NCAA Tournament.

Baylor

While not quite on the level of the aforementioned three teams, Baylor (20-8, 9-6) is still a significant team to follow.

The No. 15 Bears are 24th nationally in scoring (81.6 ppg) and fifth in 3-point shooting (39.7%). Guard Ja'kobe Walter (14.8 ppg, 4.4 rpg) is worth keeping an eye on, as is his team.

Dark horse teams to watch in Big 12 basketball

BYU

Beating Kansas hurt BYU's cover as a dark horse team-- they may just be a great team.

Coach Mark Pope's Cougars (20-8, 8-7) score the ball well (82.6 ppg) and shoot the second-most 3-point shots in college basketball (32.5 attempts per game).

BYU also has seven players scoring 9.2 points per game or better. They could surprise in March.

Texas

It's been an up-and-down season for the Longhorns (18-10, 7-8), but one reason they could surprise is guard Max Abmas.

The Oral Roberts transfer with over 3,000 college points could come up big. March is about big-time guards and Texas certainly has one.

Big 12 Basketball standings

2023-24 Men's Basketball Standings
TEAM	BIG 12 RECORD	PCT.	HOME	AWAY	STREAK	OVERALL RECORD	PCT.	HOME	AWAY	NEUTRAL	STREAK
Houston	12-3	.800	8-0	4-3	W6	25-3	.893	16-0	5-3	4-0	W6
Iowa State	11-4	.733	8-0	3-4	W2	22-6	.786	17-0	4-4	1-2	W2
Kansas	9-6	.600	7-1	2-5	L1	21-7	.750	14-1	3-5	4-1	L1
Baylor	9-6	.600	5-2	4-4	W1	20-8	.714	13-2	4-4	3-2	W1
Texas Tech	8-7	.533	6-2	2-5	L2	19-9	.679	14-2	2-6	3-1	L2
BYU	8-7	.533	5-2	3-5	W1	20-8	.714	14-2	3-6	3-0	W1
TCU	8-7	.533	5-3	3-4	L1	19-9	.679	12-3	5-4	2-2	L1
Texas	7-8	.467	3-4	4-4	W1	18-10	.643	12-4	4-5	2-1	W1
Oklahoma	7-8	.467	4-3	3-5	L1	19-9	.679	13-3	3-5	3-1	L1
Kansas State	7-8	.467	6-2	1-6	W2	17-11	.607	14-3	2-6	1-2	W2
UCF	6-9	.400	4-3	2-6	W2	15-12	.556	11-5	2-7	2-0	W2
Cincinnati	5-10	.333	2-5	3-5	L3	16-12	.571	12-5	4-6	0-1	L3
Oklahoma State	4-11	.267	3-5	1-6	L2	12-16	.429	10-7	1-7	1-2	L2
West Virginia	4-11	.267	4-3	0-8	L2	9-19	.321	9-7	0-8	0-4	L2