The men's basketball teams in the Big 12 will once again converge in March on Kansas City, Missouri, to play in the city that has hosted the conference tournament all but five times since the league was formed ahead of the 1996-97 season. Another of the constants for the event is who takes home the title. Kansas and Iowa State have combined to win 18 of the previous 28 editions. Seven other titles have gone two teams that are no longer in the league.

However, the expansion of the league has opened the doors to other contenders. Houston won the tournament last year in its second season in the conference. The Cougars beat Arizona in that title game in 2025, and the Wildcats, who are in their second Big 12 campaign, will be hoping to match what Houston did.

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Arizona owns the top seed after an impressive run through that saw them lose just two league games after an unbeaten non-conference season. The Cougars are right behind them. Conference legacy programs Kansas, Texas Tech and Iowa State are among the contender that will be hoping to snag the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. But it won't be easy with the amount of depth in the field.

Big 12 tournament schedule, bracket, scores

All times Eastern

First round

Tuesday, March 10

• Game 1: No. 12 Arizona State vs. No. 13 Baylor, 12:30 p.m., ESPN+
• Game 2: No. 9 Cincinnati vs. No. 16 Utah, 3 p.m., ESPN+
• Game 3: No. 10 Brigham Young vs. No. 15 Kansas State, 7 p.m., ESPN+
• Game 4: No. 11 Colorado vs. No. 14 Oklahoma State, 9:30 p.m., ESPN+

Second round

Wednesday, March 11

• Game 5: No. 5 Iowa State vs. Game 1 winner, 12:30 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2
• Game 6: No. 8 Central Florida vs. Game 2 winner, 3 p.m., ESPNU
• Game 7: No. 7 West Virginia vs. Game 3 winner, 7 p.m., ESPNU
• Game 8: No. 6 TCU vs. Game 4 winner, 9:30 p.m., ESPN2/ESPNU

Quarterfinals

Thursday, March 12

• Game 9: No. 4 Texas Tech vs. Game 5 winner, 12:30 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2
• Game 10: No. 1 Arizona vs. Game 6 winner, 3 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2
• Game 11: No. 2 Houston vs. Game 7 winner, 7 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2
• Game 12: No. 3 Kansas vs. Game 8 winner, 9:30 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2

Semifinals

Friday, March 13

• Game 13: Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner, 7 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2
• Game 14: Game 11 winner vs. Game 12 winner, 9:30 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2

Championship game

Saturday, March 14

• Game 15: Semifinal winners, 6 p.m., ESPN

How to watch Big 12 tournament

• TV: ESPN/ESPN2 | ESPNU
• Streaming: ESPN app | ESPN+ | Fubo (free trial)

The Big 12 tournament first round will be streamed exclusively on ESPN+. The succeeding rounds will be shown on ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU. The championship game will be aired on ESPN.

Big 12 tournament favorite

There's not much doubt the rest of the conference is chasing Arizona as the Wildcats have dominated throughout out the campaign. Their strength is in their balance. Seven scorers average nine points or more. Their perimeter game is back by a strong interior group, led by Motiejus Krivas and Tobe Awaka. The biggest threat looks to be Houston, which has the type of defense that can be counted on in a tournament that forces teams to win three times in three games.

Big 12 tournament top players

AJ Dybantsa, G, Brigham Young: The freshman has more than lived up to his billing as one of the nation's top recruits, averaging ppg. Even without running mate Richie Saunders, Dybantsa has the ability to carry them in the short run of tournament play.

Darryn Peterson, G, Kansas: The kerfuffle about Peterson's status in games has distracted from the fact he's been one of the top players in the country. The freshman, if motivated, can be the key piece to leading the Jayhawks on a deep run.

Christian Anderson, G, Texas Tech: The Red Raiders lost star JT Toppin to a season-ending injury in February but remained one of the best teams in the league with Anderson becoming the lead option. He will be tasked with continuing his scoring run in Kansas City.

Koa Peat, F, Arizona: The freshman standout is one of several key pieces for the Wildcats, who dominated the league this season. He is joined by fellow freshman Brayden Burries as the team's two top scorers.

Joshua Jefferson, F, Iowa State: Part of a three-pronged attack with Milan Momcilovic and Tamin Lipsey, the senior provides important scoring and rebounding from the interior that makes the Cyclones capable of being one of the favorites.

March Madness bubble storylines for Big 12

The Big 12 seems certain of getting eight spots in the tournament field with Central Florida still in good position after three consecutive losses. The Knights, however, will want to avoid a loss in the second round to make things certain. Among the teams on the outside of the field, Cincinnati may ahve the best hope with its recent run of six wins in eight games. West Virginia has stacked up five Quad 1 but overall inconsistency has hampered its hopes. Both the Bearcats and Mountaineers will need multiple victories to get into the conversation.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Big 12 tournament bracket, scores, schedule

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