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The good news for the Big 12? During the round of 64, the conference went a strong 6-1. The bad news for Texas fans? They were on the wrong side of that record.
Seven conference teams made the NCAA Tournament, tied for the second most with the ACC. Only the Big Ten sent more representatives.
Six Big 12 teams advanced to see another day, winning by an average of just over 14 points. After being considered one of the best conferences during the regular season, the Big 12 is backing it up in the tournament.
Here are the full conference results:
- Baylor over Hartford
- Kansas over Eastern Washington
- Oklahoma over Missouri
- Oklahoma State over Liberty
- Texas Tech over Utah State
- West Virginia over Morehead State
To make matters worse for the Longhorns, Shaka Smart’s team was the only team in the state of Texas to drop a game. Of course, Abilene Christian got a head-to-head win, but Houston also got past Cleveland State.
- Abilene Christian over Texas
- Houston over Cleveland State
Even before winning the Big 12 tournament, a first-round exit would have been considered a disappointment for Texas. During our roundtable discussion of expectations and predictions, the round of 32 was as far as our experts would predict.
The future of Smart is still up for debate, but we have seen how willing athletic Chris Del Conte is to make a move if it means winning. For now, all Texas can do is reflect on the loss and begin to focus on the upcoming 2021-2022 season.