The Favorite
The consensus No. 1 team in the country right now is the Kansas Jayhawks and nothing should change throughout the Big 12 tournament. Winning the regular-season title is nothing new for Bill Self as the Jayhawks have now had at least a share of the Big 12 in 15 out of the last 16 seasons.
Kansas has only lost one game in conference play this season, coming at home to Baylor on Jan 11. Since that loss at Allen Fieldhouse, the Jayhawks have rattled off 16 wins in a row, including revenge against the Bears in Waco on Feb 22.
It has been done through defense, holding opponents to under 60 points a game in Big 12 play, the best in the conference. While Kansas also leads the way in scoring, no single team will be able to score consistently against the Jayhawks. Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett is a lockdown defender who will take anybody on, shutting down team’s best players on a weekly basis.
Offensively, two players for Kansas have been leading the way throughout the season, with Devon Dotson and Udoka Azubuike being one of the best duos in America. Dotson leads the Big 12 in scoring with 18 points a game, while Azubuike is now averaging a double-double, producing 15 throughout the year. Nobody has figured out to stop the pair and they should continue in this week’s tournament.
If the Longhorns were able to beat Texas Tech on Thursday afternoon than the Jayhawks would more than likely be their opponent in Friday’s semi-final matchup. Already 0-2 against Bill Self’s team this season, it would be a difficult task for Texas to overcome to make their first Big 12 Tournament final since 2011.