Big 12 Basketball Championship Futures: Odds, Predictions & Top Contenders
Updated November 3, 2026
Updated November 3, 2026
The 2027 Big 12 Men's Basketball Championship features one of college basketball's deepest collections of contenders, with Arizona, Houston, Kansas, Iowa State, and Texas Tech entering the season as legitimate threats to capture the conference tournament title. With several nationally ranked programs, experienced coaching staffs, and high-impact newcomers, the race for the championship promises to be highly competitive.
The defending conference champions return standouts Motiejus Krivas and Ivan Kharchenkov.
Kelvin Sampson's program remains an elite contender behind its defensive identity.
Bill Self's Jayhawks will try to win behind highly regarded freshman Tyran Stokes.
Returning guard Tamin Lipsey anchors a program built around an elite defense.
The Red Raiders have another talented roster and hope that JT Toppin can stay healthy in big games.
The defending conference champions return standouts Motiejus Krivas and Ivan Kharchenkov.
Kelvin Sampson's program remains an elite contender behind its defensive identity.
Bill Self's Jayhawks will try to win behind highly regarded freshman Tyran Stokes.
Returning guard Tamin Lipsey anchors a program built around an elite defense.
The Red Raiders have another talented roster and hope that JT Toppin can stay healthy in big games.
Our prediction to win the 2027 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament is Arizona. Tommy Lloyd's Wildcats enter the season with a combination of defensive size, rebounding potential, and established tournament experience. Arizona opened the 2026–27 season ranked fifth nationally in KenPom's preseason adjusted efficiency ratings, reinforcing expectations that the Wildcats will remain among the country's most balanced teams despite substantial roster turnover.
Arizona's dominance on the glass provides another reason for confidence to make college basketball predictions on them. The Wildcats grabbed 38.4% of available offensive rebounds during the 2025–26 season, ranking fourth nationally, generating valuable second-chance opportunities.
Returning center Motiejus Krivas also provides a significant defensive presence. According to Arizona Athletics, opponents scored 14 fewer points per 100 possessions when Krivas was on the floor compared with when he was off during that season. Although these figures do not guarantee identical results with a restructured roster, they demonstrate the value of Arizona's returning interior anchor.
Houston represents the most significant challenge, entering the season third in KenPom's preseason ratings and retaining Kelvin Sampson's defensive philosophy. However, with the Cougars incorporating numerous new players, Arizona's combination of proven interior defense, established coaching continuity, and rebounding upside gives the Wildcats a narrow advantage in our projection. If Arizona secures a top-four seed and the accompanying double-bye, it should be well positioned to defend its Big 12 tournament championship.
Battling For Double Byes
The Big 12's top four seeds receive double-byes into the quarterfinals, reducing the number of victories needed to capture the championship to three.
Kansas' Advantage
The tournament's longstanding Kansas City setting gives Kansas a geographic advantage in potential crowd support, although the games are played at a neutral venue.
Unbalanced Scheduling
Each team plays 18 conference games, facing three opponents twice and the remaining 12 once, creating potential differences in schedule difficulty that can affect tournament seeding.
Elite Defenses
With Houston, Arizona, Iowa State, and other contenders projected among the nation's strongest teams, offensive efficiency against high-level defenses could prove decisive across the tournament's final rounds.
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