Historically, the Big 12 has been Kansas’ conference to lose in college basketball. But the addition of some new blood into the conference, and a Texas-sized challenger, could mean that this conference could go in an entirely different direction this year. Here, we look at the college basketball betting odds for the year in Big 12 basketball and break down the contenders to win the conference championship.
Big 12 Conference Betting Odds
Big 12 Basketball Futures Betting Outlook
The favorites to win the Big 12 tournament this season are the Houston Cougars. Kansas has long been the class of the Big 12, but the addition of Houston to this conference will make this league’s status much more unpredictable this season and in future seasons as well. Houston ran through the non-conference season without a loss, narrowly outperforming Kansas and the rest of the top teams in the conference, and Houston secured the Big 12 regular season championship as well.
Along with Houston, Iowa State is the other top contender going into the Big 12 tournament. The Cyclones have one of the best defenses in the country, one of the few that is on par with Houston right now. While Iowa State is much better at home than they are away from Ames, they will be a major threat to come away with this conference title.
Outside of the top-two favorites, the other main threats to win the Big 12 tourney are Baylor, Kansas, BYU, and Texas Tech. Baylor and Texas Tech have joined Iowa State and Houston as the two teams that earned double-byes in this tournament. That should mean a tougher path for Kansas and BYU relative to the other four favorites mentioned here. But you can never count Kansas out in the Big 12 tournament.
Big 12 Conference History
The Big 12 was formed in 1996 and its teams have participated in the Big 12 Men’s Basketball Tournament since 1997. The tournament is a single-elimination tournament lasting four rounds. The tournament winner earns a berth in the annual NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball tournament.
Kansas has been the conference’s dominant force with 12 Big 12 tournament wins in 16 appearances. Iowa State is 5-0 in their five championship games including their upset win over Kansas in 2019. Oklahoma has won three of its five championship games while Missouri has won two of their four. Meanwhile, Texas has two wins in its eight championship game appearances.
Since 2006, only Kansas (9), Iowa State (4), Missouri (2), and Texas (2) have won the Big 12 Men’s Basketball Tournament. Kansas is understandably getting a lot of respect from bookmakers entering the 2023-24 season. The Big 12 is home to two of the last three National Champions – Baylor in 2021 and Kansas in 2022.
Other College Basketball Conference Odds
- AAC Conference
- ACC Conference
- A-10 Conference
- Big East Conference
- Big Ten Conference
- SEC Conference
- Pac-12 Conference
- Mountain West Conference
- West Coast Conference
Win Count All-Time in The Big 12 Tournament
| Wins | Big 12 Team | Last Year Won |
|---|---|---|
| 12 | Kansas | 2022 |
| 5 | Iowa State | 2019 |
| 3 | Oklahoma | 2003 |
| 2 | Missouri | 2012 |
| 2 | Oklahoma State | 2005 |
| 2 | Texas | 2023 |
