My Hoosiers play Wisconsin tonight in the final regular season game for both, and then we get one step closer to the height of March Madness with conference tournament week. So far, we provided our Big 10 Tournament Preview, ACC Tournament Preview, SEC Tournament Preview, and Big East Tournament Preview.
This afternoon we add one more to the list: the 2009 Big 12 Tournament Preview.
Before we get into the specifics, here is your quick preview of the 2009 Big 12 Conference Mens Basketball Tournament:
- What: 13th Big 12 Men Basketball Tournament
- Location: Ford Center — Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- Dates: March 11 – March 14
- Official Website: 2009 Big 12 Tournament
- StubHub Tickets: 2009 Big 12 Basketball Tournament Tickets
- StubHub Tickets: 2009 NCAA Tournament Tickets
This year’s Big 12 Tournament features a #1 seed that on the one hand you expect to be at the top — considering they have won the Big 12 Tournament three years in a row and six times overall. However, this year’s Big 12 Tournament #1 seed is also unlikely considering their standing in the preseason polls. I am talking, of course, about defending Big 12 and National Champion Kansas, which features my choice for National Coach of the Year: Bill Self.
Here are a few reasons why I think Bill Self should be National Coach of the Year:
- Preseason polls may be relatively meaningless, but they are good gauge of how much proven talent a team has returning from one year to the next. The Jayhawks were ranked #24 in the preseason AP Top 25 Poll, an
d #23 in the preseason Coaches Top 25 Poll. Currently, Kansas is ranked #9 in both the AP and Coaches Top 25 polls. - Kansas lost three of its most important players off of last year’s National Championship team: Darrell Arthur, Mario Chalmers, and 2008 Big 12 Tournament MOP Brandon Rush. Yet, Self has rebuilt Kansas around the junior-sophomore-freshman trio of Sherron Collins-Cole Aldrich-Tyshawn Taylor.
- It is always harder to repeat, as the cliche goes. Yet the Jawhawks battled through a tough Big 12 conference to capture the regular season crown and are poised to get as high as a #2 seed in the NCAA Tournament with a strong showing.
The best coaches in college basketball are the ones who can continuously reload and always have their team competing at the highest level. Florida and Billy Donovan repeated with the same team two years in a row — but look at Florida now. They have not been a Top 25 team two years running. Bill Self has a completely different team than last season and Kansas heads into its conference tournament with the #1 seed.
Don’t get me wrong: Jeff Capel of Oklahoma and Mike Anderson at Missouri have also done tremendous 
jobs this season, as the three top teams in the Big 12 all outperformed preseason expectations. As always, there are plenty of worthy candidates for National Coach of the Year, but considering what he lost and the disparity between the preseason expectations and in-season success, I have to give my vote to Bill Self.
He looks like Jon Arbuckle from the Garfield comics, but he coaches as well as anyone in the business right now.
So, how does the 2009 Big 12 Tournament shape up? Here is the TV schedule and bracket, based on the final 2009 Big 12 Standings:
2009 Big 12 Tournament TV Schedule and Bracket
| Game | Date | Matchup | Time | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wed, March 11 | #9 Baylor def. #8 Nebraska 65-49 | 11:30 AM | Big 12 Network |
| 2 | Wed, March 11 | #5 Texas def. #12 Colorado 67-56 | 2:00 PM | Big 12 Network |
| 3 | Wed, March 11 | #7 Oklahoma State def. #10 Iowa State 81-67 | 6:00 PM | Big 12 Network |
| 4 | Wed, March 11 | #11 Texas Tech def. #6 Texas A&M 88-83 | 8:30 PM | Big 12 Network |
| 5 | Thu, March 12 | #9 Baylor def. #1 Kansas 71-64 | 11:30 AM | ESPN2 |
| 6 | Thu, March 12 | #5 Texas def. #4 Kansas State 61-58 | 2:00 PM | Big 12 Network |
| 7 | Thu, March 12 | #7 Oklahoma State def. #2 Oklahoma 71-70 | 6:00 PM | Big 12 Network |
| 8 | Thu, March 12 | #3 Missouri def. #11 Texas Tech 81-60 | 8:30 PM | ESPN2 |
| 9 | Fri, March 13 | #9 Baylor def. #5 Texas 76-70 | 6:00 PM | Big 12 Network |
| 10 | Fri, March 13 | #3 Missouri def. #7 Oklahoma State 67-59 | 8:30 PM | Big 12 Network |
| 11 | Sat, March 14 | #3 Missouri def. #9 Baylor 73-60 | 5:00 PM | ESPN |
[Note: Follow the link to view the Big 12 Tournament bracket at the official Big 12 Tournament website.]
The Big 12 Tournament is a lot like the Big 10 tournament: usually very exciting, but without the storied history of longer-standing conference tournaments like the ACC and SEC. Still, as the Big 12 Tournament approaches, historical perspective is always helpful. Below, you will find a breakdown of each of the 12 previous Big 12 Conference Tournaments. As you can see, the 12 years are bookended by Kansas three-peats. Can they make it a four-peat this year? We shall see.
Big 12 Tournament History: Champions and MOPs
| Year | Big 12 Tournament Champion | Score | Big 12 Tournament Runner-Up | MOP | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | #1 Kansas | 87-60 | #10 Missouri | Paul Pierce, Kansas | Kansas City |
| 1998 | #1 Kansas | 72-58 | #3 Oklahoma | Paul Pierce, Kansas | Kansas City |
| 1999 | #3 Kansas | 53-37 | #5 Oklahoma State | Jeff Boschee, Kansas | Kansas City |
| 2000 | #1 Iowa State | 70-58 | #3 Oklahoma | Marcus Fizer, Iowa State | Kansas City |
| 2001 | #3 Oklahoma | 54-45 | #4 Texas | Nolan Johnson, Oklahoma | Kansas City |
| 2002 | #2 Oklahoma | 64-55 | #1 Kansas | Hollis Price, Oklahoma | Kansas City |
| 2003 | #3 Oklahoma | 49-47 | #5 Missouri | Hollis Price, Oklahoma | Dallas |
| 2004 | #1 Oklahoma State | 65-49 | #2 Texas | Tony Allen, Oklahoma State | Dallas |
| 2005 | #3 Oklahoma State | 72-68 | #4 Texas Tech | Joey Graham, Oklahoma State | Kansas City |
| 2006 | #2 Kansas | 80-68 | #1 Texas | Mario Chalmers, Kansas | Dallas |
| 2007 | #1 Kansas | 88-84 | #3 Texas | Kevin Durant, Texas | Oklahoma City |
| 2008 | #3 Kansas | 84-74 | #1 Texas | Brandon Rush, Kansas | Kansas City |
| 2009 | #3 Missouri | 73-60 | #9 Baylor | DeMarre Carroll, Missouri | Oklahoma City |
| 2010 | #1 Kansas | 72-64 | #2 Kansas State | Sherron Collins, Kansas | Kansas City |
| 2011 | #1 Kansas | 85-73 | #2 Texas | Marcus Morris, Kansas | Kansas City |
You can also find a breakdown of the Won/Loss record for each team at the Big 12 Tournament wikipedia page.
Enjoy the tournament. An Oklahoma title probably gives the Sooners a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Kansas probably locks up a #2 seed with a Big 12 Tournament title. But perhaps Missouri, Texas, or a first day darkhorse can spoil the top dogs’ fun and provide a drama next Saturday.
