Big 12 Basketball Tournament Odds: Kansas Favored To Defend

The Kansas Jayhawks  are the favorites to take home the Big 12 championship in the 2022-23 campaign. The defending national champions sit at the top of the oddsboard at +125 while the Texas Longhorns follow at +210. The two programs meet March 11, 6 p.m. ET to decide which will become the conference championship. Check out our Texas vs Kansas matchup page for all your betting needs.

The fourth-seeded Baylor Bears were upset 78-72 by Iowa State, a 4.5-point underdog, in the quarterfinals. Apart from that result, the top three on the oddsboard won handily over their opponents Thursday to advance. In the semifinals, Kansas knocked off Iowa State 71-58, cruising through their 4.5-point spread, and Texas topped TCU 66-60. Both groups are 2-0 ATS across two appearances in the Big 12 tournament.

Jayhawks vs. Longhorns for the 🏆#Big12MBB x @Phillips66Gas pic.twitter.com/VNng5wbzHv

— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) March 11, 2023

Big 12 Conference Tournament Odds

Odds as of March 10

Big 12 Tournament Odds: Kansas Jayhawks (+125)

We weren’t too certain what to expect after Kansas lost its top two scorers, Ochai Agbaji (18.8 PPG) and Christian Braun (14.1 PPG), to the NBA draft. But Kansas hasn’t missed a beat. The defending national champions, who pocketed their 12th Big 12 title a year ago, are favored to do it again. The Jayhawks tipped off the campaign by winning 16 of their first 17 games and finished 25-6 overall, topping the Big 12 with a 13-5 conference record.

The Jayhawks average 75.5 points per game. At the forefront is junior Jalen Wilson, a contender for National Player of the Year who is averaging 20 points per game. Wilson pocketed a helpful 25 points and 10 rebounds in yesterday's semifinals, bringing his current conference tourney total to 47 points and 21 rebounds. Gradey Dick (14.4), Kevin McCullar Jr. (10.7) and K.J. Adams Jr. (10.5) present other offensive options for Kansas, but none have been able to slow down Wilson. 

Jalen Wilson - The *Unanimous* Player of the Year 👑

📺 @ESPN #Big12MBB x @KUHoops pic.twitter.com/aQlT5CsWCm

— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) March 11, 2023

The Jayhawks and head coach Bill Self are familiar with what it takes to be conference and national champions. It’ll be that experience that has and continues to give them an edge on the Big 12 competition. 

Big 12 Tournament Value Pick: Texas longhorns (+210)

The Longhorns (23-8, 12-6) started the year 12-2 overall and average 77.9 points per game to rank 31st in the country. Texas allowed just 52.8 points per game through its first five outings but has since slipped in that area, now ranking barely inside the top 100 by giving up 67.8 points per game.

Leading the way for Texas is senior Marcus Carr with 15.9 points, 3.0 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game. The senior has been carefully covered on the court though, just pocketing 21 points over two contests. Instead fellow seniors Sir’Jabari Rice (12.4 PPG) and Dylan Disu (8.0 PPG) have been leaders on the stats sheet this tournament. 

The Longhorns, who won the Big 12 Conference in 2021, have an impressive resume this year, defeating the TCU Horned Frogs, Gonzaga Bulldogs and Creighton Bluejays. Texas had a difficult schedule to conclude the regular season, falling to Baylor and TCU but taking down Iowa State and Kansas in its final four matchups. They are used to tough competition, so don't expect them to back down easily to the Jayhawks.

Last 10 Big 12 Tournament Winners

When you look up “a whole lot of winning” in the dictionary, you’ll find a picture of the Kansas Jayhawks. They’ve dominated the conference, winning the most Big 12 tournaments with 12 – how fitting. Four of those championships have come in the last decade. Additionally, the Jayhawks have won the regular-season title eight times in the last 10 years.