2026 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament Bracket: Arizona State Upsets Baylor, BYU-Kansas State and Colorado-Oklahoma State Still Live Tonight in Kansas City
The Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament is underway at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri — and it opened with an upset Tuesday. Arizona State knocked off Baylor 83-79 in Game 1. Two first-round games are still in progress tonight. No. 1 Arizona, No. 2 Houston, No. 3 Kansas, and No. 4 Texas Tech have double byes and wait in the quarterfinals. The championship tips Saturday at 5:00 PM CT on ESPN.
First-Round Results: Arizona State Stuns Baylor, BYU Leading Late
Game 1 Final: No. 12 Arizona State 83, No. 13 Baylor 79. Game 2 Final: No. 9 Cincinnati 73, No. 16 Utah 66.
BYU vs. Kansas State (Game 3) is in progress and BYU is leading late — the Cougars currently hold a seven-point advantage with under 10 minutes to go. NBA prospect AJ Dybantsa is in action for BYU, which entered as a 9-9 conference team desperate for a tournament win to strengthen its NCAA bid. Colorado vs. Oklahoma State (Game 4) tips at 9:30 PM ET tonight on ESPN+.
2026 Big 12 Tournament Full Bracket and Schedule
All 16 Big 12 teams are in the field. Here are the complete seeds: No. 1 Arizona, No. 2 Houston, No. 3 Kansas, No. 4 Texas Tech, No. 5 Iowa State, No. 6 TCU, No. 7 West Virginia, No. 8 UCF, No. 9 Cincinnati, No. 10 BYU, No. 11 Colorado, No. 12 Arizona State, No. 13 Baylor, No. 14 Oklahoma State, No. 15 Kansas State, No. 16 Utah.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11 — SECOND ROUND
Game 5: No. 5 Iowa State vs. No. 12 Arizona State | 12:30 PM ET on ESPN Game 6: No. 8 UCF vs. No. 9 Cincinnati | 3:00 PM ET on ESPNU Game 7: No. 7 West Virginia vs. BYU-KSU winner | 7:00 PM ET on ESPN2 Game 8: No. 6 TCU vs. Colorado-OkSt winner | 9:30 PM ET on ESPNU
THURSDAY, MARCH 12 — QUARTERFINALS
Game 9: No. 4 Texas Tech vs. Game 5 winner | 11:30 AM CT on ESPN/ESPN2 Game 10: No. 1 Arizona vs. Game 6 winner | 2:00 PM CT on ESPN/ESPN2 Game 11: No. 2 Houston vs. Game 7 winner | 6:00 PM CT on ESPN/ESPN2 Game 12: No. 3 Kansas vs. Game 8 winner | 8:30 PM CT on ESPN/ESPN2
FRIDAY, MARCH 13 — SEMIFINALS
Game 13: Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner | 6:00 PM CT on ESPN/ESPN2 Game 14: Game 11 winner vs. Game 12 winner | 8:30 PM CT on ESPN/ESPN2
SATURDAY, MARCH 14 — CHAMPIONSHIP
Game 15: Semifinal winners | 5:00 PM CT on ESPN
Arizona: The No. 1 Seed and the Nation's Title Contender
Arizona enters as the No. 1 seed after winning the Big 12 regular-season championship outright — the program's first conference title in only its second year in the league. The Wildcats are a Tier 1 national championship contender and are projected as a No. 1 seed on Selection Sunday alongside Duke.
After the SEC's dominance last season, the Big 12 has staked its claim as the nation's best conference in 2025-26. Arizona, Houston, Iowa State, Texas Tech, and Kansas all appear headed for top-four seeds in the NCAA Tournament, while BYU, UCF, and TCU have positioned themselves for at-large bids.
Iowa State: Chasing Three Straight Big 12 Tournament Titles
Iowa State has won the Big 12 Tournament in back-to-back years, and the T-Mobile Center has been dubbed "Hilton South" after the Cyclones' rabid fanbase floods Kansas City each March. T.J. Otzelberger's group is itching to make it three straight — and Iowa State has a favorable path despite entering as the No. 5 seed.
The path is not easy. Arizona State — fresh off knocking out Baylor — greets the Cyclones Wednesday at 12:30 PM ET. Cincinnati has been on the rise of late, and Arizona State picked up a win over Kansas in the final week of the regular season, so the bracket's bottom half is genuinely unpredictable.
ESPN's Joe Lunardi projects six additional Big 12 teams will receive at-large NCAA Tournament bids: Kansas, BYU, Texas Tech, Iowa State, UCF, and TCU. Defending champion Houston — which won its first-ever Big 12 title last year with Emanuel Sharp named Most Outstanding Player — enters as the No. 2 seed and the conference's most dangerous second option. Bill Self's Kansas Jayhawks hold the No. 3 seed and open Thursday night.
