Kristian Ferrell
The Big 12 men's basketball tournament is an annual championship tournament that has been held every year since the first full basketball season in 1997. It is a single-elimination tournament of four rounds, with the top six seeds getting byes in the first round. The winner of the tournament receives the Big 12 Conference automatic bid to the NCAA Championship tournament. The tournament has been hosted in various cities, including Kansas City, Dallas, and Oklahoma City, with Kansas City hosting the most times. The format of the tournament involves seeding based on regular-season records, with the top six seeds receiving byes, and the remaining teams competing in the first round. The tournament progresses through rounds until the final championship game, where the winner is crowned.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Tournament structure | Single-elimination tournament of four rounds |
| Seeding | Based on regular season records |
| Top seeds | Top six seeds get byes in the first round |
| Winner | Receives the Big 12 Conference automatic bid to the NCAA Championship tournament |
| Historical dominance | Between 2005 and 2019, Iowa State and Kansas were the only winners, claiming 18 of 27 titles |
| Recent winners | Texas (2023), Iowa State (2024) |
| Host city | Kansas City (1997-2002, 2005, 2008, 2010-2025) |
| Other host cities | Dallas (2003-2004, 2006), Oklahoma City (2007, 2009) |
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What You'll Learn
Tournament structure
The Big 12 men's basketball tournament is a single-elimination tournament consisting of four rounds. The seeding is based on regular-season records, with the top six seeds receiving byes in the first round. The tournament has been held annually since the conclusion of the first full basketball season in 1997. From its inception in 1997 until 2002, it was hosted in Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Missouri.
In the years that followed, the tournament was held in various locations, including Kansas City, Dallas, and Oklahoma City. The championship game is typically played on the Saturday following the tournament's commencement, with the winner receiving an automatic bid to the NCAA Championship tournament. The tournament is sponsored and known as the Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Championship.
The structure of the tournament can be seen in the 2024 bracket, which was held at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City. The first round featured games such as No. 12 UCF vs. No. 13 Oklahoma State and No. 11 Cincinnati vs. No. 14 West Virginia. The winners of these games advanced to the second round, where they faced higher-ranked opponents. For example, the winner of Game 1 between UCF and Oklahoma State played No. 5 BYU, and the winner of Game 2 between Cincinnati and West Virginia played No. 6 Kansas.
The quarterfinals then featured four games between the winners of the second-round matches and higher-ranked teams that had received byes earlier in the tournament. This process continued through the semifinals, culminating in the championship game between the winners of the semifinal matches.
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Seeding
In 2024, the No. 12 seed was UCF, and they faced the No. 13 seed, Oklahoma State, in the first round. The winner of that game then played the No. 5 seed, BYU, in the second round. Meanwhile, the No. 11 seed, Cincinnati, played No. 14 seed West Virginia in the first round, with the winner advancing to play the No. 8 seed, TCU, in round two. The No. 7 seed, Texas, received a bye in the first round and played the No. 10 seed, Kansas State, in the second round. The No. 6 seed, Kansas, also received a bye in the first round and played the winner of the No. 11 vs. No. 14 game in the second round.
The No. 4 and No. 5 seeds played the winners of the games involving the No. 12, No. 13, No. 8, and No. 9 seeds in the quarterfinals. The No. 3 and No. 6 seeds played the winners of the games involving the No. 7, No. 10, No. 2, and No. 15 seeds in the quarterfinals. The No. 1 and No. 2 seeds received byes through the first two rounds and played the winners of the quarterfinal games in the semifinals. Finally, the winners of the semifinal games played each other in the championship game to determine the tournament winner.
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Past winners
The Big 12 men's basketball tournament has been held annually since the 1996-97 basketball season. The tournament has been dominated by Kansas and Iowa State, who have won 18 of 27 titles between them. From its inception until 2021, no school from outside the original Big Eight Conference had ever won the tournament. That streak ended when the Texas Longhorns won the championship game against Oklahoma State in 2021.
Kansas has won the most Big 12 postseason titles, claiming victory in 12 out of 25 tournaments and appearing in 15 championship games. Between 2005 and 2019, no current Big 12 member besides Iowa State or Kansas won the tournament.
In 2024, Iowa State defeated Houston to claim the championship. The following year, in 2025, Houston beat Arizona to take home the men's Big 12 title.
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Hosting cities
The Big 12 men's basketball tournament has been held annually since the 1996-97 basketball season. From its inception until 2002, the tournament was held at Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Missouri. Kansas City has hosted the tournament more than any other city, with 2025 marking the 24th time the city has hosted the tournament. The tournament was also held in Kansas City in 2005, 2008, and every year from 2010 to 2024. The 2024 tournament was held at the T-Mobile Center, formerly known as the Sprint Center, in downtown Kansas City.
Other cities that have hosted the Big 12 men's basketball tournament include Dallas, Texas, and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Dallas hosted the tournament in 2003, 2004, and 2006 at the American Airlines Center. Oklahoma City hosted the tournament in 2007 and 2009, with the 2007 tournament held at the Ford Center.
The choice of host city for the Big 12 men's basketball tournament appears to be based on a rotation system, with Kansas City, Dallas, and Oklahoma City being the primary host cities. However, there have been years when the tournament was held in Kansas City and Oklahoma City simultaneously. The specific criteria and process for selecting the host cities are not publicly available, but it is likely that factors such as venue capacity, infrastructure, and local support play a role in the decision-making process.
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Dates
The Big 12 men's basketball tournament has been held annually since the first full basketball season was completed in 1997. Up until 2003, and again in 2005, the tournament was held in early March at Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Missouri. In 2003, 2004, and 2006, it took place in March at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, and in 2007, it was hosted by the Ford Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
In 2008, the tournament returned to Kansas City, this time at the Sprint Center (now known as the T-Mobile Center). The 2009 edition was held in Oklahoma City, and from 2010 through 2025, it remained in Kansas City.
The tournament typically spans several days, with the 2024 and 2025 events taking place from Tuesday, March 12 through Saturday, March 16. The 2024 tournament marked the 23rd time that Kansas City hosted the event—more than any other city.
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Frequently asked questions
The Big 12 men's basketball tournament is the championship men's basketball tournament in the Big 12 Conference. It is a single-elimination tournament of four rounds, with the top six seeds getting byes in the first round.
Seeding is based on regular-season records.
The winner of the tournament receives the Big 12 Conference automatic bid to the NCAA Championship tournament.
The tournament has been held in various cities, including Kansas City, Dallas, and Oklahoma City. Kansas City has hosted the tournament the most number of times. The 2025 tournament will be held at the T-Mobile Center in Downtown Kansas City.
