After taking care of business at home in the regular season finale, the stage is now set for the 2025 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Championship.
The OFFICIAL 2025 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men’s Basketball Championship bracket. pic.twitter.com/X61MfbE7VJ
— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) March 9, 2025
Notably, with the win over UCF and things falling into place elsewhere in the Big 12 over the last week, West Virginia has earned a first round bye in Kansas City for the conference tournament which is set to tip off on Tuesday, March 11th.
The 8th-seed Mountaineers will get their first action in Kansas City on Wednesday, facing the winner 16-seed Colorado after their upset win over TCU. Tip-off is set for approximately 3 PM EST.
Storylines to Consider
While not a whole lot remains up for debate concerning Big 12 teams and whether or not they will hear their name called on Selection Sunday, those projected to be in the field still have plenty to play for.
For WVU specifically, they've never been able to capture a Big 12 Tournament Championship since joining the league in 2012-2013. The Mountaineers have already accomplished multiple milestones this season under first-year head coach Darian DeVries which they failed to achieve under Bob Huggins -- including defeating Gonzaga and winning against Kansas inside Allen Fieldhouse.
It'd be the ultimate feather in DeVries' cap if his team could pull off a third such milestone with a conference tournament win.
Should West Virginia prevail in their matchup on Wednesday afternoon, they will face off with the top-seeded Houston Cougars on Thursday afternoon. Houston has their sights set on a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, where they are hopeful for a deep run.
The 27-4 Cougars finished with a remarkable 19-1 record in Big 12 play. The Mountaineers may get their third shot at the Cougars after suffering two double-digit losses in the regular season, where they could get some revenge for their earlier matchups with Houston and potentially ruin Houston's hopes at a top seed.
Which bottom-half team can make a run?
8 teams in the Big 12 will be playing in first-round action on Tuesday. Each of these teams would need to pick up 5 wins in 5 days to win the tournament and an NCAA Tournament birth. While many of these teams are experiencing their fair share of struggles, Kansas State may be a team to watch. From late January into early February, the Wildcats collected 6 straight wins. Though they have cooled off since, KSU is a team with enough firepower to turn some heads in Kansas City and make a run.