At the Big 12 basketball tournament the court has been the hot topic rather than what’s been happening on the court.
The Big 12 dumped its LED glass court for the traditional hardwood for Friday’s semifinals and Saturday’s final.
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With focus back on the court Friday, Arizona’s Jaden Bradley provided the dagger against Iowa State with a buzzer-beater to send the Wildcats to the Big 12 final.
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No. 1 seed Arizona will play No. 2 seed Houston at 6 p.m., Saturday on ESPN.
The Cougars are playing in their third straight Big 12 title game since joining the league in 2023. Kelvin Sampson’s squad solidified their case for a 2-seed in the NCAA Tournament with a 69-47 win over Kansas in Friday’s semifinal, led by 30 points combined from Kingston Flemings and Emanuel Sharp.
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The Big 12’s semifinals feature four of the nation’s top 16 teams in what is probably the country’s toughest conference.
Big 12 tournament schedule, bracket, scores
All times Eastern
First round
Tuesday, March 10
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Game 1: No. 12 Arizona State 83, No. 13 Baylor 79
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Game 2: No. 9 Cincinnati 73, No. 16 Utah 66
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Game 3: No. 10 Brigham Young 105, No. 15 Kansas State 91
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Game 4: No. 14 Oklahoma State 92, No. 11 Colorado 83
Second round
Wednesday, March 11
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Game 5: No. 5 Iowa State 91, No. 12 Arizona State 42
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Game 6: No. 8 Central Florida 66, No. 9 Cincinnati 65, OT
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Game 7: No. 10 Brigham Young 68, No. 7 West Virginia 48
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Game 8: No. 6 TCU 95, No. 14 Oklahoma State 88
Quarterfinals
Thursday, March 12
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Game 9: No. 5 Iowa State 75, No. 4 Texas Tech 53
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Game 10: No. 1 Arizona 81, No. 8 Central Florida 59
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Game 11: No. 2 Houston 73, No. 10 Brigham Young 66
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Game 12: No. 3 Kansas 78, No. 6 TCU 73
Semifinals
Friday, March 13
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Game 13: No. 1 Arizona 82, No. 5 Iowa State 80
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Game 14: No. 2 Houston 69, No. 3 Kansas 47
Championship game
Saturday, March 14
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Game 15: No. 1 Arizona vs. No. 2 Houston, 6 p.m., ESPN
Arizona State, Bobby Hurley
The Bobby Hurley Era at Arizona State will last at least one more day, as the Sun Devils pick up a first-round win over Baylor behind 19 points from Anthony “Pig” Johnson. A nine-point halftime lead served to be a difference maker for the Sun Devils, as the Bears outscored them 44-39 in the second half.
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Baylor will now miss out on the NCAA Tournament for the first time in seven years under Scott Drew, while Arizona State now faces Iowa State on Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. ET. — John Leuzzi
How to watch Big 12 basketball tournament
The Big 12 tournament first round will be streamed exclusively on ESPN+. The succeeding rounds will be shown on ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU. The championship game will be aired on ESPN.
Big 12 basketball tournament favorite
There’s not much doubt the rest of the conference is chasing Arizona as the Wildcats have dominated throughout out the campaign. Their strength is in their balance. Seven scorers average nine points or more. Their perimeter game is back by a strong interior group, led by Motiejus Krivas and Tobe Awaka. The biggest threat looks to be Houston, which has the type of defense that can be counted on in a tournament that forces teams to win three times in three games.
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Big 12 tournament top players
AJ Dybantsa, G, Brigham Young: The freshman has more than lived up to his billing as one of the nation’s top recruits, averaging ppg. Even without running mate Richie Saunders, Dybantsa has the ability to carry them in the short run of tournament play.
Darryn Peterson, G, Kansas: The kerfuffle about Peterson’s status in games has distracted from the fact he’s been one of the top players in the country. The freshman, if motivated, can be the key piece to leading the Jayhawks on a deep run.
Christian Anderson, G, Texas Tech: The Red Raiders lost star JT Toppin to a season-ending injury in February but remained one of the best teams in the league with Anderson becoming the lead option. He will be tasked with continuing his scoring run in Kansas City.
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Koa Peat, F, Arizona: The freshman standout is one of several key pieces for the Wildcats, who dominated the league this season. He is joined by fellow freshman Brayden Burries as the team’s two top scorers.
Joshua Jefferson, F, Iowa State: Part of a three-pronged attack with Milan Momcilovic and Tamin Lipsey, the senior provides important scoring and rebounding from the interior that makes the Cyclones capable of being one of the favorites.
March Madness bubble storylines for Big 12
The Big 12 seems certain of getting eight spots in the tournament field with Central Florida still in good position after three consecutive losses. The Knights, however, will want to avoid a loss in the second round to make things certain. Among the teams on the outside of the field, Cincinnati may ahve the best hope with its recent run of six wins in eight games. West Virginia has stacked up five Quad 1 but overall inconsistency has hampered its hopes. Both the Bearcats and Mountaineers will need multiple victories to get into the conversation.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Big 12 basketball tournament bracket, scores, schedule update, court
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