The Big 12 has seen one of its craziest seasons in College Basketball then we have seen in most recent years. Kansas lost 3 games in a row, Texas Tech is winless in Conference Play and Texas dismissed their head coach halfway thru the season after Domestic Assault Charges. This Conference is so close-knit it presents lots of value for the Regular Season Conference Outright Winner futures. The FOUR teams that I think present the most value are as follows:
Kansas State (+400 : Odds via DraftKings)
I strongly believe that Kansas State is one of the best teams coming out of the Big 12. They have an offensive-adjusted efficiency of 113.5 and a defensive-adjusted efficiency of 95.1. Their biggest issue offensively is that they turn the ball over 19.2% per 100 possessions. Per KenPom rankings they are ranked 106 or better in 3pt shooting %, 2pt shooting %, FT % and effective FG%. On defense, they are even better, holding teams to only 67 PPG. Their next game is on the road against Kansas Tuesday night.
Texas (+380 Odds via DraftKings)
I have been back and forth on Texas all season and especially after the firing of their head coach however, their team has shown that with or without him they are a force to be reckoned with in the Big 12. They have an adjusted offensive efficiency of 117.9 and a defensive adjusted efficiency of 95.8 - both of which are in KenPoms Top 35. My biggest fear of Tennessee is that they only shoot 33.2% from the 3pt and that ranks 208. Defensively, Texas allows 67 PPG. They have allowed 67+ in 4/7 Conference Games thus far however I look for them to toughen up down the stretch. Their next game is at home against Baylor on Monday night.
Iowa State (+350 Odds via DraftKings)
Iowa State has brought me by surprise this season and has put together a great squad that not many people expected to see - however they have lost 3 of their last 5 games. Iowa State has a top-ten defensive efficiency at 91.2 and an offensive efficiency of 110.8. They have a tendency to turn the ball over and do it 19.2% of their possessions. On the contrary, they force the most turnovers in College Basketball at 27.5%. They are one of the worst FT shooting teams at 66.9%. They are able to get plenty of second-chance opportunities as they have an offensive rebound % of 34.9%. If Iowa State can figure out its turnover issue they can make a deep run this season.
Baylor (+650 : Odds via DraftKings)
This is my dark horse team to win the Big 12 - This time of the year is all about getting hot and Baylor fits that scenario. After falling in their first 3 Conference games, they have won the next 5 straight. Baylor has the 2nd best offensive efficiency at 120.1 and has a defensive efficiency of 99.6. They have the best discipline of ball control in the Big 12 and only turn the ball over on 18.2% of possessions and have an offensive rebound percentage of 37.4% exhibiting excellent potential of maintaining the ball to score. Defensively they have some holes as teams are scoring 51.2% from 2pt however this team is hot and I see this flame igniting. Their next game is on the road against Texas on Monday night.
Overall, the Big 12 is wide open with just a little over a month to play and this Conference offers bettors plenty of value on Regular Season Winner Futures. The last game of the season for Big 12 play is Saturday, March 4th with games including Kansas @ Texas, Iowa State @ Baylor and Kansas State @ West Virginia.