The regular season is finally over and now the greatest part of the college basketball calendar has arrived. Conference tournaments will determine which teams get automatic bids to the NCAA Tournament but the best part, not every regular season champion will be crowned kings of their respective bracket.
The Big 12 Conference will be no exception to this law of March and on Saturday the 16-team field was revealed.
The OFFICIAL 2025 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men’s Basketball Championship bracket. pic.twitter.com/X61MfbE7VJ
— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) March 9, 2025
The tournament will tip off on Tuesday with four first-round matchups, with the winners advancing to face the four teams that earned a bye. After that, those four winners will face the top four seeds which earned a double-bye to the quarterfinals.
Arizona State likely to get bounced in first round of Big 12 Tournament
ASU hoops (13-18) didn't fare well this season and, naturally, was rewarded with a tough matchup in the conference tournament. The Sun Devils will face 10-seed Kansas State (15-16), an opponent they split the season series with 1-1.
ASU probably could've swept the Wildcats this year had freshman phenom Jayden Quaintance hit his free throws with just seconds remaining in regulation. The tough 71-70 loss on Feb. 4 was part of a major tailspin that wrecked the entire season.
The Devils got their revenge on Feb. 23, heading into Manhattan, Kansas after losing the team's top scorer in BJ Freeman after he was dismissed for conduct detrimental. It was a surprising win but indicates at the very least there's still a chance.
That being said, ASU finished its season on a four-game losing streak and will be trying to overcome some serious adversity and injury pile ups. There's a greater chance than not the Devils' season will come to a close on Tuesday in Kansas City.
After that, all fans will have their eyes on the job status of head coach Bobby Hurley. Devils in Detail was able to exclusively report on March 1 that athletic director Graham Rossini is weighing the "financial implications" of firing Hurley after the team finishes at the Big 12 Tournament instead of letting him finish the final year of his contract.
Whatever the decision ends up being, Hurley's fate likely hinges on the kind of performance his guys put up on Tuesday against Kansas State.