The 2012 Big 12 Tournament is scheduled to start on March 7th, 2012 and conclude on March 10th, 2012. The tournament will be held at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri, and the tournament champion will earn the conference’s automatic bid to the 2012 NCAA Tournament. The Big 12 Tournament format has slightly changed this season with the top 6 seeds in the conference receiving byes with their only being 10 teams after Colorado and Nebraska left after last season. This is also expected to be the final season that Texas A&M plays in the Big 12 before departing for the SEC.
Big 12 Basketball Tournament History
The Big 12 conference was formed in 1996 and has held a post-season tournament every season since 1997. The tourney was first held in Kemer Arena in Kansas City through 2002 and in 2005. In 2003, 2004, and 2006 the conference moved to the American Airlines Center in Dallas and then the Ford Center in Oklahoma City in 2007 and 2009. 2008, 2010, and 2011 tourneys were held in Kansas City. 2012 and 2013 will see a change in the number of teams participating in the Big 12 conference tournament with a number of teams departing for larger conferences primarily due to football reasons. The conference has not announced intentions of renaming the conference tournament to actually match the number of teams due to branding concerns.
Past Big 12 Basketball Tournament Champions
Year Champion Runner-up Location
1997 Kansas 87 Missouri 60 Kemper Arena, Kansas City, Missouri
1998 Kansas 72 Oklahoma 58 Kemper Arena, Kansas City, Missouri
1999 Kansas 53 Oklahoma State 37 Kemper Arena, Kansas City, Missouri
2000 Iowa State 70 Oklahoma 58 Kemper Arena, Kansas City, Missouri
2001 Oklahoma 54 Texas 45 Kemper Arena, Kansas City, Missouri
2002 Oklahoma 64 Kansas 55 Kemper Arena, Kansas City, Missouri
2003 Oklahoma 49 Missouri 47 American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
2004 Oklahoma State 65 Texas 49 American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
2005 Oklahoma State 72 Texas Tech 68 Kemper Arena, Kansas City, Missouri
2006 Kansas 80 Texas 68 American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
2007† Kansas 88 Texas 84 Ford Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
2008 Kansas 84 Texas 74 Sprint Center, Kansas City, Missouri
2009 Missouri 73 Baylor 60 Ford Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
2010 Kansas 72 Kansas State 64 Sprint Center, Kansas City, Missouri
2011 Kansas 85 Texas 73 Sprint Center, Kansas City, Missouri
Changes in the Big 12 Basketball Tournament
The 2012 Big 12 basketball tournament will be the first played since the departures of Nebraska for the Big Ten and Colorado for the PAC 12. This will also be the final tournament for Missouri and likely Texas A&M before those teams leave to join the SEC for next college basketball season.
2012 Big 12 Basketball Tournament Schedule
**Note – Times, matchups, and TV network broadcasts are subject to change until confirmed by the league at the conclusion of the regular season.
2012 Big 12 Tournament Schedule – First Round
Date: March 7th, 2012
#9 Texas A&M 62, #8 Oklahoma 53
#7 Oklahoma State 76, #10 Texas Tech 60
2012 Big 12 Tournament Schedule – Quarter Final Round
Date: March 8th, 2012
#4 Baylor 82, #5 Kansas State 74
#1 Kansas 83, #9 Texas A&M 66
#2 Missouri 88, #7 Oklahoma State 70
#6 Texas 71, #3 Iowa State 65
2012 Big 12 Tournament Schedule – Semi Final Round
Date: March 9th, 2012
#4 Baylor 81 vs. #1 Kansas 72, 7:30 p.m. (Big 12 Network or ESPNU)
#2 Missouri 81 vs. #6 Texas 67, 10:00 p.m. (Big 12 Network or ESPNU)
2012 Big 12 Tournament Schedule – Championship Game
Date: March 10th, 2012
#4 Baylor 75 vs #2 Missouri 90
2012 Big 12 Basketball Tournament Championship 5:00 p.m. ESPN
