As we enter into the final days before the Big 12 Tournament championship, we have been treated to a hot and exciting start already. From buzzer-beaters to upsets, the Big 12 is one of the tournaments that many college basketball fans have their eyes on due to the sheer magnitude of the games, as well as the National Champion contenders in the conference.
With the winner of the National Championship coming from the Big 12 in two out of the last four games, keeping an eye on the Big 12 Tournament semifinals should give you an idea of who could win the whole tournament.
Big 12 Basketball Tournament Semifinals Preview and Prediction 2025
BYU vs Houston | Big 12 Tournament Semifinals
The first game that we have on the docket for the Big 12 Tournament Semifinals comes by way of Houston against BYU. Throughout the season, Houston has dominated Big 12 basketball, winning 20 conference games and losing just one. While those 20 wins are certainly impressive, it becomes even more impressive when you realize that they have won every conference game on the road. As for BYU, they have won 15 conference tournament games, including each of their last 10 games.
When we talk about the Houston Cougars, one thing always stands above and that is their ability to get after teams on the defensive side of the ball. That is the same this season. According to KenPom, the Cougars feature the third-best adjusted defensive efficiency in the country. On top of that, they again feature their patented offense of slowing the game down on the offensive side of the ball, working for the best shot possible each time down the court. They are ranked 360th in average possessions per 40 minutes at just 61.4.
When looking at this Houston team compared to teams past though is that this is Kelvin Sampson’s best offensive team in his career. The team is led by L.J. Cryer, 15.3 points per game (PPG) on 42% shooting from the field and 43% shooting from behind the arc. Partnered with Cryer in the backcourt is Emanuel Sharp, who is scoring the ball at an 11.8 PPG clip while shooting 42% from the field and 41% from behind the arc. J’Wan Roberts and Milos Uzan round out the double digits scorers for Houston, scoring 11.1 and 10.9 PPG, respectively. In total, Houston is scoring 74.2 PPG, while allowing opponents to score just 58.1 PPG, which ranks first in the country.
As for BYU, this Cougars team relies much more on their offense than Houston does. They are led by forward Richie Saunders, who averages 16 PPG on 51% shooting from the field and 43.7% from behind the arc. The only other double-digit scorer for the Cougars is Egor Denim. The future NBA player scores 10.8 PPG on 42% shooting from the field and 27.6% from three. While those are the only two double-digit scorers, BYU features seven more players who score six or more PPG. All in all, the team scores 81.4 PPG, which ranks 28th in the country. Even though they score high, they give up 70.3 PPG, which ranks 125th in the country.
When predicting who will win this game, the easy metric is looking at who won the matchup in the regular season. These two teams only played once and Houston came out on top, 86-55. With a tournament championship appearance on the line, Houston is just the better team here, mostly due to their suffocating defense and patience on offense. If BYU can’t hit shots, they will struggle to get and keep a lead in this game.
Arizona vs Texas Tech | Big 12 Tournament Semifinals
The second game of the Big 12 Tournament Semifinals is a third matchup between the Arizona Wildcats and Texas Tech Red Raiders. This season, Texas Tech has been one of the better teams in the country, winning 16 Big 12 basketball games. The Red Raiders are led by their stellar combination of offense and defense. Looking at the Arizona Wildcats, they have 15 conference games this season and are led by fifth-year senior and last year’s Pac-12 (RIP) Player of the Year, Caleb Love.
Looking at the Raiders, they are led by JT Toppin, who is in the running for best transfer players in the country this season. Toppin scores 18.1 PPG on 55.8% shooting from the field and 31.1% from behind the three-point line. Chance McMillian is the second leading scorer for the team, scoring 14.7 PPG on 53.1% from the field and 44.2% from behind the three-point line. McMillan is not the only 14 PPG scorer, as Darrion Williams scores 14.3 PPG on 44.3% from the field and 34.9 from behind the arc. Christian Anderson rounds out the double-digit scorers on the team (10.7). As a team, the Red Raiders are scoring 81.1 PPG, which ranks 3rd in the country, slotting them in as the seventh-best offense, according to KenPom.
When talking about the Arizona Wildcats, the top player to mention is Love. The North Carolina transfer is once again having another great season, scoring 16.4 PPG on 37.6% shooting from the field and 32% from the three-point line. Joining Love in the backcourt is Jaden Bradley who scores 11.9 PPG on 46.6% shooting from the field and 27% from the three-point line. KJ Lewis is the other double-digit scorer in the lineup, averaging 10.5 PPG on 43.7% from the field and 17% from the three-point line. As a team, the Wildcats score 82 PPG (22nd in the country).
In predicting the winner of this game, looking at the previous matchups between these two teams will help give us a little insight. The two teams split their matchups this season, but with a tournament championship appearance on the line, it is hard to believe in a team that is as inconsistent and struggles to shoot the three as Arizona.
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