Ranking Big 12 teams by NCAA National Championship chances

The Big 12 is one of the best, if not the best, basketball conferences in America this year. Eight teams made the NCAA Tournament, with five landing on the 5 line or better. It’s deep, loaded, and as good as any league in the country, but can it actually produce a national champion this season?

The last time the Big 12 cut down the nets was in 2022, when Kansas won it all, and Baylor before that in 2021. Since then, UConn went back-to-back in 2023 and 2024, with Florida the reigning champion. So now the question is simple. Can the Big 12 get back on top in 2026?

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Here’s how the conference stacks up heading into March, ranked by who has the best shot to win it all.

UCF and TCU are not included due to their extreme longshot title odds.

Mar 12, 2026; Kansas City, MO, USA; BYU Cougars forward AJ Dybantsa (3) protects the ball from Houston Cougars guard Milos Uzan (7) during the second half at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images

BYU has one of the best players in the entire tournament in future top-three NBA pick AJ Dybantsa. The freshman from Massachusetts took a big NIL deal to come to Provo, and it’s paid off. He led the nation in scoring, and if not for some tough injury luck around him, BYU likely would be seeded much higher.

The loss of senior guard Richie Saunders in February to a season-ending ACL tear changed everything. The Cougars dropped four of their final six regular-season games, and Dybantsa’s volume and efficiency both took a hit in the absence of that secondary presence.

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Still, the star power is real. Dybantsa has the kind of talent that can take over games and carry a team for stretches in March. The question is how far that can realistically go. BYU opens against either Texas or NC State as an 11 seed, with a likely matchup against Gonzaga waiting after that.

A title run feels more like a long shot than a real expectation, but when you have a player like that, you at least give yourself a chance. Until proven…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/ranking-big-12-teams-ncaa-110228144.html

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Publish date : 2026-03-18 11:02:00

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