Big 12 Conference Tournament Preview for Games on Friday, March 13, 2026
The Big 12 tournament field was whittled down to four teams Thursday via a pair of blowouts and close calls apiece. Iowa State got the day started with one of its signature offensive displays, recording a 75–53 victory over Texas Tech. While the Cyclones weren’t as prolific as they were while putting up 91 points on ASU in the tournament opener, they still shot 54%, including 39% from three–point range.
Arizona then followed with a similarly convincing win, besting an overmatched UCF squad by an 81–59 score. As customary, Brayden Burries led the way with 21 points as the Wildcats established a commanding 46–31 advantage by halftime. The evening portion of Thursday’s proceedings were much more competitive. Houston had a significant rest edge over AJ Dybsanta and his BYU Cougars, who were on their third game in three days.
However, BYU surprisingly held a 41–37 edge at intermission before Houston mounted a second–half comeback to notch a 73–66 victory. TCU and Kansas wrapped up the night with an even more tightly contested battle, one that culminated with the Jayhawks on the right end of a 78–73 score. Like Houston, Kansas overcame a modest halftime deficit and put up 47 points over the final 20 minutes,with Darryn Peterson compiling 24 points overall despite a rough 5–for–17 night from the field.
For each of the tournament’s five days, Lineups.com will provide a betting preview for the day’s games, along with a best bet. Friday’s two-game slate will determine the two squads that will face off in Saturday’s tournament championship game. Without further ado, let’s dive into Friday’s semifinal-round matchups
Contents
Friday’s Big 12 Conference Tournament Schedule
- Iowa State vs. Arizona – 19:00/ESPN
- Kansas vs. Houston – 21:30/ESPN
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Iowa State vs. Arizona Game Preview
Iowa State and Arizona sets up as an intriguing battle of two teams that are in the upper echelon in terms of their work on either end of the floor. The Cyclones have already demonstrated their offensive firepower over the first two games of the tournament, and they put up 82.1 points per game during the regular season. Iowa State also did a solid job on the defensive end with just 64.6 points per game allowed, but they’ll be tested against the Wildcats’ own impressive offensive arsenal.
Arizona averaged 86.7 points per game during the season, with Burries setting the pace with 16.0 points per contest. The Wildcats also gave up a respectable 68.3 points per contest, helping lead to the impressive +18.2-point average scoring margin (including their tournament results) they’ll head into this matchup with.
The Wildcats’ ability to pull away from teams was evident in the regular-season meeting between these squads, as Arizona recorded a 73-57 victory over Iowa State on March 2. The Wildcats enjoyed a massive 46%-29% shooting advantage from the floor, and their superior rebounding also was demonstrated by their 40-33 edge in that category. Despite the lopsided victory in the regular season, Arizona is a modest 3.5-to-4.5-point favorite.
Iowa State vs. Arizona Game Odds
Kansas vs. Houston Game Preview
The Cougars had to put in more work than they may have perhaps expected in their quarterfinal–round win over BYU, but their defense impressively settled in to limit Dybsanta and teammates to only 25 second–half points after a rocky first half. They’ll hope that momentum carries over against a Jayhawks team that shot 46% during the regular season but could only manage a 38% success rate in Thursday’s win over TCU.
When these two teams met in Kansas’ Allen Fieldhouse on Feb. 23, the Jayhawks impressively handed the Cougars their fifth loss of the season by a 69-56 score. Kansas wielded the significantly stronger defense that day, limiting Houston to miserable 32% shooting, including 21% from three-point range. Meanwhile, the Jayhawks were notably successful piercing the Cougars’ typically formidable perimeter defense, shooting 41% from distance and while posting four double-digit scoring tallies from the first unit.
This game sets up as a battle of two evenly matched teams by the numbers, and the caliber of the two defenses suggests it could certainly be on the lower-scoring side. Despite the regular-season result, Houston is up to a 5.5-point favorite in the early line, while the total stands at a very modest range of 134.5-136.5 points.
Kansas vs. Houston Game Odds
Big 12 Conference Tournament Betting Pick
As just discussed, the nightcap Friday has a high probability of being a grind–it–out battle that largely resembles the regular–season meeting between the Cougars and Jayhawks. Houston has the talent to atone for its surprisingly leaky perimeter defense in the first meeting with the Jayhawks, while Kansas already has a blueprint for how to frustrate the Cougars’ attack.
It remains to be seen if Houston’s shooting struggles from Thursday’s win over BYU carry over, but a Jayhawks squad that has allowed just 38.7% shooting since the start of the regular season, including a miserly 29.4% figure from three–point range when traveling, certainly profiles as an elite opponent. At the same time, the Cougars don’t figure to make anything easy for Peterson and company.
While both teams have their fair share of offensive firepower, the quality of the defenses is such that a real slugest is the likeliest outcome. As such, a bet on the Under is a prudent consideration.
Best Bet: UH/KU U (1 unit)
Big 12 Conference Tournament Betting Tracker
- Record: 2-1
- Units: +1.0
