Christian Royston, Sports Editor
No. 1 Houston v. No. 4 Texas Tech
At this point, I really do not see a team beating Houston.
When it comes down to it, defense wins championships, and Houston has the best defense in the league. In their first game of the tournament, the Cougars kept TCU scoreless through over 15 minutes of the game. Going into the matchup, TCU was the highest scoring offense in the Big 12.
Houston’s physical and suffocating defense is enough to power it through teams without having to score many points. With the Cougars keeping TCU under 50 points, I do not see Texas Tech faring any better. Houston will win this game, and it will be fighting for a Big 12 title in its first year in the conference.
Moving on: No. 1 Houston
No. 2 Iowa State v. No. 3 Baylor
I doubted Iowa State before, and I am not going to do that again. It has been weeks since Iowa State’s offense clicked, and without the presence of Demarion Watson as a safety net, I did not think Iowa State could get over a hungry Kansas State team.
The Cyclone defense was on fire yet again, but it was the offense that was surprising. Although they did not start the game hot on offense, they kicked it on in the second half to put up nearly 80 points on a tough Kansas State defense.
On the other side, Baylor struggled to separate from Cincinnati through the entire game. The Bears could not get shots to fall, which led to a first half score of under 30 points. Given how Baylor struggled to put away the No. 11 seed in the tournament, I see Iowa State’s defense getting the best of the Bears.
Moving on: No. 2 Iowa State
Logan Shanks, Assistant Sports Editor
No. 1 Houston v. No. 4 Texas Tech
Both teams had blowout wins for their first games in the Big 12 Tournament, so judging matchup is tough. While the Cougars dominated TCU from the start, I think Texas Tech just found BYU on a bad shooting night, which is the main reason for the win.
Looking back at Houston and the Red Raiders’ first meeting in January, the Cougar defense, to no surprise, was the driving factor to their 23-point win. Houston has not let up defensively all season outside of its three losses, and I see the team sticking with its strengths in this matchup.
Before their win against BYU, the Red Raiders had not looked great heading into the conference tournament, and I do not think they can rely on another anomaly. I will continue to say it: Houston is the best team in the conference by far and I do not see anyone stopping it from winning a Big 12 title in its first season.
Moving on: No. 1 Houston
No. 2 Iowa State v. No. 3 Baylor
Considering how the Cyclones won their game against Kansas State, I am convinced they are back, playing their best basketball after a rough stretch to end the regular season.
What is concerning is how Baylor allowed Cincinnati to hang around in the first half. While the Bears eventually ran away with the game, they trailed by four heading into halftime, and even with a 44-point second-half performance, still only shot 40% from the field.
Iowa State has been known to take advantage of early leads, and if the team has truly returned to its flow state form, it will walk out with a win. While they lost the regular season matchup, what should not be forgotten is how hard the Cyclones fought back to make the game come down to the final second.
Moving on: No. 2 Iowa State
