Joe Lunardi believes Big 12 may present unprecedented problem for March Madness selection committee

If anybody were going to argue against the Big 12 being the best conference is college basketball this season, they would most likely lose. Eight teams are currently projected in the NCAA Tournament by ESPN’s Joe Lunardi, with Oklahoma fighting to get in themselves. Texas Tech is currently the only team not involved.

Bubble teams will always get most of the attention but the Big 12 is extremely top heavy. Multiple teams are going to be fighting for top seeds in the tournament and will be littered throughout the bracket. Because of that, the committee find a problem on its hands come Selection Sunday.

“I think it helps the teams at the top,” Lunardi said during an appearance on ESPN’s Kansas–Texas halftime show. “In a way, this is like a Noah’s Ark situation. There’s two of everything. Right now, you have two twos, two threes, and two fours, which would be unprecedented. The way the bracketing rules are set up, the first four teams from every conference go in a separate region.

“Well, what happens when you have five or six? We could have some rematches in the Elite Eight or Sweet Sixteen before we get to the Final Four. That’s how good the top is.”

Lunardi later admitted Baylor is going to move up to a two-seed in Tuesday’s projection, giving the Big 12 two of four available. Texas is the other, while Kansas maintains a one-seed. Both the Jayhawks and Longhorns will have the opportunity to fight for a one-seed down the stretch.

While an update is coming, Lunardi even had two Big 12 teams potentially facing off against each other in the Round of 32. In the March 3 projection, West Virginia was one of the last four teams in, facing off against Kentucky. Get two wins while Kansas State won their Round of 64 game and the Mountaineers and Wildcats would have an early tournament matchup.

If you’re a Big 12 coach, the last thing you would want to see before the Final Four in Houston would be a conference foe. A round robin 18 game format against them is tough enough, let alone an NCAA Tournament game.

Something will have to give from the committee, with some potential hard decisions upcoming. There are still plenty of games to play, both in conference play and at the T-Mobile Center in the Big 12 Tournament. But if teams continue to maintain those high seeds, March should be fun for commissioner Brett Yormack.