CBB Review hands out awards for each conference tournament in 2024. Up next: The Big 12 Tournament.
Was the Big 12 Tournament the most exciting tournament? Far from it. The last eight games were won by double digits, including a 28-point win by Iowa State in the final. However, there were many storylines that were captured.
We predicted Houston to beat Baylor in the Big 12 Tournament Preview, which obviously wasn’t the case. The Iowa State fans represented Hilton South well, giving them the boost to beat both.
Kansas State picked up a big win against Texas, but was it enough to get them on the right side of the bubble? Meanwhile, Oklahoma lost to TCU, are they now on the bubble? Cincinnati beat Kansas by 20 and played Baylor close, but it seems like that won’t be enough.
Speaking of Kansas, they punted on the Big 12 Tournament by sitting out Hunter Dickinson and Kevin McCullar. Will they be healthy for the NCAA Tournament? Are Kansas’ other pieces good enough?
Iowa State was obviously the biggest winner, and their fans took over Kansas City. They won their three games by an average of 20.3 PPG. Is it enough to get them one seed? If UNC loses tomorrow, it definitely opens the door, but at worst they’ve locked themselves into a two-seed. Houston will be a one-seed but missed out on the opportunity to be the one overall.
We will most likely see nine teams represent the Big 12 in the NCAA Tournament. Can the best regular season conference shine in the NCAA Tournament?
CBB Review Big 12 Tournament Most Outstanding Player
Keshon Gilbert, Iowa State
Keshon Gilbert, the leading scorer of this Iowa State team was terrific in all aspects throughout the tournament. In game one, he was quiet scoring the ball, with just 12 points on 3-6 shooting, but stole the ball an impressive six times and added five assists. In game two, Gilbert had 20 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists. His all-around play was the main reason Iowa State was able to pull away from Baylor and win comfortably. In the most important game, the final Gilbert went for 16 points on 6-10 shooting and added three steals as well.
Last year, we saw Dylan Disu get hot in the tournament, winning the MVP, then proceeded to carry his team to the Sweet 16 before his injury. While Iowa State has plenty of pieces that will contribute to their success, this tournament proved how important Gilbert is, and hopefully, he can build off this momentum and take the Iowa State Cyclones deep into the tournament.
CBB Review All-Big Tournament First Team
- G: Jamal Shead, Houston – 3 GP (11.3 PPG, 6 RPG, 6 APG, 2 SPG)
- G: Tamin Lipsey, Iowa State – 3 GP (10 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 5.3 APG, 2.3 SPG)
- G: LJ Cryer, Houston – 3 GP (11.7 PPG, 2 RPG, 1 APG)
- G: Keshon Gilbert, Iowa State – 3 GP (16 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 5 APG, 3.7 SPG)
- F: Jalen Bridges, Baylor – 2 GP (16.0 PPG, 10.5 RPG, 1 APG, 1.5 SPG)
Iowa State’s NCAA Tournament Prediction
Elite 8
Iowa State basically played three home games this weekend in Kansas City thanks to their fans. The drive is only about three and a half hours, so they were able to pack the T-Mobile Center and give Iowa State momentum all weekend.
The Cyclones weren’t able to land in the Midwest Region of the NCAA Tournament, but they will play their first two games close to home in Omaha, which can really benefit their chances of making a run to the second weekend. If they can get that crowd behind them, they’ve proven with their undefeated home record and wins against Kansas, Houston, Texas Tech, and BYU, that they can win against anyone.
Even if they don’t have the crowd behind them, they still have the depth and defense to win a few games in March. They are the second-ranked defense in the country, behind Houston, who they only allowed 32 points to in a 40-minute game. Their guard play is elite, with Gilbert as we mentioned before, and Tamin Lipsey being a perfect two-way leader for the Cyclones. Added in Milan Momcilovic, the terrific shooting freshmen, and key pieces like Hason Ward, Robert Jones, and Tre King, and you’ve got a team that can match up with anyone.