By Wendell Barnhouse
Big12Sports.com Correspondent
Magic Johnson, when he was leading Showtime and the Los Angeles Lakers, liked to call the final minutes of a close game “winnin’ time.”
Now, it’s “winnin’ time” for the Big 12 Conference.
The NCAA Tournament bracket is set and for the second consecutive season seven teams, 70 percent of the membership, made the field.
The seven bids ties the conference record (2014, 2010) and the Big 12's three different seasons accomplishing the seven-team feat is the second-most in college basketball history.
The Big 12 spent the season atop the RPI and the strength of the Conference was evident in the seeds. Overall, the league had No. 8 seed Kansas, No. 9 Iowa State, No. 10 Baylor and No. 11 Oklahoma.
The Jayhawks are a No. 2 seed in the Midwest, the Cyclones the No. 3 seed in the South, the Sooners the No. 3 in the East and the Bears the No. 3 in the West. West Virginia (No. 5 in the Midwest), Oklahoma State (No. 9 in the West) and Texas (No. 11 in the Midwest) round out the Big 12 teams.
“They showed a lot of respect for the Big 12,” Baylor coach Scott Drew said. “It shows they look at strength of schedule and RPI. We were able to get a lot of top 50 wins and cannot thank the Big 12 enough for that.”
Last season, only two Big 12 teams (Iowa State and Baylor) made it as far as the regional semifinals.
“The seedings did reflect that the (NCAA basketball) committee thought very favorably of our league and how good the league was, which they should have,” Kansas coach Bill Self said. “I think to validate it, you've got to go play well and have some teams - whether it be three or four teams - get to that second weekend.
“(Last year) we didn't do really well, as a league, and I think that did kind of devalue the regular season.”
Iowa State, which is making a school-record fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, was seeded third last season. The Cyclones, playing without injured Georges Niang, lost to eventual national champion Connecticut in the Sweet 16.
“We know what it takes to get to the Final Four,” Iowa State sophomore Monte Morris said. "We beat (Kansas) twice this year. I feel like we deserved a two-seed, but we aren't that mad. We're a three-seed. That's good too."
The Big 12 had five teams seeded fifth or better in this year's NCAA Championships, tying for the most of any conference in the nation (ACC). The average seed of Big 12 teams is 5.1 - the sixth straight campaign that conference squads averaged 6.0 or better for average seeding.
Texas was on the bubble as the calendar flipped to March but the Longhorns helped their resume with three consecutive wins before losing to Iowa State on a buzzer beater in the Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Championship.
“We know we’re as good as anybody,” Rick Barnes said, “but we have to prove it. You can’t play 36, 37 minutes. We played as well as we have all year from the second half of the Texas Tech game to the final four minutes against Iowa State."
Now all that’s remaining for the seven Big 12 teams is to do some damage during March Madness.
“We have had a really good season,” Self said. “But in order to say, ‘Hey, it was a great season,’ you've got to do well in the NCAA Tournament.”
NCAA Tournament Capsules
Midwest Regional
11:15 a.m. CT - Friday, Omaha, Neb.
No. 2 Kansas (26-8) vs. No. 15 New Mexico State (23-10)
Opponent FYI: New Mexico State won the Western Athletic Conference automatic bid, also won the regular-season championship and is on a 13-game winning streak. The Aggies have reached the NCAA Tournament in five of the last six seasons but is winless in those appearances. Redshirt freshman forward Pascal Siakam is New Mexico State’s top player, averaging 13 points and 7.7 rebounds while making 57.5 percent of his shots. He was named WAC freshman of the year. The Aggies have three senior starters, led by forward Remi Barry who leads the team in scoring at 13.3 per game. New Mexico State is making its 19th NCAA Tournament appearance and has a 7-20 record.
What’s next: Winner plays on Sunday against the winner of No. 7 Wichita State and No. 10 Indiana.
2:10 p.m. ET - Friday, Columbus, Ohio
No. 5 West Virginia (23-9) vs. No. 12 Buffalo (23-9)
Opponent FYI: The Bulls are making their first NCAA Tournament after winning the Mid-American Conference’s automatic bid. Buffalo is coached by former Duke All-American Bobby Hurley, who is in his second season at the school. In the school’s first game against a No. 1 team, the Bulls led Kentucky at halftime in Rupp Arena on Nov. 16. The Bulls won’t shy away from attacking West Virginia’s full-court press and playing a fast-paced game. Buffalo is 24th in scoring at 74.2 points per game. Justin Moss, a 6-7 junior forward, leads the team in scoring (18.3 per game) and rebounding (9.3). Forward Xavier Ford is the only senior starter and the point guard is Lamonte Bearden, a 6-3 freshman.
What’s next: Winner plays on Saturday against the winner of No. 4 Maryland and No. 13 Valparaiso.
1:45 p.m. CT - Thursday, Pittsburgh, Pa.
No. 11 Texas (20-13) vs. No. 6 Butler (22-10)
Opponent FYI: Butler, which lost to Duke in the 2010 national championship game, is now a member of the Big East Conference and earned an at-large bid from that league. The Bulldogs led the Big East in rebounding and are second in the conference in 3-point shooting. The top players in terms of rebounding are 6-9 senior Kameron Woods (7.9 per game) and junior guard Roosevelt Jones (5.2 per game). Jones also averages 12.9 per game. Junior guard Kellen Dunham leads the team in scoring at 16.6 per game. Butler is making its 13th NCAA Tournament appearance and has a 19-12 record. The Bulldogs defeated North Carolina, then ranked No. 5, in the Battle 4 Atlantis.
What’s next: Winner plays on Saturday against the winner of No. 3 Notre Dame and No. 14 Northeastern.
West Regional
12:40 p.m. CT - Thursday, Jacksonville, Fla.
No. 3 Baylor (24-9) vs. No. 14 Georgia State (24-9)
Opponent FYI: Georgia State won the Sun Belt Conference’s automatic bid with a 38-36 victory over Georgia Southern in the conference championship game. In the postgame celebration, coach Ron Hunter suffered a torn Achilles tendon. The Panthers have won nine of their last 10 games. Georgia State is making its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2001. This is the school’s third NCAA Tournament appearance and they have a 1-2 record. Hunter’s son R.J., a 6-6 junior guard, leads the team in scoring at 20.1 per game. Ryan Harrow, a senior guard who transferred from Kentucky, averages 19.4 points. Kevin Ware, who suffered a gruesome broken leg playing for Louisville in the 2013 Final Four, is a reserve guard.
What’s next: Winner plays on Saturday against the winner of the Xavier and BYU/Ole Miss first-round game.
5:50 p.m. CT - Friday, Omaha, Neb.
No. 8 Oregon (25-9) vs. No. 9 Oklahoma State (18-13)
Opponent FYI: The Ducks earned an at-large bid from the Pac-12 Conference after losing to second-seeded Arizona in the conference championship game. Oregon is coached by former Kansas State and Creighton coach Dana Altman, who will be returning to Omaha for the NCAA’s opening weekend. The Ducks are led by Pac-12 Player of the Year Joseph Young, who averages 20.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists. A 6-2 senior guard who transferred from the University of Houston, Young had five games where he scored 27 or more points. Forwards Elgin Cook (13.3 per game) and Dillon Brooks (11.4 per game) also score in double figures. The team has struggled consistency and has trouble on the defensive end and keeping opponents off the offensive boards.
What’s next: Winner plays on Sunday against the winner of Wisconsin and Coastal Carolina.
East Regional
6:27 p.m. CT - Friday, Columbus, Ohio
No. 3 Oklahoma (22-10) vs. No. 14 Albany (24-8)
Opponent FYI: Albany won the America East Conference’s automatic bid on a late 3-pointer – its only long-range shot of the game – by Peter Hooley, a reserve who averages 13.7 points. Hooley is from Australia and he returned there in January to visit whose mother, who died of cancer at the age of 52. Sam Rowley, a 6-6 senior forward, leads the team in scoring (14.6 points per game) and rebounding (7.7 per game). Junior guard Evan Singletary averages 13 points and is the team’s top 3-point shooter at 40 percent. Albany is making its fifth NCAA Tournament appearance and has a 1-4 record.
What’s next: Winner plays on Sunday against the winner of Providence and Boise State/Dayton first-round game.
South Regional
11:40 a.m. CT - Thursday, Louisville, Ky.
No. 3 Iowa State (25-8) vs. No. 14 UAB (19-15)
Opponent FYI: UAB won the automatic bid from Conference USA by winning the conference tournament which was played in Birmingham. The Blazers are coached by former Kansas player Jerod Haase, who is in his third season as the team’s coach. Junior guard Robert Brown is the team’s only double figure scorer at 12.8 per game. UAB’s last NCAA Tournament appearance was in 2011 and it lost to Clemson in a First Four game. The Blazers are making their 15th NCAA Tournament appearance and have a 9-14 record. UAB played four ranked teams – Wisconsin, North Carolina, Florida and UCLA – in nonconference play and lost by an average margin of 22.8 points.
What’s next: Winner plays on Saturday against the winner of SMU and UCLA.