Storylines to watch in the Big 12 men’s basketball tournament. Who can challenge Houston?

The Big 12 tournament got underway, with the league’s bottom four teams (West Virginia, UCF, Cincinnati and Oklahoma State) playing Monday and all looking to keep their seasons alive.

However, the main event really begins on Wednesday with BYU, TCU, Kansas and Texas all beginning their postseason runs in the second round. Before diving into the rest of the tournament, the Horned Frogs’ opening matchup against No. 9 seed Oklahoma is the biggest of the day as both teams come in reeling.

The Horned Frogs closed the season 2-4 in their final six regular season games while Oklahoma closed the year 2-5. The late-game skids have both teams trending in the wrong direction on the NCAA tournament bubble. Both teams are currently projected to be in the field and will likely make it regardless of the outcome of Wednesday’s game. While the winner will be an automatic lock, what about the loser? Well, the loser will have a long rest of the week as they have to hope there won’t be many upsets.

So who has the advantage between the two teams that aren’t playing their best basketball? The Horned Frogs controlled the first matchup against Oklahoma at Schollmaier Arena on Jan. 10 as Emanuel Miller scored 27 points with nine rebounds. TCU led by double digits most of the second half thanks to a strong defensive effort.

TCU pressured Oklahoma into 14 turnovers and held the Sooners to just 28 percent of their 3-point field goals. The Horned Frogs also seemed to have the edge with their athleticism, but can TCU replicate the same defensive effort? That remains to be seen, but TCU did a good job of containing Javian McCollum, but did allow big man John Hugley to have a solid game with 14 points. His size and skill in the post were definitely a problem the first time around.

Getting stops and getting in transition will be the key again for TCU to outwit the Sooners’ top-100 scoring defense. Everything about this game suggests it’s a pick ‘em with both teams having reasons for optimism and concern. The pivotal battle is set for 2 p.m. Wednesday.

Here are four more storylines to watch in the Big 12 tournament:

Can anybody stop Houston?

The Cougars arrived from the American Athletic Conference and had no issue competing with the big boys as Houston captured the regular-season Big 12 crown and enter as the clear tournament favorite. That’s in large part due to Houston’s top-ranked defense as the Cougars have the No. 1 scoring defense in the country and the No. 2 field goal defense percentage.

Houston isn’t prolific on offense, but the Cougars are efficient and execute well in the half court thanks to having so many options. Jamal Shead was voted Big 12 Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. Shead is the best point guard in the league and there’s no one Kelvin Sampson trusts more with the ball in his hands.

The Cougars had two more All-Big 12 selections in shooting guard L.J. Cryer and big man J’Wan Roberts, who can carry the load offensively at times not to mention Emanuel Sharp, a 12.3 points per game scorer. It will be hard to stop Houston from capturing its first Big 12 tournament championship.

Top challenger?

The two teams most likely to challenge Houston are Iowa State and Baylor. The Cyclones went 1-1 against the Cougars with both games being defensive grudge matches. Iowa State is the closest thing to Houston in the league as the Cyclones have the No. 5 scoring defense and have allowed the sixth fewest field goals in the country. Second-team All-Big 12 guard Keshon Gilbert was a breakout star this year and can be a problem when it comes to forcing turnovers.

The Cyclones have two more capable guards in Curtis Jones and All-Defensive team guard Tamin Lipsey. Milan Momcilovic is a potential NBA Draft prospect and a skilled freshman forward at 6-foot-8. The Bears faced Houston just once with the game going into overtime before Houston pulled away.

Ja’Kobe Walter is a likely lottery pick and was voted Freshman of the Year. Walter, RayJ Dennis and Jalen Bridges all made All-Big 12 teams and the Bears have a top-25 scoring offense. Both teams could present different challenges to the Cougars in a potential title game matchup.

A wounded Kansas

It may be surprising to not see the Jayhawks in the last section, but there’s a good reason why. Kansas will be without its two best players Hunter Dickinson and Kevin McCullar Jr. for the tournament with the hope both could be back for the NCAA Tournament. Both players were selected first team All-Big 12 with Dickinson being voted the Newcomer of the Year.

Between the two the Jayhawks will be missing 36.3 points per game, 16.8 rebounds and 6.3 assists and Dickinson’s presence as a rim protector. Without that dynamic duo the pressure mounts on players like K.J Adams, Dajuan Harris and Johnny Furphy. Adams is undersized, but one of the most athletic players in the league. He works best as a rim runner and crashing the offensive glass, but what will he do now as a No. 1 option?

Harris is one of the most experienced guards in the league, but has limitations as a scorer. Furphy averages nine points per game and had generated some NBA Draft buzz, but that has slowed in the last few weeks. The Jayhawks have enough to beat West Virginia in the second round, but a matchup against Cincinnati could be problematic. Could Kansas be one and done in the conference tournament?

Potential darkhorses?

Two teams that could make a run in Kansas City are Texas and BYU. The Longhorns are the defending tournament champions and quietly closed the season on a solid 4-2 run, which helped the Longhorns jump TCU in the conference standings. Texas has everything you need in March led by talented All-Big 12 guard Max Abmas and one of the league’s best defenders in Tyrese Hunter.

Forward Dylan Disu was voted Most Improved Player and first team All-Big 12. If Dickinson is the best big in the league, Disu isn’t far behind him with a nice blend of size, skill and athleticism. The Longhorns will have to get past Kansas State then Iowa State which could be difficult, but Texas has the talent.

The Cougars have the most manageable path to the semifinals as they’ll face the winner of Oklahoma State-UCF. BYU went 2-1 against the two schools in the regular season, then the next matchup would be against Texas Tech. The Red Raiders defeated BYU in Lubbock, but a rematch on a neutral floor could favor the Cougars. BYU has one of the best offenses in the country, but the Cougars do rely on the 3-point shot a lot. How well they shoot it could decide how far they go.