Big 12 bids: Latest projections show eight teams earning NCAA berths

TCU's 20-year wait for a return to the NCAA tournament is going to end on March 11, Selection Sunday.

TCU is slotted as a No. 6 seed in the latest bracketology projections from ESPN's Joe Lunardi.

It's the highest the Horned Frogs have been since Jan. 18. The Big 12 is projected to have eight teams earn bids. Only the Atlantic Coast Conference is projected to have more. A year ago, six Big 12 teams earned bids.

"I think it does [deserve eight], I really do. I’ve said it all along," Kansas State coach Bruce Weber said after losing to TCU Tuesday night. "It’s just a fight every night. Great teams, great coaches, great players."

Here's Lunardi's latest projected seeds for the Big 12:

Kansas, No. 1

West Virginia, No. 4

Texas Tech, No. 4

TCU, No. 6

Oklahoma, No. 10

Kansas State, No. 10

Baylor, No. 11

Texas, No. 11

That leaves only last-place Iowa State (13-16, 4-13 in the Big 12) and Oklahoma State (17-13, 7-10).

The Big 12 leads the country in conference RPI with a 51.4 rating and second in conference strength of schedule at 33.8. It's the only conference with 80% of teams in the top 63 of NCAA RPI.

"I just hope the committee appreciates it, the 1 through 10 and the balance," Weber said. "It’s very deserving of eight, and maybe nine. I'm talking 18 games, plus the SEC game, you're talking 19 games against high-level people every night. No one can match that in the country."

TCU (21-9, 9-8) finishes the regular season against Texas Tech (22-8, 10-7) at 3 p.m. Saturday in Lubbock. The Big 12 Conference tournament begins Wednesday in Kansas City, Mo.

This story was originally published February 28, 2018 at 3:33 PM with the headline "Big 12 bids: Latest projections show eight teams earning NCAA berths."