The Big 12 needed a Final Four appearance.
It had been a solid NCAA Tournament for the conference, with three teams reaching the Elite Eight and a fourth in the Sweet 16. But the Big 12 had been here, or nearby, several times in recent years without reaching the biggest stage.
Kansas’ overtime victory over Duke to capture the Midwest Region on Sunday gave the league its second Final Four team in six years.
In four of those years, including 2018, the Big 12 was the top-rated conference by RPI. Only once previously, the Buddy Hield-led Oklahoma Sooners of 2016, did a team reach the Final Four.