TCU men’s basketball coach Jamie Dixon, a participant in 11 of the last 13 NCAA Tournaments during his tenure at Pittsburgh, understands the March Madness numbers game as well as anyone.
A league loaded with top-50 teams in the RPI rankings, which is the case for the Big 12, stands a better chance of sending representatives to the Big Dance with records of .500 or below in conference play than other leagues. It’s a precedent that has benefited the Big 12, helping the 10-member league place seven participants in each of the last three tournaments.
Three of those 21 teams made the field despite records of 8-10 during the Big 12’s round-robin schedule.