Inside the Big 12 women's basketball Tournament

The Big 12 Tournament carries several key storylines, including postseason implications and head coaching building their teams from the ground up.

It was a good day for the Big 12 bubble

If there was one clear theme from the first full day of the Big 12 tournament, it was this: the league’s bubble teams helped themselves.

BYU, Kansas and Arizona State all picked up wins that could matter on Selection Sunday. BYU took down Houston, Kansas handled UCF and Arizona State pulled off one of the day’s biggest results by beating rival Arizona in crunch time. At the same time, potential competitors for at-large spots elsewhere in the country stumbled, with teams like Mississippi State and Stanford taking losses that could shift the bubble picture.

“In this tournament, with those teams that are on the bubble, go out and handle your business,” BYU head coach Lee Cummard told On3. “Let your game do the talking. Regardless of the outcome tomorrow (BYU vs. Utah), I think both teams are deserving of the NCAA Tournament.”

For a conference that has spent much of the season fighting for national respect beyond its top tier, the timing couldn’t have been better. Each of those wins gave the Big 12 another data point to point to in the final days before the NCAA tournament field is set.

What first-year head coaches learned from the season

The Big 12 has also home for several first-year head coaches and the opening rounds of the tournament offered a glimpse of what their debut seasons have looked like.

At Arizona State, Molly Miller inherited a program in transition and quickly established a clear identity. The Sun Devils’ win over Arizona was a reflection of the culture she has tried to build all season – a group that plays hard and doesn’t shy away from big moments.

“The normal and the standard is Sweet Sixteens and Elite Eights and that’s going to be the expectation,” head coach Molly Miller told On3. “My goal is to win a national championship and bring it home to Sun Devil nation.”

BYU’s Lee Cummard faced a different challenge, stepping into the role after years inside the program and navigating the expectations that come with it. The Cougars’ win over Houston despite adversity was another sign of how the team has continued to grow over the course of the year.

“We’re climbing a mountain,” Cummard said. “Along the mountain, you’re gonna come down a little, and you just want to continue to get higher and higher. We’re at 21 wins — we haven’t done that in a while.”

Houston’s Matthew Mitchell, meanwhile, spent the season laying the foundation for a program still carving out its place in the conference. Even in a loss, the Cougars showed flashes of the direction the program is trying to move.

“I can see what the potential of Houston is…,” Mitchell told On3. “It’s an awesome conference. I can’t wait to participate at the top of the league. That’s what our intention will be and we’re confident we can do that.”

For all three, the season has been as much about establishing identity as it has been about wins and losses.

Big matchups tomorrow

The bracket now sets up a busy slate of games that could shape both the tournament race and the NCAA tournament conversation.

BYU and Utah will meet in a matchup that always carries extra weight, with the in-state rivalry adding another layer to a game that already carries postseason stakes. Arizona State will face Iowa State, one of the conference’s most dangerous teams this season and a difficult draw for anyone advancing through the bracket.

Kansas moves on to face Colorado, while Kansas State will take on Texas Tech in what could be two of the most intriguing games of the day.