The Big 12 tournament could play a huge part in determining which teams enter March Madness as No. 1 seeds.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Brayden Burries had 21 points, Tobe Awaka had 12 points and 12 rebounds, and second-ranked Arizona blew most of a big first-half lead before pulling away again for a 81-59 victory over UCF in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament on Thursday.

Arizona stands above the rest of the Big 12 after winning the regular season title and appears to be a lock for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. The Wildcats went 29-2 this season and the two games they dropped came in early February against Kansas and Texas Tech — two very good teams that could make March Madness runs of their own.

When Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd was asked Thursday his thoughts on the Big 12 Tournament being played on an LED glass court, Lloyd remarked that the games could be played on asphalt for all he cared. Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark didn’t take Lloyd’s advice,

Arizona had one final gut-check moment before the Big 12 Conference Tournament last weekend, when the second-ranked Wildcats had to rally from 11 down to beat Colorado to finish with the most regular-season wins in program history.

UCF’s John Bol was helped to the locker room during the second half of the Knights’ game against Arizona in the Big 12 Tournament on Thursday after falling to the floor and holding his chest.

The Big 12 honored the Arizona Wildcats for their impressive regular season with several conference accolades, including player and coach of the year.

After completing three rounds of the men's tournament with a hi-tech LED glass court, the Big 12 is switching to wood for the semifinals and finals.

Greg Hansen of the Arizona Daily Star wrote last week that Kansas City as a tournament site is “blah” — and called on Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark to create a rotation plan starting in 2032. Hansen pointed to the Big Ten’s model,

Here are the All-Big 12 first and second teams and postseason awards as voted on by USA TODAY Network reporters who cover the conference.

The Wildcats fought through the teeth of the conference, learning what it could take to make an NCAA Tournament run.