When you sign-up through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more >
If you watch one college basketball conference tournament this week, make it the Big 12 Tournament. It’s arguably the deepest conference in the country with seven, possibly eight, of the 10 teams in the league likely to be in the NCAA Tournament.
The entire conference tournament will be filled with high-level games, which is why it’s worth taking a closer look at the nightcap doubleheader of Thursday’s Big 12 Tournament Quarterfinals. These games offer the perfect opportunity to throw your hat into the ring with so many sportsbooks offering great promos during Championship Week.
To save you time, we’ve done the leg work on identifying the best promos and bonuses available during Championship Week at some of the most prominent sportsbooks.
During Championship Week, BetMGM puts new users in good hands with a risk-free bet of up to $1,000 when you sign up with our link. If you get your first bet wrong, they’ll refund you with betting credits up to $1,000. The worst-case scenario there is you have a $1,000 bankroll to use during the next week - when those funds expire - during March Madness.
Caesars is a nice spot to check out during March Madness. Using our Caesars Sportsbook link and the promo code WSNFULL, you can get a risk-free bet of up to $1,250. In other words, if you bet on the Big 12 Quarterfinals and your bet loses, you get that value back in site credit up to $1,250, which should give you a nice stake for March Madness.
If you head over to Draftkings, you can turn $5 into $150 in no time. Click on our link to get started and sign up for a Draftkings account. From there, place a $5 bet on any moneyline bet and you’ll receive six $25 free bets to use over the next seven days. Just make sure you find a sure thing for that first bet and then you’ll have a free $150 to start turning a profit.
If you’re new to Fanduel, you’ll have nothing to worry about with your first bet. If your first bet loses, you’ll immediately receive site credits equal to the value of that bet up to $1,000. That means even if your first bet doesn’t hit, you’ll have that same amount to keep making bets, giving you plenty of more chances to turn a profit.
Among the four options above, pick your favorite (or try multiple sportsbooks) and start betting throughout Champ Week and March Madness. Just follow these steps to sign up and start betting in time for the Big 12 Quarterfinals:
After winning a must-win game against Oklahoma on Wednesday, the Oklahoma State Cowboys can take another big step toward solidifying a bid in the NCAA Tournament when they fast the no. 7 Texas Longhorns in the Big 12 Tournament Quarterfinals. Unfortunately for the Cowboys, they’ve already lost to Texas twice this season. They first lost to the Longhorns at home 56-46 in early January and later lost 89-75 in Austin.
In fact, the Cowboys have struggled all year against the top teams in the Big 12. That explains Oklahoma State’s five-game losing streak late in the season before beating Texas Tech in the regular-season finale and beating Oklahoma on Wednesday. If the Cowboys are going to keep it going and reach the Big 12 semifinals, they’ll need to rely on their defense. Oklahoma State ranks 10th nationally in KenPom’s adjusted defensive efficiency rankings, which is good news.
The bad news is the Cowboys are prone to offensive struggles. Despite having four players who average double figures, nobody averages more than Bryce Thompson at a modest 11.9 points per game. Meanwhile, Oklahoma State shoots a disappointing 31.6% from three-point range and is below 70% on the free-throw line, meaning they can’t afford to get themselves into a shootout against the Longhorns.
Of course, Texas ranks 16th in KenPom’s adjusted offensive efficiency, making them one of the most productive offensive teams in the country. Marcus Carr leads the way for them with 16.2 points and 4.2 assists per game while Texas has three other players who average at least 10 points per game. Carr scored 21 points the last time Texas played Oklahoma State, so the Cowboys didn’t have an answer for him in that game.
However, the Longhorns were just 3-3 down the stretch and were held below their season average of 78.8 points per game in five of those six games. They also weren’t at their best away from home this season, although Texas should have plenty of support at a neutral venue. Look for Texas to do just enough to win and cover the six-point spread against a desperate Oklahoma State team.
No bet-throughs required
Lots of sport-specific promos
Promo code 'WSN1000'
$1,000 First Bet on Caesars
21+ | Terms and conditions apply
Location: T-Mobile Center, Kansas City, Missouri
Game Time & Date: 7:00 EST on Thursday, March 9
TV Network: ESPN2
Streaming: Watch ESPN
The last Big 12 quarterfinal on Thursday offers a top-25 matchup between the no. 22 TCU Horned Frogs and the no. 12 Kansas State Wildcats. TCU won the first meeting between these teams in convincing fashion 82-68. But the Wildcats returned the favor with an 82-61 win when they hosted the Horned Frogs in early February, setting up a fascinating rubber match.
While the Horned Frogs remain a lock for the NCAA Tournament, they’ve been in a funk since February, going 4-7 down the stretch. Some of those losses can be attributed to leading scorer Mike Miles Jr. getting hurt. But his play has been a little erratic since he returned, which is why TCU hasn’t gotten back on track. The Horned Frogs also shoot just 29.6% from the perimeter, so they have some offensive limitations.
As for the Wildcats, they closed the season strong, winning four in a row until losing their regular-season finale on the road against West Virginia. Starting with their win over TCU, Kansas State went 5-3 down the stretch. The tandem of Keyontae Johnson and Markquis Nowell has carried K-State all year. Johnson is giving the Wildcats 17.8 points and seven rebounds per game while Nowell runs the show with 17 points and 7.7 assists per game. They are also Kansas State’s best two outside shooters and one of the best duos in the Big 12.
With the teams splitting their two meetings this season in a pair of lopsided affairs, anything can happen on Thursday night. But while the Horned Frogs are two-point favorites, the Wildcats enter the game with far more momentum. Kansas State also has more dynamic scorers in Johnson and Nowell and is a better shooting team. That gives the Wildcats all of the value in this game from a betting perspective.
Free play options
Special contests for newbies
Bet $5 Get $200 in Bonus Bets
21+ | Terms and conditions apply
Location: T-Mobile Center, Kansas City, Missouri
Game Time & Date: 9:30 EST on Thursday, March 9
TV Network: ESPN2
Streaming: Watch ESPN
I am a huge sports fan; locally, many know me as the guy who does the PA for our high school football team on Friday nights. Having grown up in Michigan, I am a sports fan of all the Detroit teams, and at the college level, I love Michigan State sports.
More info on Caleb Tallman
© Rebel Penguin ApS 2023 (a subsidiary of Gaming Innovation Group Inc.)
We support responsible gambling. 21+ Only. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-Gambler.
WSN.com is run by iGaming Cloud Inc (a Gaming Innovation Group Subsidiary) and is registered with the New Jersey
Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) under affiliate vendor ID
89744,
with the Indiana Gaming Commission (IGC) under certificate of registration number SWR-000148, approved by
the
Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board as a gaming service provider, under certificate registration number
117656-1,
possesses a Vendor Minor sports betting license from the Colorado Limited Gaming Control Commission (account
number 94414163), granted a vendor registration number VR007603-20-001 by the Michigan Gaming Control Board,
an
interim Sports Wagering Supplier license, under license number SWS 066, issued by the West Virginia Lottery
Commission, a sports betting vendor registration, under registration number #100400, issued by the Director
of
Gaming Licensing and Investigations of the Virginia Lottery to operate in the State of Virginia, and a
Vendor
Registration issued by the Sports Wagering Committee of the Tennessee Education Lottery Corporation.
Advertising disclosure: WSN contains links to online retailers on its website. When people click on our
affiliate links and make purchases, WSN earns a commission from our partners, including ESPN and various
sportsbooks.