The Big East has garnered plenty of praise this season, and many consider it to be the best conference in the country. But the Big 12 teams beg to differ.
The conference has the likely favorite to win the national championship in Kansas. Besides the Jayhawks, three others teams are legitimate threats to reach at least the Elite Eight: Kansas State, Baylor and Texas A&M. And that’s not counting Texas, which reached No. 1 in January after starting the season 17-0. Missouri and Oklahoma State also figure to be dangerous teams.
Although all seven of those teams have likely sealed their NCAA Tournament bids and the other five are nowhere near the bubble, the Big 12 tournament figures to offer plenty of intrigue. In the opening round on Wednesday, Oklahoma State and Oklahoma will play the rubber match of this season’s bedlam rivalry. Each team won at home, and now they will settle the season series on a neutral court in Kansas City, Mo.
The opening round also will be important for Texas, which ended the season 6-8 after reaching No. 1 in January. No. 11-seed Iowa State came up with its best game of the season last weekend when the Cyclones knocked off Kansas State in Manhattan. They will be riding into the Big 12 tournament with plenty of confidence, which might bode poorly for the sputtering Longhorns.
Among the top four seeds, No. 2 Kansas State probably has the most to gain in the Big 12 tournament. If the Wildcats can storm through Baylor and Kansas en route to a conference championship, they might be able to join the Jayhawks as a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament if teams like Duke and Purdue lose early in their conference tournaments. Meanwhile, Baylor and Texas A&M look to secure a top four seed in the NCAA Tournament with a strong showing in the conference tournament.
The Maroon and White will make some noise come Thursday and will be ready to play. Hoopville rocks!