The Big 12 has been one of the toughest leagues to have to fight through in order to make it to the NCAA tournament. My guess right now is that we can expect approximately six teams to be dancing on selection Sunday. The Kansas Jayhawks and the Texas Longhorns are certainly the two most feared teams in this conference. However, I think there's at least two more teams that can be just as dangerous when hitting on all cylinders. Read below as SportsGamer fills you in on our breakdown of the Big 12 this season.
| Kansas JayhawksRecord - 28-3Conf. record - 13-3RPI - 8
| Despite the Kansas Jayhawks lack of a tough schedule (152), it's believed that this group of kids still make up one of the elite teams in the country. Realistically, the Jayhawks have played three solid teams on road (Texas, Kansas State, and USC) and they've won only one (USC). Also, Kansas experienced another bad loss recently on February 23rd at Oklahoma State. While everything appears to be okay for Kansas as they head towards a top seed in the tournament, clearly this team has struggles when trying to win on the road. Fortunately, the Big 12 Conference Tournament is in Kansas City and the Jayhawks should get the help they need from the crowd to take down the title. Prediction: #1 seed in NCAA Tournament |
 | Texas LonghornsRecord - 25-5Conf. record - 13-3RPI - 5 | Wins over Tennessee, UCLA, St. Mary's, and Kansas this season have the Texas Longhorns more prepared to make a deep run than anyone else in the Big 12. The biggest question mark when I look at this team is their inability to put people away. The Longhorns consistently play to the level of their competition and continue to win the close games. The reason they play so many teams close is because this young bunch is just beginning to figure out how to win at this level. Sophomore point guard D.J Augustin (19.8 ppg, 5.7 apg, 2.9 rpg) will be the leader for the Horns as they begin making their run. If Texas can't get it done this season, then you can be sure to see this squad among the top 2 or 3 teams int he nation next year because they essentially return everyone. Prediction: #2 seed in NCAA Tournament |
 | Kansas State Wildcats Record - 19-10Conf. record - 10-6RPI - 45 | The Kansas State Wildcats have two of the most dynamic players in the nation in center Michael Beasley (26.5 ppg, 12.5 rpg) and forward Bill Walker (16.0 ppg, 6.5 rpg). What's so amazing about this tandem is the fact that both men are only Freshman. It's expected that Beasley will leave school at the end of the season and be the #1 overall selection in the upcoming NBA Draft. However, wildcat fans have to be excited when thinking about what this team could accomplish in the NCAA Tournament if they can just get a little support from the other three starters on the team. K-State hasn't been playing their best ball at the end of the season, but with wins over Kansas, Texas A&M, and Oklahoma it's easy to believe that the Wildcats will be very dangerous. Prediction: #9 seed in NCAA Tournament |
 | Baylor Bears Record - 20-9Conf. record - 9-7RPI - 33 | The surprise of the Big 12 without question is the Baylor Bears. Baylor went from 15-16 just a year ago to 21-9 this season. If you haven't seen the Bears play this season then you're missing out. Baylor is one of the most exciting teams in the nation to watch because they get up and down the court fast and score a lot of points (81.3 ppg). The real leader on this team is lefty guard Curtis Jerrells. Jerrells averages 14.8 ppg, 3.6 apg, 3.5 rpg, and is the cog that holds the Baylor machine together. Unfortunately, Baylor's only significant win came at home against Kansas State. The Bears have other solid wins, but nothing that stands out. Still, this team has lost to Texas twice (by 5 and 8), Kansas (by 10), and at Oklahoma (by 1). Baylor could easily be one of my sleeper picks this season if they get the right kind of draw in the NCAA Tournament. Prediction: #8 seed in NCAA Tournament |
 | Oklahoma Sooners | The Oklahoma Sooners' two biggest wins of the season came against West Virginia and Gonzaga. These two wins may not be that impressive, but the Sooners needed them to put something on their resume that stands out a little. The fact is with Oklahoma they've beaten the teams they were supposed to beat and they haven't lost to any really bad teams other than maybe Colorado. The Sooners are led by freshman Blake Griffin. Griffin averages 15.2 ppg and 9.2 rpg at the forward position. It's going to be hard to be a slightly above average team and expect to make a run with a freshman leading the way. However, the Sooners always play a physical brand of basketball, so maybe toughness will be even to make a run. Prediction: #7 seed in NCAA Tournament |
 | Texas A&M Aggies Record - 21-9Conf. record - 8-8RPI - 47 | The Texas A&M Aggies have a had a great season, but are clearly losing it down the stretch. The Aggies were a lock to get into the NCAA tournament, but they have lost five of their last seven games. Of those five losses, two of them came at home against Oklahoma State and Nebraska. Despite the breakdown, the Aggies had wins earlier this season against Texas and Baylor to help their cause. In my opinion, the Aggies are hanging on to a NCAA Tournament birth by a thread and must win their first game in the Big 12 Conference Tournament against the Iowa State Cyclones. The Aggies play a similar style to Oklahoma, but I think even if they do get in the inconsistent play at the end of the season will result in an early exit from the tourney. Prediction: #11 seed in NCAA Tournament |
 | Nebraska Cornhuskers Record - 18-11Conf. record - 7-9RPI - 96 | The Nebraska Cornhuskers have to be excited about improving on last season's efforts. The Cornhuskers finished with a record of 17-14 (6-10 conference) last season, but managed to tally up a record of 18-11 (7-9 conference) this season. Nebraska has a chance to reach the PIT Tournament with a win in their first round conference tournament game against Missouri. The good news for Husker fans is that they return all but one player next season. The bad news is that one player is leading scorer Aleks Maric (16.0 ppg, 10.2 rpg). Prediction: *NIT Tournament bid |
 | Oklahoma State Cowboys Record - 15-14Conf. record - 7-9RPI - 82 | Oklahoma State has been a odd team this season. The Cowboys have beaten the likes of Kansas, Texas A&M, and even Baylor. Unfortunately, they also had a stretch right in the middle of the season where they lost seven out of eight games. Since that poor stretch, the Cowboys have now won five of their last seven as they head into the Big 12 Conference Tournament. I think Oklahoma State has enough talent that they could win a couple games in the Conference Tourney, but I don't think they've got enough to win it all. And unfortunately, I think anything short of winning the conference tournament won't be enough to get them into the NCAA Tournament. Prediction: NIT Tournament bid |
 | Texas Tech Red Raiders Record - 15-14Conf. record - 7-9RPI - 59 | When Texas Tech pulled off the upset against Texas at home just a short while ago many people thought that they would have a chance at getting in the NCAA Tournament. However, losses at Kansas and home against Baylor almost have the Red Raiders sitting back at .500. Call me crazy, but I think if the Red Raiders were somehow able to reach the Big 12 Conference Tournament Championship game that the committee would put them in the NCAA Tournament. Not that they wouldn't have earned it, but I think the NCAA would like to add as many storylines as possible to the tourney...and any storyline that involves Bob Knight and Bob Knight's son will make people want to watch. Prediction: NIT Tournament bid |
 | Missouri Tigers Record - 16-15Conf. record - 6-10RPI - 103 | The Missouri Tigers haven't had too much to celebrate this season, but they did enjoy wins over Texas, Purdue, and Kansas State. However, inconsistent play from one night to next had led them to the 16-15 overall record that we see today. Missouri will have to win the Big 12 Tournament if they want to receive a bid from the NCAA selection committee. At the end of the season the Tigers will lose four seniors. However, not one of these seniors were a major contributor this past season, so we can expect to see a much improved team next year. Prediction: Out |
 | Iowa State Cyclones | Iowa State is spinning out of control right now. The Cyclones have nine out of their last ten games and have a firs round matchup in the Big 12 Conference Tournament with Texas A&M. Obviously, with a 13-17 record Iowa State will have to win the whole Tournament if they want to continue playing in March. The Cyclones can build off of their games against some of the tougher teams in this league because they seem to have played almost everyone close. Unfortunately, winning the entire tournament is beyond the realm of possibility. To make matters worse, Iowa State loses four seniors at the end of the year. It looks like things could get worse before they get better for this team. Prediction: Out |
 | Colorado Buffaloes Record - 10-19Conf. record - 3-13RPI - 167 | Like the other bottom feeders in this league, the Colorado Buffaloes will have to run the table in the Big 12 Conference Tournament if they want to get their ticket punch to the big dance. Senior guard Richard Roby leads the Buffs with 16.5 ppg and 6.4 rpg. The other leader on this team is senior guard Marcus Hall who averages 13.7 ppg. These two may need to double their scoring averages if they want Colorado to come out when the smoke clears. After the Buffs lose Roby and Hall at the end of the season we could see an even bigger drop for Colorado next year. Prediction: Out |
*NIT=National Invitational Tournament
