KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Sizing up the 10-team field at this week’s Big 12 tournament, which starts Wednesday night at Sprint Center:
GOOD SHOT
Kansas State (24-7, 14-4)
What a strange strange ride for the Big 12’s No. 1 seed.
K-State lost to Tulsa (seventh-place finisher in the American Athletic Conference) and Texas A&M (11th in the SEC). Bruce Weber’s bunch also trailed at home by 21 to West Virginia before waking up. Still, the Wildcats emerged as co-champs despite missing Dean Wade for stints.
The Wildcats have the top defensive player in guard Barry Brown, and they’ll receive a home-crowd boost this week.
Texas Tech (26-5, 14-4)
The top defensive team in the Big 12 is also the league’s hottest. The No. 2 seeded Red Raiders have won nine straight games and are lifted by the league’s Player of the Year, Jarrett Culver.
Were they really picked seventh in the conference during preseason? Chris Beard reloading so quickly in Lubbock should land him national coach of the year votes.
Kansas (23-8, 12-6)
Hard to keep the team that won 14 straight Big 12 regular-season titles off the list of contenders. The No. 3 seed has played the nation’s toughest schedule, and forward Dedric Lawson has been the most consistent player in the conference.
50-50 SHOT
Baylor (19-12, 10-8)
The No. 4 seed ended the regular season losing three straight, but was competitive in all 18 league games. If Makai Mason gets hot, Bears could have a shot.
Iowa State (20-11, 9-9)
Those fifth-seeded Cyclones have the Big 12’s top offensive team. They also have several weeks of poor play to overcome. Getting guard Marial Shayok is a boost, and if Lindell Wigginton plays up to his potential, Cyclones will be a tough out.
Oklahoma (19-12, 7-11)
The No. 7 seed destroyed Kansas in the next-to-last regular-season game and holds teams to 40 percent shooting from the field. The Sooners struggle against defensive-minded teams, though.
NO SHOT
TCU (19-12, 7-11)
Once a top-25 team, TCU went 4-9 to end the regular season and fell to the 8 seed. The Frogs are playing shorthanded with a rotation of just seven players.
Texas (16-15, 8-10)
The Longhorns are the No. 6 seed, but they’re only 5-8 since Jan. 23. Texas has lived and died by the 3-point shot, mostly died.
Oklahoma State (12-19, 5-13)
The No. 9 seed enters the tournament on a two-game win streak and freshman Yor Anei finished strong with 16 points and eight blocks against West Virginia on Saturday.
West Virginia (12-19, 4-14)
The Mountaineers have shown some sparks late in the season, but the No. 10 seed still hasn’t played defense with any consistency, allowing 76.8 points per game. Derek Culver is averaging 15.5 rebounds over his last four games but he can’t carry this team to four wins in four days.
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