The Big 12 will be represented by multiple teams in the NCAA tournament and two of those teams, the Missouri Tigers and the Kansas Jayhawks, could go in as No. 1 seeds. In SB Nation's latest power rankings, Mike Rutherford lists both the Tigers and the Jayhawks in the top five.
The Tigers (AP No. 3) come in at No. 3 on SB Nation's latest power rankings with a 25-2 record.
It's the biggest week of the season for Frank Haith's consistently entertaining Mizzou squad. First, they'll look for revenge against a K-State squad that bullied them in the post for 40 minutes on their way to a 75-59 win in early January, then they head to Lawrence for a showdown with a Kansas squad that still thinks the Tigers stole one from them three Saturdays ago.
Win these two games and you can pretty much pencil Missouri in as a No. 1 seed.
The Jayhawks (AP No. 5) are next on Rutherford's list, coming in at No. 4 with a 22-5 record.
On paper, Kansas has a much easier final four games than the Missouri squad they're locked up with at the top of the Big 12 standings. While Mizzou still has to contend with K-State, Iowa State and the Jayhawks themselves, UM is the only team left on Kansas' schedule that has a league record of .500 or better. The Jayhawks certainly appear to be in good shape to capture an improbable eighth straight regular season conference championship.
Both the Jayhawks and the Tigers have four games left, including one game against each other. It's very possible that both could end up as No. 1 seeds in March but even if that's not the case, they both have great shots at making their way deep into the tournament.
For more on the Jayhawks, head to Rock Chalk Talk, and for more on the Tigers, head to Rock M Nation.