One of the most intriguing early matchups in the 2012 Big 12 Tournament will be the 4-5 matchup between the fifth seeded Kansas State and the No. 4 seed Baylor. Prior to the season, Baylor wouldn't have figured to be in this spot but after losing four of its last eight games including Saturday's loss to Iowa State, it is the Bears that will have to play the Wildcats on Thursday at the Sprint Center in Kansas City. Had the Bears defeated the Cyclones they would have drawn the three seed and a first round matchup with the sixth seeded Texas Longhorns.
Kansas State and Baylor split the regular season series with the road team winning both matchups in very hostile situations. Baylor defeated the Wildcats in Manhattan 75-73 way back on January 10 to move to 16-0 on the season. The Wildcats returned the favor with a 57-56 win in Waco on February 18.
Kansas State finished 10-8 in conference play but two wins over Missouri show that they are more than capable of playing with the top teams in the conference. Baylor finished the regular season 12-6 with four of those losses coming to the hands of the top seeds Missouri and Kansas.
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