Guess what...it is officially March Madness. Two conference tournaments start up today in smaller conferences but the big boys still play through Sunday. With that said, time for the second to last rankings for the season.
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Kansas (24-5, 13-1) – The Jayhawks all but locked up their 5th straight regular season Big 12 crown with their beatdown of Missouri. Sherron Collins continues to play like a beast right now and the baby Hawks are all grown up. A win in either of their final two games, at Tech and vs. Texas, will lock up a share of the conference title and win both, they win it outright.
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Oklahoma (26-3, 12-2) – The return of Blake Griffin got the Sooners back in the win column. Blake set the school record for rebounds in a season in his return against Texas Tech. The Sooners have a huge matchup Wednesday night at Missouri and after that the Bedlam season finale. A win at Missouri locks up the two seed in the Big 12 tournament and a likely rematch with Missouri in the semifinals.
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Missouri (24-5, 11-3) – Missouri had a golden opportunity to get a huge road win on Sunday in Lawrence and they, well, kind of fell flat on their face. Missouri is still having one of their best seasons in a long while and are looking getting a four seed in the tournament.
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Texas (20-9, 9-6) –Texas really is a tough team to get a good grip on. One game they look great and then the next they can't seem to figure it out. Their loss at Oklahoma St. last Saturday isn't going to hurt their tournament chances, they are in already, but it really isn't going to help their seed. Right now they are in that 7-9 range which always makes for a tough first and second round matchup.
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Oklahoma St. (19-9, 8-6) – Outside of Kansas, Oklahoma St. is the hottest team in the conference right now.They have won five in a row and have two very big games left this season. Tonight they get K-State at home and end their season in Norman. The Cowboys have made the biggest in season transformation of any team. Early on, I thought they would struggle to get to even win 6 conference games and they have now played their way into the Tournament. Three straight losses to end the season could have them back at the NIT though.
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Kansas St. (20-9, 8-6) – K-State is an interesting team right now. They are squarely on the bubble right now and need to win out and probably win a game in the Big 12 tournament to feel safe. A win tonight would lock up the 4 seed for K-State and that always helps to get that first round bye.
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Texas A&M (21-8, 7-7) – A&M has won four in a row and has a chance to make it five in a row against Colorado. The Aggies have played their way back to the bubble and they get highly ranked Missouri in their season finale. If A&M can finish 9-7 and get a win in the Conference tournament, they will definitely have a great case for one of the last few at-large bids.
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Nebraska (16-11, 6-8) – Nebraska had their razor thin tournament hopes dashed when Josh Carter hit a game winning three pointer at the buzzer a week ago. Nebraska has a great chance to close out the season 8-8 in the conference with games against Baylor and Iowa St. left. Nebraska is a NIT team but winning those last two could get them a better seed in the NIT.
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Iowa St. (14-15, 3-11) – The Cyclones make their first apperance in the single digits. Last weeks victory over Baylor was one of their biggest of the season and a win in their season finale against Texas Tech would lock up the 10 seed in the conference tournament and maybe even give them a shot at an upset in the Big 12 tournament.
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Baylor (17-12, 5-10) – The Bears are easily the most disappointing team in the league this year. All of the preseason hype that this might be the year that Baylor breaks through didn't come anywhere close to furition. Baylor's big problem is they play no defense. They are more talented on offense this year but without defense you won't win too many games in the Big 12.
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Texas Tech (12-17, 2-12) – Texas Tech may have lost both games last week but they lost to Texas by 6 points at Texas. That is the kind of thing to build on for next year because the only thing Tech has to play for the rest of the year is the season finale against Iowa St. for the 10 seed in the conference tournament.
- Colorado (9-19, 1-13) – Jeff Bzdelik's first season as the Buff's coach has not been one to remember. Colorado has struggeled pretty much all season and with only two games left, including the conference tournament, the Buff's have nothing left to play for.
Big games this week:
- Tuesday: Kansas St. at Oklahoma St. 6:30pm on ESPN2
- Wednesday: #5 Oklahoma at #12 Missouri 8:00pm on Big 12 Network
- Saturday: Texas Tech at Iowa St. 12:45pm; #12 Missouri at Texas A&M 1:00pm on ESPN2; Oklahoma St. at #5 Oklahoma 2:30pm on ABC; Texas at #9 Kansas 3:00pm on CBS
So there are the rankings for the last week of the regular season.
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