The Kansas men’s golf team will face off against the best teams in the Big 12 Conference on Friday, April 29 in Trinity, Texas. The Jayhawks have practiced every day since they returned from Holly Springs, N.C., last week. With three tournament titles this year, the team could finish strong at Whispering Pines. Here is an in-depth look at some of the teams the Jayhawks will be teeing it up with:

Colorado

The Colorado Buffaloes have endured a season of struggles. The team is currently ranked 78th in the nation in the Golf Week poll. The Buffaloes’ last tournament was the Courtyard by Marriott Intercollegiate in Holly Springs, N.C., which was also the Jayhawks’ last tournament. Colorado finished in 11th place with a three-round total of 584, four shots behind Kansas.

Junior golfer Edward McGlasson has been the top performer for Colorado all season long. He has led the team individually in the team’s five tournaments. In those tournaments, Colorado has not placed higher than fifth. Their best tournament was the Stevinson Ranch Invitational, a tournament which the Jayhawks won.

Missouri

The Missouri Tigers will head to the Big 12 Championships in Texas next week ranked 74th in the nation by Golf Week. The Tigers are playing their best golf of the season, winning their last two tournaments. Mizzou won the Belmont Invitational in Franklin, Tenn., on April 5. The Tigers were led by junior Chris Mabry, whose three round total of 199 (14 under par) broke the tournament and Missouri record by five strokes. Junior Ben Scott also won an individual title at the Matlock Invitational in Lakeland, Fla. The Tigers have not had two different individual tournament champions in a season since the 1982-83 campaign.

The Tigers won the Boilermaker Invitational in West Lafayette, Ind., on Sunday for their second consecutive tournament title, beating Purdue by eight strokes. Scott led the way for the Tigers — he finished the tournament in third place with a three-round total of 212. The victory gave Missouri its second multiple-victory semester in school history. With two straight team victories and a full head of steam, the Tigers are the hottest group heading into the Big 12 Championships.

Kansas State

Kansas State Wildcats have been led all season by senior golfer Matt Van Cleave and junior golfer Ben Kern. Cleave holds a season stroke average of 72.43 and Kern is averaging 73.63. This season Cleave has finished in the top 10 seven times and the top five four times.

The Wildcats have failed to win a golf tournament this spring. They came close at the Stevinson Ranch Invitational in late March with a tie for second place finish, their best finish of the season. The Jayhawks won the championship at Stevinson that week. The Wildcats ended their regular season on Sunday, playing in the FirstEnergy Intercollegiate in Akron, Ohio, at the historical Firestone Country Club. Kansas State entered into the final round on Sunday in a tie for fourth place, and that is where they finished. Van Cleave led all Wildcats for their seventh straight event with a total score of 217, one over par for the tournament.

Kansas State’s regular season is officially over and it will have 10 days to prepare for the Big 12 Championships.

— Edited by Nikola Rowe