With the Big 12 a lock for seven NCAA tournament teams — no more, no less, barring a championship run in the conference tournament by any of the bottom fi ve seeds — fans could be desperate for things to look for in the Big 12 Championship Tournament, which kicks off Wednesday with eighth-seeded Colorado facing No. 9 Texas Tech for the right to play top-seeded Kansas in the quarterfinals.

The Jayhawks could lose their first game against Texas Tech or Colorado — they’re sitting out the first round courtesy of a bye — and they’d still be a one seed in the NCAA Tournament (book a hotel room in Oklahoma City, Jayhawk fans). With that in mind, here are five teams to watch in the conference tournament that have a little bit more on the line.

No. 2 Kansas State

The Wildcats suffered a disappointing end to a great regular season with a loss at Kansas and an upset at the hands of Iowa State in Bramlage Coliseum on senior day. They had been pegged as a two seed — maybe even sneaking in as the fourth No. 1 behind Kentucky, Syracuse and Kansas — before their late-season slide.

Now, Kansas State needs to win at least one game to retain their spot as a second seed in the bracket. If they pull off a championship run in the conference tournament, though, their outside shot at a top seed in the NCAA Tournament becomes a lot more realistic.

No. 3 Baylor

The Bears have somehow managed to fly completely under the national radar this year. Despite posting the exact same conference record and overall record as the Wildcats, Baylor sits 12 spots behind Kansas State in the latest AP poll. The Bears are No. 8 in the RPI, which is a big factor in the seeding by the NCAA tournament selection committee, and could make a legitimate run at a two seed with a Big 12 Tournament championship.

If they drop their first round game – not out of the question, as they’ll likely face Texas – they could fall as low as a six or seven seed. Bracketology101, which projected 60 of 65 teams within one slot last year, has the Bears as a five seed right now. Baylor has as much wiggle room with regards to seeding as anyone in the Big 12.

No. 6 Texas

The Longhorns’ late-season collapse has been well documented, and if Texas doesn’t want to face an early exit in the tournament, they need to turn things around starting Wednesday against Iowa State. If the Longhorns don’t win at least two games in the Big 12 Tournament, they very well could be looking up in seed come Selection Sunday as a No. 9 or a No. 10 seed. If the Longhorns defeat the Iowa State Cyclones in round one, they’ll square off with the Baylor Bears in the quarterfinals.

Texas’ resume is boosted by non-conference wins over tourney-bound Michigan State and Pittsburgh, but the Longhorns’ seeding could be crippled by the fact that they lost eight of their last 14 games

No. 7 Oklahoma State

Oklahoma State needs to beat first-round opponent Oklahoma to be completely locked in as a tournament team, but even if it does slip up against the Sooners it should be just fine come Selection Sunday. The Cowboys finished 9-7 in Big 12 play and 21-9 overall, but they picked up a huge win against the Jayhawks two weeks ago.

The Cowboys are led by recently named Big 12 Conference Player of the Year James Anderson and could move up to as high as a No. 5 seed if they make an exceptionally deep run in the conference tournament. Oklahoma State has shown that it is capable of playing well against some very good teams, and the Cowboys will be a tough test for any team.

No. 8 Colorado

Colorado, with a win over Texas Tech in their first game, should be postseason-bound for the fi rst time ever. No, not really. For the first time since 2006, though, which is long enough for most Buffalo fans, no doubt. The Buffaloes finished the season on a three-game winning streak

for the fi rst time since 2002-2003, which is also the last time they made the NCAA tournament.

If they keep that hot streak going through the Big 12 Tournament, of course, they would be the eighth team in the conference to get a nod for the NCAA Tournament. Colorado is led by Big 12 Freshman of the Year Alec Burks and Cory Higgins, who are both capable of scoring 20 points per game.