No. 1 Kansas (25-6, 14-2)

RPI: 7

Who to watch:

Sherron Collins (18.3 ppg, 5.0 ast) Jr.

Cole Aldrich (14.8 ppg, 10.5 reb) Soph.

Outlook: The defending national champions have won nine conference titles in 13 years of Big 12 play, and, with a first round bye, there’s no reason the Jayhawks can’t add another trophy. The team will look for some consistency out of this edition however, after beating rival Missouri by 25 at home and losing to Texas Tech by 19. Kansas won’t play Oklahoma or Missouri until the finals.

No. 2 Oklahoma (27-4, 13-3)

RPI: 5

Who to watch:

Blake Griffin (22.1 ppg, 14.2 reb) Soph.

Willie Warren (14.7 ppg, 3 ast) Fr.

Outlook: After starting 25-1, the Sooners have gone 2-3 since Blake Griffin’s injury and subsequent return. The favorite for National Player of the Year, Griffin and diaper-dandy Warren will need to elevate their play to earn a number one seed in the NCAA Tournament and beat reigning Kansas.

No. 3 Missouri (25-6, 12-4)

RPI: 12

Who to watch:

DeMarre Carroll (17.1 ppg, 7.3 reb) Sr.

Leo Lyons (14.4 ppg, 5.8 reb) Sr.

Outlook: Another team looking for some consistency — Missouri lost to Kansas by 25 on March 1, beat Oklahoma with Blake Griffin in the line-up in Columbia, and then lost to a hot Texas A&M squad. Carroll and Lyons are two jump-shooting college power forwards who can spread the floor or post up. The Tigers’ overall speed and pace has been the hallmark of a squad that went 18-0 at home this season.

No. 4 Kansas State (21-10, 9-7)

RPI: 77

Who to watch:

Denis Clemente (15.6 ppg, 79% FT) Jr.

Jacob Pullen (13.4 ppg, 3.3 ast) Soph.

Outlook: The Wildcats are looking to boost their stock for the NCAA Tournament from outside bubble team to March Madness lock with their performance in the tournament, and transfer guard Clemente and his teammates have something to prove. The team is missing Michael Beasley and Bill Walker, big-time players from last year’s team, but with quick guard play and the best offensive rebound margin in the conference, the Wildcats will be tough to out.

No. 5 Texas (20-10, 9-7)

RPI: 36

Who to watch:

A.J. Abrams (16.7 ppg, 89 made 3’s) Sr.

Damion James (15.9 ppg, 9.4 reb) Jr.

Outlook: Coach Rick Barnes can’t be happy with the team’s up-and-down play, going 5-5 in their last 10 games, but A.J. Abrams is still holding the keys to the Longhorns’ ignition. With large Dexter Pittman down low and Damion James crashing the boards and cleaning up the plate, Abrams averages 14 shots and nearly eight three-point attempts per game. The team has shown potential, beating tournament teams UCLA, Villanova and Wisconsin, but needs to prove itself worthy of a tournament bid in the Big 12’s.

No. 6 Texas A&M (23-8, 9-7)

RPI: 29

Who to watch:

Josh Carter (14 ppg, 85% FT) Sr.

Chinemelu Elonu (7.5 reb, 1.6 blk) Jr.

Outlook: The Aggies have been powered all year by balanced team play, and while the four-way tie at 9-7 in Big 12 play may have thrown them at the six spot, Carter and the crew from College Station have four players averaging double figures in points. Winners of their last six, they are the hottest team in the Big 12.

No. 7 Oklahoma State (20-10, 9-7)

RPI: 25

Who to watch:

James Anderson (18.9 ppg, 43% 3FG) So.

Byron Eaton (14 ppg, 5.5 ast, 2 stl) Sr.

Outlook: The Cowboys’ 82-78 loss to Oklahoma in the Bedlam game broke their six-game win streak, even though James Anderson scored 37 points on a bigger Sooner line-up. Oklahoma State is a more experienced version of the Texas A&M squad ahead of them, with Byron Eaton playing the role of grandpa for the team, with more than 100 college starts under his belt.

No. 8 Nebraska (18-11, 8-8)

RPI: 68

Who to watch:

Ade Dagunduro (12.7 ppg, 53% FG) Jr.

Cookie Miller (7.6 ppg, 3.7 ast) So.

Outlook: A slow, grind-it-out team with no real stars that has somehow put itself in bubble talk with tough play in nearly every game this season. The boys from Lincoln know they face a challenge in making a run in Oklahoma City, being undersized at nearly every position, but after being called pesky, tough, energetic and scrappy and every other possible hyperbole by sports announcers this season, the team won’t go down without a fight.

No. 9 Baylor (17-13, 5-11)

RPI: 74

Who to watch:

Curtis Jerrells (16.2 ppg, 4.9 ast) Sr.

LaceDarius Dunn (15.1 ppg from bench) So.

Outlook: A team with five players averaging double figures, the Bears haven’t played much in the way of defense this season, leading to their tough stretches in the Big 12 South. An overtime win over Oklahoma State in mid-January was about the biggest win the team could pull out, but any team that can shoot the way Baylor’s guards can always has a chance.

No. 10 Iowa State (15-16, 4-12)

RPI: 157

Who to watch:

Craig Brackins (20.1 ppg, 9.4 reb) So.

Diante Garrett (9.8 ppg, 5.0 ast) So.

Outlook: The team was unable to put together two consecutive wins in the Big 12 this year, but, as usual, played well in Hilton Coliseum. First Team All-Big 12 player Craig Brackins has been the show, but offensive sparks the team showed against Texas Tech on Senior Day will have to ignite against an Oklahoma State team that is averaging 82 points per contest. With 13 more points, Brackins will reach the 1,000 point mark in his first two seasons in cardinal and gold.

No. 11 Texas Tech (13-18, 3-13)

RPI: 128

Who to watch:

Alan Voskuil (14.1 ppg, 45% 3FG) Sr.

John Roberson (14.4 ppg, 6.5 ast) So.

Outlook: In their second season under forever-shadowed Pat Knight, the Red Raiders have struggled to find a groove, scoring 167 points in a victory early in the season, but then losing to Pac-10 nobody Stanford by 45 points a month later. Tech had an out-of-body game against Kansas on their senior day, with guard Alan Voskuil scoring 35 points against a lackadaisical Jayhawk team, but will need to find that magic again to make a run in the tournament.

No. 12 Colorado (9-21, 1-15)

RPI: 224

Who to watch:

Cory Higgins (17.8 ppg, 5.5 reb) So.

Dwight Thorne II (11.9 ppg, 30 pts vs. KSU)

Outlook: Losing 11 in a row doesn’t look good for anyone, and 15 losses in 16 games (their lone win was against Iowa State) means that the Buffs just aren’t ready to compete for 40 minutes in the Big 12. The young squad has been led by super-sophomore Cory Higgins and his stat-filling all-around play, but the team will need a set of extraordinary circumstances to make a run in Oklahoma City. A positive note for the team was taking both Kansas State and Texas to overtime in Boulder.