THE Big 12 warriors A CONFERENCE ARMY IS COMING —
AND IT'S OUT TO GET THE JAYHAWKS. BY JUSTIN KENDALL
T
he Big 12 men’s basketball tournament hasn’t sold out yet. And that has to be a first in collegebasketball-loving Kansas City. At press time, all-session nosebleed tickets remained available through sprintcenter.com for $195 apiece (plus fees) — bad news for conference officials, KC Big 12 supporters and scalpers, and a reminder of the University of Missouri’s Southern secession. Then again, maybe University of Kansas fans just can’t stomach paying to see the Jayhawks wear those ugly Zubaz shorts. Nah. Blame this on Mizzou. Even without a potential Border War matchup, though, the 2013 Big 12 Tournament has plenty of intrigue. KU and Kansas State share the regular-season crown, and a Sunflower Showdown fi nale looms as an odds-on possibility. Oklahoma State, Iowa State, Oklahoma and Baylor look to play spoiler to the crimsonand-blue vs. purple-and-silver party. The Cowboys spent the season perfecting a hardnosed defense. The Cyclones have come on
with a dizzying 3-point attack. The Sooners hit KC in need of a win to boost their NCAA tourney résumé. And even the Bears, resting on the thinnest of NCAA Tournament bubbles, might have a shot. And because a tournament championship is a Wonka-like golden ticket to the Big Dance, even Texas, Texas Tech, Texas Christian or West Virginia could turn into Cinderella by somehow pulling off an upset. If it’s individual performance that excites you, the next few days offer what might be your last NCAA glimpses at two of the best players in the nation. Ben McLemore and Marcus Smart could realistically go No. 1 and No. 2 in this year’s NBA draft. All of which means that, even without the gold and black, the Power & Light District should be packed. In honor of this year’s tournament, then, The Pitch has compiled its second-annual unofficial Big 12 program. Read on for stats, opinions, and suggestions on where to watch if the Sprint Center sells out. continued on page 10
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MARCH 14-20, 2013
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