Big 12 Tournament 2012: Tourney Stars That Can't Be Missed

The Big 12 tournament will be one to remember for many reasons, for the most part it will be the Missouri Tigers' last game playing amongst their conference rivals. The other reason why this will be a great tournament is because there are plenty of talented players in this tourney that will light things up.

The following stars will be tearing up the floor this week, and it will be impossible to take our eyes off of watching them.

Thomas Robinson, Kansas Jayhawks

The Jayhawks have been up and down all season long, but coming into this tournament they are looking as good as ever winning eight of their last games.

While the entire team has been solid, most of their success has been due to the play of Thomas Robinson, who has come up big over the last few games heading into the tourney.

Over his last three games, Robinson is averaging 24.3 PPG while also having 12.3 boards a night. If Robinson can keep playing at this level, he could easily take home the award of top player in this year's Big 12 tournament.

He won't be alone, as Tyshawn Taylor has been playing extremely well. If the two are on during this tournament, this team likely can't be stopped.

Marcus Denmon, Missouri Tigers

This is the last season for the Tigers in the Big 12, and they will likely want to go out with a bang. Their best shot at doing so will be with some major contributions from Denmon, who has been leading the team team in scoring with 18 PPG.

This is his last season, so this is last chance to take go out on a high note. The Tigers are ranked No. 5 in the nation, so they are a strong team that could last quite sometime in this tourney.

They are the No. 2 seed in the tourney, and they will be looking for Denmon to take them to glory.

The team has strong contributors around him, most notably Kim English who is averaging 14.1 PPG and Ricardo Ratliffe who is grabbing 7.5 boards a night.

The Tigers are in for a big run here, but they won't be getting anywhere without a positive showing by Denmon.

J'Covan Brown, Texas Longhorns

The Longhorns are always known for having elusive scoring guards, so Brown's ability to light up the scoreboard this season comes at no surprise.

Putting up 20 a night, Brown is coming off of a 33-point performance against the Jayhawks, where scored more than half of his team's points.

Brown will need to come up big once again, as the team will need to get through Iowa State and than either Mizzou, Oklahoma State or Texas Tech. After that, it is whoever else is on the other side of the bracket, fighting for the title.

It won't be easy, but if Brown is finding his stroke, there is no reason to believe that the team won't at least be in the thick of things in each of their upcoming games.

Jeff Chase is a Featured Columnist for the Chicago Cubs and Arizona State football.
Follow @Real_Jeff_Chase