Big 12 Tournament 2012: Bold Predictions for Conference Showdown

Kansas State is going to shock the top heavy Big 12 by winning the conference tournament. That certainly is going to be no easy task. 

The Big 12 currently has three teams ranked in the top 12, and Kansas State is not one of those teams. In fact, it isn't ranked at all. 

That is just one reason this tournament is going to be fun to watch. Check out why they will win, and a couple of other things that will make this tournament exciting. 

Kansas' Thomas Robinson Will Continue to Shine

Robinson, a 6'10" junior, has had an amazing year. He averaged 18 points and 11.9 rebounds per game. He was rewarded with the Associated Press Big 12 men's basketball Player of the Year for his season, and his dominance will continue in the tournament. 

Robinson ended the regular season playing as good as he had all year. He averaged 23 points and 12.3 rebounds over his final three games. That included a 28 point and 12 rebound performance against No. 5 Missouri. 

Robinson is at his best when the competition is at its stiffest. He will rise to the challenges of this tournament and perform in a big way. 

Baylor Won't Win a Game

Baylor enters this tournament as the No. 12 team in the nation. The Bears are clearly one of the favorites to win this tournament.

They are 25-6 on the season. However, all six of those losses came in the conference, and the last was a February 18th loss, at home, to Kansas State. 

And guess who Baylor's first opponent is? That's right, it's Kansas State. 

These two teams match up great. They split in the regular season, and Baylor won the first meeting by just two points. This is going to be a close one as well. 

And Kansas State will wind up victorious because it is hungrier, and have the confidence from having just beat them. And that isn't the only game Kansas State is going to win. 

Kansas State Wins it All

Kansas State is better suited for this kind of tournament setting than the regular season. That is because it has tremendous depth. In the compact schedule of the Big 12 tournament, depth is going to be a big factor. 

The winner is going to have to win four games in four days. If a team doesn't have a reliable bench it is not going to be able to pull that off. 

Kansas State has nine players averaging at 10 minutes a game. The Wildcats can comfortably go to their bench. 

This helped the Wildcats the Diamond Head Classic in Honolulu during Christmas, and it will help them win this tournament.