Big 12 Tournament 2012 Schedule and Bracket: Teams Don't Need Automatic Bid

When the final four teams entered the Big 12's semifinals of the tournament, one thing that was clear was that not one of the teams needed the automatic bid to make their way into March Madness.

The Kansas Jayhawks and Missouri Tigers are ranked No. 3 and 5 respectively, while the Baylor Bears are No. 11 in the nation. The only team that isn't ranked is the Texas Longhorns, but given the strength of their schedule and conference, they shouldn't have a hard time making the Big Dance.

The automatic bid just doesn't stand to have any purpose at this point. Perhaps if one of the other teams, such as Oklahoma or Kansas State started to make a run it would have been important, but for these four teams it means nothing.

It won't take away from the competition, as everyone wants to grab the Big 12 title.

Given this is the Tigers' last season in the Big 12, walking away with the conference title before they head elsewhere would be a noticeable way to depart.

Mizzou has been playing strong all tournament long, and they could make a convincing closing statement with a win over the Baylor Bears in the final.

If they could take down the Bears, they could perhaps actually capture a No. 1 seed going into the NCAA tourney, which would be a huge shock for the Big 12 powerhouse.

Considering the Jayhawks won't be fighting for a spot, and the ranking is so close, this could be an actual outcome if the Tigers can take the whole thing.

If they don't, it could still be awfully close.

The Tigers took down the Bears twice this season, outscoring them 161-145. The first game was much closer than the last, but it will remain to be seen how these two will fare against one another in one last battle.

The Tigers have a chance to close their book on the Big 12 with a title, and that may be the ideal lasting memory they'd like to leave on the conference.