NCAA Tournament: Breaking Down Baylor's and Kansas' Tourney Performance

The Big 12 entered the NCAA tournament with a very respectable six teams. Now, with three rounds in the books, the conference can only claim two, Baylor and Kansas, to the round of 16.

Playing in different regions, these two teams will not face each other until a matchup in the national championship is set. However, both have the ability and potential to reach that point.

The following is a breakdown of the performances of both the Baylor Bears and Kansas Jayhawks in the tournament thus far.

Baylor Bears

Seed: No. 3, South Region

Previous Games: 68-60 win over South Dakota State in Round of 64

80-63 win over Colorado in Round of 32

Next Game: Baylor versus Xavier (No. 10)

Tournament MVP (so far): Guard Brady Heslip

Everyone keeps talking about the stellar performance that Brady Heslip had against Colorado, sinking nine three-point shots and totaling 27 points. However, Heslip has been a game changer for Baylor since the opening game of the season, averaging 10.3 points on the year. He is an indispensable part of this extremely talented Baylor lineup.

Tournament Analysis: The Baylor Bears have, once again, caught the attention of the national media.

After playing through at least one adversary in Seth Davis, the CBS analyst who picked South Dakota State to upset the Bears, and then using the last 10 minutes of the second half versus Colorado to silence the doubters, Baylor has proven that it is a team that can play with anyone.

That said, what head coach Scott Drew and company need to work on is getting the big men back into the rotation. With guards Pierre Jackson and Brady Heslip on fire and A.J. Walton playing great defense, the forwards are primed to open up their game against a perimeter oriented Xavier team.

The Bears have not disappointed and they have the confidence to carry them even further. 

Kansas Jayhawks

Seed:  No. 2, Midwest Region

Previous Games: 65-50 win over Detroit

63-60 win over Purdue

Next Game: Kansas versus North Carolina State (No. 11)

Tournament MVP (so far):  Head coach Bill Self

It may sound cliché to herald Coach Self as the MVP, but without his leadership the Jayhawks would not have made it past Detroit. In the postgame press conference, Self discussed how he empowered his team by reminding them on how both Missouri and Duke fell in extreme upsets and that his team was also susceptible to such a fall. Against Purdue, Self encouraged his team to trust each other in the face of an upset and willed his team to victory.

Tourney Analysis: The Kansas Jayhawks are right where everyone expected them to be: at least the Sweet Sixteen with a chance to make the Elite Eight.

The Jayhawks simply outplayed the Detroit Titans in the round of 64, making the quasi-David’s hopes of toppling the Goliath an afterthought.

Having said that, Kansas ran into some trouble against the Purdue Boilermakers. Purdue had a one-point lead and possession with under a minute remaining, yet the Jayhawks were rescued thanks to some key mistakes from the Boilermakers.

Thomas Robinson has not been overly impressive. His teammates, particularly Elijah Johnson and Tyshawn Taylor, have been there to pick up the slack.

The Jayhawks will take on a hot North Carolina State team. It will not be easy, but the Jayhawks have proven their tenacity throughout the season and the tournament thus far.