Big 12 Tournament 2015: Teams That Must Excel in Conference Tourney

With the deepest conference in college basketball, the Big 12 tournament is going to be an exciting one. However, it will be more important for some teams than others.

While all 10 teams will go into the event hoping to come away with a title, conference tournaments are more used as a stepping stone for the NCAA tournament. Many teams are looking to do enough to solidify their spot in the Big Dance while others want to keep improving their seed.

TCU and Texas Tech are far away from postseason consideration, and Kansas State just doesn't have enough wins to be near the bubble, but the rest of the field is at least looking toward being a part of March Madness. A lot can change before March 11, but these are the teams that most likely need a good performance in Kansas City.

Texas

Eric Gay/Associated Press

While Texas has been considered safely in the NCAA tournament for much of the season, its resume doesn't really indicate as much. The Longhorns have proven to be a quality team that can contend with anyone in the nation, but there's a big difference between competing and winning.

According to ESPN's RPI, Texas has played the 13th-toughest schedule in the nation. This has led to a 1-10 record against the top 50 teams, including eight of those losses to those in the top 25 of the RPI.

Brad Evans of Yahoo Sports argues against the team's chances of getting a bid:

With a stretch of three losses in a row heading into a road game at Kansas, things certainly aren't looking good for the Longhorns. On the other hand, the upcoming game gives them a chance to earn a quality win, just like the next contest at home against Baylor does.

Still, the best place to rack up some wins will be the Big 12 tournament, where everyone will be on equal footing on a neutral floor. Just about every victory will be quality, and Rick Barnes' team can show the committee just how good it really is with a deep run.

Oklahoma State

BRODY SCHMIDT/Associated Press

Compared to Texas, Oklahoma State is in decent shape to make the NCAA tournament. That being said, the Cowboys' current three-game losing streak has put the team in a tough position.

Although you can always expect tough games in the Big 12, one of those losses came on the road against TCU.

This is the biggest problem with the Cowboys, who have just a 3-6 record in true road games. Besides falling to the Horned Frogs, they have suffered defeats at South Carolina and at Kansas State. A bad performance Saturday against Texas Tech would give them the trifecta of terrible conference losses.

While Oklahoma State does have quality wins on the road against Texas and Baylor—as well as a 3-0 record in neutral games—some more victories away from home would go a long way toward boosting the team's profile and boosting its eventual seed.

In the Big 12 tournament, there will be plenty of chances to keep improving this road/neutral mark.

Oklahoma

USA TODAY Sports

You start to realize how difficult the Big 12 is when you look at Oklahoma's profile. The Sooners have played 14 games against teams in the RPI Top 50 while earning wins in 10 of those games.

Only Kentucky has more wins against the top teams in the nation.

ESPN's Fran Fraschilla was also impressed at the squad's ability to bounce back after a rough start in the Big 12:

The problem is when you look deeper at the profile, you notice Oklahoma also has a bunch of losses for a squad projected to be a No. 3 seed by ESPN's Joe Lunardi. Not only was the team swept by Kansas State, but defeats to Creighton and Washington look worse as the year continues.

As a result, Oklahoma's biggest game in the Big 12 tournament wouldn't be the semifinals or finals, it will be the first-round matchup against what would likely be an inferior opponent.

Adding another bad loss to one of the bottom three teams in the conference would cause the committee to take an extra look at the Sooners' resume and likely result in a lower seed.

Follow Rob Goldberg on Twitter for the latest breaking news and analysis.