Big 12 Tournament 2019: Preview, Predictions and Players to Watch

For the first time in 15 years, Kansas won't enter the Big 12 tournament with at least a share of the regular-season title.

While we need to give Kansas State and Texas Tech credit for their strong seasons, the Jayhawks will be the main story going into the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri.

But Kansas' failure to extend its Big 12 regular-season title streak isn't the only story dominating the Big 12 headlines ahead of the conference tournament.

There are a few programs in need of victories in Kansas City to shore up their respective NCAA men's basketball tournament resumes.

And while there's a chance the top teams in the conference come out on top, we could also witness some upsets as programs in the middle of the pack play with a bit of desperation to keep their respective seasons alive.

Preview

Kansas State and Texas Tech shared the Big 12 regular-season title, so they will be the top seeds going into Kansas City.

The second-seeded Red Raiders have a tougher road to the championship game because Kansas resides in the bottom half of the bracket as the No. 3 seed.

Baylor and Iowa State are safely into the Big Dance and will be playing for the best seeds possible on Selection Sunday.

The Bears and Cyclones are in line to meet in the quarterfinals, with Iowa State looking to avenge the two regular-season defeats to Baylor.

Despite their 7-10 conference record, Oklahoma appears to be in decent shape to make the Big Dance, but it would be good for the Sooners to avoid a bad loss in Kansas City.

Then there's Texas and TCU, who are dealing with the pressure of reinforcing their resumes to impress the selection committee.

Texas put itself in bubble trouble by losing four of its last five regular-season games, and there's mixed opinions on the status of the 16-15 Longhorns.

ESPN.com's Joe Lunardi has the Longhorns safely into the field of 68, but CBSSports.com's Jerry Palm has Shaka Smart's team out of the tournament.

TCU, who beat Texas Saturday, is in a peculiar spot as well, as the Horned Frogs are in the NCAA tournament according to Palm, but Lunardi has them as his first team out.

Because the NCAA tournament hopes of the Longhorns and Horned Frogs are on thin ice, they should play with an extra edge in Kansas City to force the selection committee to put them into the field of 68.

West Virginia and Oklahoma State are at the end of brutal seasons, and it would be a surprise if either team wins a single game at Sprint Center.

Players to Watch

Barry Brown, Kansas State

Any one of Kansas State's top three scorers could be highlighted here, but we're going to focus on leading scorer Barry Brown Jr.

Brown's reached double digits in points in 26 of his 31 regular-season games, including the 15-point total he recorded against Oklahoma on Saturday.

Peter G. Aiken/Getty Images

The senior guard has also been active in distributing the ball of late, handing out at least three assists in five of his past six contests.

Brown, Dean Wade and Kamau Stokes form a trio that is looking to bring Kansas State its first Big 12 tournament title to add to the share of the regular-season crown.

The Wildcats won't have an easy path to get back to the Big 12 tournament final for the first time since 2013, as TCU and the winner of the Iowa State-Baylor game stand in their way.

But if Bruce Weber's team plays to its potential, like it has during the stretch run of the Big 12 regular season, it will be in a good spot to take the crown.

Dedric Lawson, Kansas

If Kansas is to rebound from its topsy-turvy regular season, Dedric Lawson needs to be one of the top players at the Big 12 tournament.

The transfer from Memphis is averaging 19 points and 10.5 rebounds per game, and he comes into Kansas City with four consecutive double-doubles.

Lawson provides the young Jayhawks with some valuable leadership, and in order to earn the tournament title, he will have to step up his game even more.

Ed Zurga/Getty Images

Opposing defenses should lock in on Lawson and try to frustrate him while challenging Kansas' guards to make plays from beyond the arc.

Lawson is going to have to make adjustments to the extra attention, and as long as he shrugs off the multiple defenders directed in his way, Kansas should have a successful Big 12 tournament.

If Lawson is unable to continue his recent form in Kansas City, the Jayhawks are going to need Ochai Agbaji, Quentin Grimes or Devon Dotson to step up in a larger scoring capacity.

Desmond Bane, TCU 

Few players are entering their conference tournaments off a better performance than TCU's Desmond Bane.

The junior guard scored 34 points in the Horned Frogs' regular-season finale against Texas, which was his season high in scoring.

Chris Covatta/Getty Images

In order for TCU to feel safe about its spot in the Big Dance, Bane has to continue to thrive in Kansas City, starting with the first-round matchup against Oklahoma State.

Bane scored 26 and 19 points in his two regular-season meetings with the Cowboys, so he should be able to get off to a fast start at Sprint Center.

The quarterfinal matchup with Kansas State will be much harder for Bane and the Horned Frogs, but a quality win would do a world of good for the team's resume.

Bane should have plenty of motivation to succeed against the top-seeded Wildcats, as he struggled during a seven-point performance Monday at home against Kansas State.

Beating Kansas State would hand TCU one of its best wins of the season, as its pair of victories over Iowa State stand as Jamie Dixon's team's top victories in the Big 12.

Prediction

Kansas over Kansas State

Kansas will use the failure to keep its regular-season title streak as motivation to come out on top in Kansas City.

This isn't the most talented team Bill Self has had at Kansas, but there's still plenty of offensive weapons capable of causing trouble to both Kansas State and Texas Tech.

The Jayhawks beat both the Wildcats and Red Raiders at Allen Fieldhouse, and they have had success on neutral courts against high-profile teams.

During nonconference play, the Jayhawks knocked off Michigan State, Marquette and Tennessee on neutral courts.

With Lawson leading the way, Kansas picks up its 12th Big 12 tournament crown and makes its case to be a No. 3 seed in the NCAA tournament.

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90. Statistics obtained from ESPN.com.