Daily Word: Who wins the Big 12 Tournament?

Daily Word: Who wins the Big 12 Tournament?

By ESPN.com

Every weekday, some of our college hoops experts discuss the biggest issues, trends, and themes in and around college basketball.

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1. Will some team other than Kansas win the Big 12 Tournament? If so, who?

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Andy Katz: Iowa State. The Cyclones are tournament-tested, healthy and have the stamina to win three games in Kansas City.

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Eamonn Brennan: Even if Kansas was at full strength, there isn't much of a gap between the Jayhawks and Oklahoma, Baylor, West Virginia or Iowa State. With Perry Ellis in doubt, Wayne Selden banged up and Cliff Alexander in the NCAA waiting room, the field is an even safer bet. As for a prediction? Um ... Baylor. Why? The first dart I threw landed on TCU, and, ha, come on now.

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John Gasaway: Yes, Oklahoma will win. Kansas has too many question marks regarding personnel and too little to play for. The Sooners may be locked in to their NCAA tournament seed, as well, but at least Lon Kruger has the league's best defense.

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2. Boston College was a mess for two months. Suddenly, it has won four in a row. How concerned should North Carolina be?

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Katz: This isn't about BC. It's more about North Carolina. If the Tar Heels can finish a game, then this shouldn't be an issue. UNC has failed to close out too often lately.

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Brennan: Boston College's Feb. 28 win over NC State had all the signs of a letdown; NCSU was coming off road wins at Louisville and North Carolina and probably didn't put its best (or least exhausted) foot forward. BC is definitely playing better since those nine straight losses, but not so much better that the vastly superior Tar Heels should be particularly afraid.

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Gasaway: Jim Christian's team closed the regular season by shooting lights-out from the field, then won a relative slugfest against Georgia Tech. That sums to four wins, but three of those came against teams that won't make the NCAA tournament. North Carolina shouldn't be too concerned.

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3. How many wins does Stanford need this week to get into the NCAA tournament?

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Katz: The Cardinal must beat Washington and then Utah. Do that, and the Cardinal should be in the field.

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Brennan: Maybe three. Knocking off Utah and Oregon on back-to-back days -- and then, maybe, putting up a good fight against Arizona -- might impress the committee enough. I think Utah is still a marquee win, though it's fair to wonder whether another loss would officially kill that perception. Anyway, there were a lot of "maybes" and "mights" in that first sentence, which should hopefully communicate the lack of confidence in this analysis. Stanford needs a lot of help.

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Gasaway: Four. Johnny Dawkins' team didn't even get a bye into the quarterfinals, and Arizona's on the other side of the bracket. The only win that will impress the committee is one over the Wildcats, and since Stanford can't possibly see Sean Miller's team until the championship game, it looks like four wins is the minimum number required.

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Games To Watch

By ESPN.com

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Boston College vs. No. 19 North Carolina
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Boston College's Olivier Hanlan had 25 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists in Tuesday's win over Georgia Tech. The Eagles, however, were out-rebounded by 17 boards, something a big, physical North Carolina team should key on.

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Pittsburgh vs. NC State, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN2

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NC State has won five of its last six games, and many people are already looking ahead to Thursday's potential matchup with Duke, a team the Wolfpack beat in their only regular-season meeting. They must first get by Pitt, a top-30 team in offensive efficiency, per Ken Pomeroy.

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Virginia Tech vs. Miami (FL), 9 p.m. ET, ESPN2

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Virginia Tech can play the role of spoiler here as Miami needs wins to improve its bubble case. If the Hurricanes survive this game, a matchup with No. 3 seed Notre Dame awaits.

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They Said It

By ESPN.com

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ESPNU Basketball Podcast

By ESPN.com

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Andy Katz and Seth Greenberg check in with newsmakers from around college basketball.

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