Kansas State’s next two games could drastically impact seeding at Big 12 Tournament
If the men’s basketball version of the Big 12 Tournament began on Tuesday afternoon, Kansas State would be a No. 9 seed.
That would mean the Wildcats would play last-place Colorado on the opening day of the event, with No. 8 seed Baylor awaiting the winner in the second round. After that, No. 1 seed Houston would be on deck in the quarterfinals.
But much can change for K-State, and many other teams within the conference, before the regular season comes to a close this weekend. The only teams that appear to be locked into seeds are No. 1 Houston, No. 15 Arizona State and No. 16 Colorado.
The Wildcats (14-15, 8-10 Big 12) are only one game back of Baylor and TCU in the league standings. If they win both of their games this week they can finish as high as sixth. But because of tiebreaker rules, it appears a No. 7 seed is their ceiling next week at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City.
A pair of losses could drop them as low as the No. 13 seed.
That could add meaning to a 6 p.m. road game against Cincinnati on Wednesday and a 12:30 p.m. home game against Iowa State on Saturday. Big 12 Tournament seeding and the possibility of a bye are on the line.
Those things have never felt more important heading into championship week.
With a record 16 teams set to play in the league tournament this season, the bottom eight seeds will all start the event on March 11. The teams seeded between 5-8 all receive a bye into the second round. And the top four seeds all advance straight to the quarterfinals.
K-State is not in the running for an at-large berth into the NCAA Tournament. Its only pathway to March Madness is via a championship at the Big 12 Tournament. The bottom eight seeds will need to win five games in five days to make that dream come true. A bye would be extremely beneficial.
The Wildcats can earn one by finishing strong against a pair of teams they defeated earlier in the season.
This story was originally published March 4, 2025 at 1:41 PM with the headline "Kansas State’s next two games could drastically impact seeding at Big 12 Tournament."