2. Big 12

LOCKS (4): Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri, Baylor

Any of these four teams, if things break right, could win the conference, depending the statuses of Kansas' Josh Selby (eligibility) and Baylor's LaceDarius Dunn (suspension). Kansas and K-State will be in the mix for NCAA tournament No. 1 seeds. Missouri is underrated. The Tigers are very good and very, very deep, even without stud recruit Tony Mitchell, who isn't yet academically eligible. Conversely, I'm not as sold on Baylor as some others. Dunn's issues aside, the Bears lost a lot from last season's team and will be relying heavily on freshman stud Perry Jones and for someone to step up at point guard.

SHOULD BE IN (1): Texas

Not a bad fifth-place team. Texas lost its top three scorers from last season, but there's still more than enough talent back to pair with the incoming Findlay Prep (Nev.) duo of Tristan Thompson and Cory Joseph.

IN THE MIX (3): Colorado, Texas A&M, Texas Tech

Jeff Bzdelik is gone to rebuild Wake Forest, but he left a bunch of good players behind for Tad Boyle, including star guard Cory Higgins. The Buffaloes, in their final season in the conference before heading to the Pac-10, could surprise and make a run at the NCAA tournament. The Aggies and Red Raiders also should find themselves with a chance down the stretch.