Ray Carlin/Associated Press
Kansas and Baylor enter the Big 12 tournament as the class of the league, but the opening day of action puts four other programs in the spotlight.
Eighth-seeded Oklahoma State will take on No. 9 Iowa State, and No. 7 TCU will meet No. 10 Kansas State. The winners will advance to face Kansas and Baylor, respectively, with a chance to keep slim NCAA tournament dreams alive.
For the 11th straight year, Kansas City's Sprint Center will host the tournament that decides the Big 12's automatic bid to March Madness. Iowa State is the defending champion.