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Conference USA has an excuse - the Big East stole its best teams. The Atlantic 10 was never that good to begin with. The Mountain West and the WAC? I still can't tell them apart. All of these conferences have reasons for sending a nominal amount of schools to the NCAA Tournament. But the Big 12? They just suck.

Over the course of the last three NCAA Tournaments, the Big 12 has received 16 bids. They boasted two No. 1 seeds, three No. 2 seeds and three No. 3 seeds in that group. The high point came in 2003 when Oklahoma and Texas were top seeds and Kansas was a No. 2 (forget the fact that my Orangemen waxed all three of their asses on the way to the title. Lets Go Orange!).

But this season the Big 12 is like a washed out, less-talented version of itself. They're like Anna Nicole during her bloated, 240-pound pre-TrimSpa days. What's worse is that they're bleeding bids to the Missouri Valley Conference, which is a bit like losing a long jump competition to a quadriplegic.

The Big 12 Tournament will take place at the American Airlines Center in Dallas. The first round begins Thursday, March 9 and a champion will be crowned on Sunday, March 12. At this moment, the Big 12 has only three locks for bids in the NCAA Tournament: Texas, Kansas and Oklahoma. A fourth team - Texas A&M - is on the cusp, but will need a strong showing in the Lone Star State.

Here is a look at the principle participants in this weekend's Big 12 Tournament:

Texas Longhorns (25-5, 13-3) - Besides a curious one-point win at Kansas State, Texas has claimed its 13 victories by an average of 20 points. They did lose at Oklahoma and at Texas A&M, and their loss at Oklahoma State came during the emotional week after coach Eddie Sutton and Jack Daniels went for their little joy ride. Other than that, it's been domination and I expect it to continue as UT makes a run at a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Kansas Jayhawks (22-7, 13-3) - I have to admit that I had left the Jayhawks for dead back in December when they were losing at home to Nevada and St. Joe's. But much like North Carolina in the ACC, this young, athletic club has been steadily improving as the season wears on. Using a balanced scoring attack, Kansas won 10 straight before getting routed by Texas. That being said, I still expect their precociousness to catch up with them this March and think they're predisposed to The Upset.

Kansas will see either Kansas State or Texas Tech, against whom they went 2-1 this season. After that, Oklahoma could be lurking. The Sooners will want to avenge their one-point loss in Allen Fieldhouse back on Feb. 5.

Oklahoma Sooners (20-7, 11-5) - The Sooners have been treading water over the course of the last three weeks, winning four-straight games by a single point and then getting hammered by Texas. Taj Gray (15 ppg, 8 rpg) is an animal, and is the one reason I haven't completely written this team off. The biggest problem with OU is spotty guard play. Terrell Everrett is serviceable, but he's nowhere near the type of guy that can take over a game.

Because of their force in the post, Oklahoma should be immune to an upset in their conference tourney. They'll meet either Nebraska or Mizzou in the quarterfinals, before a likely tussle with Kansas.

Texas A&M Aggies (20-7, 10-6) - When I first started writing this preview, I didn't even have the Aggies listed among my top six teams. January was particularly bitter for A&M. They went 3-7 from Jan. 3 to Feb. 4 and were off the NCAA radar. Since then, they've reeled off seven straight victories and gained serious attention after their clubbing of Texas last week.

The Aggies will likely face an elimination game with Colorado in the quarterfinals. The loser of that game should have their bubble burst, and the winner could slide into that fourth bid that will probably be awarded to this league more out of custom and respect rather than out of merit.

Colorado Buffaloes (19-8, 9-7) - The Buffaloes definitely have something to prove in this tournament. Their overall and league records look attractive, but it's like a girl who is "Bar Hot" - she looks good until you get her home and into some decent lighting. Colorado didn't play anyone serious in the non-conference schedule and it doesn't have a marquee win. Richard Roby is an NBA talent, but I still don't believe in his supporting cast.

I actually believe that Colorado benefits from having a first-round game against Baylor. That victory should put them over the magic 20-win plateau. However, their future will come down to their quarters match with A&M.

Iowa State Cyclones (16-13, 6-10) - Yes, I'm aware that they're 5-10 since Jan. 9, and 2-6 since Feb. 8. But every year in one of the major conferences there's a team that comes out of nowhere to wreak havoc in the tournament. It's the beauty of March Madness. In the ACC I think that team is Miami and in the Big 12 I think Iowa State fits the bill.

Curtis Stinson and Will Blalock could get hot for a weekend. The guard tandem averages about 35 points per game, and could erupt against a Texas in the quarterfinals for an upset. But that's only if they don't get bounced by surging Oklahoma State in the opening round.

Questions or comments for Robert? E-mail him at robert@docsports.com or check out his Insider Page here.

The views expressed in this article are not necessarily those of Doc's college basketball picks service.

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