Iowa State halted an alarming slide just in time, with big wins over Baylor and Kansas State to likely remove any doubt from its NCAA Tournament status. The Cyclones also have a blowout win over Kansas to their credit and likely a more talented team. Even so, it's hard to envision Bill Self's Jayhawks, undermanned by their lofty standards, whiffing on a chance to get a Big 12 Tournament title with a default home-court edge. The situational value on them is too sweet to pass up.

Home court advantage is very important this time of year. Playing in Kansas City is home away from home for the Jayhawks. Especially when you play games in back-to-back days. Lagerald Vick has now missed 10 straight games and the freshman guards have grown up quickly. Devon Dotson has scored 15 or more in 8 of his last 11 and Quentin Grimes has scored 13 or more in 3 of the last 5. Dedric Lawson for Kansas will be the best player on the floor.

I'm always partial to Unders in conference finals, and with both of these teams playing their third game in three days, I'm not ignoring this one. The concern here is that Iowa State's not a great rebounding team, and with tired legs, it could get even worse, which might lead to easy buckets for Kansas.