Big 12 Basketball Tournament: What every team needs in Kansas City this week

2. Iowa State needs to find a rhythm offensively

The Cyclones have had a tremendous season and are likely to find themselves with a 2 or 3 seed come selection Sunday. They have proven to be the 2nd best defense in the Big 12 this season, only trailing Houston in opponent’s average points per game. However, their offense has struggled at times this season, particularly in recent weeks. Their last 6 games have seen offensive point totals of 71, 68, 65, 60, 58, and 58. Iowa State’s defense allowed them to have a 4-2 record over those 6 games. 

More than anything else, Iowa State needs to find a rhythm again on the offensive end. They’ll have a max of 3 games in Kansas City to do that as they look to build momentum heading into next week’s NCAA tournament as a team with Final Four aspirations. 

1. Houston needs to stay healthy

The Houston Cougars joined the Big 12 coming off of an extremely impressive 2022-23 campaign in the American Athletic Conference. Many wondered how they would transition into the Big 12, they proceeded to win the Big 12 regular season title and finish the season 28-3 (15-3).

Houston is a lock to be on the 1-seed line come selection Sunday. While they would love to follow up their regular season title with a conference championship title, the most important thing for this team is to keep their key pieces healthy as they gear up for what they hope to be a long NCAA Tournament run.