Chuck Carlton

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OKLAHOMA CITY – Baylor coach Scott Drew knows firsthand the kind of basketball miracles March can deliver.

Eleven years ago, he served as an assistant coach at Valparaiso to his father, Homer, and watched younger brother Bryce sink one of the most famous buzzer-beaters in NCAA Tournament history against Ole Miss.

In an attempt to send a message to his Baylor players, Drew revisited the scene of his sibling's 3-pointer Tuesday. The team toured the Cox Convention Center, known 11 years ago as the Myriad.

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Coach Scott Drew (right) and his Baylor Bears open the Big 12 tournament today.

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The building stands across the street from the Ford Center, where the Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Championship will be played and where Baylor needs four wins in four days to have any hope of reaching the NCAA Tournament.

"That's always nice to know, how things happen," Baylor guard Tweety Carter said. "That's everybody's dream."

At least for a couple weeks it is. Some of the teams seeded Nos. 5-12 that open play today have legitimate NCAA hopes; others must run the same gantlet that faces Baylor, with four wins in four days.

No one has ever done it in Big 12 history. Just three teams facing the four-in-four situation have even reached the final.

Last season, sixth-seeded Texas A&M won two games and then fell to eventual national champion Kansas, 77-71, in the semifinals. The Aggies, who would gladly take the same result this season, probably played themselves into the NCAA Tournament with a Saturday win over Missouri. A loss today to Texas Tech could undo the progress.

"If we lose, we'll be nervous wrecks until Sunday," coach Mark Turgeon said.

A&M is not assuming anything.

"The way I look at it is they haven't called our name," senior Josh Carter said.

The Aggies were one of four teams that finished conference play deadlocked at 9-7.

Another was Texas, which faces Colorado. Like A&M, Texas is trying to avoid an inopportune stumble.

Coach Rick Barnes has maintained that his team's nonconference play, including a win over UCLA, set the foundation for a bid.

"I can't imagine there being 34 better teams than us," Barnes said. "We've proven we can play with the best teams in the country."

Oklahoma State, also 9-7, could clarify a mixed résumé.

What should the selection committee scrutinize more, the Cowboys' seventh seed or an RPI of 25?

Texas Tech coach Pat Knight has already put the situation in perspective for his team, which finished 3-13 in the conference.

"This is our postseason," Knight said. "Let's make a run. Let's burst a couple team's bubbles and have fun with it."

For Baylor, the hope of an improbable run remains, beginning with Nebraska. The Bears were a Top 25 team before imploding in the conference, losing 10 of their last 12.

With senior experience and strong guards, Drew sees parallels between that Valparaiso team of 11 years ago and this year's club. Tuesday's sightseeing tour wasn't the only reminder.

Drew keeps a photo of the winning shot in his office, mounted on a plaque that includes the game audio.

Said Drew, "You make a couple of plays here and there, you get on a roll and anything's possible."

Staff writer Chuck Carlton examines the outlook for the eight teams that begin play today in the Phillips 66 Men's Basketball Big 12 Championship in Oklahoma City (with tournament seed, overall and Big 12 records):

5. Texas (20-10, 9-7): One victory probably guarantees a bid

6. Texas A&M (23-8, 9-7): A couple wins might give Aggies a better seed

7. Okla. St. (20-10, 9-7): If Big 12 gets six teams, OSU will be sixth

8. Nebraska (18-11, 8-8): Imagine if Huskers had beaten A&M at home

9. Baylor (17-13, 5-11): Hard to mesh the record with the talent

10. Iowa St. (15-16, 4-12): Big man Craig Brackins could give OSU fits

11. Texas Tech (13-18, 3-13): Late upset of Kansas has bolstered confidence

12. Colorado (9-21, 1-15): Seven of Buffs' Big 12 losses by eight or less