Banner Year for Big 12?

Just spent three hours watching talking heads on ESPN and the common denominator seems to be a lack of credit for the Big 12 Conference. I personally don't have a strong liking for the league (ironically, the love affair that the BCS had for the Big 12 in 2001 was so irritating that it led me to start writing sports columns), but there are at least three Big 12 teams that are good enough to play in the Final Four. Oklahoma State could ruin the party in Chicago and are arguably the best #2 seed in the Tournament. Oklahoma is a team tailor-made for March basketball and will be a tough out in the bottom half of the South region. And Kansas has to be one of the best #3 seeds of my lifetime. It wouldn't surprise me to see anyone of these teams roll to St. Louis. Who knows, maybe all three will pull off the feat. Regardless, this is possibly the second strongest trio of teams the Big 12 has entered since evolving from the Big Eight (Oklahoma, Kansas, and Texas in 2002 was probably the best representation) and nobody is talking about it! Not only that, but Texas and Iowa State both lurk as dangerous second round opponents for top seeded teams. If this turns out to be a banner year for the Big 12, just remember where you heard it first.