From now until Sunday evening, those viewing the various conference tournament games around the country will see a flurry of “last four in,” “first four out” and “next four out” graphics that will make you question whether you’ve lived your life the way you hoped. Let’s work under the impression that Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas, Oklahoma State and West Virginia are already safe bets to make the upcoming Field of 68. In order to lower the risk of convulsing at the sight of these graphics, here is a guide of where Kansas State, TCU and Texas Tech stand heading into the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament. So make sure to bookmark this article for the rest of the week. Your life depends on it.

You might think this screencap from The Simpsons’ season three premiere episode “Stark Raving Dad” has nothing to do with college hoops. But you would be wrong. Above is Leon Kompowsky, an insane asylum roommate of Homer Simpson’s who was voiced by the late Michael Jackson. Here, Kompowsky (voiced by Jackson) takes out his pet monkey and says to it, “Bubbles, it’s gonna be a long night.” Hence, the bubble talk. (20th Century Fox)

*RPI and SOS numbers via CBSSports.com

Kansas State Wildcats

Record: 19-12 (8-10); RPI: 58, SOS: 53, Non-conference SOS: 223, KenPom: 32

• What they have: Thank goodness for conference play. The Wildcats put together a respectable 11-1 record through Christmas but their only non-conference win during that stretch was on a neutral court against Colorado State. Kansas State recovered from its weak schedule by snagging several important Big 12 victories versus West Virginia and Baylor at home and Oklahoma State on the road.
• Anything to add: One win at this week’s Big 12 Tournament would clinch it. Considering that the Wildcats’ first game would come against former #1 Baylor, a second victory over the Bears would provide plenty of justification. But it probably isn’t necessary. If K-State loses on Thursday, there is a distinct possibility that the Wildcats will still slide into the field on the overall strength of the Big 12.

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