The Kansas Jayhawks (10) may be the top seed in the Big 12 tournament, but their opponents, eighth-seeded Oklahoma State Cowboys, are no pushovers by any means.

Oklahoma State's season was defined by three major streaks. From Nov. 8 to Jan. 15, the Cowboys won 15 times and lost twice. From Jan. 18 to Feb. 17, they lost eight times, won once and saw their leading scorer Marcus Smart serve a three-game suspension for shoving a fan in his seat. From Feb. 22 to March 12, they ended their season winning five of six, including an upset at home against Kansas.

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The Jayhawks will be without breakout freshman center Joel Embiid for the duration of the Big 12 Tournament, held in Kansas City, Mo. Thanks to a persistent back issue that has kept him out of three games, Kansas may also be without Embiid for at least the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament.

The good news is that Kansas is 2-1 without Embiid and his healthy return mid-tournament (if they stay alive) could provide a major boost on both ends of the court.

While Smart was out, Markel Brown took the reigns offensively even though the team lost all three of his suspension games. Since Smart's return, the two have seemingly clicked on the court together. Smart is averaging 17.9 points per game and Brown is averaging 17.3.

Without Embiid's huge low-post presence, forwards Andrew Wiggins and Perry Ellis will have to lead the offense. The team will also need contributions from guards Wayne Selden Jr. and Naadir Tharpe.

"You're always going to miss a player like Embiid. He's special. But they've got guys they can turn to and that can pick it up for them," Oklahoma State coach Travis Ford said, according to ESPN. "We understand the challenge is going to be an incredible challenge. We have a lot of respect for Kansas, and we understand how good they are."

Tharpe scored 21 at home against Oklahoma State on Jan. 21, a game where Wiggins scored one field goal and one free throw.

Smart voiced his displeasure about the hype surrounding Wiggins before the season started, which to be fair was extremely unrealistic. Still, Smart and Wiggins will get to go face-to-face Wednesday and possibly again depending how the NCAA Tournament plays out.

The winner of this game will play the winner of the game between Iowa State and Kansas State.