You are looking live at the for-now blank Big 12 tournament championship trophy. This is the physical prize that’s on the line tonight. Harder to put a handle on is exactly what’s at stake for West Virginia. Kansas, for example, is going to be a No. 1 seed and play its opening-round game in Des Moines. The Mountaineers? It’s not as clear.

The chances of a No. 1 see are not great. It’s not out of the question, but even some WVU folks figure it’s a longshot, and they’re OK with that.

The NCAA tournament’s selection committee takes the top four seeds — 16 teams — and tries to place/rank them in geographic order. WVU would be the last No. 1 and plunked in the West Region, and though things would probably begin in Brooklyn, the regional semifinal and final the next weekend would be in Anaheim.

The Mountaineers almost can’t be worse than a No. 2, and win or lose they’re probably still a top-half No. 2, which almost doesn’t matter because of the geography. It feels likely WVU ends up as the No. 2 in the East Region and plays its games in Brooklyn with Villanova, which is going to be the No. 1.

The Mountaineers could live-scout Villanova three times before they play in the Elite Eight, provided Jay Wright doesn’t vanish before that, but that regional final would be in Philadelphia. Putting the horse back ahead of the cart, though, is the Brooklyn setup, which would pit WVU against a No. 15 and then the winner of the 7-10, and it’s possible your friends in Oakland might be the No. 10.

We can discuss that more tomorrow. We’re here for tonight’s game.