I know I'm in the minority here, but this tournament keeps giving me bowl game vibes.
After a long and strenuous regular season, teams like Houston, Iowa State, and Kansas (who already have high NCAA seeds locked up) have little to play for, other than the psychological aspect of maintaining momentum. KU's two best players who are fighting injuries could have played last night in at least some capacity, but wisely chose to sit it out in order to heal up before the dance.
On the other hand, teams not at the top of the conference are very motivated to win in order to move their NCAA seeding up or they're desperately motivated because they know their season ends with the next loss.
Tonight's ISU/KSU matchup features one team with little to play for vs another team with all the motivation in the world. While I very much want ISU to beat Tang and the purple kitties, I won't be crushed if ISU loses because I know bowl games very often go to the team that wants to be there the most, and I realize an early exit will allow Lipsey and Gilbert a chance to rest and heal up before the tournament that means everything.