I'll admit I''m not as well informed as I should be about these matters, but here goes: How important are conference tournament wins in deciding who goes to the Big Dance?

Case in point: KU, who lost in Saturday's semifinals of the Big XII tournament. Does the loss mean they won't get a spot in the NCAA tourney at all, or will the Jayhawks simply get a lower seed than they were expecting? I'm assuming that their overall record guarantees them a fairly high seeding, but I'm still a little nervous.

Any words of wisdom/reassurance would be greatly appreciated. (Sorry for any typos - It's been a long day.)