Jacob Pullen is convinced, no matter what happens today, that the Big Dance beckons.

Teammate Bill Walker won't go that far and Michael Beasley said he doesn't know.

But regardless of Kansas State's NCAA Tournament status, the Wildcats agree on one thing when it comes to this week's Big 12 tournament: They're in it to win it.

"We're playing for a championship, nothing less," Beasley said of the third-seeded Wildcats, who face No. 5 Texas A M at 8:20 tonight in the quarterfinals at the Sprint Center. "That's all we're going for."

K-State (20-10) is coming off two straight victories to close the regular season, while Texas A M (23-9) carries the momentum of Friday's 60-47 first-round victory over No. 11 seed Iowa State.

Winning the tournament -- the semifinals are Saturday afternoon and the finals on Sunday -- would take a load off even the most skeptical Wildcat.

"I hope we got the right formula this time to get in there," said Walker, a redshirt freshman who remembers how the Wildcats were the No. 4 seed in the tournament last year and pummeled No. 5 Texas Tech in the quarterfinals before falling in the semis, then were snubbed by the NCAA. "I feel like that because you're never safe until Selection Sunday, when your name gets called."

Joe Lunardi, on ESPN.com's bracketology page, still has K-State projected as the No. 8 seed in the South Regional, matched up in the first round with No. 9 Kentucky.

Pullen, the Wildcats' freshman point guard, apparently surfs the Web.

"Right now we're probably looking at an 8 or 9 (seed)," he said. "I think if we play well in the Big 12 tournament, we can get a 5 or 4.

"We've got a lot of pressure off of us, but we still want to go in there and perform and show we should get a better seed. I don't think we're playing for the NCAA, I just think we're playing for a better seed."

Senior guard Clent Stewart, who has yet to hear K-State's name called by the selection committee -- the Wildcats haven't been to the NCAA Tournament since 1996 -- is cautiously optimistic.

"There's definitely less pressure (this year)," he said. "A lot of people already are saying we're in, but still it's an opportunity in the Big 12 tournament to go in and try to win it.

"Not having all that pressure allows us to go in there and relax and have fun, and when you relax and have fun you play better anyway."

Walker agreed -- to a point.

"You can just be loose," he said. "You can go out there and just leave it all out on the floor and not worry about the outcome.

"(But) we won't lose that edge. We want to win the championship. If we're not motivated by that, we might as well not play."

As usual, the Wildcats' success hinges in large part on freshmen forwards Michael Beasley and Walker. Beasley, the conference player of the year, averages 26.5 points and 12.5 rebounds a game, while third-team all-league pick Walker adds 16 points and 6.5 rebounds.

When the Wildcats have been successful, Pullen (10.1 ppg) usually has been the third scoring option.

By winning their last two games against Colorado at home, then on the road at Iowa State last Saturday, the Wildcats put themselves in the best possible position for a Big 12 tournament run.

"Any time you're in conference tournament, you want to play as few number of games as you possibly can if you want to have a chance to win," coach Frank Martin said of their first-round bye. "And we're going into this thing with the desire, the hope, the vision of playing on Sunday."

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