K-State Q&A: Bruce Weber’s basketball schedule, Wildcats in the NFL and more
Kansas State’s nonconference basketball schedule for the 2019-20 season is complete now that the Big 12/SEC Challenge has been announced.
I’m not quite sure what to say about it.
At first glance, it looks like an upgrade to what we have seen from Bruce Weber in previous seasons. UNLV, Marquette, Mississippi State, Saint Louis, Tulsa, Pittsburgh, Alabama and maybe Northwestern are all name opponents that will create some fan interest. More than half the games on the nonconference slate will have some intrigue. That’s a step up from last year.
Marquette should be the most anticipated early home game in years, probably since Virginia Tech all the way back in 2010, and Tulsa at home is at least good enough to attract fans. That’s also an improvement from last year when the best early home game came against Georgia State, Southern Mississippi or George Mason.
But there are still some awful games on the schedule.
Monmouth, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Florida A&M and Alabama State weren’t just bad last year ... They were terrible. None of them sniffed the top 250 in the KenPom or NET rankings and could potentially drag down what otherwise looks like a solid schedule.
Those games will also be super boring for fans to watch in November and December.
Here’s a complete look at K-State’s nonconference basketball opponents next season and their KenPom/NET rankings at the conclusion of the 2018-19 season:
- North Dakota State (202, 224)
- UNLV (165, 159)
- Monmouth (295, 289)
- Arkansas-Pine Bluff (313, 321)
- Pittsburgh (101, 120)
- Bradley (161, 176) or Northwestern (74, 88)
- Florida A&M (318, 313)
- Marquette (33, 29)
- Alabama State (328, 330)
- Mississippi State (21, 21)
- Saint Louis (106, 107)
- Tulsa (119, 107)
- Alabama (64, 59)
It’s not hard to see K-State winning 11 or more of those games, even after the departures of Barry Brown, Kamau Stokes and Dean Wade. So this is probably the right schedule for this team as it looks to return to the NCAA Tournament.
In the future, it would be nice if Weber could schedule more cupcake games against teams like North Dakota State than Alabama State. That seems like the biggest gripe with this schedule.
One important thing to watch next season: How easily does K-State win games against teams like Florida A&M? Unlike the old RPI, the NET rankings factor in margin of victory. You can beat an awful team and not get penalized for it, so long as you win big.
And with that, it’s time for another K-State Q&A. Thanks, as always, for your questions.
Kansas vs. Kentucky: This should be a matchup every year, unless Missouri has a top 20 team worthy of renewing the Border War. Kentucky at Texas Tech will be fun too, but it’s not a battle of blue bloods.
Texas Tech vs. Tennessee: Would be a fun game between teams trying to reload after great seasons. Rick Barnes vs. any team from the Lone Star State sounds good to me.
TCU vs. Texas A&M: Nothing beats an old SWC basketball rivalry. OK, lots of things do. But this would be more fun than watching the Aggies play someone they used to play all the time in the Big 12.
Iowa State vs. Auburn: First team to 100 wins. The Big 12 and SEC got this one right.
Baylor vs. Arkansas: Another old SWC rivalry. Why not?
Texas vs. Florida: I’m in it for the hand signals. Hook ‘Em Horns meets the Gator Chomp.
Oklahoma vs. Mississippi State: Lon Kruger and Ben Howland on the court together. Not bad.
Oklahoma State vs. Mississippi: Not sure how to sell this game other than the mascots. Cowboys and Rebels!
West Virginia vs. South Carolina: This game might also be on a veto list, but Bob Huggins vs. Frank Martin was a fun coaching matchup when they went head-to-head in Wichita many years ago.
Kansas State vs. LSU: This would be a fun matchup, and a quick look at K-State’s media guide reveals the Wildcats have never played the Tigers. Time to change that.
I laugh every time Mr. Peanutbutter says his catchphrase “doggy doggy what now.”
Todd trying to argue that kids must love clowns, because no one else does is also really funny.
But one of BoJack’s quotes actually hit home with me in real life this week. My wife tried out having some groceries delivered from Dillon’s and the store gave us honeydew instead of watermelon.
Some angry words were spoken. Then I thought about some of those jokes.
Thankfully, we got a refund.
Would you? Oh man, that would be great.
I would love to have a blue check mark next to my Twitter handle.
We all have dreams to chase, I guess.
Nicholls is expected to be one of the best FCS teams out there this season. Not as good as North Dakota State or Eastern Washington, by any means, but leaps and bounds better than the true FCS cupcakes.
Athlon ranked Nicholls at No. 13 in its preseason FCS poll.
The team is coming off a 9-4 season in which it opened the year by winning at Kansas. And Chase Fourcade returns as a four-year starter at quarterback.
So this won’t be the easiest of matchups for Klieman’s opening game with K-State. It could be a nail-biter.
The Wildcats had trouble with South Dakota last season, winning 27-24, and the Coyotes only won four games all season.
But I think K-State will handle its business a little better this time around. Slow starts happened from time to time under Snyder. Klieman will want to hit the ground running.
Should expectations for Chris Klieman’s first season as football coach change if K-State starts 2-0 and then beats Mississippi State on the road?
Yes, of course.
But I don’t think expectations should change “drastically.” It’s just one game in a long season and crazy things happen in college football.
Example: Purdue beat Ohio State 49-20 last season, but finished with a losing record and suffered a 63-14 defeat against Auburn in the Music City Bowl. That big win wasn’t exactly the team’s defining moment.
Another example: Ron Prince beat Texas twice as K-State’s head coach.
If you think K-State will go 5-7 right now, you can safely expect a bowl appearance and maybe even seven or eight wins with a 3-0 start. But I can also see a path to the postseason without a victory at Mississippi State.
The Bulldogs are comparable to the middle-of-the-pack teams in the Big 12. So beating them would give fans hope that the Wildcats could hold their own against most teams in the conference. But I wouldn’t raise expectations much higher than that, regardless of what happens in Week 3.
There were many big names at K-State’s public Bill Snyder celebration earlier this month.
I couldn’t tell you every single former player who was in attendance, but the guest list included Stan Weber, Bob Stoops, Ryan Mueller, Carl Ice, Eric Stonestreet, Andre Coleman, Michael Smith, Bob Bowlsby, Frank Hernandez, B.J. Finney, Kevin Lockett, Mitch Holthus, Eric Wolford and many more.
Snyder’s early teams, including the original 1989 squad, were best represented.
Let’s run down all the former K-State players that are currently on NFL rosters and take a look at what they are hoping to accomplish next season.
Alex Barnes: Make the Titans’ roster and see some action as a rookie.
Abdul Beecham: Make the Chiefs’ opening day roster.
Deante Burton: Catch on with the Houston Texans as a defensive back.
B.J. Finney: Earn a bigger role on the Steelers’ offensive line.
Elijah Lee: Improve on his defensive production with the 49ers.
Tyler Lockett: Continue to emerge as a playmaking receiver with the Seahawks.
Cornelius Lucas: Make the Bears’ opening day roster.
Byron Pringle: Become a reliable target for Patrick Mahomes.
D.J. Reed: Back up the big plays he had last season with the 49ers.
Dalton Risner: Push for best rookie offensive lineman in the NFL with the Broncos.
Drew Scott: Catch on with the Cowboys as a long snapper.
Duke Shelley: See meaningful action as a rookie in Chicago.
Darren Sproles: One last ride with the Eagles.
Cody Whitehair: Deliver another Pro Bowl season with the Bears.
Jordan Willis: Earn extra playing time with the Bengals.
This story was originally published July 26, 2019 at 12:00 PM with the headline "K-State Q&A: Bruce Weber’s basketball schedule, Wildcats in the NFL and more."