K-State Q&A: NCAA Tournament seeds, basketball recruiting, All-Big 12 team and more
The regular season is coming to an end for college basketball, which means it is almost time to hand out some awards.
At this time next week I will be handing in my votes for the Big 12’s all-conference team. Much could change between now and then, but I have a pretty good idea about who will be on it, particularly from the Kansas State Wildcats.
Keyontae Johnson seems like a lock for the first team. The senior forward is the most consistent player in the conference, averaging 17.6 points and 7.2 rebounds this season with nary a bad game on his resume.
I also think Markquis Nowell will make the first team, which would give the Wildcats two of the five spots. That hasn’t happened since Barry Brown and Dean Wade in 2019. His case is less of a slam dunk than Johnson, because of all the terrific guards in the conference, but his numbers are too good to ignore. He ranks fifth in the Big 12 in scoring, first in assists and first in steals.
Jerome Tang will probably win Big 12 Coach of the Year, unless Rodney Terry leads Texas to an outright conference championship. That would make for an interesting debate. Would Tang deserve the honor after replacing all but two players at K-State? Or would Terry be the guy after winning the best conference in America as an interim?
A compelling argument could also be made for Bill Self if the Jayhawks win the conference outright. By definition, the coach who leads his team to a championship has done a better job than everyone else, right? But I don’t see people lining up to vote for him.
There’s a reason why Nick Saban has won seven national championships but only five SEC Coach of the Year awards.
For now, my vote goes to Tang.
Jalen Wilson will win Big 12 Player of the Year. Johnson is probably in line for Big 12 Newcomer of the Year. Freshman of the Year should be Gradey Dick, but Keyonte George is really good, too.
It will be interesting to see how that all shakes out.
Now, it’s time for another K-State Q&A. Let’s dive into your questions. Thanks, as always, for providing them.
Jerome Tang has lined up three basketball recruits in Kansas State’s 2023 class. They are four-star point guard Darrin Ames, four-star shooting guard RJ Jones and three-star power forward Macaleab Rich.
All three have already signed with the Wildcats, so they are locked in.
The last time I spoke with Tang about his recruiting plans he said K-State was probably done focusing on high school players this cycle. That means the Wildcats will look to fill the rest of their roster with transfers.
How many? That depends on what things look like at the end of the season.
K-State is set to lose five scholarship players, so you would think the Wildcats will end up adding at least two from the transfer portal.
Looking ahead to the 2024 recruiting cycle, K-State is in the mix for four-star guard David Castillo along with Arkansas, Illinois, Kansas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech.
Unfortunately, Dorian Finister is not eligible for a redshirt.
The freshman guard has played in six games this season, and that is six too many to preserve a year of eligibility.
It’s too bad college basketball doesn’t have a rule similar to college football in which players could be used in a certain number of games and still retain their eligibility. The max is four in football. Why not eight for basketball?
I’ve got two words for you: Red Panda!
E-MAIL QUESTION: OK, Kellis. Gun to your head, what seed will Jerome Tang’s fighting Wildcats end up with in the NCAA Tournament? - Carl W.
My money is on a No. 3 seed.
Some projections have the Wildcats on the 2 line right now. While I agree they can play their way up to a No. 2 seed, I think the more likely ending point is a No. 3 seed.
K-State has lost its past five road games, and it still has difficult road trips left against Oklahoma State and West Virginia. I don’t see the Wildcats winning in both of those spots. They won’t be favored in either of them.
They will likely need to make some noise at the Big 12 Tournament to earn a No. 2 seed.
That could certainly happen, but I think it’s more likely they slip to a No. 4 seed than climb to a No. 2 seed.
So I’m going to split the difference and go with a No. 3 seed. If that happens, it would be their highest seed since 2010.
Yes, the K-State men’s basketball team is a mortal lock for the NCAA Tournament. It has been for a while. Even if the Wildcats lose their final three games of the regular season and then quickly bow out of the Big 12 Tournament they will still be a No. 5 seed in the Big Dance.
Where do I hope they get sent on the bracket?
The obvious choices are Des Moines and Denver. Iowa would be great, because K-State and KU would almost certainly be packaged together there. A small army of fans and media would make the trek north for that sub-regional and that would make it a fun weekend, even though I don’t particularly love anything about Des Moines.
Zombie Burger and Jethro’s Barbecue are good, though!
Denver would be cool, because it’s a simple drive across state lines and Colorado is always fun. I miss Boulder being part of the Big 12 travel rotation.
But if K-State gets sent somewhere else I would prefer warm weather. That means Sacramento or Orlando.
I very much enjoyed my time in Sacramento a few years back when the Wildcats were sent there for the NCAA Tournament. I didn’t like flying there from Dayton, Ohio, on zero sleep after K-State was in the First Four. But that wasn’t Sacramento’s fault.
But there isn’t an awful location for the opening rounds. The only places I don’t want to go are Albany, New York, and Greensboro, North Carolina.
Here’s hoping the Wildcats make it to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament, because the Sweet 16 locations are absolutely lit.
Who is saying no to Kansas City, Las Vegas, Louisville or New York?
Well, I know exactly what quote I would have used to describe last season.
“I’ve had a lot of what I thought were rock bottoms, only to discover another rockier bottom underneath.” - Bojack Horseman.
This is season is a little harder for me.
“Hooray! Question mark?” - Todd Chavez.
That one works, because K-State fans are obviously thrilled with how this season has gone under new coach Jerome Tang compared to expectations. But can it truly be special with a March Madness run?
But I’m going to go with this one: “What is this, a crossover episode?” - Mr. Peanutbutter.
Jerome Tang has married Baylor’s style of play to Kansas State’s new batch of players and the results have been better than expected, much like how “Mr. Peanutbutter’s House” was a success that more or less copied “Horsin’ Around.”
The current ceiling at Bramlage Coliseum seems more than adequate, but there is no arguing to MSG has a cool feel on the inside.
If I may get on my own personal soap box for a moment, I have one important upgrade request for the Octagon of Doom — a new and improved media room and interview space.
Now, I understand that no one cares about the media, where we sit during games or where we interview players afterward. But the current setup is becoming comically outdated.
The K-State interview room at Bramlage is literally a storage closet. The media room is by far the smallest in the Big 12. Maybe six people can work in there at the same time.
That may not have bothered anyone when the Wildcats weren’t winning basketball games. But now that they are and dozens of journalists are covering every home game there simply isn’t enough room.
It was standing room only for Jerome Tang’s news conference after the Baylor game. If you saw the video of Scott Drew calling Tang the National Coach of the Year with his head turned to the extreme right instead of talking into the main camera it’s because he was answering one of my questions and every seat in the place was taken.
The interview room was so packed when Kansas came to town that I couldn’t even stand in the back and listen while Bill Self talked. I sat outside, typing away on my laptop until KU media left and then squeezed in.
There’s got to be a better way!
But I digress ...
A new court is on the way next season. K-State athletic director Gene Taylor has said that the Wildcats plan to install a new court after this season comes to an end. That means they will be going with a new design next year, too.
What will it look like? I have no idea. But if you have a design I suggest posting it on twitter and tagging Taylor. I bet he will take a look at it.
OK, this question made me laugh. Nice job.
I do spend a lot of time scrolling through Twitter and other web sites to find the perfect GIF to add to my tweets. Probably more time than I should. But I spend much more time reporting and writing for my articles.
At minimum, it takes 20 minutes to get a story ready to post on our web site. That is longer than I have ever spent searching for a single GIF.
Maybe one day I can merge my two loves together and deliver a K-State Q&A that only contains GIFs as answers.
This story was originally published February 24, 2023 at 7:00 AM with the headline "K-State Q&A: NCAA Tournament seeds, basketball recruiting, All-Big 12 team and more."