Kansas State University

NBA superstar Trae Young shows Kansas State lots of love on his March Madness bracket

Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) makes a move against Cleveland Cavaliers forward Dean Wade (32) during the first quarter at State Farm Arena on Feb. 15, 2022.
Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) makes a move against Cleveland Cavaliers forward Dean Wade (32) during the first quarter at State Farm Arena on Feb. 15, 2022. USA TODAY Sports

Kansas State fans aren’t the only ones picking the Wildcats to win the NCAA Tournament in their bracket pools this March.

At least one NBA superstar thinks Jerome Tang will cut down the nets at the Final Four next month in Houston.

Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young shared a look at his bracket projections on social media this week and he went with K-State as his champion. The former Oklahoma scoring machine picked the Wildcats to outlast three other teams in the Final Four. He has K-State beating Baylor in one national semifinal game and Texas beating Kansas in the other.

His championship game is K-State vs. Texas, with the Wildcats prevailing for their first national title in school history.

Here are the teams Young has beating K-State on its march to a championship: Montana State, Michigan State, Memphis, Baylor and Texas.

It makes sense that Young would have respect for the Wildcats. He played against Tang during his lone season of college basketball when Tang was working as an assistant coach at Baylor. K-State also humbled Oklahoma 87-69 during Young’s one visit to Bramlage with the Sooners in 2018.

Young has played for the Hawks since 2018 and twice been named a NBA All-Star since turning pro. He is currently averaging 27 points per game.

If his March Madness prediction is accurate, the city of Manhattan may adopt the Hawks as its favorite NBA team.

This story was originally published March 15, 2023 at 2:04 PM with the headline "NBA superstar Trae Young shows Kansas State lots of love on his March Madness bracket."

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Kellis Robinett
The Wichita Eagle
Kellis Robinett covers Kansas State athletics for The Wichita Eagle and The Kansas City Star. A winner of more than a dozen national writing awards, he lives in Manhattan with his wife and four children.
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