Why Kansas State’s next three basketball games are vital for NCAA Tournament hopes
It’s time for the Kansas State men’s basketball team to start playing with a sense of urgency.
The Wildcats are running out of opportunities to strengthen their NCAA Tournament resume before Big 12 games arrive. If they don’t finish strong in the non-conference portion of their schedule they will be forced to win many league games to have any shot at an at-large berth into March Madness.
Jerome Tang understands the situation. That much was obvious when the K-State coach asked what he expected to learn from his team during upcoming games against St. John’s (Saturday morning), Drake and Wichita State.
“It’s important to learn, but we have got to win these things,” Tang said. “ Right? Like, it’s real important for us to set us up (for success) going into the Big 12. These, these next three games are all against potential NCAA Tournament teams. Those are the kind of games you want to play so you can see where you’re at and show where you’re at.”
K-State has work to do if it hopes to be a bubble team in March.
The Wildcats (6-2) haven’t beaten a team inside the top 100 of Bart Torvik’s college basketball ratings database, and their six victories have come mostly against completely over-matched opponents.
Those results have left K-State with a NET ranking of 105, which is last among all Big 12 teams. That is not good news, considering the selection committee uses the NET rankings for seeding.
K-State needs to start improving its resume if it hopes to make a run at the NCAA Tournament.
But there is some good news for the Wildcats. Their next three games can all be resume-builders. St. John’s is ranked No. 46 in the NET after a 6-2 start. Winning a game against Rick Pitino’s team, especially on the road, would really help the Wildcats.
Next up is a game against No. 47 Drake on a neutral court at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City. Then comes a road trip to No. 86 Wichita State.
After that, K-State will end the season with 20 games against Big 12 competition.
There are no easy games left. The time for the Wildcats to start winning important games is now.
“(The schedule) was put together that way to help us get ready for the Big 12,” Tang said. “The team is starting to grow and figure each other out. The staff is starting to figure the guys out. It’s going to be a great challenge for us. We have to take it one game at a time and see if we can continue to grow.”
This story was originally published December 6, 2024 at 12:07 PM with the headline "Why Kansas State’s next three basketball games are vital for NCAA Tournament hopes."