K-State Wildcats Q&A: What does the future hold for two red-hot basketball teams?
The Kansas State women’s basketball team is in sole possession of first place in the Big 12 standings.
The K-State men are the hottest team in the country.
A pair of traditional powers (Kansas and Arizona) are up next on the schedule at Bramlage Coliseum. Manhattan has caught basketball fever. So it comes as no surprise that the vast majority of our questions are on hoops this week. Thanks, as always, for providing them.
It’s time for another K-State Q&A. Let’s dive right in.
How soon can I expect to see Big 12 championship T-shirts for the K-State women’s basketball team? - Jeff M. via e-mail
The Wildcats (22-2, 10-1 Big 12) are in great shape to win the Big 12 after their impressive win over the TCU Horned Frogs earlier this week.
That was a battle for first place in the conference standings, and K-State won thanks to a huge game from Serena Sundell.
K-State is now one game up on both Baylor and TCU, while West Virginia, Oklahoma State and Utah are all lurking two games behind.
That being said, you might have to wait until March to celebrate a conference title, and the T-shirts that come with it. The Wildcats still have to play at Oklahoma State, West Virginia and Iowa State. Those will all be difficult road games. Baylor won’t be easy at home, either.
K-State is the favorite to win the Big 12, and I think the Wildcats will ultimately finish in first place. But the race isn’t over. The conference title will probably up for grabs until the final weekend of the regular season.
We are just halfway past the Big 12 schedule and tied for 8th place with a 5-6 record. Four of our remaining nine Big 12 games are against opponents with a worse record than 5-6 in the conference. What’s the highest we could finish and what’s your final season prediction? -@bfullingt via X.
My absolute best-case scenario for this team is a final record of 18-13 overall and 12-8 in the Big 12. That could be good enough for the Wildcats to finish in the top six of the conference standings.
My more realistic prediction for this team is 16-15 and 10-10.
K-State will benefit from home games against Arizona State and Colorado. Those should be easy wins. But the Wildcats still have to play Kansas, Arizona and Iowa State at home. Road games against BYU, Utah, UCF and Cincinnati aren’t going to be walks in the park.
If the Wildcats run the table against that schedule they will deserve a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
It’s hard to know what to expect from K-State. Yes, the Wildcats are blazing hot right now. They are the nation’s hottest team over the past two weeks, according to college basketball statistician Bart Torvik. But that can’t last forever, right? Jerome Tang’s team has been unconscious from 3-point range during its recent winning streak (44.2%) and K-State’s opponents have been cold from beyond the arc (31.6%).
At some point the Wildcats are going to stop raining in 3-pointers and their opponents are going to start making them. But when?
On Saturday against Kansas? In the Final Four?
This K-State basketball team reminds me of the KU football team from this past season. Both teams got off to dismal starts. Then both teams rallied and went on winning streaks when most left them for dead.
The Jayhawks won consecutive games against Iowa State, BYU and Colorado before they ran out of gas against Baylor to finish 5-7. It will be interesting to see when, or if, the Wildcats cool off on the basketball court.
What can you say about Michael Beasley visiting Manhattan on Saturday? @KansasSnotCom via X.
The former Kansas State basketball phenom is scheduled to do a meet-and-greet with fans before the Sunflower Showdown game on Saturday morning in Manhattan. Then I assume he will attend the game.
If you want an autograph from Beasley, it will cost you $35.
As of now, there are no plans for him to speak with the team before tip. But he did chat with the Wildcats when they were in New York for the NCAA Tournament two years ago.
Hopefully, he enjoys his trip back to Manhattan. I am stunned that he hasn’t been back to Bramlage Coliseum for a game since he left college in 2008. Nearly two decades is a long time away for a beloved alum.
Maybe this is a dumb question, but is Buddy Rich redshirting this year? Can he even do that? Or is he just going to transfer after the season? -@MartyStksu via X.
Macaleab Rich is not a redshirt candidate. He has already played in 11 games and he is not injured.
The NCAA doesn’t grant eligibility waivers for players that get benched midway through a season.
Will he transfer at the end of the year? Maybe. Maybe not. He hasn’t played in eight games, so it’s logical to assume he might be interested in more minutes at a different school. But he only saw action in 16 games as a freshman and came back for another year with Jerome Tang. We will have to wait and see what happens there, the same as any other college basketball player.
I asked Tang about Rich on Thursday now that he hasn’t played in eight straight games.
Here was his answer.
“You are only given 200 minutes,” Tang said. “If I had unlimited minutes to play then there would be other guys who would be playing also. But we’re only given 200 minutes to put the guys out there that you feel give you the best chance to win. Not that Buddy wouldn’t give us a chance to win. I don’t know that he gives us the best chance. Some other guys give us a little better chance.
“But he’s been great at practice, part of the scout team and he helps get our guys ready. He’s really, really talented. And he’s got a bright future.”
Good to hear Coach Tang talk about Buddy today. Can you list past players that were fan favorites that found their way to the bench? I like taking a trip down memory lane. -@the_funky_andy via X.
I don’t understand why K-State fans have such an obsession with Rich.
He had an incredible performance against Wichita State earlier this season, when the Shockers neglected to guard him, but the Wildcats lost that game by 19 even though he scored 20 points. Outside of that one shining moment, he’s not much different than the player who took his minutes -- Mobi Ikegwuruka. K-State started winning after Tang made the switch, and that’s why Ikegwuruka is still playing.
But I digress ...
Ron Freeman was electric during the few moments he was on the court at K-State.
Pierson McAtee ended his walk-on career with a bang despite barely playing in his first three years.
Wally Judge saw so little playing time that he left midway through his sophomore season.
What is the bigger “what if they could have stayed 100% healthy” question among All-Big 12 forwards: Dean Wade or Ayoka Lee? -@scottwildcat via X.
My vote goes to Dean Wade.
Ayoka Lee has been healthy enough to set the all-time scoring record at Kansas State. She has also played in multiple NCAA Tournaments. It also looks like she will return from injury in enough time to help the Wildcats in March Madness again this season.
Even though her career would have been better with 100% health, we have seen her play in the biggest of games.
That wasn’t the case for Wade. He missed most of the Big 12 Tournament as a junior and was only able to play a few minutes in the NCAA Tournament as K-State blitzed its way to the Elite Eight. Maybe the Wildcats would have made it to the Final Four with him in the lineup.
Wade also missed all of the Big 12 Tournament and all of the NCAA Tournament as a senior.
That was a huge bummer, even though he helped the Wildcats share a Big 12 championship that season.
Wade has gone on to play six mostly healthy seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He is currently an important role player on a team that has the best record in the NBA.
K-State fans will forever wonder what the Wildcats could have accomplished with a healthy Wade. I’m not sure the same can be said about Lee.
What is Coach Tang’s dream car? -@PontiacAztek69 via X.
The Pope Mobile.
Super Bowl prediction? -@BusMedicMike via X.
Kansas City Chiefs 27, Philadelphia Eagles 23.
The Eagles have the better overall roster, but the Chiefs have the best quarterback and coach in the NFL. So that gives Kansas City an advantage.
I think Saquon Barkley will have enough success to give the Eagles an early lead and make this game stressful on the defending champions. But I expect the Chiefs to make great adjustments, accumulate sacks against Jalen Hurts and then do what they always do -- win a close game.
This story was originally published February 7, 2025 at 6:00 AM with the headline "K-State Wildcats Q&A: What does the future hold for two red-hot basketball teams?."