Last night was rough. At least you all could change the channel.
What were your impressions of the game? Obviously, K-State didn’t match Xavier’s intensity and - here’s a news flash - the Musketeers are rather good. Drew Lavender is the newest member of my all-Man Crush team. He has replaced Acie Law as the starting point guard. But I digress - my point is, this team isn’t quite there yet to beat quality non-conference foes, which is obvious based on K-State’s four losses. But those teams - George Mason (9-3), Oregon (9-3), Notre Dame (10-2) and Xavier (10-3) - aren’t exactly scrubs. And all but the Oregon game was played at a neutral site (that U.S. Bank Arena is considered neutral is a joke, by the way), and the Wildcats extended the Ducks in overtime before falling.
My point? This team is admittedly flawed. But there are a lot of things to like. I’ve maintained that, you, the fans, give the Wildcats an absurd lift at Bramlage Coliseum and because of that, I’d be surprised if K-State lost more than one game at home this season. Why that matters, of course, is when you start looking at postseason scenarios.
So allow me to toss this out there - is this an NCAA team, on Jan. 1?
When conference begins, K-State will be 10-4. Sixteen Big 12 games follow. By my own logic - which might be suspect, but bear with me - if the Wildcats get seven at home, that’s 17 wins. If the Big 12 is as strong as we’ve been led to believe - as of this morning, the conference was ranked No. 2 in RPI, behind the ACC, according to collegerpi.com - then eight or nine wins in such a rugged league should yield a NCAA tourney bid, right?
Basically, the next two and a half months will decide K-State’s fate. Nothing has been settled yet, other than the fact that Michael Beasley is still one of the best players in the country. You have to be encouraged by what Clent Stewart has strung together, which is four consecutive games in double figures. You have to be thrilled by what Fred Brown did last night, but you probably need to see more before jumping to any conclusions. And you know Bill Walker is going to get his shots.
I’m thrilled to see what happens. How about you? By the way, I’d be remiss if I didn’t wish everyone a Happy New Year. Did you all have fun? As Jim Wooldridge once said, “Did you get after it?” I spent considerable time in Covington, Ky., out and about with gopowercat.com’s Rob Cassidy, a good dude from the East Coast. A good time was had by all, and we tried to finish the night at the Waffle House but the line was too long.
RP would have been proud… OK, no more digs. That’s one of my resolutions, believe it or not. Kinder and gentler in the New Year, but we’ll see how long that lasts.