Neil Watson is the leading scorer on Southern Mississippi’s basketball team, which will take on Kansas State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday. He is also from Kansas City, Kan., and close friends with Wildcats guard Will Spradling.
Watson took a few moments out of his day to talk about all that and more before boarding a plane to Pittsburgh. Here are a few highlights from that conversation:
How long have you known Spradling?
Four I five years. I know him and his family really well.
Are you excited to play against him?
Oh, definitely. He is one of my best friends, and he texted me right after we found out we were playing each other. We used to play one-on-one a couple times in high school. I won those battles, but we’ve never played on opposite teams.
You beat him every time you played one-on-one.
They were all pretty close games. Will is a really good shooter and good at creating his own shot when he needs to. When he is open you know the ball is going in.
Have you gone out of your way to watch K-State games on TV this year, knowing you would get to see him play?
Yeah, Kansas State is one of the teams I pay attention to. Being from Kansas, I never liked K-state, though. I have always been a Jayhawks fan. But once Will committed to K-State, I started liking them and watching all their games. It is hard when KU and K-State play each other, though. I go back and forth.
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