Five bold predictions and a March projection for K-State’s basketball season
The most anticipated Kansas State men’s basketball season in recent memory is nearly upon us.
Bruce Weber returns his entire starting lineup, and most of his key reserves, from a team that won 25 games and reached the Elite Eight last March. The Wildcats are ranked No. 12 in the preseason AP Top 25 and the top challenger to KU in the Big 12.
K-State hasn’t entered a season with this much national buzz since 2010, when Jacob Pullen was a senior. But expectations are so high in Manhattan that Weber has complained that the Wildcats aren’t getting enough respect.
We will find out if he’s right soon enough. K-State’s first game is Friday against Kennesaw State. Until then, here are five bold predictions for the upcoming season.
Five bold predictions
Dean Wade will win Big 12 Player of the Year: Coaches across the conference have already given him the preseason honor, and it may take a lot for anyone else to pass him once the games begin. Wade averaged 16.2 points and 6.2 rebounds on 55 percent shooting on his way to first-team all-conference honors last season. Now, he’s ready for more. Wade is one of the most efficient scorers in the nation and he has made progress as a rebounder. What will set him apart is his passing. As opponents double team him this season, don’t be surprised if he piles up enough assists to deliver the occasional triple-double.
Bruce Weber will embrace the spotlight: In the span of a few months, K-State’s basketball coach has gone from the goat to the GOAT. Well, maybe his transformation hasn’t been quite that severe, but you get the point. At this time a year ago, he was on the hot seat. Today, he’s the most popular coach on campus. He has embraced his newfound love from fans and seems to be having loads of fun coaching this group. He has already said some entertaining things this preseason, and that’s probably not going to stop. Weber could be a sound-bite machine this season.
Switching from hunter to hunted won’t be easy: Just take a look at the last time K-State was coming off an Elite Eight run. The beginning of that season was anything but smooth. Teams like Marquette, Tulsa and Vanderbilt will be gunning for the Wildcats in nonconference play for a chance to beat a ranked team. Conference opponents like Baylor and Iowa State will be motivated to beat K-State like never before. This group should handle things better than the 2010-11 squad did, but they will also take an unexpected loss or two.
The Wildcats will have a high floor: One thing you can bet on with this team is consistency. The Wildcats may not have enough high end talent to dominate against the bluebloods of college basketball, but they have a strong mixture of coaching and experience. K-State should be ranked all year and finish in the top three of the Big 12 standings. A win, or two, over KU could propel it into the conference championship conversation.
Austin Trice will be a difference-maker off the bench: A year after churning out rebounds in junior college, Trice appears ready to help the Wildcats on the glass. All signs point to him as the missing piece on K-State’s roster. The Wildcats ranked last in the Big 12 in rebounding last season. That won’t happen again if Trice can come off the bench and crash the boards. He will off Weber lots of flexibility in the front court when it comes time to replace Wade or Makol Mawien.
Regular-season projection: 24-7 overall, 13-5 Big 12.
The Wildcats went winless against the Big 12’s top three teams last season. That won’t happen again, but their preseason ranking will make them susceptible to the occasional upset.
March projection: NCAA Tournament Sweet 16.
It’s hard for any team to make repeat runs in the NCAA Tournament, but the Wildcats appear talented enough to win multiple games in March once again this year.