Five things to know about K-State basketball and the Fort Myers Tip-Off
Most Kansas State basketball fans will tune into the Fort Myers Tip-Off for the first time this week when the Wildcats play Pittsburgh at 5 p.m. Monday in Suncoast Credit Union Arena.
The Florida tournament is in its second year, but seems to have potential based on a four-team field that also includes Bradley and Northwestern.
That’s a step up from last season, when Boston College won the tournament over Wyoming, Richmond and Loyola Chicago. These two games will serve as K-State’s biggest early test of the year.
“We were just looking for a tournament,” K-State basketball coach Bruce Weber. “Obviously it is always nice to go to warm weather. It was the best option. We got two home games (Monmouth and Arkansas-Pine Bluff) and then two games there. It’s a nice area in Florida. It’s supposed to be in the 80s. Hopefully it’s a good thing for us.”
Here are five things to help you prepare for the Fort Myers Tip-Off:
Another trophy
Everyone remembers the trophy celebration that K-State held at Bramlage Coliseum when it beat Oklahoma to share a Big 12 championship with Texas Tech last season. But the Wildcats hoisted another trophy last November after they defeated Missouri to win the Paradise Jam in the Virgin Islands.
That was a big deal for K-State players, who had never previously won a tournament of any kind under Weber. Some have said it helped the team set the tone for Big 12 games knowing what it took to hoist a trophy.
K-State players want to repeat that effort this week in the championship game at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday.
“I’m looking forward to getting another championship,” senior wing Xavier Sneed said. “That is one of the goals we are trying to check off our list. It starts with the first game against Pittsburgh.”
The field
Pittsburgh and Northwestern both play in major conferences. And Bradley reached the NCAA Tournament last season. That alone makes this tournament important for K-State. Only Marquette and Mississippi State are bigger names on its nonconference schedule.
Still, this is far from a daunting field of tournament opponents.
Pittsburgh started the year with a solid win over Florida State but has since lost to Nicholls, and West Virginia by 15. Northwestern lost by double digits against Merrimack and Radford. Bradley has won four in a row, but none of them came against strong competition.
K-State should be considered the favorite in this tournament.
Hello again
K-State fans know plenty about Pittsburgh coach Jeff Capel. He spent five seasons as the head coach at Oklahoma and recruited Blake Griffin to Norman before being fired in 2011.
Capel got his coaching career back on track as an assistant at Duke before landing the Pittsburgh job in 2018. The Panthers won 14 games last season and are off to a 4-2 start in his second year.
Remember these names
If K-State plays Bradley in its second game of the tournament on Wednesday, it will go up against a quality big man in Koch Bar. On top of having one of the more unique names in college basketball, the senior forward is also averaging a double-double at exactly 10 points and 10 rebounds per game.
Should K-State draw Northwestern in its second game, it will need to focus on Pete Nance. The sophomore forward is averaging 15.2 points and nine rebounds.
Depth issues
After missing K-State’s last game because of a knee injury, it’s unclear if freshman forward Montavious Murphy will be healthy enough to play this week.
The Wildcats would love to have him for both games. Murphy has already cemented himself in the starting lineup as a dependable player who does a lot of little things right. Without him, K-State could have some depth issues inside. Reserve big men James Love and Nigel Shadd remain sidelined with injuries of their own, leaving Antonio Gordon and Levi Stockard as the primary forwards alongside Makol Mawien.