‘It’s scary, but it’s also fun’: K-State gears up for daunting Big 12 hoops schedule
It was important for the Kansas State men’s basketball team to add an opponent like North Florida to its schedule this week.
With the start of Big 12 action looming on Saturday, the Wildcats could use one last tuneup before they embark on a daunting string of games that won’t end until March. After hosting the Ospreys at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, they finish the regular season with 18 conference matchups against teams ranked no worse than 59th in Ken Pomeroy’s national college basketball database.
The only reprieve will come in the form of a Big 12/SEC Challenge road game against Mississippi, which is currently ranked No. 110.
“Obviously, we have got a lot of tough games coming up within the league,” K-State coach Bruce Weber said. “It’s scary, but it’s also fun. It’s why you come here. You get that challenge to play top teams basically every night. We have got to get ready for that.”
K-State faced a conundrum early last week when Morgan State, the team it was originally scheduled to play on Wednesday, had to cancel its trip to Bramlage Coliseum because of COVID-19 issues within its roster.
Finding a replacement opponent on short notice wasn’t going to be easy, but the Wildcats worked hard to make it happen even though they embarrassingly lost to Fort Hays State under similar circumstances last season.
Why? K-State didn’t want to enter its Big 12 opener without having played in nearly two weeks.
“We all know we’re in season now,” K-State sophomore guard Nijel Pack said. “It’s really not time to take some days off. Every one of us needs to spend some time in the gym getting better, because we know how tough this conference is.
“We have seen the NET ratings. It’s a really tough conference coming up this year. We have got to get ready for it. We have got one more nonconference game, then it’s off to conference games where all the fun starts to happen.”
There are sure to be plenty of competitive Big 12 basketball games this season.
Baylor, Kansas and Iowa State are all currently ranked in the top 10. Texas and Texas Tech are both ranked in the top 25. And seemingly ever member other than Oklahoma State (postseason ban) has a realistic path to the NCAA Tournament as conference play begins.
Any team that wins at least eight league games this season will be in the bubble conversation.
No other conference can match the Big 12 in terms of quality depth. K-State (68) has the league’s worst Ken Pom rating despite an 8-3 record. Those numbers would put the Wildcats in the middle of the pack of the ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Pac-12 and SEC. All of those conferences have teams ranked below 100.
Instead, they will have plenty to prove in the Big 12.
One final tuneup against North Florida should help them get ready.
This story was originally published December 28, 2021 at 1:48 PM.