Kansas State Wildcats have big goals for NCAA Tournament. Is a 1 seed within reach?
After several years of languishing on the wrong side of the NCAA Tournament bubble, or not even showing up on bracket projections at all, the Kansas State men’s basketball team is suddenly in an enviable position as it relates to the postseason.
The Wildcats are a mortal lock for March Madness. New coach Jerome Tang has led them to a 19-5 record and No. 12 ranking in the latest top 25. This team is no longer dreaming about simply making it into the field of 68 — it is in contention for a high seed and nearby location for tourney games.
“It’s a blessing to even be mentioned in the bracket and in March Madness,” K-State guard Markquis Nowell said, “and knowing that we are in pretty solid shape of being in the tournament. But we still have a lot to go. I’m trying to get to a 2 seed or a 1 seed, if possible.”
Those final two words perfectly sum up what the Wildcats will be playing for as the regular season winds down over the next few weeks, in addition to the possibility of a Big 12 title.
K-State is playing so well that its players are understandably aiming high when it comes to the NCAA Tournament. They want the highest seed possible and they want to play a first-round game against a low seed in Denver or Des Moines, Iowa. An even bigger goal would be to end up in the Midwest Region — win a pair of postseason games and then head to T-Mobile Center in Kansas City for the Sweet 16.
For now, all those possibilities are within reach.
But they are also far from a given. Climbing up NCAA Tournament bracket projections is not easy to do this time of year, as candidates for top seeds have already been identified and it is difficult for any team to pass them. Every win and loss can affect where a team ends up.
The Wildcats could move up the bracket with a strong finish, though.
Here is a look at how the experts currently project K-State for the NCAA Tournament:
ESPN: 4 seed in Midwest Region starting in Albany, New York.
USA Today: 4 seed in South Region starting in Albany.
Bart Torvik: 4 seed in Midwest Region starting in Orlando, Florida
Sporting News: 3 seed*.
Bally Sports: 3 seed*.
*No region or starting location projected.
Bracket Matrix, a website that averages every bracket projection into a single consensus, currently projects the Wildcats as a No. 4 seed.
Maintaining a top 4 seed will be important for the Wildcats moving forward, because the NCAA Tournament selection committee tries to keep those teams close to home during the postseason. But there will still be competition for nearby sites within those seed lines.
Denver and Des Moines will also be coveted locations for teams like Kansas, Baylor, Texas, TCU, Iowa State and possibly others. There will only be four spots available for top seeds at those sub-regional locations. Many of those teams will also be vying to claim the Midwest Region as their own.
The path to K-State achieving a high seed is simple. The Wildcats can do so by winning the majority of their final seven games and then advancing in the Big 12 Tournament. Right now, they appear to be competing for a 3 or 4 seed with the possibility of a 2 seed. The more wins they get, the higher they can go.
K-State was a No. 4 seed the last time it reached the NCAA Tournament in 2019. That team entered Selection Sunday with a record of 25-8. Its highest seed in recent memory came in 2010, when the Wildcats earned a No. 2 seed with a record of 26-7.
Jerome Tang’s team might also benefit from highly ranked teams suffering losses later on this month.
If the Wildcats finish the regular season on a tear, they will have defeated several Big 12 teams along the way. A few other teams for K-State fans to root against: Alabama, Arizona, Gonzaga, Houston, Marquette, Purdue, St. Mary’s, UCLA, Virginia and Xavier.
The possibilities are almost too many to count. There will be much for K-State to play for before March arrives.
This story was originally published February 9, 2023 at 12:02 PM.