Weird. Let’s get that out of the way. This K-State men’s basketball team has been weird. Heck, their whole season has been weird, and there’s really no other way to describe it.
Just when you thought head coach Bruce Weber and company were about to take off and finally realize their full potential, another setback — suspension, poor performance, apathy — occurred as K-State tip-toed their way on the line of mediocrity.
This wasn’t always the case, though. When the team opened the season with a 98-point offensive outburst in a 30-point win over Southern Utah, folks around Manhattan thought this was the group that was advertised as athletic, strong and deep in personnel.
But then the nonconference season took an awkward turn. Sure, the Wildcats nearly upset No. 3 Arizona at the Maui Invitational, but a trio of ugly (that’s putting it lightly, too) losses to Texas Southern, Georgia and Oklahoma State saw the team at .500 for the first time all season.
Then the weird set in. K-State responded positively with five wins in six games to take over the top spot in a competitive Big 12 Conference. The Wildcats then proceeded to lose their next four-straight games, get embarrassed (twice) in Texas and then magically upset two top-15 ranked teams. Weird.
K-State is now under .500. The Wildcats have just one shot at an NCAA Tournament bid, and that’s to win the Big 12 Tournament — a feat on par with the Miracle on Ice (just kidding … sort of). It’s win or bust, and that goes for the team’s NIT chances too.
This season has been the curious case of K-State men’s basketball. Unpredictable. Thrilling. Mediocre. But most all, weird.
