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Kansas state fans

A win is a win and a Sweet 16 berth is always a good thing no matter said

....with that said, if KSU shows up against KY and plays as poorly as they did last night, it’s going to be a very long night for them. They were extremely lucky to have been playing a 16 seed in round 2 based on what I saw.
 
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A win is a win and a Sweet 16 berth is always a good thing no matter said

....with that said, if KSU shows up against KY and plays as poorly as they did last night, it’s going to be a very long night for them. They were extremely lucky to have been playing a 16 seed in round 2 based on what I saw.
This really surprised me. KSU rarely plays poorly. They just lose when outmatched physically. But they always beat who they’re supposed to beat and usually do it well. Looked to me like they felt that pressure. It’s a very real thing, having all the pressure to win.
 
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There are quite a few on the Main Board.
 
A win is a win and a Sweet 16 berth is always a good thing no matter said

....with that said, if KSU shows up against KY and plays as poorly as they did last night, it’s going to be a very long night for them. They were extremely lucky to have been playing a 16 seed in round 2 based on what I saw.
No style points last night. Lol. When Kam Stokes (starting PG) went down with an injury earlier in the season in Big XII play he's never been the same since his return. He was a serious liability last night. But I think some people are overlooking what a solid win K-State had against a great offensive Creighton team that was held to their lowest point total all season. It's been an emotional roller coaster for K-State the last two games. First of all with our best player, Dean Wade who is All Big 12 First Team, riding the bench with a stress fracture in his foot. And playing against former K-State star and now Creighton star Marcus Foster who Bruce Weber booted (among others) from the team 3 years ago for maturity issues and violating team rules. Foster was made a non factor by K-State's pretty damn salty defense, specifically Barry Brown who was 2nd team Big XII and all-Defensive team. Then coming in against UMBC with pretty much the entire world rooting against them. That arena was brutal for K-State last night, everybody loves a Cinderella and I get it. I'd have been cheering for UMBC as well. But K-State overcame it without their best player for two games. I wasn't the biggest Bruce Weber fan. But I'm man enough to admit I was wrong.
 
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No style points last night. Lol. When Kam Stokes (starting PG) went down with an injury earlier in the season in Big XII play he's never been the same since his return. He was a serious liability last night. But I think some people are overlooking what a solid win K-State had against a great offensive Creighton team that was held to their lowest point total all season. It's been an emotional roller coaster for K-State the last two games. First of all with our best player, Dean Wade who is All Big 12 First Team, riding the bench with a stress fracture in his foot. And playing against former K-State star and now Creighton star Marcus Foster who Bruce Weber booted (among others) from the team 3 years ago for maturity issues and violating team rules. Foster was made a non factor by K-State's pretty damn salty defense, specifically Barry Brown who was 2nd team Big XII and all-Defensive team. Then coming in against UMBC with pretty much the entire world rooting against them. That arena was brutal for K-State last night, everybody loves a Cinderella and I get it. I'd have been cheering for UMBC as well. But K-State overcame it without their best player for two games. I wasn't the biggest Bruce Weber fan. But I'm man enough to admit I was wrong.

You weren’t wrong about Weber necessarily. With him as coach, there’s an automatic ceiling on the program. But to be fair, you could do worse too and might find being on the bubble every year wasn’t so bad as it seems.

I didn’t like their game plan last night...seemed like they started running clock in a 1-3 point game with like 10 minutes left. Lots of standing around on offense...thought they could have imposed their will a lot more and ended that one early because UMBC was trying to brick their way to a blowout.
 
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You weren’t wrong about Weber necessarily. With him as coach, there’s an automatic ceiling on the program. But to be fair, you could do worse too and might find being on the bubble every year wasn’t so bad as it seems.

I didn’t like their game plan last night...seemed like they started running clock in a 1-3 point game with like 10 minutes left. Lots of standing around on offense...thought they could have imposed their will a lot more and ended that one early because UMBC was trying to brick their way to a blowout.
Yeah I'm not sure what the game plan was. Other then wait for teh clock to get to 8 seconds and then try and run an offense. But in the first half we did a lot of damage in the paint (again with Wade out) which was what we needed to do. Second half was incredibly frustrating to watch and we were just lucky some of those 3-pointers UMBC took didn't fall. It kind of felt like if UMBC ever got a lead we were in trouble.
 
No style points last night. Lol. When Kam Stokes (starting PG) went down with an injury earlier in the season in Big XII play he's never been the same since his return. He was a serious liability last night. But I think some people are overlooking what a solid win K-State had against a great offensive Creighton team that was held to their lowest point total all season. It's been an emotional roller coaster for K-State the last two games. First of all with our best player, Dean Wade who is All Big 12 First Team, riding the bench with a stress fracture in his foot. And playing against former K-State star and now Creighton star Marcus Foster who Bruce Weber booted (among others) from the team 3 years ago for maturity issues and violating team rules. Foster was made a non factor by K-State's pretty damn salty defense, specifically Barry Brown who was 2nd team Big XII and all-Defensive team. Then coming in against UMBC with pretty much the entire world rooting against them. That arena was brutal for K-State last night, everybody loves a Cinderella and I get it. I'd have been cheering for UMBC as well. But K-State overcame it without their best player for two games. I wasn't the biggest Bruce Weber fan. But I'm man enough to admit I was wrong.

Is Wade gonna be playing Thursday? Makes me wonder how good he's going to be after missing a bunch of time.
 
Wade is their best player and X factor, him and Barry Brown are a dynamic duo. Sneed and Stoke average around 10 a game but could have a night where they get 15-18. A freshman Diarra has come on in the second half of the season. Their calling card as a team is defense. They play to their competition. If Wade plays it will be close and a defensive game. If he does not play I think it will be close for 15-20 minutes before UK wins by double digits.
 
As a Kansas fan I’m very excited to see Weber win two games.

They’ll never fire him now.
Yeah.. he is Bill Self's bitch pretty much so far. Had a real shot in Lawrence early in Big XII play. But was schooled in Manhattan and Big XII Tourney. But then I'm smart enough to know I can't gauge Bruce Weber's performance against Bill Self.
 
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KSU owes Kentucky for copying their logo....
There can be only one penis tongue.

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You weren’t wrong about Weber necessarily. With him as coach, there’s an automatic ceiling on the program. But to be fair, you could do worse too and might find being on the bubble every year wasn’t so bad as it seems.
I totally get what you're saying. My whole argument with Weber was he had never demonstrated an ability to build a team to shine in the post-season himself. Sure he was a hell of a coach cause he would take a prior coach's stars far, oftentimes further then the prior coach was capable of. But to build a program? He seemed inept. But after dismantling the team 3 seasons ago, he's done just that. And... none of these guys are graduating. Wade is certainly gonna try his hand in the draft, but pretty much everybody expects he will return. I was ready to fire him 2 years ago. And as I said earlier I had given up my ticket package for the 17-18 season as my only way of expressing my displeasure with the direction of things under Weber. But I was wrong.. and I'm glad I was.
 
Is Wade gonna be playing Thursday? Makes me wonder how good he's going to be after missing a bunch of time.
According to the beat writer for the star who got a soundbite from Wade right after K-State's win Sunday, he's 98% sure he will play. He could be a little rusty but he's not been off long. Hopefully he can perform cause we're gonna desperately need his size against Kentucky.
 
Two stats that stand out:

1. Huge descrepancy in rebounding. KSU is a poor rebounosing team and UK is elite. This could be exacerbated by the difference in size between the teams. KSU plays only 3 players over 6'5 (2 if wade is out) and UK only has 1 player in the rotation under 6'5.

2. Free throw rate. UK has 4 players with more than 125 FTA on the season. KSU only has 2 over 81 (only 1 if wade is out).
 
Also, KSU was 0-5 against the RPI top 25 with an average margin of -13.
 
I totally get what you're saying. My whole argument with Weber was he had never demonstrated an ability to build a team to shine in the post-season himself. Sure he was a hell of a coach cause he would take a prior coach's stars far, oftentimes further then the prior coach was capable of. But to build a program? He seemed inept. But after dismantling the team 3 seasons ago, he's done just that. And... none of these guys are graduating. Wade is certainly gonna try his hand in the draft, but pretty much everybody expects he will return. I was ready to fire him 2 years ago. And as I said earlier I had given up my ticket package for the 17-18 season as my only way of expressing my displeasure with the direction of things under Weber. But I was wrong.. and I'm glad I was.

There was a very similar point here at Illinois like you just described. Had a brief resurgence after a several bad years around 2010....but that was just a short jump and then back to the dumps. Cost the program about 4-5 years that could have been better spent on someone else.

He has recruited a few very nice pieces though. Sneed is fantastic
 
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Also, KSU was 0-5 against the RPI top 25 with an average margin of -13.
This is significant. We didn't beat a single team this season that was better then us. Not a one actually. We also didn't lose to teams that were comparable or worse then us either. We were the definition of consistent anyway.
 
This is significant. We didn't beat a single team this season that was better then us. Not a one actually. We also didn't lose to teams that were comparable or worse then us either. We were the definition of consistent anyway.

How do you see this game going? I see a low possession, 65-62 type of game. If it is it really gives you guys a better chance. If UK can speed the game up I think they win by double digits.
 
If Dean Wade is anywhere close to being healthy it makes KSU considerably tougher to defend. Wade was the most versatile big man in the Big 12. He and Brown play very well off of each other.

This should be a very entertaining game if Wade can play. I think UK will find out early on, they won't have a decided athletic advantage over KSU. Length, yes, but with Manwien coming into his own since the end of conference play, that just added more size and length to the KSU front line. Manwien and Wade give KSU two very versatile 6'10 guys who match up well with the UK bigs.
 
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How do you see this game going? I see a low possession, 65-62 type of game. If it is it really gives you guys a better chance. If UK can speed the game up I think they win by double digits.
Honestly.. I'd be lying if I told you I had any clue. I just haven't watched enough Kentucky. Based on looking at your schedule you're playing pretty high level right now. I'm a huge fan of Rick Barnes and thought Texas was out of their loving minds to fire him and see you went 1-2 against him. Our common opponents (Georgia and KU) we ended up with similar results. Both lost to KU and beat Georgia. Honestly.. until I see Dean Wade looking healthy enough to make an impact I don't see us having a prayer simply based on the fact that we're gonna get beat sooooo badly on the boards, which is our big weakness anyway. If Wade isn't at least 80%.. ugh. You should get oodles of second chance points. I do think our defense will surprise you. If you watched us against Creighton at all you'd see what I'm talking about. Barry Brown is legit. Just hoping we can keep it close and have a shot at the end. At this point it's gravy for K-State. We were expecting this to potentially occur next season (or we were going to be calling for Weber's head) as this team has no seniors. Naturally yours doesn't either, but that's not terribly surprising. It is for us, so this whole team returns next year unless (unlikely as it is) Wade decides to enter the draft after testing the waters. Our best NBA draft prospect is probably Xavier Sneed who is also coming into his own. Only a Soph
 
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Count me in the crowd that wants a white kid with a fractured foot playing against our thoroughbreds
I actually think he may be KSU’s best chance at an offense. UK blocks everything. This will make it difficult on the guards and that African kid. But Wade has a very effective fadeaway jumper. He hits it 6/10 times or better if he isn’t doubled. He doesn’t need space. If he is doubled it will open the floor for other guys. IMO, KSU’s only chance is if Wade plays and he isn’t rusty.
 
SGA has been able to play free the last few games against opponents that are among the worst in turning teams over.

Barry Brown Jr. is a great defensive PG and could disrupt SGA's rhythm here. Plus, KState as a team is great at forcing turnovers.
 
KSU has the ability to lock you down defensively. Their help defense & other rotations seem to move pretty well together. I have no idea what to expect from Wade but one thing is for damn sure....do not let him get into a rhythm shooting. Weber is a good defensive coach and they are disciplined in that area.
 
KSU has the ability to lock you down defensively. Their help defense & other rotations seem to move pretty well together. I have no idea what to expect from Wade but one thing is for damn sure....do not let him get into a rhythm shooting. Weber is a good defensive coach and they are disciplined in that area.

They didn't look that good defensively against UMBC, numbers aside. UMBC was able to constantly get into the paint and kick to open shooters, where they couldn't hit anything. Don't know if it was a scheme thing or what but that was really noticeable. And KSU's offense couldn't find easy looks at all.
 
If Dean Wade is anywhere close to being healthy it makes KSU considerably tougher to defend. Wade was the most versatile big man in the Big 12. He and Brown play very well off of each other. They could possibly be 2nd or 3rd in the Big 12. The top 5 teams in the Big 12 will really be good next year.

This should be a very entertaining game if Wade can play. I think UK will find out early on, they won't have a decided athletic advantage over KSU. Length, yes, but with Manwien coming into his own since the end of conference play, that just added more size and length to the KSU front line. Manwien and Wade give KSU two very versatile 6'10 guys who match up well with the UK bigs.

Wade will be back next year. To play him and risk further damage when you have already exceeded expectations is foolish. Next year with Wade KSU will really be pretty good.
 
They didn't look that good defensively against UMBC, numbers aside. UMBC was able to constantly get into the paint and kick to open shooters, where they couldn't hit anything. Don't know if it was a scheme thing or what but that was really noticeable. And KSU's offense couldn't find easy looks at all.

Offensively they will struggle. Like a lot of teams they can be streaky but they're offensively underwhelming for the most part. I don't know what the hell was going on in the UMBC game but both teams looked like they were scared of hurting each other's feelings. KSU is typically better defensively but like you said in the UMBC game, they did not look good on either side of the ball.

As far as the UK/KSU game is concerned, UK has too much length and will bother KSU too much. One thing to keep in mind with KSU, they will run 25-28 seconds off the shot clock so patience isn't a problem. The problem is they are woefully inconsistent in being an offensive threat. UK is playing terrific basketball right now and they're doing it at the best time possible. I do expect KSU to slow the pace and muddy the game up but I think UK runs away in the 2nd half.
 
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I was feeling pretty good about K-State's chances until this morning. Now I'm getting really anxious. I just don't see how we have a prayer against Kentucky's size and athleticism. And at best, a tentative Dean Wade isn't going to be much help. Kentucky is playing their best basketball of the season right now. So are we, but their best certainly trumps ours. I guess our D could make it interesting for a while. But I don't think we keep it terribly close in the closing 10 minutes or so. Maybe I should just start drinking now.
 
Kansas State has won the games they are suppose to win this year outside of maybe Tulsa in Wichita. Not saying Tulsa is a bad team, but that's the only game I could definitively say KSU lost to an inferior opponent. Inside the conference, KSU beat up on the teams equal or worse than them in the standings. It was only against KU, WVU, and Texas Tech (all Sweet 16 participants) did they lose. On paper, UK looks to be in the same class as the three mentioned BIG 12 teams.

A Bruce Weber coached KSU team has always sneaked up on one big opponent every season. That hasn't transpired to date. Will tonight be the night KSU knocks off someone that at least on paper looks superior to them?
 
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Kansas State has won the games they are suppose to win this year outside of maybe Tulsa in Wichita. Not saying Tulsa is a bad team, but that's the only game I could definitively say KSU lost to an inferior opponent. Inside the conference, KSU beat up on the teams equal or worse than them in the standings. It was only against KU, WVU, and Texas Tech (all Sweet 16 participants) did they lose. On paper, UK looks to be in the same class as the three mentioned BIG 12 teams.

A Bruce Weber coached KSU team has always sneaked up on one big opponent every season. That hasn't transpired to date. Will tonight be the night KSU knocks off someone that at least on paper looks superior to them?

Nope
 
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