Record 20-13
The Wildicats went 12-1 in 2016, and then flipped the switch the wrong way in regular season (8-10). The Big 12 tournament left plenty of room for optimism, especially because it was an isolated run: Kansas State only had one really bad game, on the road at Oklahoma, and played very well in all the others, whether it was a win or a loss. The Wildcats were a tough match-up for Kansas, won twice against Baylor (including the quarterfinal game) and lost by 1 in the semifinal against West Virginia. Coach Bruce Weber and his players deserved an invitation to the Big Dance, the very last chance for the two senior leaders of the team to do something special: DJ Johnson and Wesley Iwundu. Johnson is the heart and soul of the team and his free throws ritual is already the stuff of legends, while Iwundu is a do-it-all wing who can score and rebound very well. The Wildcats defense has always been effective, their offense not as much.
Key Players
Wesley Iwundu is an interesting prospect for overseas teams, but the team’s destiny is in the hands of Kamau Stokes: if the sophomore PG does not play well, things will get ugly for the Wildcats. In the frontcourt, the future belongs to freshman Isaiah Maurice.
Prediction
On the perfect night, the Wildcats can win against anyone, just like they did with Baylor. But they will put up a fight regardless of their opponents.
