OKLAHOMA CITY—Kansas State had a great chance to build its NCAA Tournament resume and lose the dreaded “bubble” distinction.
A first-round bye in the Big 12 Tournament.
A proving-point second-round game against Texas.
A would-be semi-final game against a tired Baylor team that will be playing its third game in three days.
It was a perfect scenario to make its NCAA Tournament plea.
Then, the bubble might have burst—Kansas State lost, 61-58.
“What do you want me to tell you, we don’t deserve to be here?” Wildcats coach Frank Martin said following the loss, when asked about his team’s tournament chances.
It was the beginning of 2:50 speech/statement/rant by Martin on why K-State should be in the big dance.
So do they belong?
Texas only further solidified its big dance status by beating the Wildcats on Thursday.
Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri and Oklahoma State are locks.
Texas A&M and Kansas State remain on the proverbial bubble.
Martin said without saying the classic cliché, “it’s not how you start, its how you finish,” but that was his point.
The Wildcats played a very weak non-conference schedule, going the “state” route, as in Southeast Missouri State, Emporia State, Idaho State and Chicago State. In fact, its best non-conference win was against a “state” school—a victory at Cleveland State—a team that upset Butler in the Horizon League Tournament Championship.
The Wildcats lost all three major conference schools they played, dropping contests against Kentucky, Iowa and Oregon.
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