Jerome Tang has specific Big 12 win total in mind as K-State aims for NCAA Tournament
It’s far too early to know if the Kansas State men’s basketball team has what it takes to return to the NCAA Tournament this year.
Depending on your March Madness projection of choice, the Wildcats are currently being pegged as one of the last teams in the field of 68 or one of the first teams out. In other words, they are a bubble team as they take their 10-3 record into the start of Big 12 play.
Seemingly anything can happen between now and March. But one thing is for sure: K-State will make (or break) its case for the NCAA Tournament during its always challenging 18-game conference schedule.
K-State head coach Jerome Tang even has a specific win total in mind. He views it as the Wildcats’ magic number for locking up an at-large bid.
“Nine wins,” Tang said. “We’re not guaranteed. The expectations have to be tempered a little bit because of the group that we have, but that is why we have crazy faith. We are going to take it one at a time. We have got a lot. It is going to be one heck of a job to get nine wins in this conference. Anyone who does that in this league deserves to play in the NCAA Tournament.”
At the moment, K-State’s case for a spot in March Madness is a bit flimsy. So a .500 or better record in conference play would significantly strengthen its resume.
The best thing K-State has going for it right now is its record. No matter how you slice it, 10-3 is an impressive start for a team that challenged itself during nonconference action with games against USC, Providence, Miami, Villanova, LSU and Nebraska.
But the Wildcats have rarely passed the eye test, and most rating systems have punished them for winning several games in ugly fashion. Needing overtime to beat Oral Roberts and North Alabama could hurt them on Selection Sunday. So could other narrow wins over Chicago State, Wichita State and Bellarmine.
K-State currently ranks No. 94 in the college basketball NET ratings, No. 83 at Bart Torvik and No. 78 at Ken Pomeroy.
Teams with those numbers don’t typically reach the NCAA Tournament.
But the rating systems should warm up to K-State as its strength of schedule improves dramatically during Big 12 play.
Outside of West Virginia, every team in the conference owns a winning record. Eight teams rank in the top 50 of the NET. Another four rank inside the top 100.
There’s no such thing as a bad win in the Big 12.
K-State is hoping to win nine or more of them so it can return to March Madness.
“I feel like our team is solid,” K-State wing Arthur Kaluma said. “We’re working every single day. It’s not like we’re not working out or we’re not working hard. Everybody is trying to get to where they need to be. We’re not going to be playing our best basketball until it comes down to March. So we just need to stay consistent with the process.”
