Kansas State Wildcats: 20-13, 8-10 in the Big 12
Head coach: Bruce Weber (5th season)
Players to watch: Wesley Iwundu (12.5 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 3.4 APG); Kamau Stokes (11.6 PPG, 4.3 APG); D.J. Johnson (11.2 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 1.5 BPG)
Season recap: Following an inconsistent regular season featuring six losses by six points or fewer, the Wildcats entered the Big 12 tournament needing another signature win to go along with a January upset of West Virginia and February win at Baylor to get off the NCAA tournament bubble. Thanks to point guard Barry Brown's 21 points and four 3-pointers, Kansas State got exactly what it needed, toppling Baylor again 70-64 to sneak into the Big Dance following its first win against a top-10 opponent in the Big 12 tournament since 1993.
Head coach Bruce Weber has another tough Wildcat team, one that ran through nonconference play at 11-1 thanks to a soft schedule and one-point loss to Maryland. Despite getting strong play from senior wing Wesley Iwundu, the trend of close losses continued for Kansas State, which went 2-8 during a tough stretch from late January to late February. But it ratcheted up the intensity in its man-to-man defense just in the nick of time. The Wildcats nearly beat West Virginia again in the Big 12 tournament semifinals after their second upset of Baylor, holding the Mountaineers just 51 points before ultimately falling by one point.
How they make a run: Kansas State stays disciplined with its defense, shutting down Wake Forest's explosive offense before winning a defensive struggle against Cincinnati with Brown staying hot from long range.
How they falter: The Wildcats cannot get their perimeter shots to fall, and poor offense leads to lazy defense—the kind that led Kansas State to its 2-8 stretch—and a play-in game loss.
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