The Kansas State Wildcats have played great basketball this year. The Wildcats have had many memorable games and memorable moments. They have achieved many milestones including key upsets of teams they weren’t supposed to beat. But most importantly, the Wildcats are redeeming themselves for the past few years of not making the NCAA tournament. Justified or not, the Wildcats have been snubbed from the field of 65 two of the past three years, even though they collected 20 or more wins and finished no worse than 4th in the Big 12 all three years.

This week marks the tenth in a row that K-Stae has been featured in the top 25. The Wildcats have been ranked inside the top 15 seven out of the ten weeks they have been in the top 25.

This is especially impressive because the Wildcats have the 6th toughest schedule in the country. The winning percentage of the Wildcats’ opponents is a combined 63 percent. K-State is 6-4 against teams in the RPI ratings from 1-50 and is unbeaten against teams 50+ in the RPI ratings.

Coming into the season, the Wildcats weren’t ranked in any poll. In fact, when the pre-season polls were released the Wildcats were touted as just the No. 39 team in the country.

Last Saturday, Kansas State head coach Frank Martin reached 20-wins for the third time in his three seasons leading the Wildcats. His 20-4 Wildcats are off to the fifth best start in school history. The season is drawing to a close and the Wildcats boast a 7-3 conference record, good enough for second-place behind No. 1 Kansas. K-State is a legitimate contender for the Big 12 tournament title this season.

The Wildcats are currently ranked No. 7 in both the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today poll. This marks the highest ranking for a Kansas State men’s basketball team in nearly five decades, dating all the way back to the 1962 season when the Wildcats finished the season ranked No. 6. The 1959 team achieved the highest final ranking in school history by finishing the season ranked No. 1 in the country.

Before this season can go down in the record books, the Wildcats need to take care of business in their final six Big 12 games, three of which are on the road. In the home stretch the Wildcats have to keep things rolling, but are well on their way to finishing the season with their highest final ranking in decades.