There was a different feeling on Selection Sunday in Manhattan, KS. In the past few years, Selection Sunday has been an intense day full of emotions surrounding the Kansas State basketball program. Three seasons ago Kansas State was sitting firmly on the bubble. They had beaten a tough Texas Tech team in the conference tournament and had a solid 23 wins, 10 of which came during conference play. Unfortunately, then-head coach Bob Huggins’ Wildcats were skipped over while Texas Tech, the team Kansas State romped in the Big 12 Tournament quarterfinals, received a bid to the NCAA Tournament.
The following year was a very emotional one as Huggins bolted out of Manhattan (a fact that leaves some K-State fans bitter to this day) and the Wildcats were unsure of what was next for the program. Enter Frank Martin, a little-known assistant coach from Huggins’ staff at K-State. Many people saw Martin’s hiring as a way to retain a very strong recruiting class (considered number one in the nation by many recruiting services) headlined by Michael Beasley and Bill Walker. Whatever the plan was, it worked. Martin came in his first year and coached a very young team which had to endure the entire year without David Hoskins, one of their senior leaders. The Wildcats were loaded with talent, but they showed just how young of a team they truly were by struggling at the end of the season. They ended up getting an 11 seed in the NCAA tournament and played against a very tough USC team led by a fellow freshman sensation O.J. Mayo. The Wildcats pulled the upset on the Trojans but could not keep momentum and were defeated in the second round by Wisconsin, the number 3 seed.
Last year K-State was not expected to do very much. They lost Michael Beasley and Bill Walker to the NBA. However, Martin continued to prove what a talented coach he truly was. Despite being so young Kansas State showed up and fought in every game, finishing with a respectable 21-11 record. The Wildcats narrowly missed the NCAA tournament, ending up in the NIT. But that was not the case this season. This year, K-State did not have to sweat things out on Selection Sunday. By virtue of their 26-7 record, there was simply no way the Wildcats were not making the tournament. This year, rather, the question was one simply of what seed the Wildcats would receive and where they would be playing. Throughout the season the Wildcats have shown glimpses of dominance. They were rewarded on Selection Sunday by receiving a 2 seed in the west region and will face off against the Sun Belt Conference champion North Texas Mean Green in Oklahoma City, OK.
Last Meeting vs. North Texas
Historically, Kansas State holds a 5-1 series lead against the Mean Green, with the last meeting having taken place on December 15th, 2001, when the Wildcats defeated the North Texas 84-70. Pervis Pasco led the Wildcats in scoring with 30 points. Both the Wildcats and Mean Green have drastically improved their programs since then. That season the Wildcats posted a record of 13-16, including a disappointing season-ending loss to Colorado in the Big 12 Conference Tournament.
A Look at the Sun Belt Conference
In terms of RPI, the Sun Belt Conference is considered one of the worst in the nation. Don’t buy it. Last season, one of the biggest surprise teams in the country—Western Kentucky—was from the Sun Belt. The Hilltoppers upset the Illinois and nearly beat Gonzaga to move on to the Sweet 16 last season. This year, the Sun Belt had seven teams with winning records (North Texas 24-8, Western Kentucky 21-13, Troy 20-12, Middle Tennessee State 19-13, Denver 19-13, Arkansas State 17-14, and South Alabama 17-15). With the good comes the bad, however, as the conference also had three teams that lost over twenty games (Florida International, Arkansas-Little Rock, and New Orleans).
A look at the Mean Green
North Texas is coming into Oklahoma City as a very hot team, having won 11 consecutive games, including the Sun Belt Conference Tournament championship. North Texas has not played many highly-rated opponents this year, facing only two teams from BCS conferences (Texas A&M and Oklahoma State, both of the Big 12). In those games, however, North Texas was competitive. The Mean Green only lost to A&M by 10 and to Oklahoma State by 14. Against the top three teams in the Sun Belt, North Texas was 3-1, with their lone loss coming to Middle Tennessee State.
North Texas is an experienced team with lots of help from the upperclassmen. Their five players with the most playing time this year are all juniors except for one senior. The Mean Green is a dangerous team with this sort of experience. The players on their team have never been to the NCAA Tournament, however. Kansas State should not intimidate North Texas right off the bat. “We have had an opportunity to play Oklahoma State at their place and a good Texas A&M team at their place. Kansas State is a good basketball team, but these are the games that our guys look forward to,” said Mean Green head coach Johnny Jones.
North Texas Upperclassmen Leadership
Eric Tramiel – Senior
Tramiel (6’7” junior forward out of Shreveport, LA) is the leading scorer for the big men at North Texas. He averages 13 points per game, which ranks third overall on the team. He also averages 5.9 rebounds per game. He has suffered through a couple of small injuries this year that forced him to miss a couple of games. He is a two-time 3rd team all-conference player. Two of Tramiel’s biggest games this season were against Big 12 foes.
George Odufuwa – Junior
Odufuwa (6’8” junior forward out of Dallas, TX) is a transfer from Arizona State University. While at Arizona State, Odufuwa appeared in 13 games. This season the ASU transfer was selected as a 2nd team all-conference player. He averaged a double-double this season, scoring 11.7 points while collecting 10.7 rebounds per game. He has connected on an impressive 60% of his shots from the field. He is definitely the best inside threat for the Mean Green. Odufuwa played very well against Oklahoma State and Texas A&M, scoring right around his average. The problem for him, however, is turning the ball over. In 17 games this year he is averaging 3.5 turnovers per game.
Josh White – Junior
White (5’10” point guard out of Baton Rougue, LA) is the leader of the Mean Green. He leads the team in scoring (14.9) and assists (3.5) per game. White has scored in double figures 27 out of 32 games this year, including an incredible night where he scored 35 points against Texas Arlington. Unfortunately, White also leads the team in turnovers. White has turned the ball over at least 3 times in 19 of the Mean Green’s games this year. He has a great shot but can sometimes be sloppy with the ball. White was also a third-team all Sun-Belt selection this season.
Tristan Thompson – Junior
Thompson (6’5” guard out of Angleton, TX) is another scoring threat for the Mean Green. He was second on the team in scoring this season with 14.1 points per game and was the best rebounding guard on the team with 3.3 rebounds per game. The best element of his game is from the three-point line. He has connected on 40% of his three-point attempts. There are two games this season where he hit 6 three-point shots. On the season he has scored 20 points six times and is always looking to shoot. Thompson was a third-team all Sun-Belt performer this season.
Conclusion
The fans in Denton, TX should be very proud and excited for the future. Next year they only lose one key player and should look forward to dominating the Sun Belt Conference. Unfortunately, the Mean Green probably does not have enough to beat the Wildcats in the first round of the NCAA Tournament this year. They are too sloppy with the ball against two of the best defensive guards in the nation (Denis Clemente, Jacob Pullen). That being said, to win this game, the Wildcats still need to show up and play to their abilities. North Texas is a scrappy team that will be looking forward to playing further into the tournament. This game may end up being a blowout, but I do not expect North Texas to give up until the final buzzer sounds.
3 Keys to Victory
Respect: What North Texas has done this year needs to be respected. Granted Kansas State plays in a more difficult conference, but North Texas is a conference champion and is on a 13-game winning streak.
Intimidate: I don’t believe K-State will intimidate an experienced team like North Texas, but if they can it will be huge. Kansas State is bigger, faster, and stronger. If they show it, this game should be a definitive win.
Free Throws: Since K-State is bigger, faster, and stronger, I expect the Mean Green to come out playing very scrappy. I truly think that there will be a lot of fouls committed and Kansas State will have a lot of opportunities from the charity stripe. If K-State hits their free throws, they should be in great shape to win.
Kansas State enters the game as a 2 seed and will will take on North Texas tomorrow, Thursday, March 18 at 1:50 PM on CBS. This is K-State’s 24 NCAA Tournament appearance and the program’s highest seed ever.
