How Kansas State Made It To The Final Four (In My Dreams)
By Dave Thoman
Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Maybe I’m still in denial. I’ve never been great with the whole ‘acceptance’ phase after experiencing a traumatic event in life. Our new writer Shane Summers tried to bring some catharsis with this article, but I still lay in bed dreaming that the Wildcats didn’t get bounced by La Salle in their first NCAA tournament game. So here’s how it should would have gone down if Angel Rodriguez’s desperately awkward, behind the backboard shot had gone in against the Explorers. We’ll call it the Jug of Snyder Final (Fantasy) Four recap:
Following its harrowing victory against La Salle, the Wildcats faced an Ole Miss team that upset Wisconsin in its first game. The Rebels (27-9) ran up against a much more hostile crowd than La Salle against K-State – Kansas City was absolutely jumping as fans salivated at the thought of earning a trip to the Sweet Sixteen by way of defeating an SEC squad.
Mississippi used a height advantage to outrebound Kansas State, but the Wildcats were on fire from behind the arc. They absolutely decimated an Ole Miss zone defense that kept Jordan Henriquez and Thomas Gipson in check, but allowed shot after shot from outside. Rodney McGruder led all scorers with 27 points, connecting on six of 11 three point shots. Final score: Mississippi 56, K-State 71.