Wildcats, Weber Need to Make a Statement in Stillwater

The Kansas State Wildcats play a hungry Oklahoma State Cowboy team on Wednesday. There is more to this game than just the final score. The Wildcats need to make statement.

Bruce Weber’s Wildcats started the season on a roll. They were off to the program’s best start since 2009-10 season. Three of their 4 losses were by a total of 4 points.

Now the team needs to send a message for their coach.

Kansas State ended last season with a 22-point loss in the Big 12 Tournament and no post season play.

Some fans were so disappointed, they wanted big changes to the program.

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When former Wildcat player and assistant Brad Underwood, then the head coach at Stephen F Austin, earned national attention for his team’s play, some fans and media called for Kansas State to bring him back to Manhattan. They wanted a new coach.

Underwood is a 1986 graduate of Kansas State, where he played for Jack Hartman.

Just ten years ago, Underwood started work on the Kansas State staff before leaving for South Carolina with Frank Martin. He became head coach at Stephen F Austin in 2013.

You may remember Underwood’s Stephen F Austin Lumberjacks earned an upset win over fifth-seeded VCU in the opening round of the 2014 NCAA Tournament and matched that success again in 2016.  As Underwood’s Basketball camp bio web site described it, “they took down No. 3 seed West Virginia in the first round. In fact, the Lumberjacks came within two seconds of a trip to the Sweet 16.”

Oklahoma State knew what they wanted in a head coach. They fired Travis Ford and hired Underwood.

Some Wildcats were disappointed that they would now have to battle Underwood in Big 12 play.

Like him or not, Kansas State had Bruce Weber as their coach. Don’t forget, Webber won his 400th game earlier this season. The man can coach.

Despite several players leaving or being asked to leave the program, Weber has this team playing well.

Forget the missed call at KU, the phantom foul at Tech and the loss to then top-ranked Baylor. Kansas State has a quality basketball team this season. Underwood and Oklahoma State have not won a Big 12 game.

If the Kansas State players have any love for the coach, they need to bring home a win from Stillwater.

They need to be aggressive, hit the boards and take the game to the Cowboys.

Weber and the Wildcats needs to set the tone in this very first game against Underwood.