Kansas State Basketball: Forget Last Week

Dec 30, 2016; Manhattan, KS, USA; Kansas State Wildcats guard Kamau Stokes (3) steals the ball from Texas Longhorns guard Kerwin Roach Jr. (12) at Fred Bramlage Coliseum. The Wildcats won the game, 65-62. Mandatory Credit: Scott Sewell-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 30, 2016; Manhattan, KS, USA; Kansas State Wildcats guard Kamau Stokes (3) steals the ball from Texas Longhorns guard Kerwin Roach Jr. (12) at Fred Bramlage Coliseum. The Wildcats won the game, 65-62. Mandatory Credit: Scott Sewell-USA TODAY Sports

Kansas State lost a pair of difficult road games last week. Despite a slow start in Ames and Knoxville, the Wildcats showed some signs of life in the second half of both games.

The game at Tennessee was fun but not for fans in purple.

The Big12/SEC Challenge is a nice made for ESPN event. It is also killer for teams in the middle of a conference race.

As the team returns home to host TCU on Wednesday, Bruce Weber’s Wildcats need to focus on what they’ve accomplished and aim toward earning an NCAA tourney bid.

They need to forget last week.

They have a lot of positives to build on.

Going into the Tennessee game, four of the Wildcats’ five losses were by a mere 5 points or less and by a total of 18 points.

The Wildcats have played outstanding defense. Kansas State has forced double-digit turnovers in 14 games including 12 against the Volunteers.

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The Wildcats are getting balanced scoring. Despite having only 3 players in double figures on Saturday, Kansas State has shot the ball well. Five players have scored in double figures six times this season.

Coach Bruce Weber must get the team fired up to start game. They have done well at coming from behind but doing well and winning are not the same.

Playing at Bramlage on Wednesday should be the recipe they need to get back on the winning track.

Schedule

Schedule