Kansas State men's basketball on the outside looking in of way-to-early top 25 rankings

The way-to-early-college basketball rankings have been released and even though the Wildcats are not in the top 25, they are close and be recognized for the work they have done this offseason.

In the "next in line" group, Kansas State is ranked fourth, and a lot of that is thanks to what Jerome Tang and the rest of the Kansas State coaching squad have done this offseason. The Wildcats are joined by four other teams in this group including fellow Big 12 member Texas Tech, Maryland, Xavier, and Oregon.

After losing six players to the transfer portal, Tang brought in eight new guys from the portal, a JUCO transfer, and one high school recruit.

After losing great players like Cam Carter to LSU and Arthur Kaluma to Texas, the Wildcats needed to bring in some big names and people to make up for a lot of the scorers that left.

After having a down season in 2023-2024 where the Wildcats struggled to win in close games and struggled the most with turning the ball over, K-State is trying to flip the script and get back on track to where they were in Tang's first season.

The Wildcats will have work to do in Tang's third year, but with the talent that the coaching staff brought in, it may be easier than something. K-State brought in a lot of height and 3-point shooters making the Wildcats force opponents to guard every inch of the half-court.

Worrying about the height of Achor Achor, Baye Fall, or even David N'Guessan will allow players like Dug McDaniel, Brendan Hausen, or Coleman Hawkins to be open for the three or long two on the outside. Guarding the three-point line closely will allow more space for Achor, Ball, and N'Guessan to work in the paint to get the leverage they need to get to the basket.

Ultimately, Tang is putting together a very well-rounded team and if they can find a way to finish out close games and protect the basketball, they can make a major jump from what the team looked like in year two.