Kansas State's March Madness hopes are slim but not gone

March is right around the corner, and with that comes college basketball fans’ favorite time of the year: the NCAA Tournament. For the mid-tier teams across the Power Five, every game carries urgency. For Kansas State, the stakes are even higher.

With only eight games remaining in the conference schedule and a 10-14 overall record, the margins for error are shrinking. 

Is there any chance that the Wildcats receive an at-large tournament bid?

It's not unheard of for the aforementioned mid-tier Power Five teams to earn tournament bids. Just two seasons ago, the NC State Wolfpack did just that. That team ended the season with 13 losses, the most by any team in the South Region in 2024. 

Entering the month of March, the Wolfpack sat at 17-14 overall and 9-11 in the conference. The way things were trending, they were set to become another forgotten team in the ACC. 

Next thing the fans knew, a 9-11 team won its next five, including ranked wins over then-No. 11 Duke and then-No. 4 North Carolina. Better yet, they won the conference tournament and stole a bid. 

From the Wildcats’ perspective, that number is going to be difficult to reach. With just eight games remaining, the window for error has already closed. Winning out through the rest of the regular season means their record could improve to 9-10 in the conference ahead of the Big 12 Tournament.

Depending on the health of the team and if it can return the majority of its starters, it’s possible – not easy by any means, but still possible. 

What’s stopping the Cats from running the tables? 

As head coach Jerome Tang alluded to in his postgame press conference following Wednesday’s loss to Cincinnati, the team needs to play with urgency, and a desire to represent the purple and white.

Regardless of where fans want to point the finger, something needs to change. If that’s helping PJ Haggerty out in the frontcourt and ensuring the workload is balanced, then that’s what needs to be done. 

But in a conference like the Big 12, there is such thing as 'too little, too late.' If Arizona, for example, were in the same spot at K-State mid-February without its highly talented roster, they would likely struggle to retain momentum among the nation’s best packed into a four game stretch. 

Make no mistake, every athlete on Tang’s squad was recruited for a reason. They all proved more than capable of getting things done prior to their arrival in The Little Apple, and the record should reflect that talent isn’t the issue.

Every transfer portal addition had something to offer; It just comes downtof urgency, and how each member of the roster is utilized. If they aren’t making contributions, it naturally raises the question about their role.

If things are going to change, how?

In the coming weeks, that question needs an answer. Is it the players, their motivation, the system in place, or something else?

Only Tang can provide that answer.

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