Kansas State star Jacob Pullen has already gone on record saying he won’t play in the National Invitation Tournament, so the goal seems all or nothing for the Kansas State Wildcats. The NCAA tournament still seems a far off goal given K-State’s performance in the Big 12 this year, yet nothing is impossible.
The Iowa State win was too close for comfort, but a road win is a road win no matter how poor the Cyclones have played lately. It was exactly the sort of (very) small step the Wildcats needed to find any sense of momentum. With two wins in a row and three in their last four games, the conference is now 4-5 and they can even it next Saturday against Colorado — another winnable game.
Of course, the real tests are coming up with games against ranked conference opponents like Kansas, Missouri and Texas — a team occupying the very spot (No. 3) that K-State did in the Associated Press preseason poll. Somehow Frank Martin’s squad still controls its own destiny, and they must move forward at this point or else it will be too late.