So usually this time of year is dreaded by Kansas State basketball fans. Even if we get into the tournament the likelihood of us lasting long is not always likely. This year, however, we saw something out of the ordinary. We not only made it to the NCAA tournament, but we made it all the way to the Elite Eight.
This was the first time the Cats appeared in the Sweet Sixteen since the 2010 season. This was the Cats 17th overall appearance in the Sweet Sixteen in program history. Most Wildcat fans are very happy with the performance of the Wildcats this postseason especially with the Elite Eight appearance as well, which has also not happened since the 2010 season.
A lot of fans were not sure about Head Coach Bruce Weber, but after this postseason run a lot of fans are giving him more and more credit. Credit that he is well deserving of with the Cats finishing top four in arguably the best conference and now with an Elite Eight run in the tournament, even without All-Big 12 Junior Dean Wade.
Many believed the Cats would struggle without Wade, that was not necessarily the case. The first game Wade was out was in the Big 12 Tournament Semi-final against Kansas. The Cats may have lost the game, but they saw tremendous effort from players who usually are not producing as much.
Wade was also out for the first, second, most of the third, and the fourth round of the NCAA Tournament. The first game against Creighton had fans a little scared without Wade, but the Cats showed their fight and came out with a 69-59 win to advance to the round of 32 where they would play 16 seed UMBC and win. They then pulled the upset against Kentucky winning 61-58, with Wade playing only eight minutes in the first half and scoring four points.
UMBC otherwise known as University of Maryland Baltimore County was not a well-known school coming into the tournament, but that all changed when they made history. The Retrievers beat the overall number one seed in the tournament to advance and play Kansas State.
Everybody seemed to be cheering against the Cats on March 18th. They wanted their Cinderella team to keep advancing in the tournament, but the Cats would end their run with a 50-43 victory.
After the Cats upset the nation by beating the "Cinderella" they turned around and beat the other Cats. The Kentucky Wildcats were the highest seed left in the South Region as a five seed and the Cats were able to beat them to advance to the Elite Eight.
The Cats were able to pull of an unimaginable tournament run and fans are very excited. The Cats return every player on scholarship and will likely be very competitive next year. Wildcat fans are very hopeful for a Big 12 run and another tournament run for the 2018-2019 season.
