SE: Six Things to Know Before K-State Hoops Returns
Nov 19, 2020 | Men's Basketball, Women's Basketball, Sports Extra
By: Austin Siegel
It's been 253 days since K-State played a basketball game.
At least one team in Manhattan has played postseason basketball every year since 2001, keeping college hoops in the Little Apple going deep into March. With COVID-19 wiping out the NCAA Tournament this spring, the 2020 offseason has been a historic basketball drought.
That all changes next week. The Wildcats are back with both K-State Men's Basketball and Women's Basketball set to tip off over Thanksgiving break.
This season snuck up more than most and there's no shame in some last-minute cramming.
In that spirit, here are six things to know before both K-State basketball teams get the 2020-21 season started.
Q: So, how is this season going to work with…everything?
COVID-19 has rocked the college sports landscape this year and basketball is no exception. This season will actually be a little more recognizable than the conference-only format the Big 12 adapted for soccer and volleyball, as both teams will play a condensed non-conference season.
The conference slate is also largely intact, with Big 12 play beginning in December and running through the end of February. The biggest change will be attendance, as Bramlage Coliseum will be closed to fans in November, with plans to adapt a 25 percent capacity policy later in the season.
"They're going to make the best decision for the safety of everyone. We would love to have fans, but I think the big thing is we've got to get the games," Bruce Weber said. "It may not be pretty, but it's going to be nice to get there."
Q: How much preseason hype are we talking this year?
Going almost 10 months without K-State basketball is one thing.
Waiting almost two years to watch the Wildcats play one of those early afternoon postseason games while you eat lunch on a Thursday? They should give out medals for that sort of thing.
Jeff Mittie's crew is the more established of the two programs in 2020-21, with the Wildcats picked to finish fourth in the Big 12 Preseason Coaches Poll.
That's their highest preseason projection since Mittie arrived in Manhattan and would put K-State in a great spot on Selection Sunday.
Losing Peyton Williams is going to be a challenge, but Mittie is confident that his team is ready.
"We lost a great rebounder in Williams," he said. "I have gone back and rewatched Moneyball and we're not 'replacing Giambi.' We are going to have to replace Giambi with about three players…I don't know if it works with basketball, but I like the movie, so it's a great excuse to watch it."
For K-State men's basketball, it's all about eight new players this season and one of the most dramatic offseason overhauls in the history of the program, right in the middle of a pandemic.
"Everybody needs hope," Weber said. "Everyone needs a purpose, love and empathy. That's what I'm trying to do. Obviously, you want to win some games, along the way."
The last time he brought this many freshmen to campus, Weber built them into a Big 12 champion just three years later.
Based on the caliber of the 2020 class, expect a similar ceiling for this group.
Q: Wait, they have eight new players?
To be honest, this season might feel something like an Avengers movie where you're just trying to keep track of everyone's name without getting all of their superpowers mixed up.
The Wildcats have eight new scholarship players and a walk-on in Kansas native Drew Honas.
The frontcourt in particular is going to be full of new faces, with sophomore Montavious Murphy the veteran in the paint with all of 19 games on his resume from last season.
Q: Not to be that guy, but there's only one ball. What's the plan for all these new guys?
The most exciting thing about the men's team in 2020-21 is how balanced those newcomers look on paper, with depth at some key positions and upside across the board.
Take the big men – Weber has talked up Davion Bradford since the freshman arrived on campus. He literally used "aircraft carrier" as an adjective.
"He might be the biggest surprise," Weber said. "He's got good hands, he's worked hard and he's another young man who has a big heart and a good personality…I think he has a bright future ahead of him."
But Bradford isn't the only big man to watch. UTEP transfer Kaosi Ezeagu and freshman Carlton Linguard, Jr. give the Wildcats a pair of talented rim-protectors alongside Murphy.
Returnees Mike McGuirl and DaJuan Gordon could be the key to making things work with the guards – both players stepped up for the Wildcats last year and should anchor the backcourt.
Expect the beginning of the season to be about mixing and matching, as Weber and his staff build their rotations for Big 12 play.
Q: Who are some players to watch on the women's side?
One of the most exciting things about this season is that each basketball team at K-State gives you something a little different. If the men's team is about potential, the women's team is all about proving a point.
It starts with Ayoka Lee, who might just be the best basketball player in the Big 12.
"She established herself as a player we could throw it to and finish at a young age, and I think she has had a good, solid offseason," Mittie said. "She just comes in and gives you the same effort every day."
Lee is on the Women's Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy Watch List and the Wade Trophy Watch List, up for the Lisa Leslie Award presented to the nation's top center and was named to the Preseason All-Big 12 team.
Rachel Ranke is also back after missing most of the 2019-20 season. She's an All-Big 12 Honorable Mention and somebody who K-State will need to spread the floor and find open looks.
Factor in an experienced backcourt with Texas Tech transfer Sydney Goodson and two-year starter Christianna Carr, and the hype around this team starts to make a lot more sense.
Q: What are some games to keep an eye on early in the season?
On the men's side, the Little Apple Classic includes a Big 12 reunion with Colorado before a matchup in the Big 12-Big East Battle with Butler in December.
For the K-State women's basketball team, the highlight of the non-conference slate is a matchup in Manhattan with Kentucky, who ended last season ranked No. 16 in the country.
If the Wildcats can knock off their only Power Five opponent outside of conference play, they have a real shot to reach their first Big 12 game with a perfect record and a national ranking.
"We've got a great December schedule," Mittie said. "They don't want to practice anyways, they want to play the games, right? They'll choose a game over practice every single time."
It's been 253 days since K-State played a basketball game.
At least one team in Manhattan has played postseason basketball every year since 2001, keeping college hoops in the Little Apple going deep into March. With COVID-19 wiping out the NCAA Tournament this spring, the 2020 offseason has been a historic basketball drought.
That all changes next week. The Wildcats are back with both K-State Men's Basketball and Women's Basketball set to tip off over Thanksgiving break.
This season snuck up more than most and there's no shame in some last-minute cramming.
In that spirit, here are six things to know before both K-State basketball teams get the 2020-21 season started.
Q: So, how is this season going to work with…everything?
COVID-19 has rocked the college sports landscape this year and basketball is no exception. This season will actually be a little more recognizable than the conference-only format the Big 12 adapted for soccer and volleyball, as both teams will play a condensed non-conference season.
The conference slate is also largely intact, with Big 12 play beginning in December and running through the end of February. The biggest change will be attendance, as Bramlage Coliseum will be closed to fans in November, with plans to adapt a 25 percent capacity policy later in the season.
"They're going to make the best decision for the safety of everyone. We would love to have fans, but I think the big thing is we've got to get the games," Bruce Weber said. "It may not be pretty, but it's going to be nice to get there."
Q: How much preseason hype are we talking this year?
Going almost 10 months without K-State basketball is one thing.
Waiting almost two years to watch the Wildcats play one of those early afternoon postseason games while you eat lunch on a Thursday? They should give out medals for that sort of thing.
Jeff Mittie's crew is the more established of the two programs in 2020-21, with the Wildcats picked to finish fourth in the Big 12 Preseason Coaches Poll.
That's their highest preseason projection since Mittie arrived in Manhattan and would put K-State in a great spot on Selection Sunday.
Losing Peyton Williams is going to be a challenge, but Mittie is confident that his team is ready.
"We lost a great rebounder in Williams," he said. "I have gone back and rewatched Moneyball and we're not 'replacing Giambi.' We are going to have to replace Giambi with about three players…I don't know if it works with basketball, but I like the movie, so it's a great excuse to watch it."
For K-State men's basketball, it's all about eight new players this season and one of the most dramatic offseason overhauls in the history of the program, right in the middle of a pandemic.
"Everybody needs hope," Weber said. "Everyone needs a purpose, love and empathy. That's what I'm trying to do. Obviously, you want to win some games, along the way."
The last time he brought this many freshmen to campus, Weber built them into a Big 12 champion just three years later.
Based on the caliber of the 2020 class, expect a similar ceiling for this group.
Q: Wait, they have eight new players?
To be honest, this season might feel something like an Avengers movie where you're just trying to keep track of everyone's name without getting all of their superpowers mixed up.
The Wildcats have eight new scholarship players and a walk-on in Kansas native Drew Honas.
The frontcourt in particular is going to be full of new faces, with sophomore Montavious Murphy the veteran in the paint with all of 19 games on his resume from last season.
Q: Not to be that guy, but there's only one ball. What's the plan for all these new guys?
The most exciting thing about the men's team in 2020-21 is how balanced those newcomers look on paper, with depth at some key positions and upside across the board.
Take the big men – Weber has talked up Davion Bradford since the freshman arrived on campus. He literally used "aircraft carrier" as an adjective.
"He might be the biggest surprise," Weber said. "He's got good hands, he's worked hard and he's another young man who has a big heart and a good personality…I think he has a bright future ahead of him."
But Bradford isn't the only big man to watch. UTEP transfer Kaosi Ezeagu and freshman Carlton Linguard, Jr. give the Wildcats a pair of talented rim-protectors alongside Murphy.
Returnees Mike McGuirl and DaJuan Gordon could be the key to making things work with the guards – both players stepped up for the Wildcats last year and should anchor the backcourt.
Expect the beginning of the season to be about mixing and matching, as Weber and his staff build their rotations for Big 12 play.
Q: Who are some players to watch on the women's side?
One of the most exciting things about this season is that each basketball team at K-State gives you something a little different. If the men's team is about potential, the women's team is all about proving a point.
It starts with Ayoka Lee, who might just be the best basketball player in the Big 12.
"She established herself as a player we could throw it to and finish at a young age, and I think she has had a good, solid offseason," Mittie said. "She just comes in and gives you the same effort every day."
Lee is on the Women's Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy Watch List and the Wade Trophy Watch List, up for the Lisa Leslie Award presented to the nation's top center and was named to the Preseason All-Big 12 team.
Rachel Ranke is also back after missing most of the 2019-20 season. She's an All-Big 12 Honorable Mention and somebody who K-State will need to spread the floor and find open looks.
Factor in an experienced backcourt with Texas Tech transfer Sydney Goodson and two-year starter Christianna Carr, and the hype around this team starts to make a lot more sense.
Q: What are some games to keep an eye on early in the season?
On the men's side, the Little Apple Classic includes a Big 12 reunion with Colorado before a matchup in the Big 12-Big East Battle with Butler in December.
For the K-State women's basketball team, the highlight of the non-conference slate is a matchup in Manhattan with Kentucky, who ended last season ranked No. 16 in the country.
If the Wildcats can knock off their only Power Five opponent outside of conference play, they have a real shot to reach their first Big 12 game with a perfect record and a national ranking.
"We've got a great December schedule," Mittie said. "They don't want to practice anyways, they want to play the games, right? They'll choose a game over practice every single time."
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