SE: It All Made Sense - Weber Excited to Renew In-State Rivalry with Wichita State
Jul 13, 2020 | Men's Basketball, Sports Extra
Make no mistake, the four-game series between K-State and Wichita State, announced by the schools last week, is about the state of Kansas.
But for Bruce Weber, it's also about Missouri, Texas, Illinois, Indiana, Canada and Angola.
With one of the program's largest recruiting classes since Weber arrived in 2012, K-State men's basketball will feature a roster with a lot of zip codes this season and not much experience sharing a court together.
"We had been looking for a road charity game," Weber said. "With such a new team, I wanted more than just the exhibition game and the scrimmage. I thought it was important to get a road game."
Every season, K-State typically plays a couple of times at Bramlage Coliseum before the games count for real, an intrasquad scrimmage and an exhibition or two against a DII opponent.
However, it's not uncommon for the Wildcats to play their first true road game of the season against a challenging non-conference opponent. With eight new faces in Manhattan, it was important for Weber that his team get that experience out of the way early.
After conversations with Purdue, Missouri, Iowa and Creighton, Weber and his staff back came back to an opponent separated from Kansas State by just a two-hour drive and 17 years on college basketball's biggest stage without facing each other in a head-to-head matchup.
"When I called [Wichita State head coach] Gregg Marshall, Gregg said 'Hey, that's a great idea but what about going even further than that? Let's look into a series.' We got into it trying to figure out dates and what made sense," Weber said.
The schools agreed on a series beginning with a charity game in Wichita at INTRUST Bank Arena in October. K-State and Wichita State will officially start the four-game regular-season series at INTRUST Bank Arena in 2021 before a home game at Bramlage Coliseum in 2022, a trip to the newly renamed T-Mobile Center (formerly the Sprint Center) in Kansas City in 2023 and concluding with a return to Wichita in 2024 at the on-campus Charles Koch Arena.
Four years, four arenas, and the return of a regional matchup between two of college basketball's top programs.
"We're excited to revive this series," Athletics Director Gene Taylor said in a statement. "It's something that makes sense and needed to happen...I'm really looking forward to this series of games. We appreciate both head coaches as well as (WSU athletics director) Darron Boatright and our sport administrator, Casey Scott, for all the work they put into making this happen."
Proceeds from the game in October will go to local charities including Konza United Way, Crisis Center, Inc., United Way of the Plains and the Wichita Children's Home.
Weber said that the chance to help those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic through a charity game helped the schools get the series across the finish line.
The Wildcats will now face every D1 basketball program in the state of Kansas through 2024, adding Wichita State to a schedule that includes two Sunflower Showdown matchups with Kansas every season.
"That's one of the best games in the country to be a part of," Weber said. "Hopefully, we can create another positive opportunity with the Wichita State game."
Weber has faced the Shockers before during his time coaching in the Missouri Valley Conference with Southern Illinois. His Salukis defeated then-conference rival Wichita State in nine of ten matchups.
The Wildcats and Shockers will renew acquaintances for the first time since 2003, when K-State grabbed a 54-50 win in Manhattan. Overall, the schools have met 31 times.
Through off-campus matchups, Weber said he is hoping for an atmosphere that will be reminiscent of the best in-state rivalry games in college basketball.
"I had the privilege of coaching in that Illinois vs. Missouri game in St. Louis for nine years and when both teams were really good…you have half the arena orange and half the arena gold and it never gets quiet, it's just an amazing atmosphere," Weber said. "Hopefully we can create that at the INTRUST Bank Arena in Wichita and also in the T-Mobile Center in the future."
For a coaching staff looking to get their freshmen comfortable with all the challenges of playing on the road, the charity game in 2020 should provide the Wildcats with an important challenge.
Coming off a 23-8 season in 2019-20, the Shockers were ranked as high as No. 16 in the country and finished the regular season fourth in the American Athletic Conference.
Even with a roster that represents six states and three different countries, expect K-State to leave Wichita in October with all they need to know about a series that will help define the next four years of the program.
"To have the opportunity to play in Wichita, to play in Kansas City and still play an in-state rival, I think it all made sense," Weber said. "I hope it's a positive thing and that both schools want to continue it in the future."
But for Bruce Weber, it's also about Missouri, Texas, Illinois, Indiana, Canada and Angola.
With one of the program's largest recruiting classes since Weber arrived in 2012, K-State men's basketball will feature a roster with a lot of zip codes this season and not much experience sharing a court together.
"We had been looking for a road charity game," Weber said. "With such a new team, I wanted more than just the exhibition game and the scrimmage. I thought it was important to get a road game."
Every season, K-State typically plays a couple of times at Bramlage Coliseum before the games count for real, an intrasquad scrimmage and an exhibition or two against a DII opponent.
However, it's not uncommon for the Wildcats to play their first true road game of the season against a challenging non-conference opponent. With eight new faces in Manhattan, it was important for Weber that his team get that experience out of the way early.
After conversations with Purdue, Missouri, Iowa and Creighton, Weber and his staff back came back to an opponent separated from Kansas State by just a two-hour drive and 17 years on college basketball's biggest stage without facing each other in a head-to-head matchup.
"When I called [Wichita State head coach] Gregg Marshall, Gregg said 'Hey, that's a great idea but what about going even further than that? Let's look into a series.' We got into it trying to figure out dates and what made sense," Weber said.
The schools agreed on a series beginning with a charity game in Wichita at INTRUST Bank Arena in October. K-State and Wichita State will officially start the four-game regular-season series at INTRUST Bank Arena in 2021 before a home game at Bramlage Coliseum in 2022, a trip to the newly renamed T-Mobile Center (formerly the Sprint Center) in Kansas City in 2023 and concluding with a return to Wichita in 2024 at the on-campus Charles Koch Arena.
Four years, four arenas, and the return of a regional matchup between two of college basketball's top programs.
"We're excited to revive this series," Athletics Director Gene Taylor said in a statement. "It's something that makes sense and needed to happen...I'm really looking forward to this series of games. We appreciate both head coaches as well as (WSU athletics director) Darron Boatright and our sport administrator, Casey Scott, for all the work they put into making this happen."
Proceeds from the game in October will go to local charities including Konza United Way, Crisis Center, Inc., United Way of the Plains and the Wichita Children's Home.
Weber said that the chance to help those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic through a charity game helped the schools get the series across the finish line.
The Wildcats will now face every D1 basketball program in the state of Kansas through 2024, adding Wichita State to a schedule that includes two Sunflower Showdown matchups with Kansas every season.
"That's one of the best games in the country to be a part of," Weber said. "Hopefully, we can create another positive opportunity with the Wichita State game."
Weber has faced the Shockers before during his time coaching in the Missouri Valley Conference with Southern Illinois. His Salukis defeated then-conference rival Wichita State in nine of ten matchups.
The Wildcats and Shockers will renew acquaintances for the first time since 2003, when K-State grabbed a 54-50 win in Manhattan. Overall, the schools have met 31 times.
Through off-campus matchups, Weber said he is hoping for an atmosphere that will be reminiscent of the best in-state rivalry games in college basketball.
"I had the privilege of coaching in that Illinois vs. Missouri game in St. Louis for nine years and when both teams were really good…you have half the arena orange and half the arena gold and it never gets quiet, it's just an amazing atmosphere," Weber said. "Hopefully we can create that at the INTRUST Bank Arena in Wichita and also in the T-Mobile Center in the future."
For a coaching staff looking to get their freshmen comfortable with all the challenges of playing on the road, the charity game in 2020 should provide the Wildcats with an important challenge.
Coming off a 23-8 season in 2019-20, the Shockers were ranked as high as No. 16 in the country and finished the regular season fourth in the American Athletic Conference.
Even with a roster that represents six states and three different countries, expect K-State to leave Wichita in October with all they need to know about a series that will help define the next four years of the program.
"To have the opportunity to play in Wichita, to play in Kansas City and still play an in-state rival, I think it all made sense," Weber said. "I hope it's a positive thing and that both schools want to continue it in the future."
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