Kansas State Achieved One Key Goal During Early-Season Struggles
Last month the Kansas State Wildcats were the butt of many jokes of NCAA basketball fans.
Their coach was called overrated. Their NIL signing class was referred to as overpaid.
Now, they are the talk of the country. The Wildcats won their sixth straight game Tuesday against Arizona.
The key for the turnaround was simple: they remained positive.
“Even when we were losing, you could still tell from the body language and demeanor of the guys that they care,” guard Dug McDaniel said. “They don’t accept losing. We all had to look at ourselves in the mirror to realize we all have to step up individually if we want this team thing to work. I feel like every guy went back and reflected and put their pride to the side, their egos to the side, and did their all for the team. That’s been working so far.”
The Wildcats were on a six-game losing streak following a defeat against Baylor. At 7-11, many counted them out for the NIT, let alone the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats bounced back by knocking off three ranked teams in three weeks.
The Wildcats are two games above .500 for the first time since Dec. 30. The criticism is a thing of the past. With only one remaining game against a Big 12 team in the upper half of the conference, the Wildcats could position themselves for an at-large tournament bid.
“I mean, to be honest, that’s just outside people telling us how good we are,” McDaniel said. “In that locker room, it’s still us vs. us. We’re not trying to pay too much attention to the outside noise, and just lock in and focus on the next job.”
