ESPN’s Joe Lunardi Excludes Kansas State From Updated Bracket
About a week ago, analysts and college basketball fans were hailing the Kansas State Wildcats as a Tournament contender after a remarkable season turnaround.
Now, those expectations are halted after a two-game losing streak. College basketball analyst Joe Lunardi left Kansas State off its latest bracket update.
Even though it’s just a few losses, the Wildcats need every possible victory going forward to offset the sloppy conference start.
Lunardi discussed the Wildcats’ path to the Tournament before their Monday night matchup against Utah.
“I don’t view the loss to BYU as a disaster,” Lunardi said. “They have to split this trip against Utah to stay on track. They can get the win tonight, playing three of the last five at home, get three of those five, finish above .500 in the Big 12, and I think you’ll see K-State on the right side of the bubble in four weeks.”
Unfortunately, their loss to Utah pressures them into being seemingly perfect for the rest of the season. Based on Lunardi’s pregame comments, a relatively light slate should help them get there.
“We’ve been through a lot, but we’ve turned a corner, and we’re close to being really good,” coach Jerome Tang said after the Utah loss. This road trip was great for us because we learned some things, and now we get to go back and work on it. Give all the credit to Coach [Craig] Smith and his team.”
