Kansas State Wildcats Are Proving They Belong
By Mike Norris

If, at the end of December, you pegged the Kansas State Wildcats to be just a few possessions away from sole place in the Big 12 Conference on January 21st, I’m wondering if you’ve booked your ticket to Vegas yet.
After a hard-fought 77-71 loss Tuesday at Iowa St., the Wildcats sit in third place at 4-2, just one half game behind in-state rival Kansas, who is tied for first with ISU.
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No one could have predicted this – not Jay Bilas, not Back to the Future, heck, not even most Wildcat fans. K-State faithful started scouring football recruiting boards on December 28th when their team fell to 7-5 after a home loss to lowly Texas Southern.
After the Kansas Jayhawks lost at Temple, it seemed like the Sunflower Showdown could provide as much entertainment as a football match-up between these two teams in the 80’s.
Alas, here were are, pushing February with KU tied for the league lead, and K-State on the Jayhawks’ heels, in the crazy-stupid Big XII Conference.
This is a league that features a team (TCU), that went 13-0 in non-conference play, only to currently sit in ninth place with a 1-4 conference record. K-State, who was left for dead after its 7-6 non-con record, has a win against Oklahoma in Norman under its belt.
Not to mention, the Jayhawks are where they are despite the Temple loss, and an absolute beat down by Kentucky. Iowa State could be the favorite, but may have to win in Allen Fieldhouse for the first time in 10 years if they want the title.
In other words, this conference can make you angry enough to punch a scorer’s table three times and break it, despite the fact you have a trophy room with 10 consecutive conference titles.
The state of Kansas should be rejoicing, because a healthy rivalry only makes for more interesting local basketball.
It remains to be seen if the Wildcats have found some kind of re-birth, or if KU can handle the pressure of claiming the title for an 11th consecutive year. But, for now, the state should just appreciate the fact both are relevant in a major sport.
Let’s face it, with the Missouri Tigers chasing cash to the supposed greener pastures of the SEC, these fan bases need this rivalry to grow. Besides, Kansas Citians need some different water cooler talk since the Kansas City Royals don’t start Spring Training for a month.
Prior to K-State’s loss Tuesday, the two Kansas schools were atop the conference with 4-1 league records. The recent defeat won’t extinguish the flame of this rivalry just yet. If the Jayhawks can win their next two games at Texas and TCU, and the Wildcats take care of business at home against Oklahoma State and West Virginia, you better believe Allen Fieldhouse will be rocking more than usual January 31 when the Kansas State Wildcats comes to town.
That is a lot of what-ifs, but expecting the unexpected is what makes sports great. Who knows, if the Wildcats find a way to win in Lawrence, Bill Self may break something more significant, like a backboard.
Now tell me that wouldn’t make for a fun rivalry.
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