Kansas State is one win away from advancing to the Sweet 16. Their opponent isn’t who they were expecting however. As they will face 16 seed UMBC.
The Retrievers made believers on Friday night. They beat the overall number one seed Virginia Cavaliers to become the only 16 seed out of 135 tries to defeat a number one seed. They didn’t just beat them, they BEAT them! The odds will be against Kansas State when they face off with the ultimate Cinderella team.
Yes, the odds. Oddsshark.com says it is the best lock in all of sports, a 16 seed defeating a 1 seed. Those odds may have changed a bit now.
America’s Darling
The only fans rooting for Kansas State will be Wildcat fans, and quite possibly Cavaliers fans as well. The rest of the country, well, the rest of the country has fallen in love with UMBC. The Wildcats are going to have the whole world rooting against them. It isn’t that Kansas State is hated. I mean, who really hates Kansas State? Jayhawks fans maybe.
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Each time the Wildcats make a bucket, or steal, or block, the country is going to be upset. The arena will be pro UMBC for sure, everybody loves the underdog. Kansas State may become a bit hated if they beat America’s darling. Bruce Weber and company can handle it.
A 16 seed has never lost in the 2nd round
It’s true, in 135 tries a 16 seed has never lost in the 2nd round. They have the momentum of the earth behind them. Kansas State gets the privilege of being the next opponent.
The Retrievers have nothing to lose, they aren’t supposed to be here. Besides, they just beat the “best” team in the tournament. Why couldn’t they beat Kansas State, or Villanova, or Duke? Those kids probably feel invincible, as they should. They will always be remembered.
This is an opportunity for the Wildcats. They can always be the team that beat the team that beat a 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Think about what that could do to the program, the school, recruiting and so on. All eyes will be on this game. Each pair of tournament watching eyes will be glued.
The Wildcats will lose this game if they play the worst game of their lives. That’s how Virginia lost. They played the worst basketball of their lives on the biggest stage. The Wildcats will win this game if they play anywhere close to how they played throughout the season.
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The most dangerous weapon against the Wildcats are going to be themselves. The psychological affects can be detrimental in this game. As long as they keep their minds clear, the Wildcats should win nicely.