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Kansas State Basketball: Kansas State Wildcats 2015-16 Season Preview

By Matt Ostrowski

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Kansas State Wildcats

2014-2015 Record: 15-17 (8-10, Big 12)
Postseason: NCAA Tournament – Second Round

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IF Bruce Weber’s tenure at Kansas State goes anything like his previous jobs, this could be his last season in Manhattan. After NCAA tournament appearances in his first two seasons, Weber clashed with his best player, forcing him to transfer, and lost about half of his roster along with him.

Things are so dire, it’s hard to tell who’s even going to play any minutes for the Wildcats this year. They return just three players who played over 10 minutes per game, and none of them averaged double figures in scoring. The Kansas State Wildcats will be a young team with low expectations this season.

Newcomers

G – Kamau Stokes (#289 247Sports Composite)
G – Barry Brown (#292 247Sports Composite)
F – Dean Wade (#173 247Sports Composite)
F – Ron Freeman (not ranked on 247Sports)
F – Isaiah Maurice (not ranked on 247Sports)
C – Dante Williams (#307 247Sports Composite)
G – Corlbe Ervin II (JUCO transfer)

Key Non-Conference Games

Nov. 13-24 at CBE Classic – The preseason tournament for the Kansas State Wildcats this year is one that figures to test them early. They have a game that should be a win against Columbia at home on November 16, then go on to play Missouri in Kansas City on November 23. If they manage to win that, they have a potential matchup against North Carolina and their loaded, NBA-talent, roster. I see no situation in which the Heels don’t win that game by at least 15, but upsets do happen, and this is a year where the most important thing in Manhattan is to get experience for the young guys. Thus, a game against one of the best teams in the country would be a very good thing, regardless of the result.

December 4 at Georgia – Playing in another team’s gym is never easy. Doing it for the first time is even tougher. Especially when you’re coming in with a team that has almost no NCAA experience. Georgia isn’t going to blow anyone away this season, but for an inexperienced team, this game is going to be as tough as they come.

December 12 at Texas A&M – While it’s not the first road test of the year for the Wildcats, it’s their first game against a team that figures to be a shoo-in to the NCAA tournament, and it’s on the road. It’s going to be a huge test for a team that has little to no experience, and at least four freshman playing rotation minutes.

Key Players

Justin Edwards – The Wildcats leading returning scorer from last season averaged just 6.3 points per game on 39% from the floor, but we know the Main transfer can score, as he averaged double digits in both of his season at Maine, and led Kansas State to a victory against Iowa State last season with 16 points.

As shown by his athleticism, he has the tools to be great. Bruce Weber just needs to figure out how to harness them.

Stephen Hurt – When Stephen Hurt plays a lot, he’s effective. He only played over 20 minutes four times last season, and he put up 15 points and 8 rebounds, and 11 points and 3 rebounds in two of those games. But the issue is he’s out of shape, and is a foul-committing machine, relegating him to the bench for most of the game. Stats-aside, Bruce Weber needs Hurt to play a ton of minutes mostly because nobody else can. He’s a senior, and needs to take some of the burden off of the freshman. Anything else is gravy.

Season Outlook

This may be a make or break season for Bruce Weber. He’s created a dumpster fire, and while there’s absolutely zero expectations for him to meet, if this team finished in the cellar of the Big 12, he could easily be gone. Maybe he finds another diamond in the rough like Marcus Foster, but maybe he’ll just chase him out of Manhattan like he did with Foster.

Next: Baylor Bears 2015-16 Season Preview

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