Busting Brackets
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Big 12 Basketball: Grades for each team in this 2020 offseason

By Matthew Mastandrea

WACO, TEXAS - FEBRUARY 22: Jared Butler #12 of the Baylor Bears and Marcus Garrett #0 of the Kansas Jayhawks in the second half at Ferrell Center on February 22, 2020 in Waco, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
WACO, TEXAS - FEBRUARY 22: Jared Butler #12 of the Baylor Bears and Marcus Garrett #0 of the Kansas Jayhawks in the second half at Ferrell Center on February 22, 2020 in Waco, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /
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MANHATTAN, KS – FEBRUARY 29: Head coach Bruce Weber of the Kansas State Wildcats (Photo by Peter G. Aiken/Getty Images)
MANHATTAN, KS – FEBRUARY 29: Head coach Bruce Weber of the Kansas State Wildcats (Photo by Peter G. Aiken/Getty Images) /

10. Kansas State Wildcats: D 

The Wildcats are coming off a very disappointing season that saw them finish last in the Big 12 with an 11-21 overall record to go along with a 3-15 record in the Big 12. K-State did see a glimmer of hope at the seasons end when they defeated TCU in the first round of the conference tournament.

However, before they could take on Baylor in a second-round matchup, Covid-19 ended their season. Unfortunately, things only got worse for Bruce Weber’s program in the off-season.

Not only did they graduate two of their starters, including leading scorer Xavier Sneed, but they lost SIX players who transferred out of the program. The most notable loss came from Cartier Diarra, who averaged 13.3 points per game for the Wildcats last season. He will be playing for the Hokies of Virginia Tech this upcoming season. Kansas State will turn to its youth in 2021 in an attempt to right the ship.

Heading into his ninth season at the helm of the program, Bruce Weber faces quite possibly his toughest challenge yet during his tenure. With five incoming freshmen, Weber will try to use the youth and inexperience of his team to his advantage.

The most promising of the class comes from 4-star guard, Nijel Pack, a 6-foot guard out of Indiana. He is bound to see plenty of playing time alongside arguably the Wildcat’s best returning player, senior guard Mike McGuirl. McGuirl will have an opportunity to post career numbers in his final season after averaging 6.9 points per game last year. He will also be given the opportunity to mentor Pack, something Weber will rely on heavily from his sparse group of upper class-men.

Weber will also look to what might turn out to be a very under the radar move in the form of  transfer Kaosi Ezeagu. A Redshirt Sophomore, Ezeagu comes from UTEP, where he averaged 3.2 points per game, and at 6’10”, will have the ability to create some havoc in the paint. Kaosi figures to slide right into the lineup, where he will have the ability to build a reprieve with some of the youngsters on the WildCats.

While it’s safe to say it isn’t the prettiest of pictures, we might come back to this season as a turning point in what could turn out to be a very solid Kansas State team a few years down the road.

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