Big 12 Basketball: Way-too-early power rankings for 2021-22 season
By Andrew Tineo
8. Kansas State Wildcats
Starting Lineup:
PG: Nigel Pack
SG: Mike McGuirl
SF: Mark Smith
PF: Ismael Massoud
C: Davion Bradford
Bruce Weber’s time in Manhattan continues to tick and quite stunned that no moves have been made for a replacement. Consecutive mediocre seasons and placements near the bottom of the Big 12 has not helped the cause for Weber moving forward.
Davion Bradford came on late in the season and has the potential to be this team’s most talented player. Another young player that could claim that title is Nigel Pack. Pack averaged almost 13 a game as a freshman and shot 40% from beyond the arc.
Pack finished the season strong with three consecutive double-digit performances, with 23 and 18 against TCU and Baylor in the Big 12 Tournament.
McGuirl coming back gives this team an X-factor of a legit experienced guard. McGuirl’s shooting percentage went down dramatically, but also had to double the production from the year before.
Kansas State should be better than they were last year, but not completely rejuvenated. This team can sneak up and win a few games they aren’t supposed to. However, in the grand scheme, I expect a third consecutive year of missing the Big Dance in the middle of March.
Final Record: 16-15 (6-12)