Jon Rothstein Says Kansas State Needs Two More Wins to Reach NCAA Tournament
Kansas State picked up a massive 78-74 win over Texas in the Big 12 Tournament on Wednesday night, improving the Wildcats to 19-13 on the season and bringing them one step closer to earning an NCAA Tournament bid on Selection Sunday.
Many, including K-State guard Tylor Perry, feel that Kansas State has already done what is needed to prove they belong in the Big Dance, saying that he feels they can “do damage in the tournament” if given the chance.
Their work is not over, though. Jerome Tang’s team likely needs to stack as many wins as possible to improve their chances of getting in. They’ll get a shot at doing just that against seventh-ranked Iowa State on Thursday, a team they just beat five days ago to get back on the bubble.
A win today would give the Wildcats their sixth Quad 1 win and their third such win in less than a week.
However, Jon Rothstein says it won’t be enough to land K-State in the Field of 68.
“The one thing you have to love if you’re a Big 12 team in the Big 12 Tournament and you’re on the bubble, you can stack Quad 1 wins with every single victory that you get,” Rothstein said. “Kansas State recently beat Iowa State. If Kansas State beats Iowa State again, I think they’re one more win away after that from playing their way into the field.”
Co-host Wally Szczerbiak disagrees, saying he believes that one more win over the Cyclones will be enough to get the Wildcats into the tournament.
“That’s a lot of Quad 1 wins. You compare [Kansas State’s] resume with Quad 1 wins compared to some of the other resumes that we’re looking at, they might be in if they get this Iowa State victory,” Szczerbiak said. “They’ve done an outstanding job. Jerome Tang knows how to coach up his guys in March.”
K-State (19-13) and Iowa State (24-7) will tip at 6:00 p.m. CT at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City (Mo.), with coverage provided on ESPN2.
