The Kansas State Wildcats are hoping for a better season under third-year coach Jerome Tang as they head into the 2024-25 campaign.
The Wildcats took a step back after that special 2022-23 season in Tang’s first season, which led to an Elite Eight berth in the NCAA Tournament. With key pieces of that team gone, the Wildcats weren’t able to replicate.
Kansas State went 19-15 last season and narrowly missed an NCAA Tournament berth in their second year under Tang. The Wildcats exited from the NIT in the first round.
Tang has recruited well and tapped into the transfer portal for more talent. The result is a team that, for the third straight year, looks relatively new. The Wildcats will have to build chemistry in non-conference to prepare for a Big 12 that only got tougher with the addition of Arizona.
Here’s a preview of the Kansas State Wildcats’ upcoming season.
Odds
BetOnline’s opening odds gave the Wildcats +10000 odds to win the national title. The Big 12 coaches picked Kansas State to finish eighth in the conference. The Wildcats were not ranked in the AP preseason Top 25.
Three Players to Watch
F Coleman Hawkins: The 6-10 former Illinois star was the big get of the transfer season for the Wildcats. He helped the Illini reach the Elite Eight last season and averaged 12.1 points with 6.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.1 blocks. He was a second-team All-Big Ten performer and the coaches named him to the All-Big 12 preseason second team.
G Dug McDaniel: As big as getting Hawkins was for the frontcourt, getting McDaniel was just as significant for the backcourt. Another Big Ten transfer, this one from Michigan, he led the Wolverines with 16.3 points per game. He also had 4.7 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 35.4 minutes per game. He’s a workhorse and K-State will need it.
G Max Jones: The transfer from Cal State Fullerton should give the Wildcats a consistent 3-point threat. He shot 40% from there a season ago. He averaged 15.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.7 steals per game last season.
Biggest Strength
A fresh slate. This team kind of feels like the first team Tang coached, where nearly every player transferred out and he had to rebuild. The Wildcats welcome seven new transfers and the majority of them are impact players that can help right away. There is more holdover talent, but aside from forward David N’Guessan it’s relatively unproven. A player like Achor Achor, who has scored nearly 1,000 points in his college career but has never played at a high major school, is the type of player that could flourish in the K-State system.
Biggest Weakness
Chemistry. Last year Kansas State was, at times, disjointed. Replacing players like Markquis Nowell isn’t easy. Plus, losing Nae’Qwan Tomlin the way they did in December was a huge blow to the team. But, it proves that when you live by the portal you can sometimes die by it. Tang seems willing to embrace the college game’s new portability. Many coaches are doing the same. But it puts a real emphasis on finding the right players and getting them to play together the right way early.
Season Prediction
One digs into this roster and you find intrigue — and not the bad kind. Seeing players like Hawkins, McDaniel, Jones, Achor and N’Guessan play together could be a lot of fun. Taj Manning isn’t an odd man out in this scenario. The third-year wing could be in for a bigger year if he gets more playing time. Unlike last year’s team, they’re deeper in the frontcourt and the roster is more balanced overall. The coaches may be underselling the Wildcats just a bit. We’re projecting 19-22 wins before the Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City.
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
