KANSAS CITY — A three-point followup to Kansas State’s 75-71 win over Oklahoma State in the Big 12 tournament’s opening round Wednesday night:
—Was this the end for Travis Ford? He has endured heat for not coaxing enough out of his more talented teams, but the group OSU put on the floor was so beset with injuries John Wooden couldn’t have advanced. (A shallow team became shallower when forward Mitchell Solomon re-injured his ankle after 5 minutes.)
Some contend the Cowboys’ injured backcourt of Phil Forte and Jawun Evans will transfer if Ford isn’t retained, and their convictions likely will be tested in the coming days. Ticket sales are so embarrassing Oklahoma State AD Mike Holder seems forced to buyout Ford’s remaining three years at more than $7 million.
— K-State’s postseason life: The proliferation of NIT wannabes added another “championship” this season with the Vegas 16. (Because sooooooo many quality teams were snubbed by the CBI and CollegeInsider.com committees.)
The Wildcats (17-15), barring a historic four-day run in Kansas City, would prefer a legit invitation to the NIT over those others. But the media that covers K-State might prefer a few days at Mandelay Bay.
— Cheer local: While K-State fans poured into the Sprint Center for a humdrum first-round session, plenty of Jayhawks faithful were on hand also. Those two factions should make for a noisy 1-vs.-8 quarterfinal Thursday afternoon.
The Wildcats prematurely started looking forward to KU at halftime, when a 17-point lead seemed safe, but OSU made it tight late despite two players fouling out.
A career-best 20 points on only nine shots by freshman Dean Wade saved K-State from a meltdown.
“We’re always pushing Dean and yelling at Dean to shoot the ball a lot,” said teammate Justin Edwards. “I would be happy if Dean shot 20 shots—I know most of them are going to go in. He played well on the big stage, he proved he was the freshman he can be.”