KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas State University will be evicted from its shared room at the top of the Big 12, according to the preseason prognosticators.
The Wildcats famously tied for first last season with Texas Tech in the Big 12 basketball race, both beating out 14-time defending champ Kansas.
But after the departure of the Big 3 (Barry Brown, Dean Wade and Kamau Stokes), K-State is only picked eighth in this year's conference poll. Shouldn't matter said the 'Cats.
"We've got a lot of guys back that have been on an Elite 8 run, that's been on a Big 12 Championship team, that have been on a lot of different things for us," senior forward Xavier Sneed said. "I think we've got a good chance to come back and be able to fight."
Sneed leads the new version of the Big 3 in Manhattan, alongside forward Makol Mawien and guard Cartier Diarra.
"We want to kind of bring it back to the Elite 8 year where we kind of kicked it and ran it," Diarra, a junior, said. "We've been just running a lot. Coach has been stressing getting the ball down the court in three seconds."
Bruce Weber, entering his his eighth season at K-State, has won 25 games in back-to-back years.
"We may be a little more versatile. We may be a little more athletic,” Weber said. “One thing I really hope is that we're still good on defense. If we're gonna have a chance to be successful, that's got to be a given.”
K-State starts exhibition play Friday night at home with Emporia State.
