Musings: Awaiting the Kansas State appearance at Big 12 Media Days
SURE BETS
1. Ngongba: It is a sure bet that 2024 big man Patrick Ngongba is a stud. It is a sure bet that Kansas State wants him badly, as indicated by all four coaches going to watch him play several times over the course of the past few months. Additionally, it is a sure bet that K-State is squarely in the mix for his services. Despite Duke, UConn and Providence all being right there and Michigan and Kansas trying to make pushes as well, it is still more than fair and reasonable to consider the Wildcats the leader.
2. Attract a crowd: Though they won’t be mistaken for the attention that Texas and Oklahoma receive on a regular basis, it is fair to anticipate Kansas State drawing a crowd at Big 12 Media Days on Thursday. After all, they are picked to finish second in the league and hold many All-Big 12 choices.
3. A mess: There isn’t a better way to describe West Virginia at the moment. Bob Huggins went on a Cincinnati radio station and uttered inappropriate words that required an apology for him. He followed that up with a DUI arrest that forced the Mountaineers’ hand and they forced his resignation. Some of their players have left in the meantime, with a couple even visiting K-State. Huggins, via his lawyers, is now trying to get his job back. That doesn’t even consider the fact that Neal Brown and West Virginia were nearly a unanimous choice for last place in the preseason conference poll.
SURPRISES
1. Unanimous: Speaking of unanimous, it is beyond bizarre that Kansas State offensive lineman Cooper Beebe and Texas defensive lineman Jaylan Ford were not unanimous choices for the All-Big 12 team. They may be the two best players in the entire conference.
2. OU: Are the skeptics of Brent Venables growing in number? It is wild that Oklahoma is not one of the top two teams in the Big 12 preseason poll. Not only that, they have just one All-Big 12 choice for the second year in a row. What may be even more concerning for Oklahoma is that nobody is arguing it. They consider it fair. A pretty easy schedule on the way out of the league should help them, though.
JURY STILL OUT
1. Brix: Is K-State really running third for top 100 prospect Grant Brix? Those from Nebraska and Oklahoma sure seem to think so.
2. KU: Should Kansas be considered a threat for Junction City star Michael Boganowski? They seem to believe so, and he’s reciprocated some legitimate interest via social media the last couple weeks. Clearly, the Jayhawks have leapfrogged Florida State and Stanford at the very least. I’m not buying into their ascent as much as others, to be clear. I’d still be surprised if he didn’t pick one of Kansas State or the Sooners.
HAS MY ATTENTION
1. Arlington: Big 12 Media Days is here, beginning on Wednesday. It means we’re so, so, so close to K-State football season.
2. Realignment: The Pac-12 television contract ends in a year. Can the members of the league, that have potential homes waiting on them, afford to wait much longer before determining their own fate?
3. Team barbecue: In what has become a tradition under head coach Chris Klieman, Kansas State holds a team barbecue at the end of July to signal the end of the offseason and to begin shifting focus to fall camp and the regular season. Coaches are just returning from vacation and players make it back to campus if they ever left. Additionally, there’s a camp and typically a strong visitor list as well. Who should we expect to make it to Manhattan?
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