KSUFans Archives
Sports => Frank Martin's OOD sponsored by the "Angriest Fans in America" => Topic started by: Kat Kid on March 11, 2007, 07:50:17 PM
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Folks meltdowns are fun, meltdowns are funny, but meltdowns are like a good party you usually regret them the next day after you've pieced together what happened.
Being the level-headed, rational, ExtremelyHiBBIQ poster that I am allow me to help us all digest this.
Kansas State started the season off with wild, high expectations. "Huggys here!" "Sweet 16 here we come!" etc. Some pessimists like Rusty cautioned against the early enthusiasm saying "You can't win the Kentucky Derby with a mule." Mostly they were ignored. As the non-con began to unfold, most quickly realized that this might be a very frustrating year. The beatdown in "the Pit" was discouraging, the Cal game another low before our savior arrived...
Bill Walker embodied all of the excitement and pizazz of Bob Huggins' arrival in Manhattan. He brought legitimacy, recognition and pride. He was there to fulfill all of our hopes after being downtrodden for so many years. The Vegas Tournament was a high point and as we entered the Conference season hopes were high for the Wildcats. In a flurry Bill Walker left as suddenly as he came as he collapsed in the opening minutes of the first conference game for the Wildcats in College Station. It seemed as we opened off at home with a disappointing loss to Texas Tech that things were just not meant to be this year. Huggins posed that question openly, did we have the players to do this? Were they capable of fighting through this and responding to the call, of pulling themselves up from adversity and pushing on to the best of their ability?
After starting 0-2 in conference we went on the road to Missouri. Both teams had new coaches, both were 0-2, both desperately needed a win to salvage their chances at jumping back into the race for an NCAA bid and keeping their heads above water in the Big XII. The Cats won there behind the collective efforts of the Wooly 5 and Blake Young. All of them had at least 5 boards, all of them double digit points except Akeem. It was a statement game. It was a game I am certain we would not have won last year. It would've been too hard, the injury to Bill Walker would've been excuse enough to give up, the Mizzou press too difficult. We had 24 turnovers and it wasn't pretty, but it wasn't 0-3 and that is exactly where Missouri found themselves.
Including that win, the Wildcats spun off 7 straight wins culminating in the thrilling 73-72 victory over Texas in Austin. It was yet another statement game. The Bob Huggins coached Wildcats had arrived and were thrust into SECOND in the Big XII standings midway through the schedule. It was a moment of jubilation, purple Kool-Aid baths and predictions of splitting the series with ku and positioning ourselves for a run at the conference title.
What followed were two losses to Kansas, a loss @ Nebraska, a loss @ Oklahoma St. and two big wins against Oklahoma and Texas Tech to end the season and square the Cats off against ku in the semi-finals of the Big XII tournament. While most Wildcat fans thought that we were in after the Texas Tech victory, the team didn't give up anything in OKC with a large Kansas crowd. They fought, they scrapped and they came up short to a #1 seed. It was admirable, it was fitting for a team of scrappy players that had done it that way all year.
We can sit here and whine, hyperventilate and pound off mean e-mails to faraway NCAA Tournament Selection Committee Chairs. It won't change what happened. I repeat, it WILL NOT CHANGE WHAT HAPPENED. From here on out, we need to show our team, our coach and everyone else that we are not to a flash in the pan. Show up to the NIT games in Bramlage. They matter, they show the underclassmen that we will go to war with them next year for another run at the Big XII and the NCAAs. It shows the upperclassmen that we appreciate their effort to turn this around. They didn't mail it in folks, they didn't. They fought to their last gasp against ku and they did everything they could to get a truly abysmal team from 6-10, 2-6 road record to 10-6 with a first round bye a win in the Big XII tournament and on the cusp of a bid to the NCAAs. The season was a HUGE achievement considering the talent on hand, the past years we've witnessed and the future that we have in store.
This is merely a stepping stone in the long march towards a future of Big XII Conference and NCAA tournament wins aplenty. While the path is dark, it is lit by a light in the distance and a man, fearless and brave holding a blazing torch of glory and promise. Grab the hand of Coach Bob Huggins fellow Wildcats! Heed his call and step forth unto the path of greatness!
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&@#% the 4 threads about Huggs on ESPN bump
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Great post.
Nothing to add.
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I'M JUST HAPPY TO BE BITCHING ABOUT NOT MAKING THE TOURNEY!!!!!!!
Nope. Didn't work. Back to being pissed.
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this post was way too classy
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I'M JUST HAPPY TO BE BITCHING ABOUT NOT MAKING THE TOURNEY!!!!!!!
Nope. Didn't work. Back to being pissed.
Turn that anger into venom at our NIT opponents. It is about as stupid and arbitrary as blaming Kevin Weiberg or firing off e-mails to Committee Chairs etc. except it achieves at least some sort of tangible end.
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Good post KK. I'm a glass is half full kind of guy and am trying to move forward. No doubt I'll be disappointed for a bit here, but once we play tuesday or wednesday I'll be into it at the Bram. If anyone can get these guys turned around from disappointment and up to play its Bob Huggins, and he might as well have 13000 people helping him out.
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I cheered my ass of against NU to no avail. Chico's right. Bump it again tomorrow.
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How do we get tickets? Can you buy online yet? Is there a student section? Do tell.
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I really hate these rational type posts immediately following something worth a meltdown. It's retarded. People are just upset, we'll be over it by tomorrow....until KK gets on air and riles everyone up.
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I agree. This is not the time for reflection. This is the time to tip over cars in the street and burn Arkansas shirts in the middle of Aggieville.
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Good post KK. I'm a glass is half full kind of guy and am trying to move forward. No doubt I'll be disappointed for a bit here, but once we play tuesday or wednesday I'll be into it at the Bram. If anyone can get these guys turned around from disappointment and up to play its Bob Huggins, and he might as well have 13000 people helping him out.
This isn't about this season, it never should have been. The message we send to the players will be key in determining the extent and timetable for the turnaround. People talk about wanting to be the "best fans" or the "rowdiest" in the Big XII THIS is when you show up and bleed for your team, THIS is what lights a fire in the program, the players the coaches and on the bulletin board and the weight room and has everyone stewing and thinking about it every day in the off-season. We need to be there, be loud and be nasty. I want the Bram to be a place that people hate to play at. More flying chickens, more venom, more noise and less bitching about Weiberg and sending a F- U to the world by turning down the NIT.
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He's right though, we can't let this ruin the season these Cats and Huggins put together. It was a good stepping stone, and I can't wait till more. Let's go get it done in the NIT
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6-10, 10-6.
Ponder.
Appreciate.
Ponder.
Feel Better.
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The time for rationality is now, not tomorrow morning.
I still remember the bitchy ass BYU fans burning bags of Tostitos before the '96 Cotton Bowl.
Don't be those guys.
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I know.
But this was the year we were suppose to end the "firsts"
It's just another season our program won't be in the NCAA's.
It's another season where our NCAA total is stuck at 22.
It's the fact that we were left out despite credentials (IN TERMS OF W's and L's NOT FRIKIN COMPUTER RANKINGS OR ARBITRARY WINS OVER SOME ARBITRARY "TOP" TEAM) and were still left out.
This hurts. Bad.
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Stepping stone, how true
we used to bitch about not getting the NIT and blame Weiser
now we are bitching about making the Big Dance and blaming Weiberg.
proof positive we're headed in the right direction.
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good post kk.....
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Tremendous post, KK. I'm not happy, but I didn't have powertard expectations for this year. I wanted to be considered for a tourney appearance, and for the most part we were.
Still not happy, but year one of Huggie is worlds better than Wooly year anything.
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Tis better to be considered and snubbed than to have never been considered at all.
Can't wait until next year. when was the last time anyone thought like that about our bball program?
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I know.
But this was the year we were suppose to end the "firsts"
It's just another season our program won't be in the NCAA's.
It's another season where our NCAA total is stuck at 22.
It's the fact that we were left out despite credentials (IN TERMS OF W's and L's NOT FRIKIN COMPUTER RANKINGS OR ARBITRARY WINS OVER SOME ARBITRARY "TOP" TEAM) and were still left out.
This hurts. Bad.
Exactly.
What's the difference between lauding almost wins Wooly style, and almost NCAA bids?
Yeah, I know, Wooly never took us to the NIT.
The only silver lining is the recruiting class. That doesn't mean that this doesn't sting.
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I know.
But this was the year we were suppose to end the "firsts"
It's just another season our program won't be in the NCAA's.
It's another season where our NCAA total is stuck at 22.
It's the fact that we were left out despite credentials (IN TERMS OF W's and L's NOT FRIKIN COMPUTER RANKINGS OR ARBITRARY WINS OVER SOME ARBITRARY "TOP" TEAM) and were still left out.
This hurts. Bad.
I agree completely. I am actually more crushed today than I was yesterday. Yesterday was surreal, today is pain, tomorrow? I don't know yet.
The point is that the alternatives to rallying behind this team all end in us looking like douche bags and not accomplishing ANYTHING worth a $h1t. It is crushing to be in this position, but the hope is to use this as motivation and a stepping stone to better things. It is hard to turn around a program and Bill Snyder didn't turn things around in one day, Prince won't and hasn't yet and even the mighty Bob Huggins can be the victim of circumstance but WE HAVE CHOICES. We could go over the deep end and wallow and rant and rave and sound like tools like Keitzman is no doubt positioning himself to do OR we could deal, realize that this isn't a Wooly bridge to nowhere but rather a step on a clear path towards progress and success. If we want to distinguish ourselves as fans that are absolutely balls out fvkin crazy and impress the Huggs and the team we can help to change things here. Or we could $h1t on it, call everyone haters, say we got jobbed, that it was a conspiracy, that ONE OF OUR OWN ALUMNUS Weiberg conspired against us and pull a Mangino.
Your choice guys.
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(http://img385.imageshack.us/img385/4784/do20the20right20thing20ht4.jpg)
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Great Movie.
I don't think they "did the right thing" in that movie though.
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absolutely balls out fvkin crazy
This should be the phrase instead of "Louder" on the Walker thing on the video board.