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!
