Instant takeaways: Kansas State sweeps Cincinnati

Coleman Hawkins makes the difference for Kansas State

I’m not even sure I would have played Coleman Hawkins tonight if I was the head coach. That isn’t to judge the decisions of the head coach, but there are things to consider. The Big 12 Tournament is the only that matters for Kansas State. It’s the only way to make the NCAA Tournament.

With that being said, I commend the dude for working as hard as he did and rehabilitating as much as he did to get himself ready this quick. Hawkins loves to hoop. And he was the difference for K-State. They clearly aren’t going to compete on the road at Cincinnati without him.

But even more than that, it’s not just his ability to play basketball but what he brings to the table in general. As Drew Galloway of KSO told me, it didn’t click for the Wildcats and the tide didn’t turn until he got into everyone about how they were performing and ripped them.

So, he leaves a mark for this team when it comes to a competitive standpoint, both on and off the floor. And he’s doing it while still having a limp. Hopefully that effort against the Bearcats doesn’t negatively impact what he’s able to do in Kansas City.

Wildcat defense

I wasn’t sure how much to credit the Kansas State defense performance.

Yes, they held Cincinnati to just 49 points on the night, but how much was it just being an ugly game and the Bearcats not able to shoot. But then I listened to David N’Guessan who urged his team to continue to guard and not let it affect their offense.

He knows more than me. It was probably better defense than it was bad offense, even if it was a combination of both.

On a tear!

10 second half points for @DavidNGuessan1

2H 07:42 | K-State 44, Cincinnati 40 pic.twitter.com/9ZAYgFhiNR

— K-State Men's Basketball (@KStateMBB) March 6, 2025

What if…

At the end of the day K-State is an NCAA Tournament team that unfortunately wont play in the NCAA Tournament. Why do I say that? They are 9-10 in a good Big 12 conference with a chance to sweep an Iowa State team to become 10-10 in a tough high-major league.

Why aren’t they going to the NCAA Tournament?

Because they started slow and didn’t handle their business in the non-conference portion of the schedule, to be honest. Think about it. They went 6-5 with some brutal losses meanwhile Oklahoma got some big wins. And at the end of the day the Sooners have a better chance of making it to the Big Dance even while being just 4-12 in the SEC.

So, we don’t have to judge this team as if it was not good enough to make the NCAA Tournament but simply that they didn’t turn on the light bulb fast enough. There are teams with far worse league records that will make it.

That’s not to give Kansas State excuses but to apply some perspective when considering next year’s roster construction.