Winners and Losers: Kansas State wins first two in Fayetteville
KSO covers the biggest winners and losers in the world of Kansas State and college athletics.
Winners
1.) Bat Cats: Kansas State is one win away from a super regional after blasting Louisiana Tech and upsetting Arkansas in their own house. Pete Hughes and company are off to a great start in the NCAA Tournament.
2.) Recruiting: Quiet no longer. The dead period ends at midnight. Basketball recruiting fires back up on Monday, and K-State will likely have a few visitors in town.
3.) Stars: Big-time players make big-time plays in big moments. That’s what Kansas State got from both Tyson Neighbors and Kaelen Culpepper when they took down Hagen Smith and Arkansas.
4.) UConn: Could Dan Hurley and UConn win three national titles in a row? Probably not, but they increased the chances when they received the news that Alex Karaban was withdrawing from the NBA Draft and returning to school.
5.) Offers: The first camp of the cycle came and went in Manhattan, and K-State offered more than 10 (!!) players across the 2025, 2026 and 2027 classes. Stay tuned for more as Chris Klieman and the Wildcats are set to have a big month of June.
Losers
1.) DY: I piped off a little on Twitter, which is not something I normally do. And to do it right after a significant win for Kansas State was silly. Let that be a lesson, and something I typically adhere to when I’m on my ‘A’ game. Don’t be a tough guy on social media, stay in your own lane, don’t worry about what others think of you and don’t worry about what they say or what’s going on in their universe. Be you. I’m the biggest loser this week by far.
2.) Crimson Tide: Although a national seed and a host of a regional, Alabama lost their first two games to UCF and Stetson and exit the NCAA Tournament in a flash.
3.) Time management: My productivity is going to be challenged so much when NCAA Football ’25 is released.
4.) Longevity: Really, I’m discussing the lack of longevity. It sounds like a few programs that K-State is recruiting against, Iowa and Arkansas, have left themselves a bit susceptible on the trail because of question marks regarding the futures of their head coaches. Kirk Ferentz is nearing retirement and Sam Pittman is squarely on the hot seat and not likely to return.
5.) Stability: College sports has changed a lot in the last three years. A ton. It’s the most that college athletics has ever changed and done so in a short amount of time. However, leaders and experts expect just as large of titanic shifts in the landscape the next 12-18 months.
