By Toby Hammes
When Jerome Tang says, “I think we can beat anybody in the Big 12, but I think anybody in the Big 12 can beat us,” he isn’t hedging. He’s simply describing reality.
The league is a juggernaut. When it’s this deep, the path to the NCAA tournament is about stacking enough wins in the right places while avoiding the wrong losses. For Kansas State, the math is tighter than it could be, but the March Madness door remains open.
At first glance, K-State’s non-conference résumé doesn’t jump off the page. A 9–4 record isn’t flashy, and a home loss to Bowling Green will follow the Wildcats all winter. Still, the overall profile is more functional than fatal.
The NCAA relies heavily on the NET Rankings, which sort teams based on results, opponent strength and where games are played. Wins are grouped into four quadrants, with Quad 1 carrying the most weight and Quad 4 offering little upside. Simply put, who you beat and where you beat them often matters more than the final record.
