When Kansas State hired basketball coach Frank Martin following the one and done season of Bob Huggins, school officials and fans really had little clue what they were getting other than a man known as a good recruiter with a fiery temper.
Three years in and they know they like what they’ve got. Monday night Martin and his Wildcats knocked off number one ranked Texas on K-State’s home court and served notice that they are a team to contend with for the Big 12 title and a trip to the Final Four.The amazing thing about the 71-62 victory over the Longhorns was that the Wildcats didn’t really play that well. Outstanding guard tandem Denis Clemente and Jacob Pullen were a combined 4 of 24 from the field but were bailed out by the stellar play on the inside of UConn transfer Curtis Kelly and Jamar Samuels, who had 17 and 20 respectively.
After a first half where the Wildcats overpowered Texas big front line, beat them up defensively and raced to a 10 point lead, they worked to blow it all in the opening minutes of the second half. But Martin stayed calm and his team weathered the storm even though they did fall behind with just under 12 minutes to play.
Just when it appeared K-State might fold, it was the Longhorns who cracked under the pressure. While the Cats spent much of the second half taking questionable shots and mishandling the ball, they kept hustling on defense and played hard. Most coaches will tell you, that will over overcome a lot of problems.
In the end, Martin’s club recorded possibly the biggest win in school history and assured his club of moving up from the 10th spot in the national rankings. Lofty territory for a school who has struggled to return to relevancy after years in the basketball wilderness. Credit Martin for the basketball version of the Miracle in Manhattan. Who knows where they’ll go from here.
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