Well, the Ron Prince experiment/epic fail came to a close today with a clumsy win. Meanwhile, Frank Martin lead his team to a big win against an underrated Cleveland State team on the road. All of this went down amidst swirling message board rumors that Gary Patterson has bought a house in Manhattan. For the sake of my own sanity, I decided to sort through the busy day.
K-State 38, Iowa State 30:
While the score was probably not what many of the purple faithful (or persons who placed a wager on the game) had hoped for, the win helped the current seniors end their careers in a Wildcat uniform with a win. Probably the biggest story line for K-State fans who are looking to the future is whether or not Josh Freeman's 4 touchdowns was enought to boost his draft s.
The Big 12 season was not kind to Freeman (or the rest of the Cats for that matter). The white elephant in the room is whether or not Freeman will skip his senior season at K-State and enter the NFL Draft in April. At the beginning of the season, I would have said Freeman was a lock to head to the NFL. Now, I am not so sure. The firing of Ron Prince has most likely forced Josh's hand a little bit. Rather than come back for a senior year that will require him to learn a new offensive system, he may be better off throwing his name in the draft. Although, maybe a little change of pace would be good for Josh. I think K-State is a better team with him on the field when he's on, but I feel confident in handing the reigns over to Carson Coffman.
Gary Patterson, home owner???:
The message boards have been lighting up over the past week with rumors that TCU head coach Gary Patterson has been looking for houses in the Manhattan area. The talks have picked up speed with the mention that Patterson's wife signed papers on a house either today or yesterday. You could probably fill a small lake with the opinions about this latest piece of supposed information. I remain on the skeptical side. Following the events of a couple weeks ago, I doubt that Patterson would want to force his hand in any way, shape, or form. If the rumors are true, then count me as a happy skeptic. Oh, and there's also something about a press conference on Monday....hmmmm, this turkey has more juice than I can handle.
Martini and the Boys 69, Cleveland State 59:
Chalk another win for a determined basketball team that did not show quit in a game that gave them many opportunities to do so. After leading by 12 at the half, the Cats allowed the Vikings to crawl back within 3 in the second half before pulling away with a 10 point victory. This was a great win for the team and should really give them some good momentum going into the holiday week. To go on the road against a good mid-major program and escape with a hard-fought win is exactly what this young team needed. DK scored a double-double and Jamar Samuels was 5-6 from the free-throw line, so there were plenty of positives to take away from the game besides the win. This is the type of win that should help our RPI down the stretch (let's go Cleveland State for Horizon League Champs!). Frank won't let the boys rest, though, as they turn around and face a tough Oakland team on Tuesday before heading to Sin City at the end of the week.
So, there you have it. A big Saturday for K-State comes to a close with two big wins and rumors-a-plenty concerning our next football coach. Hope everyone enjoys their Thanksgiving holidays. Stay tuned to BOTC this week as we may (or may not, I mean hey, it's a damn crap shoot the way our A.D. is running things) find out if Gary Patterson, Bill Snyder, or Dennis Franchione will be named the next K-State football coach. Time to go stock the liquor cabinet, it could be an emotional week.