K-State Basketball
K-State's basketball season came to a close early Saturday afternoon in Pittsburgh, when the Syracuse Orange defeated the Wildcats, 75-59.
While a season-ending loss is usually the story, K-State's game with Syracuse was overshadowed by the suspension of Jamar Samuels shortly before K-State took the court in Pittsburgh. Samuels was suspended because his AAU coach, Curtis Malone, wired him $200 on Monday. The controversy isn't over, as Frank Martin directed questions about the suspension to athletic director John Currie after the game and said it was the administration's call to suspend Samuels for the game. Currie did nothing to set the record straight or explain his decision over the weekend, which is only allowing the controversy to fester. At some point this week, the administration needs to tell everybody what happened and why they made the decision they did.
On top of Samuels' suspension, Rodney McGruder turned his ankle in the first half and had to play through pain the rest of the game.
We know there are transfers in K-State's future this offseason, but with the exception of Jamar Samuels, K-State's nucleus returns intact next season.
K-State Women's Basketball
K-State won its first-round game against No. 9 seed Princeton, 67-64, in Bridgeport, Conn. The Wildcats advance to face No. 1 seed Connecticut in the second round tonight.
K-State Baseball
K-State got a win on Friday night, but No. 8 Texas A&M owned the weekend and took the conference-opening series from the Wildcats in College Station. The Wildcats return home for a mid-week game against Creighton before welcoming the Texas Longhorns to Manhattan next weekend.
Big 12 Basketball
KU advanced to the Sweet 16 with an easy win over Detroit and a dramatic comeback against Purdue ... Baylor joins the Jayhawks in the Sweet 16 after wins over South Dakota State and Colorado ... Iowa State rolled over UConn in the first round, but ran into the Kentucky buzzsaw in the Round of 32 ... Texas went quietly into the night against Cincinnati ... and you may have heard about what happened to Missouri.
Big 12 TV Contract
In the wake of last week's news that the Big 12 is on the verge of reaching a contract extension with ESPN/ABC for its first-tier media rights, the Oklahoman's Berry Tramel asks is that's a good idea.