Adele Songs as Kansas State Men's Basketball Conference Games

With tonight’s 58th Annual Grammy Awards, may as well describe the three wins and nine losses of Kansas State Men’s Basketball with Adele’s songs from her Grammy winning collection. These comparisons range from excitement to despair, but unlike Adele’s songs, they will (probably) not make you openly weep.

1/2 vs #19 West Virginia: When We Were Young
(L 87-83 2OT)

"Everybody loves the things you do
From the way you talk
To the way you move...
Everybody here is watching you
'Cause you feel like home"

While not everyone loves Bob Huggins as much as I do, Huggins is a familiar face in the world of college basketball and he makes me feel at home. Unfortunately, this game started when the season was young and set a very grim picture for the opening of conference play. Our team looked feisty and fired up for some Big 12 action at the beginning, so naturally, they collapsed in double-overtime at the end.

1/6 @ Texas: Daydreamer
(L 60-57)

"There's no way I
Could describe him
What I'll say is
Just what I'm hoping for"

Shaka Smart’s debut against the Weber-led Wildcats was nothing short of exciting-if you are a Texas fan. The press is already singing his praises in his first year. With a winning conference record and making progress ahead of Smart’s schedule, man, what a great coach you have. I remember a time that Kansas State got a new coach and they did well in his first year and then went on to successfully face plant more times than they’ve awed fans. Consider it the time in the season that I am daydreaming about the "what if Shaka Smart coached at MY school…" impossibilities.

1/9 @ #1 OU: Chasing Pavements
(L 86-76)

"I build myself up
And fly around in circles
Waitin' as my heart drops
And my back begins to tingle
Finally, could this be it"

Not one of the Kansas State faithful believed that the unstoppable Oklahoma Sooners were going to be taken down by our zero-conference-wins team. That being said, this game was looked like something of a mercy kill for me. Just get it done, finish the game, and get home to HOPEFULLY beat Texas Tech.This song is wistful, defeated, and speaks to someone that is rather tired of getting their hopes up, but will still probably do it anyway. If that doesn’t speak to Kansas State fans after this game, I don’t know what did. The only brightside? We scored a lot more points than 57. Still didn’t win the game, but hey… cling onto something that will make you feel marinally better about racking up another L.

1/12 vs Texas Tech: Rolling in the Deep
(W 83-70)

"There's a fire starting in my heart
Reaching a fever pitch, it's bringing me out the dark
Finally I can see you crystal clear
Go 'head and sell me out and I'll lay your ship bare"

WE DID IT! We won a conference game. Everything is going to be fine. While you might have doubted that, Kansas State Wildcats fans, we won a game and we will not be stopped. Watch out, Cyclones!

1/16 vs #17 Iowa State: Take It All
(L 76-63)

"But go on and take it,
Take it all with you.
Don't look back
At this crumbling fool.
Just take it all
With my love,
Take it all
With my love."

Grab your Kleenex. Sure, we seemed like a mighty warrior after a harrowed victory over Texas Tech that was so desperately needed for the Wildcats. Sure, Iowa State is like really good. That’s not the point. K-State was on a high that came crashing down before most of us were mentally prepared. Don’t look at me, Iowa State, just crush my dreams and move on. We have to be focused on taking on #13 Baylor now… *sobs longingly at photo of Frank Martin’s 16-1 team*

1/20 @ #13 Baylor: Set Fire to the Rain
(L 79-72 2OT)

"I set fire to the rain
And I threw us into the flames
When it fell, something died
'Cause I knew that that was the last time, the last time!"
This was terrible. Something did die, the love that I once had for watching Kansas State Men’s Basketball. We all watched with hopeful hearts that our riled up Wildcats would pull off a victory and upset a team that has upset us all quite enough already. In case you missed it, that did not happen. It was a battle to the finish, but I knew how this one would end. I was mad, I was tired of caring about watching this team do things that were not making me happy.

This game isn't worth going into a 2nd overtime

— Notorious G.A.T.™ (@sprotsGAT) January 21, 2016

I stayed up so late that I couldn’t function at my usual wake up time and I was not the only one. Set fire to it all. At least we were going home to Bramlage to face a terrible Oklahoma State? Yeah… stay positive.

1/23 vs Oklahoma State: Rumor Has It
(W 89-73)

"Bless your soul, you've got you're head in the clouds
You made a fool out of you
And, boy, she's bringing you down
She made your heart melt
But you're cold to the core
Now rumor has it she ain't got your love anymore"

Bless your soul, Travis Ford. You’re going to get fired if the Oklahoma State faithful have any say in it. Those are just rumors, however. After making incredibly awkward eye contact with Travis Ford the morning of this battle for 8th place in the Big 12, I knew something was off. He was eerily calm and waved with wiggling fingers that would unsettle Genghis Khan. We all know how this game ended… I was wearing Zubaz and a gold chain and was incredibly happy.

1/26 @ #9 WVU: Hello
(L 70-55)

"Hello from the other side
I must have called a thousand times
To tell you I'm sorry for everything that I've done
But when I call you never seem to be home"

The other side meaning we are on the bottom half of the conference standings and will probably stay there forever. Bob Huggins is the one that got away and seems to be doing just fine without remembering his time at Kansas State, so of course his soul crushing victory of the Wildcats a few days after we delivered a blow to Oklahoma State was just depressing. This song is heartbreaking and can make even the burliest of emotionally challenged fans tear up a little bit. Things are not looking great at this point, fellow Wildcats.

2/3 @ #7 KU: Someone Like You
(L 77-59)

"Never mind, I'll find someone like you
I wish nothing but the best for you
Don't forget me, I beg
I'll remember you said,
Sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead"

Bill Self is a great coach and if you cannot agree with that statement then you are probably just in denial. Not even his successor at Illinois, the mighty Bruce, could begin to hold a candle to what this man has accomplished. That being said, I am tired of getting whooped on by Kansas and want my own Bill Self. Not like in my basement or anything weird like that, just to have someone like him that everyone wants to be around and that wins constantly. This was a dark and painful loss for Kansas State and didn’t do much for my confidence going in to face the #1 ranked team in the nation, again, this time in our home.

2/6 vs #1 Oklahoma: Hometown Glory
(W 80-69)

"Shows that we ain't gonna stand it
Shows that we are united
Shows that we ain't gonna take it
Shows that we ain't gonna stand it"

Short of a Twisted Sister tribute, this song really riles up the people in a somber melody and homage to the home team. Bramlage is a place of high energy and excitement, which is the only reason I think our team clobbered the top rated Oklahoma Sooners that Saturday. The song is incredibly poetic, in general, but these lyrics are truly what represented the game best. We aren’t going to take it! We are going to make it through the Big 12 schedule and stand tall! Woo! Ric Flair! Woo!

2/10 vs #21 Baylor: Tired
(L 82-72)

"Hold my hand while you cut me down
It had only just begun but now it's over now
And you’re in the heat of moments with your heart playing up cold
I'm between the middle watching hastiness unfold"

"Watching hastiness unfold" might be the best way to describe the absolute disaster of a game coming off a mighty win over the top ranked team in the nation. We looked sloppy, we looked exhausted, and we looked like we didn’t care anymore since we’d already accomplished this season’s only highlight, beating Oklahoma. Here is the problem with Kansas State in a nutshell: we upset one team in a major way and then go into vacation mode for the rest of the season. No other game has been an upset and we will probably not beat another ranked team this year. So, why try for the rest of the season? We are a young team, we should not look this tired.

2/13 @ Oklahoma State: Skyfall
(L 58-55 OT)

"For this is the end
I've drowned and dreamt this moment
So overdue I owe them
Swept away, I'm stolen

Let the sky fall
When it crumbles
We will stand tall
Face it all together"

I’m not even trying to remember this incredibly awful game even though I was there in person. It was like all of my greatest fears came true at one time. Not only did I have to face my crippling fear of heights-I did so without any sort of reward. There was no beer at the stadium, no trophy I got for sitting in the rafters without screaming, and no victory for the Wildcats. This is the end. I have no idea how we played such terrible basketball against a team that really defines the term "terrible basketball" this season. The arena was like a graveyard for happiness and there were so many empty seats that people offered FREE floor seats to us. Instead of taking them, we opted to sit together in the terrifying ceiling of the arena. I understand where Kansas State’s energy went since stepping foot into Gallagher-Iba Arena because I also found myself wanting to nap and forgot that I was not at a tennis match, but was watching "college hoops". This is the end of hoping for a miracle turnaround with this year’s team. 

The best thing that happened this game?

Still trying to figure out what Bruce Webber had going on during this #KStateMBB timeout. pic.twitter.com/8yDRXYlvv0

— Nate Feken (@TheGreat_Nate) February 15, 2016

The next few games we have left could be promising, they could make you hopeful. The sad truth does not resonate with hope and promise. The sad truth simply shows three measly wins and nine painful losses. We have six conference games left and no chance at finishing 9-9 in the conference.

Feel free to listen and cry in shame to this incredible playlist with all the songs at once here: Adele #KstateMBB.