Texas Two-Step Split

Previously

Gracey went on Facebook Live last night and discussed the recruiting class and the smoke coming from the fire in Bramlage.

Recruiting

Yesterday at Bring on the Cats, coverage was dominated by National Signing Day 2017. In addition to our annual open thread for the event, where we kept the story up-to-date as K-State announced signings, we also had some big news to share during the day. First, Gracey brought us another behind the scenes look at at a recruit, this time Anthony Payne. Then she brought us the big news of the signing of coveted linebacker Daniel Green as well as junior college safety Elijah Walker, who had committed, and then de-committed, before choosing the Cats again yesterday.

Away from BotC, we have the official release on recruits from K-State Athletics, as well as looks at the big finish to signing day from the Kellis Robinett (via the KC Star), the Topeka Capital-Journal’s Ken Corbitt, Joel Jellison at the Manhattan Mercury, and Brett Engle with a campus look from the K-State Collegian.

It wasn’t just signing day for football. A good story comes the K-State soccer team, as Dibbini stood behind a prized recruit who suffered an ACL tear just a month before signing day (Tony Ciniglio, LA Daily News)

Be sure and check back later today as we will have a full recap of National Signing Day 2017.

Women’s Basketball

The women’s basketball started off the month of February on the road, and on the right foot. The Cats traveled to Lubbock to face a Texas Tech squad that had been a stellar 10-1 at home this season. But the MittieCats completed the sweep of Tech, winning 65-53 behind a 19 point, 11 rebound double-double effort from Breanna Lewis, and strong contributions from freshman Peyton Williams, and junior Kaylee Paige.

Next up for the Cats is their second of four road games in the next five contests, heading to Austin, TX on Saturday to face (12/13) Texas at 5 p.m. The game will be broadcast on the Longhorn Network and on the K-State Sports Network.

Men’s Basketball

While the women were in Lubbock finishing off a road game, the men were in Manhattan trying to figure out how not to lose to TCU in Bramlage. And whatever they thought of didn’t work, as the Cats fell to the Horned Frogs 80-86 in overtime. Nothing is easy in Big 12 play this year (Robinett, Eagle), and TCU is certainly not the pushover of old. But the Cats lost where they couldn’t afford to lose, and are now in the midst of a three-game losing streak that could get worse with three games upcoming against the top three teams in the league (Corbitt, C-J). And since we couldn’t bring ourselves to write anything about the calamity last night, we’ll send you down to our purple cousins in Texas, where things are a bit more rosy.

Writers Rant: It’s hard to see where this team goes from here. A tough three game stretch lays ahead, with a road trip to Waco on Saturday, followed by the quick turn-around of hosting KU on Monday in Bramlage for ESPN’s Big Monday. Then the Cats get to head to Morgantown to face a Mountaineer squad that’s out for blood after losing in Manhattan earlier this season. Even the home match-up with Iowa State the following Wednesday in Bramlage is going to be a tough game for this squad. This team could easily be on a 7-game losing streak by the time it hits a team that it should beat easily, but Longhorns have played better basketball in Austin than on the road. This is the spiral we were all worried about, and it’s come at just about the worst possible time. Dean Wade has hit a big wall, managing more fouls than points in the last three games. The team still has trouble closing out games, and now that trend has found it’s way into several close losses.

Something is very wrong in Bramlage. And unless Bruce Weber can get things turned around soon, he may not make it to the end of March as the head coach at K-State.