Kansas State ends 2017 with a horrifying scream

There are five primary items on the docket today. Three of them involve things which happened to Kansas State Wildcats yesterday; a fourth involves a nagging question from the fall, and the last has the benefit of having nothing whatsoever to do with the nightmare that was 2017.

But first, a recap of our content from New Year’s Eve, which we hope you all enjoyed safely and without feeling like a train hit you this morning:

• Recruiting roundups — KSUEMAW! checked in with part one of his two-part look at K-State’s defensive signees from the early signing period, while JT examined the offensive signees in a single chapter.
• The staff got together for a roundtable to discuss the best and worst of 2017.
• Your benevolent despot recapped yesterday’s loss by the distaff Wildcats in Stillwater.
• Finally, after the ball had already dropped on the east coast, AMS reported on the announcement by D.J. Reed that he’ll be forgoing his senior season to enter the NFL Draft.

Football

Losing Reed will hurt, but it’s hard to argue that he’s an NFL talent and money always wins. One hesitates to read too much into his statement, but we couldn’t help but notice that there wasn’t necessarily a great deal of love shown to K-State -- at least no more than he showed Fresno State Bulldogs and Cerritos JC.

Kellis Robinett at the Star/Eagle has the story, as does Ken Corbitt at the Capital-Journal.

Reed was not the only Wildcat to officially become a former Wildcat yesterday. C.J. Reese, who’d already announced his intent to transfer, made his destination official: he’s joining Dana Dimel at Texas-El Paso Miners per our pal Alex Nicolas at Miner Rush.

Matt Levins at The Hawk Eye (Burlington, Iowa) reports on the future plans of one Jesse Ertz, late of Manhattan. The interesting thing about this article: Ertz has applied for a sixth-year medical waiver, but is absolutely positively not coming back to Kansas State.

One can reasonably argue that he knows he’s probably not starting next year even if he does return. One could also reasonably argue that even if he had the job, he wants out.

Women’s Basketball

It’s too painful to discuss again. Here’s Oklahoma State’s official recap.

Men’s Basketball

K-State will take on West Virginia Mountaineers tonight at Bramlage, and as usual the West Virginia media is all over it.

Previews:

• Corbitt and Robinett both preview, focusing on Bruce Weber’s comments about defending home court.
• An uncredited preview from FOX Sports.
• Allen Taylor at West Virginia MetroNews previews, including Bob Huggins joking about West Virginia leaving the Big 12 for an easier league.
• An uncredited preview from the Morgantown Dominion Post staff, which may mean Justin Jackson. Jackson also provided a recap of the Mountaineers’ 2017-18 season so far.
• Kevin Kinder at BlueGoldNews previews the game, and thinks K-State can win if the two guys (presumably Kamau Stokes and Barry Brown) who aren’t the guy Huggins decides to stop (presumably Dean Wade) can hit shots.

On an amusing sidenote, here’s this news from Evan Daniels at 247: former Kansas Jayhawks forward Carlton Bragg is leaving Arizona State Sun Devils despite not even playing a single game there.

Other

From the Nyasa (Malawi) Times: On Sunday, K-State announced that former Malawi president Joyce Banda, only the second woman to ever lead an African nation, will deliver a Landon Lecture on January 29.