Bye week boredom and other stories

Football

Kansas State had a bye yesterday, and it’s probably just as well, because college football was a bit chaotic yesterday, and the Wildcats managed to avoid that altogether.

The 2019 football schedule was announced this week and features seven home games, including a Thursday night tilt against TCU and no away games in October. As per usual, the Wildcats will open Big 12 play on the road. In his weekly K-State Q&A, Kellis Robinett notes these scheduling quirks have little real impact on the Wildcats, and I tend to agree with him.

Also, Kansas State’s triple run threat offense now has a new name: T-bone. Also 3BAW. Or Tres Gatos.

I think Luke Thompson should object to being omitted from this list of K-State-specific podcasts, especially because Bring on the PodCats was among the first of its kind.

The Big 12 is clearly an offensive league (maybe in both meanings of the word), but according to Bill Snyder, the defense in the conference is adapting and steadily improving to keep up with the high-octane offenses (Ryan Black, Manhattan Mercury).

Kansas State’s own defense has also improved as the season has progressed, as has the offense. Maybe it’s because new coordinators Andre Coleman and Blake Seiler have found a groove of sorts (Black, Mercury).

Basketball

Kansas State has been picked second in the Big 12 in the preseason league coaches poll, with 72 points and one first-place vote. No points for guessing which team was picked first.

Dean Wade was named a preseason candidate for the 2019 Karl Malone Award, and the preseason Big 12 Player of the Year. He’s determined to put last year’s injury behind him and enjoy the season. Last year, he missed “the fun part” of the season but put his timeout to good use, studying film and working out as much as he could.

Yesterday, the past came back to life at Bramlage Coliseum, as Kansas State held a memorial to honor Tex Winter. Attendees included Winter’s family, Bill McKinney (part of Winter’s first recruiting class at Northwestern), and of course, NBA coaching legend Phil Jackson.

Soccer

Kansas State’s 2018 woes continue unabated. In wet conditions in Waco, the soccer team played on Baylor’s outdoor football scrimmage field and promptly dropped its seventh-straight match, a 1-0 contest against Baylor.

The Bears had a 5-1 edge in shots on goal in the first half, but good defense from the Wildcats ensured a scoreless tie at the halfway mark. In the 49th minute, Baylor’s Camryn Wendlandt found paydirt, and that was more than enough to put the match away.

Kansas State will play Texas in Austin at 1 PM today. If nothing else, hope springs eternal, as demonstrated by this optimistic error by the K-State SID:

Volleyball

Kansas State ended a winless streak in conference play with a win over ranked Kansas, and then followed it up with an emphatic sweep of #24 Baylor yesterday. The VolleyCats won the match 3-0 (25-23, 27-25, 28-26) in a match where they outplayed the Bears from the very first serve.

This is the VolleyCats first sweep in Waco in more than a decade, and Suzie Fritz appreciated the “momentum we are gaining.”

Up next, the team returns to Manhattan to host Oklahoma at Ahearn Field House. First serve is set for 7 PM as the Wildcats begin the back half of the Big 12 season.