KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- All season long, Kansas State played with a very real chip on its shoulder. The Wildcats channeled that ferocity into what is likely to be a No. 8 or 9 seed in the NCAA tournament and another incredible coaching performance by head coach Frank Martin.
But on Thursday at the Big 12 tournament, Martin, his Wildcats and their focused, "we'll show the world" approach ran smack into a Baylor team playing with its own sense of pride and purpose. Baylor carried its own chip on its shoulder, and it was sizable enough to serve as the catalyst as the Bears bullied their way to an 82-74 victory.
Good thing. Because Baylor, a team long disrespected nationally despite boasting a mind-boggling turnaround this decade, has often been accused of having a soft side capable of impeding its immense skill.
Particularly Perry Jones III, an NBA lottery prospect with top-five talent who has been described as a GM-killer, pushover and unreliable player made of more hype than results.
"I think throughout the year he's received a lot of negativity," Baylor coach Scott Drew said.
Well, Perry responded Thursday. Against a tough-minded K-State opponent that had split with the Bears in the regular season, the big man had 31 points on 11-of-14 shooting and 11 rebounds. He showed off some 3-point shooting skills, sinking both of his attempts, and sparked reminders of his incredible NBA upside and just how good this Baylor team can be.
"I was just in the zone today," Jones said, "just being aggressive and more assertive."
Said Drew: "He showed his repertoire tonight shooting the 3. I think he's confident right now and he's playing well right now."
So is Baylor, which advanced to play Kansas on Friday evening and seems likely to have locked up a No. 3 seed for March Madness.
The Bears showed off the athleticism and NBA talent that has left coaches like Martin baffled at the lack of respect they've received nationally. The Bears lost to only four teams this season: Kansas, Missouri, Kansas State and Iowa State.
Each of those teams is almost certainly bound for the Big Dance, and Kansas and Missouri are likely to arrive as No. 1 and No. 2 seeds, respectively.
Throw in the fact that Baylor controlled K-State nearly all game Thursday, and you're reminded the guys from Waco don't have a single bad loss all season long, a fact few NCAA tournament resumes can boast.
"The teams that we've lost to are all good teams and teams that are NCAA tournament teams, are going to be successful," Drew said.
Martin agreed: "I said it all week: I think they get a raw deal. They lose to a couple of teams in the Big 12, and people (are) acting like that makes them a bad team. They're a Final Four contending team, and they're real good."
So is Martin's squad, though not in quite the same way or with the same upside.
Still, in typical Martin fashion, Kansas State is an up-by-the-bootstraps group of guys that beat Mizzou twice and can be a serious threat to better, higher-seeded teams starting next week. The Wildcats are tough, they are well coached and, though void of flashy future lottery picks, they are chock full of heart and grit.
They lost to Baylor on Thursday, but they still deserve an invite to the dance themselves.
"Now we have to cross our fingers," Martin said. "We've put our fate in someone else's hands. And I want to say this: I think we're very much deserving of an opportunity."
That chip Kansas State carries around on a regular basis, the one that has fueled Manhattan's own pretty impressive basketball turnaround? It's almost certainly a little heavier after the loss.
"I mean, it hurts," said guard Rodney McGruder, who scored 14 points but was only 5 of 13 from the field. "Jamar (Samuels) and Victor (Ojeleye)'s last Big 12 game and we didn't want to go out like that. It hurts. It really does. But we just have to take advantage of the next opportunity we have, and we can't let it slip away from us like we did today."
Indeed, but hold onto that need to prove what you're made of. It has a way of focusing the mind. Jones did it against Kansas State, and it worked to bring out his best. Baylor needs to do more of it going forward. And Kansas State needs to hold into its own fiery sense of being the underdog to make noise if given the chance by the committee.
"We know we can play with anybody when we play the game the right way," Martin said. "We didn't play it the right way today."
