Kansas State Has Been The Best Team In The Country Over The Past Week
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Kansas State has completely shifted the previous narratives about their season over their last three games.
One statistic shows this win streak is somehow even more dominant than anticipated. Basketball analytics site Barttorvik.com ranked the Wildcats No. 1 in power rating (99.36 percent) over the past week, leading juggernauts like Houston and Duke.
Kansas State clinched double-digit victories over No. 3 Iowa State, West Virginia, and Oklahoma State after a six-game losing streak. The elevated play from stars Coleman Hawkins and Dug McDaniel has catalyzed their dominant stretch. Max Jones and Brendan Hausen have also been solid contributors, collectively averaging 25.7 points per game. Hausen's outside shot, complemented by Jones' inside threat, has given the Wildcats consistent scoring options in the backcourt.
Coach Jerome Tang spoke about remaining faithful even when the season looked glum.
"God's given us this platform to honor him, and if you honor him only when you win, it's not really honor," Tang said. "I think all season long, we've gone through some rough things, but our guys have honored God with their actions and their work. This win at Iowa State is huge, they're a great team."
They still have much to do to keep their Tournament expectations afloat, but convincingly defeating three conference opponents is definitely a start.
Kansas State has its next opportunity against the Arizona State Sun Devils Tuesday night.
Jayden Armant is a graduate of the Howard University School of Communications and a contributor to Kansas State Wildcats on SI. He can be reached at jaydenshome14@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @jaydenarmant.
Jayden is a journalism school graduate of Howard University. He was the 2024 recipient of the Terez Paylor scholarship award. He previously worked at the Orlando Sentinel.
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