Kstate

Pardon the cliche, but Kansas State's cakewalk over Oklahoma State last night at the Sprint Center was exactly what the doctor ordered.

The two-game lapse the Wildcats experienced at the end of the regular season is history. K-State bounced back in a big way, and played one of its best games of the season. Maybe even THE best.

Jamar Samuels was in a zone, Denis Clemente made fabulous reads all night long and Dominique Sutton was a difference maker.

The Kansas State basketball team will be out for revenge today against Oklahoma State. It will also be trying to regain its swagger and end a two-game losing streak.

For those reasons, the Wildcats won't need to look ahead to the NCAA Tournament to find motivation at the Big 12 Tournament.

But if they choose to think of seeding implications, no one could blame them. This week's trip to Kansas City could impact their future quite a bit.

Something for K-State fans to think about as they consider their NCAA Tournament trip. It's been assumed for while the Wildcats would be headed to Oklahoma City to open postseason play.

And I believe that destination remains a solid possibility. But keep an eye on New Mexico.

The selection committee gives higher seeded teams location preference _ in order of team strength. And that preference is based on mileage to a site. The closest first-round site to Kansas State is Oklahoma City. It’s also the closest first-round site for New Mexico.

The 2009-2010 Big 12 specialty teams selected by a panel of media members who regularly cover the conference.

All-Freshman
Avery Bradley, Texas
Alec Burks, Colorado
Tiny Gallon, Oklahoma
Tommy Mason-Griffin, Oklahoma
Xavier Henry, Kansas

All-Newcomer
Marquis Gilstrap, Iowa State
Curtis Kelly, Kansas State
Lance Jeter, Nebraska
Matt Pilgrim, Oklahoma State
Epke Udoh, Baylor

All-Underrated
Ryan Anderson, Nebraska
Bryan Davis, Texas A&M
Obi Muonelo, Oklahoma State
Nick Okorie, Texas Tech
Keith Ramsey, Missouri

All-Reserve
Quincy Acy, Baylor
Laurence Bowers, Missouri

When Jamar Samuels convinced Frank Martin to let him come off the bench this season, the sophomore forward began openly campaigning for the Big 12's 6th-man of the Year award.

"That's why I'm not starting," he often said. "I want to win me an award."

Samuels is the biggest jokester on the K-State roster, and those statements were not always serious. His reasons for not starting were many, and went deeper than simply wanting an individual award.

Judging by his reaction to receiving the coveted honor this weekend, they went much, much deeper.

1. Change its motivation: As an underdog, K-State racked up wins against several teams it was not favored to beat. The Wildcats showed fire in those games, and wildly celebrated some of the victories. As a top 10 team, K-State took little joy in its wins, let down late at Kansas and lost inexplicably to Iowa State. Clearly, the Wildcats play better when they have something to prove.

Only the No. 5 through No. 12 seeded teams will hold open practices Tuesday at the Sprint Center. Here is the practice schedule:

Noon-12:40 p.m.: No. 9 Texas Tech
12:45-1:25 p.m.: No. 8 Colorado
1:30-2:10 p.m.: No. 12 Nebraska
2:15-2:55 p.m.: No. 5 Missouri
3-3:40 p.m.: No. 7 Oklahoma State
3:45-4:25 p.m.: No. 10 Oklahoma
4:30-5:10 p.m.: No. 6 Texas
5:15-5:55 p.m.: No. 11 Iowa State

Kansas State basketball coach Frank Martin was awarded a new contract today that will pay him an average salary of $1.55 million and run through the 2014-15 season.

Martin's previous contract paid him $760,000 a year, and ranked near the bottom of all Big 12 Conference coaches. The raise will rank him fourth in the league, and tie him with Missouri coach Mike Anderson. Only Kansas' Bill Self, Texas' Rick Barnes and Oklahoma State's Travis Ford make more.

The Kansas State Athletics Department will hold a news conference at 1:30 p.m. today to make an announcement regarding its men’s basketball program.

The announcement will be a contract extension for coach Frank Martin.

Terms of the deal will be released at the news conference.

Martin and athletic director John Currie have been in contract negotiations for the past few months. Martin's agent, Richard Katz, was at Bramlage Coliseum last night for the Wildcats' loss to Iowa State.

For 28 games this season, the Kansas State basketball team cruised to 24 wins and soared up the national rankings.

After a shocking 85-82 overtime loss to Iowa State on Saturday at Bramlage Coliseum, combined with a 17-point loss at Kansas earlier in the week, the Wildcats are now headed in the other direction.

How far? Maybe just a spot or two in the polls. Maybe out of the top 10. It all depends on the voters.