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College Basketball Bubble Watch: Week 9

By Nathaniel Reeves

Jan 3, 2017; Lawrence, KS, USA; Kansas State Wildcats forward Wesley Iwundu (25) celebrates after scoring a three point basket during the second half against the Kansas Jayhawks at Allen Fieldhouse. Kansas won 90 to 88. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 3, 2017; Lawrence, KS, USA; Kansas State Wildcats forward Wesley Iwundu (25) celebrates after scoring a three point basket during the second half against the Kansas Jayhawks at Allen Fieldhouse. Kansas won 90 to 88. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jan 3, 2017; Lawrence, KS, USA; Kansas State Wildcats head coach Bruce Weber reacts to a call during the second half against the Kansas Jayhawks at Allen Fieldhouse. Kansas won 90 to 88. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 3, 2017; Lawrence, KS, USA; Kansas State Wildcats head coach Bruce Weber reacts to a call during the second half against the Kansas Jayhawks at Allen Fieldhouse. Kansas won 90 to 88. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports /

Kansas State Wildcats

It was a tough week for the Wildcats, as their chances of earning a monumental road upset over rival Kansas that would have put them firmly on the right side of the bubble were dashed thanks in part to a bad call.

Kansas State put in a terrific effort on Tuesday night at Phog Allen Fieldhouse in a 90-88 loss against the No. 3 Jayhawks. Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk hit the game-winning layup as time expired, getting away with a blatant travel in the process.

While it won’t help Kansas State’s metrics and they might have lost in overtime anyway, the committee could even view a narrow defeat at the toughest place to play in the nation as a positive. The Wildcats only other loss is a one-point loss at a neutral site against Maryland, leading to a solid enough RPI mark of 45th.

A 12-2 mark would normally be good enough to warrant inclusion in the field at this point, but Kansas State doesn’t own any wins that stand out. The Wildcats’ best win by RPI is by three points at home over a 7-7 Texas team, leaving them with plenty of work to do.

If the showing on Tuesday is any indication, Kansas State should be able to pick up a few good wins in the Big 12. After hosting Oklahoma on Saturday, the Wildcats will get a pair of good tests against Texas Tech and No. 2 Baylor next week.