MANHATTAN, Kan. _ Nearly a week has passed since Kansas State picked up its most significant nonconference victory of the season against Tulsa, but the good vibes that accompanied the end of that game are still resonating.
"Everyone really just woke up and said, 'Hey, this isn't how our season is going to go,' " K-State junior guard Mike McGuirl said. "We were in a real vulnerable position at the time, because we were down early against that team at home. After a bad start to our year it could have ended very badly, but we turned it around and I think things are going to go well for us."
The Wildcats are now optimistic about what they can accomplish during the Big 12 portion of their schedule, which begins at noon Saturday against Oklahoma at Lloyd Noble Center.
K-State (7-5) mostly disappointed during its first 12 games and is currently thought to be a longshot candidate for the NCAA Tournament. But none of its losses were blowouts and the team is finally back at full strength with freshmen forwards Montavious Murphy and Antonio Gordon both expected to play against the Sooners.
Entering Big 12 play with a victory provided both momentum and hope.
"I think it was good to win and to win a close game, because we hadn't won a close game yet," K-State coach Bruce Weber said. "We have been in this scenario quite a bit. I hope that will help us in the Big 12, because a lot of games are close and we have been through quite a bit of those."
It will be interesting to see how K-State handles conference play this season. Few are expecting much from the Wildcats as they enter Big 12 games tied with Iowa State for the worst record in the league. They also own the worst NET ranking (99) and KenPom rating (88) in the conference.
But veteran starters like Xavier Sneed, Cartier Diarra, Makol Mawien and McGuirl all helped K-State share a conference championship with Texas Tech last season.
They still refer to themselves as "defending Big 12 champions" and realize some opponents may put a special emphasis on beating them after what transpired last season.
At the least, the Wildcats know what to expect. And they aren't backing down.
"It's our tradition and it's our culture to be the toughest team," McGuirl said. "The Big 12 is a conference about toughness. It's about being tough and out-toughing teams. That is what we are looking to go do. We aren't looking to be pretty and beat teams, we are looking to out-tough everyone in the league."
The journey begins with a difficult road game against Oklahoma (9-3), which features one of the league's best offensive players in senior forward Kristian Doolittle.
Weber knows what he will emphasize as K-State embarks on the start of Big 12 play.
"Each guy has got to make one less mistake," Weber said. "It comes down to three or four plays, who makes the mistake and who doesn't. That is why older teams win, they make less mistakes. If we can make one less mistake it is going to add up and that is going to help us play better and win more games moving forward."
