GoPowercat.com - Martin fighting for his team's NCAA hopes

March 13, 2009

Tim Fitzgerald, commentary
GoPowercat.com Publisher

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Sometimes an unsuspecting member of the media will ask Kansas State coach Frank Martin just the right question at the right time. What they get is a direct answer, one that rolls downhill directly at them like a tank that is relentlessly firing its cannon.

Some poor television reporter found himself in the path of a classic Martin answer on Thursday following the Wildcats' 61-58 defeat to Texas in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament in Oklahoma City.

Standing outside the locker room, 30 minutes after the defeat, the member of the media clumsily asked, "With your team's whole body of work this season, are you pleased?"

"Absolutely," was the first word out of Martin's mouth. And 110 seconds later, Martin stopped speaking. This came about 10 minutes after another media member asked Martin at his official postgame press conference a similar question and got a similar 500-word answer. The second one, though, was delivered with a little more of that Frank Martin passion that K-Staters love.

Frank Martin is a fighter and he's fighting for his team's chances to get into the NCAA Tournament's field of 65. It's an argument he believes the conference should be making on behalf of all seven teams in line for potential spots in the field, but after hearing the announcers for the official "Big 12 Network" on Wednesday stating a case for why K-State should not be in the field, Martin was ready to launch when the question came.

"I'm glad you asked me that, so let me throw some stuff at you. Obviously the people who work for the Big 12 and have microphones, don't say these type of things, so I'm going to say them.

"Don't compare us to the Big 12. If they're going to say that conference affiliation has no business in the selection process then don't compare us to the Big 12. We were the four seed, and by the way, we didn't get the fourth seed because they flipped a coin or somebody liked my personality so they said 'Let's give Frank the fourth seed.' They gave us the fourth seed because we earned it. That's number one.

"The six teams that are ahead of us, if that's what you want to call it, ? deserve to be in. Why does everyone think that the ACC, Big 10, Pac-10 and Big East all deserve eight, but the Big 12 doesn't. I don't understand that. That's not consistent.

"Let's look at the other bubble teams out there. I'm not going to name names because those other coaches and teams have competed their hearts out too. But people want to say we're not valid or we're not good because our RPI number is high. That's a completely other conversation. Hide that RPI and tell me how many other bubble teams have five true road wins.

"Nobody wants to say winning at Cleveland State is a good road win. That's OK. We're proud of that win. Everyone wants to say people who beat Butler have a great win, but the last time I checked, those two teams played three times and those games went to the buzzer all three times. And last time I checked, the conference champion is Cleveland State. It's all in how you want to look at it.

"We've won three Top 50 games, and tell me how many of those other bubble teams have three top 50 wins.

"There are teams out there with one Top 50 win or no Top 50 wins, and they have 20 or 21 wins, but they're in because their RPI number is better? That's ridiculous."

And that was slightly edited and shortened -- Martin admitted to the weakness of his team's non-conference schedule and also hammered away at his team's strong showing over the last 12 games -- but you get the point. Martin still believes, despite his team's quarterfinal loss to Texas, that his Wildcats deserve to be in the NCAA Tournament field.

His argument is compelling. If the selection committee does indeed use "blind selections" in which the names of the teams are hidden, and if the selection committee really doesn't use RPI (Ratings Percentage Index) numbers, just many of the components that go into the RPI, then there's a chance that they may be surprised to find out on Sunday they put Kansas State into the field of 65.

The likelihood is that won't take place, but Martin is still fighting. Still hoping. And still stating a factual case that one would think the Big 12 would also adopt.

Instead, the conference seems to be focusing on the concept that they can only get in five or six teams, so that's that. Well, as Martin forcefully states, if the committee ignores conference affiliation, then the conference should be leading the charge in arguing that their bids should not be capped.

The Big 12 Tournament has proven why as many conference teams as possible deserve into the field. A slew of upsets in two days has left one team that received a bye (Missouri) in the semifinals. The top two seeds were bounced, not because the conference is weak but because there are few free passes to victory in the Big 12. You earn each win.

So, it's up to Frank The Tank to keep his cannon firing. He has something to say, and anyone who knows Martin knows darn well that he's going to say it. He sure wishes, however, that the Big 12 and its own television network, would give him a hand.

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