K-State Bracket Tracker: February 3rd

Now that the calendar has flipped to February, we are just over a month away from Selection Sunday. The Wildcats will be a tournament team, but where they will play and what seed they will get has a long way to go before it is decided. Below is a look at some of the signature bracketologists' predictions for where the Wildcats will end up.

K-State Seed: #3
Region: Midwest (Kansas City)
1st & 2nd Round Location: Des Moines, IA
Opponents: #14 Southern Illinois (MVC AQ), #6 Saint Mary's (WCC AQ) or #11 Kentucky/West Virginia
Big 12 Teams in the Field: 8 (Oklahoma first four out)
Mason's Take: There is a lot to love about this projection from Lunardi. The Wildcats get a favorable first and second round location by going to Des Moines which would likely also have Kansas from another region playing. Fan support would be high and if the Wildcats made it out alive, they would get to the second weekend played at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City. What is concerning is the opponents that could linger in the second round. Although unlikely the selection committee would set up a possible Big 12 second round rematch against West Virginia, which wouldn't be fun. Also, Saint Mary's has good size inside and shoots the three well, and also Kentucky who boasts Oscar Tshiebwe. I love the locations, but I hate the possible draw for the Wildcats.

K-State Seed: #2
Region: West (Las Vegas)
1st & 2nd Round Location: Columbus, OH
Opponents: #15 Youngstown State (Horizon AQ), #7 Providence (Big East At-Large) or #10 Wisconsin (Big Ten At-Large)
Other Big 12 Teams in the Field: 6 (Oklahoma State First Four Out)
Mason's Take: I like the possible matchups in the first two rounds better for the Wildcats. I think there is a pretty big gap between 15 seeds and 14 seeds, as well as Providence and Wisconsin not being that big of threats in my eyes. The only worry I have is that Wisconsin and K-State have some tournament history in the last 15 years, and neither is positive since the Badgers knocked Michael Beasley out in 2008 and finished Jacob Pullen's career in 2011. Going to Las Vegas for the second weekend is obviously not as nice as Kansas City for proximity, but enough Cat fans would likely make the trek west for that experience. I would prefer this over the Lunardi scenario above, but I think Palm is off with suggesting only six Big 12 teams are in the field right now.

K-State Seed: #2
Region: East (New York)
1st & 2nd Round Location: Not given
Opponents: #15 Siena (MAAC AQ), #7 Missouri (SEC At-Large) or #10 USC (Pac-12 At-Large)
Other Big 12 Teams in the Field: 8 (Oklahoma First Four Out)
Mason's Take: I would take this matchup for K-State, the only scary part is the streakiness of Missouri. They have had some games this season where no matter what happens, they are just going to beat you. That also means they have thrown up some pretty ugly performances and have faltered since conference play began. Mizzou's best win is Iowa State last weekend, but the Cyclones were without Caleb Grill and had punted on that game it appeared, after their tough home win against K-State earlier in the week. Outside of that game, Missouri has been blown out by Alabama and Kansas and also lost to Florida earlier in the year. USC is led by two high-scoring guards, but recently had the return of Vincent Iwuchukwu, a 7'1" big man that was the No. 16 overall prospect in the class of 2022, from injury. Reason for concern in this scenario, but I would hold more confidence than some other projections.

K-State Seed: #3
Region: Midwest (Kansas City)
1st & 2nd Round Location: Des Moines, IA
Opponents: #14 Milwaukee (Horizon AQ), #6 Illinois (Big Ten At-Large) or #11 West Virginia/Kentucky
Other Big 12 Teams in the Field: 8 (Oklahoma First Four Out)
Mason's Take: Essentially this is the same scenario that Lunardi laid out in his ESPN bracket, the only change is Illinois is in place of Saint Mary's. If forced to choose, I would rather K-State get Saint Mary's than Illinois. Although inconsistent this season, Brad Underwood's team features players that can heat up at a moment's notice with Texas Tech transfer TJ Shannon and versatile big Coleman Hawkins. The Illini also have a big man inside that transferred from Baylor named Dain Dainja who would be a mammoth inside for K-State to handle. Also, Illinois fans would flock to Des Moines, whereas the private school out on the west coast in Saint Mary's wouldn't have a strong fan presence.