Bruce Weber made clear that the NIT isn't their goal, but if they were to miss the NCAA tournament and be invited to compete in the NIT, his team would absolutely accept and participate.

He sees it as a reward for his players that have stayed tight-knit all season long and gives them the ability to continue their season in some fashion. Particularly, guys like Mike McGuirl and Mark Smith, whose college basketball days are numbered.

Kansas State adding a game to their schedule is impacted less by the result than many assume, according to Weber. It's not whether or not they win or lose. It's about whether they can find an opponent that also has the freedom to play a game next week, and one that wants to do it.

That's been the challenge.

If it comes to fruition, it would likely be played in Manhattan, which also has its hurdles. Traveling somewhere could also be a route to take in order to play a contest in between Oklahoma and the first contest of the Big 12 Tournament.

That seems more far-fetched since their first conference tournament game will be on Wednesday or Thursday. Nijel Pack has also shared that there was some question over whether or not it would be a home game.

Because a regular season game can't be added after the conference tournament, a lot of teams are eliminated from being a potential foe for K-State. A few have already begun and some start over the weekend and early next week.

Northern Illinois has been a team that has been thrown around as a potential option. Their MAC tournament doesn't begin until next Thursday. Ultimately, nothing has yet been scheduled and Weber believes they'll know later on Friday whether the opportunity exists.

The hamstring strain Markquis Nowell suffered versus Iowa State last week is worse than they initially thought and will keep him out another contest. He's been ruled unavailable for the home finale.

The hope is that he will return for the Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City. But that is also in question. That means another likely start for Selton Miguel and even more Luke Kasubke off the bench.

It also means Pack will have to shoulder even more of the playmaking role, just like he did so in Lubbock.

Mark Smith has not been bashful about revealing his joy about playing for Kansas State and having some regret about not making it to Manhattan sooner. His head coach reiterated the same on Friday.

Weber explained that the fifth-year senior wishes he could play more basketball for the Wildcats.

When Smith chose to transfer to Missouri almost four years ago after a brief stint at Illinois, K-State wanted him. Unfortunately, all of their roster spots were filled at the time. And it was a missed opportunity that could haunt both Weber and Smith.

Amaad Wainwright exited the program right around the time Smith chose to transfer to Columbia. Head coach Cuonzo Martin and his staff did a better job of making his spot seem more secure with the Tigers.

He committed to them in April of 2018.

There is an argument to be made that Kansas State could have found a way to cut ties with guys like James Love or Nigel Shadd to be certain they had the scholarship capital to land Smith. That, or they could have denied Austin Trice a scholarship.

Trice picked the Wildcats a week before the Illinois transfer made his college choice.

Instead, the roster spot Wainright vacated went unfilled until Goodnews Kpegeol was added in November. Kpegeol never suited up for a regular season game for K-State before transferring.

Weber and his staff couldn't get the job done and Smith wasn't patient enough for the marriage to happen sooner. Had they done so, a young Smith could have played on the 2019 Big 12 title team and helped steady the waters thereafter.

Instead, there was an implosion that ultimately took place in 2020 and 2021.

It is a game of shoulda, woulda, coulda. But Smith wasn't a slouch at Missouri, and when looking at how successful he has been in just his one season in Manhattan, it does sting to think about what could have been.