WSU v KSU - so close, yet so far

[B&Gpassion]

After months of hoping rumors were true, this game has been (unbelievably) postponed by our side. As a fan it’s maddening. There will always be ups & downs on both sides but that should never stop this game. We’re offered a Koch/Bramlage deal and turn it down. Wow. Beggars have become choosers.

[Shock Top]

They could have said “yes” for YEARS, but all of a sudden, after coming of an Elite Eight finish bringing almost everyone back and WSU having 10 new players they all of a sudden can make it work this year and are trying to make WSU look like the bad guy?

Get bent Webber.

Don’t get me wrong, I’d love for the Shox to kick the Cats asses, but you don’t get credit for WSU turning you down when suddenly your in the more powerful position.

[kcshocker11]

Years of wanting games with both KU and KSU and being told no we're not good enough, and your ashamed of us. Geez I dont care if we ever play KU or ksu. Good job 3G I for one am proud of you.

[Aargh]

After months of hoping rumors were true, this game has been (unbelievably) postponed by our side. As a fan it’s maddening. There will always be ups & downs on both sides but that should never stop this game. We’re offered a Koch/Bramlage deal and turn it down. Wow. Beggars have become choosers.

That is a great post - for the KSU board.

Here's what you seem to have missed or more likely just ignored for convenience. WSU has been trying for the last approximately a decade to schedule a game with KSU and KSU has turned the game down. Now WSU's at it's least experienced team in the Marshall era and KSU is the best they've been in the Weber era. NOW Weber wants to schedule WSU?

For 10 years Weber refused to play Marshall because Weber knew he'd have his butt handed to him, and may have lost his job over losing to the lowly D2, mid-major Shockers. At least that's what the KSU fans who've called for Weber to be fired every year since he's been hired would scream.

If Weber refused to play WSU when WSU was up, and then wants media coverage because Marshall did the same damn thing Weber had done for 10 years, that pretty much shows Weber's character.

If you aren't aware that Weber turned down the series many, many times, it's because Marshall didn't go crying and whining to the media when Weber refused to schedule the Shox.

[B&Gpassion]

I’ll give you that “beggars” is not how our efforts to schedule this game should be characterized, and I’m more than aware how this issue has been met in Manhattan. ALL the reasons this game hasn’t happened stink. IMO there’s no reasonable excuse for this game to not happen. Yeah the table is temporarily turned in Weber’s favor, that’s obvious. And yeah, he’s been the obstructionist, also obvious. As a WSU alum and Shocker Dad who follows our team all over the country, I want this game to happen and it should every year. Screw all the stupid reasons it doesn’t, play the game.

[Slykryck]

KSU needs us more than we need them at this point. If I recall correctly, we couldn’t even get them to come to IBA, let alone CKA. We don’t have a problem building a challenging non-con schedule any longer. They are trying to boost theirs after having I rank sub 300 last year. I for one am fine with this being turned down.

[Aargh]

the only thing "shameful" here is the thread title.

[B&Gpassion]

It’s shameful that the game isn’t played. That’s my point. The implication that WSU/Marshall is shameful because of it is regretful, I’ll wear that.

[wusphlash]

Anybody who didn't see this Weber/Lowrey offer coming doesn't understand who they are. 19/20 season will be soon enough. We'll still be extremely young but with at least with more than 3 games under the majorities respective belts. Anyone who puts this on Marshall is wearing purple colored glasses.

The only thing that surprises me about KSU's sudden willingness is that KU didn't offer as well.

[Slykryck]

This paragraph from the article makes me question how these “negotiations” went...

“We did talk to them, but they don’t want to start the series right now,” Weber said. “We had asked them about playing at our place to start and they said, 'No.' Then we looked at maybe going to their place. It just didn’t work out.”

Almost sounds to me as if they were only truly interested if the series began in Manhattan.

[rjl]

Meh, what's in it for us?

[Cdizzle]

Also interesting that the writer for the Wichita Eagle couldn't be bothered to attempt getting a quote from someone at WSU. Guess that makes it easier to write an article with a scewed narrative.

[WSUwatcher]

I agree that K-State is trying to take advantage of the WSU overhaul; that seems obvious. But in my view, if WSU could start the series this year in Wichita and play the games at CKA and Bramlage, they should do it. And having done it, should then proceed to beat them, which I think could very well happen -- it MIGHT (or might not; CKA is a big home court edge) be a betting upset; but it would come as no particular surprise for WSU to win, at least to me.

How delicious would that be -- the Kitties coming off a trip to the regional final, the Shocks with 10 new faces, and WSU coming out on top? That outcome would be worth more than the price of admission, and I think it could very well happen. 3G knows his guys and recruits better than I do, obviously, but I think he may be missing a good opportunity here -- IF (and it's a big if, I admit) they really could start with a game at Koch Arena.

[B&Gpassion]

Agree, the possibility of getting them here with a chance to beat them under the present circumstances is delicious to contemplate. I believe they’ll be a top 20 and fairly high RPI team when that game would have happened. Not a fun one to lose but if we did it’s not a bad knock. I don’t like seeing the series record as it is, I’d love to swing it back our way over time, which I think would happen.

[proshox]

No brainier. If we turned down a chance to start the series we need to be ***** slapped. I don’t care what our excuse is.

A game against in state schools is always one to mark down on the calendar.

[Shox21]

Whatever Marshall wants is fine with me --- and it should be with you.

[ShockingButTrue]

It is.

[WSUwatcher]

I trust Marshall to know what he's doing; he proved that many years ago. But I've never thought of him as infallible. Of course, whether the opportunity to start this year in Wichita is or was really ever there is another matter.

All I'm saying is that if it were my team -- and we can all be grateful that it isn't -- and I could schedule a Koch-Bramlage home-and-home starting with a game at CKA this year, I'd do it and never give it a moment's worry.

[B&Gpassion]

Whatever Marshall wants is likely the way it will be, and that’s typically an excellent thing. To say whatever he wants should be OK with me is extremely robotic, and I’m not one. I’ve craved games between WSU and the “other” guys since I was in middle school; that’s a looong time and it even goes back to football. It’s a college basketball fan thing, to deny that game would be fantastic to see every year is just ignorant.

[SB Shock]

Times are different. KSU and KU makes choices for what they think are good for their program. Why should WSU be exempt from doing what right for their program. I wouldn’t put it past to KSU doing this just because they knew they would get turned down. If they were really serious they would not have waited till WSU was on a major reset.

[Slykryck]

My thing is that from the sound of that article, starting at CKA seemed like a no starter for KSU. Given how they haven’t wanted to schedule us for 10 years, they would may pull a stunt and cancel after we play in Manhattan. Given how they spun things in this article, I wouldn’t be surprised.