KSU fans say they are 'hungrier' than Kansas
Kansas State is entering the 2010 NCAA Tournament with its best seed in school history. Enlarge video
360 Panorama KU locker-room
This 360 degree panorama provides a view of the KU Jayhawk locker-room during an interview session Wednesday, March 17, 2010. Click and drag your mouse across the frame to rotate the screen. Enlarge video
360 Panorama KU on court
This 360 degree panorama provides a view of the KU Jayhawks on the court at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City, OK., during a practice session Wednesday, March 17, 2010. Click and drag your mouse across the frame to rotate the screen. Enlarge video
Oklahoma City — President Obama may be picking Kansas to beat Kansas State two weeks from now in the Final Four, but the in-state rivalry already is heating up in the stands, on the streets and in the bars of Oklahoma City.
The two teams can’t play here on the court, of course — KU is No. 1 seed in the Midwest Regional, while K-State is No. 2 in the West — but with both teams playing first-round games Thursday at Ford Center, the competitive buzz already is boiling between purple passion and those true to the crimson and blue.
“I don’t expect them to root for us,” said Jake Tyler, a Kansas University senior from Lawrence, sitting a couple rows behind KU assistants Joe Dooley, Kurtis Townsend and Danny Manning as they scouted UNLV’s public practice at Ford Center. “We’ve already beat them the three times. I don’t think they’d mind us being out of it.”
Good luck, he says.
And this isn’t simply a matter of scoring prowess, or team talent, or even those Jayhawk-dominated regular-season results.
Try money. Real money.
“Great people,” said Geoff Bond, who enjoyed serving drinks to legions of KU fans during KU’s 2007 Big 12 Tournament title run, when he worked and managed at Bricktown Brewery. “Good sports fans. Great tippers.
“I went to Europe two days later and I paid for 10 days in Europe off those four days. I went to Europe on the generosity of KU fans.”
Now, as general manager two doors down at TapWerks, Bond is counting on K-Staters upstaging their in-state rivals. His bar is playing host to K-State events, and has 30 kegs of Manhattan’s own Tallgrass beer in stock and another 25 cases of the brew in back.
Bring on the purple.
“I’m hopeful they will be very much like the KU fans,” Bond said, choosing his words carefully. “That would be an incredible boost to the local economy.”
Tim Allen, senior associate director of the Big 12 Conference and tournament director for the NCAA event in Oklahoma City, is still looking forward to fans from both sides of the Sunflower Showdown to step up this week. The 18,500-seat Ford Center entered Wednesday with plenty of seats still available.
“And by ‘plenty’ I mean thousands,” Allen said, courtside as 74 fans watched Florida’s public practice Wednesday morning. “But nobody’s mad. Nobody’s angry or sitting around upset.”
Instead, officials anticipate robust sales Thursday, as Kansas and K-State fans snap up single-session tickets for as little as $70.25 at the arena’s ticket office.
“We hope we’ll have really strong walk-up,” he said.
Brett Payne, a Salina native who earned an engineering degree from K-State and now lives in Oklahoma City, expects Wildcat fans to “represent” in a big way this week. Just as the Powercat became a symbol of college football power in the 1990s, he foresees Frank Martin’s squad building upon its No. 2 seeding in the seasons ahead.
Fans stand ready. Enthusiasm builds.
Now, if only KU hadn’t already defeated the Wildcats those three times earlier this season.
“We actually have to beat KU once to really do it,” Payne said, his head bowing only slightly. “But we’ll get there.”
Not if Obama has anything to say about it.
Comments
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Jaylee (anonymous) says…
obama destructorrrr!!!!!! raahhhhhh!!!!!!!!! no like wild cat!!!! raaaaawr!!!
BruceWayne (anonymous) says…
EGIN!
Shardwurm (anonymous) says…
I'm a KSU fan and can honestly say that once the Big 12 Tourney ended I became a Big 12 fan. As long as we're not playing each other I'm pulling for all our teams. I know that's an alien concept to a lot of hard-core fans but I look at our conference like a family - we'll beat up each other but when some other punk tries to mess with one of our brothers our hackles get up.
grammaddy (anonymous) says…
Shardwurm- I like the way you think. I too am a Jayhawks fan(rock chalk!!) ,but I also cheer for whatever Big 12 teams are still in.we are family!!
somebodynew (anonymous) says…
Shardwurm - I totally agree (except for the KSU fan part - I am strict KU), but there is one exception - MU. Just can't bring myself to like the Tiggers (even tho Anderson is a good guy).
kmcd028 (anonymous) says…
I will always root for KU to be the winner...but the Big 12 is awesome and I will be cheering for Big 12 teams...except Missouri : ) I have a Big 12 heavy Final Four in my bracket!
think_about_it (anonymous) says…
Hey barkeep, get back to us on how well the purple team tips. Only so much you can do on a cowpoke's budget you know.
middlemgmt (anonymous) says…
I wish these articles would include the game time.
swonder44 (anonymous) says…
What rivalry? Mizzou is our rival when you ask most folks. Every now & then when KSU rises up, a "rivalry" exists. But yes to all above... let's go Big 12!
puddleglum (anonymous) says…
yeah, you kind of have to win games for it to be a rivalry
jbiegs (anonymous) says…
Sorry KU fans, don't be mad that KSU has brought back the tradition of Kansas State basketball and is getting some national exposure. We didn't dog you a couple years ago when your football team had a cake walk schedule and managed to get an Orange Bowl win.
K......S......U.......Wildcats
jfcm77 (anonymous) says…
jbiegs? Didn't K-State play in the Big 12 North in football that year?
jazzttt (anonymous) says…
Shardwurm's sentiments kind of echo my own--MU and KSU are our neighbors, I want them to do well anytime they're NOT playing KU, have rooted for them numerous times in the past. a ku-ksu National Championship Game would have been a fantastic boost for the whole state, but a semifinal match will still be great. Every Big 12 team's win in the dance enhances the league's prestige over the Big East and ACC, and brings in more TV $ to spread around the conference. One of the most important battles, however, doesn't happen in public, it's when the coaching staff meets with potential recruits and their parents in living rooms, not only in Kansas, but also in Oklahoma, Texas, Illinois, and other states where KU recruits. HCBS has a super track record there, hope he continues to show the Tiggers and Kitties no mercy and sign up good kids with ethical recruiting to keep the program going.
hesshawk (anonymous) says…
The "tradition of Kansas State basketball"................that's one of the funnier things I've seen in a while. And 99% of you pig farmers did dog KU when we got the Orange Bowl W.
Silly puddy tats
Rock Chalk
KRichards (anonymous) says…
Jbiegs-That is laughable. KSU fans talked about the Orange bowl and how we didn't deserve it until the next season began.
jbiegs (anonymous) says…
Hesshawk,
Why don't you do some research on KSU basketball and then say something. But that would require some actual work, you being a tree hugging hippie KU fan, I don't expect this to happen.
jbiegs (anonymous) says…
KR,
How did that next season go for you guys? LOL
jbiegs (anonymous) says…
Does anyone know if they are going to have metal detectors in the arena? If so, how are the Morris twins supposed to get in to the building to play? Don't shoot!! LOL
oldtimer39 (anonymous) says…
jbiegs must take his maturity cues from Frank Martin.
Graczyk (anonymous) says…
Don't feed trolls. Unless it's spam.
imagold (anonymous) says…
What hit me in this article is the fact that someone paid for a 10-day European trip on four days worth of tips during a Big XII tournament. I'm at a loss for words.
MacHeath (anonymous) says…
I have partied in Aggieville after a KU game. Never got in one fight. Not even close.
One cowboy tried to start something, but you could tell his heart wasn't in it.
We have a friendly, healthy rivalry with KSU. It would be so cool to beat them a fourth time!!
MU fans are an entirely different matter. That can get ugly.
Just ask Coach Fambrough...
jbiegs (anonymous) says…
Ok oldtimer, you must not be a fan of old school coaching. That being said, Martin's players love him...didn't you have a coach that was under some investigations not too long ago?
georgiahawk (anonymous) says…
jbiegs, your inferiority complex is showing! But that is OK, we expect that from an inferior school. Don't you have some cows and pigs you need to tend to?
sks6cf (anonymous) says…
jbiegs: "We didn't dog you a couple years ago when your football team had a cake walk schedule and managed to get an Orange Bowl win. "
Yes you did.
hawked (anonymous) says…
I too, am rooting for all Big 12 teams, Mizzou and KState included. State and Hawks are in my final 4 bracket with Baylor having a good run as well. Rock Chalk Jayhawk!!! Go KU!!!
jbiegs (anonymous) says…
Georgiahawk,
Being a KU fan, I know you can roll a straight doobie, but you obviously can't get your facts straight. Here is a link that might set the record straight on just how inferior a school K-State is.
http://consider.k-state.edu/awards/
Go ahead and read some of our awards and national ranks in academic achievements then talk to me about who the inferior school is.
I guess pig farming isn't as easy as you thought it was! LOL
stupid hippies
jbiegs (anonymous) says…
OK sks6cf, you are right...we did dog you! LOL but it was appropriate, because KU fans thought they had arrived to the glory land of college football, haha. But that bubble burst in 2009 and you came back to reality. But I will say I have a lot of respect for Turner Gill as a coach. I wish the KU football team better luck this year except when playing the cats.
zstoltenberg (anonymous) says…
I didn't know K-state even had an engineering school. How many aerospace engineers have they graduated? Kansas has won 41 of the last 43 games against Kansas State and the Wildcats have won only once at home since 'Allen Field House West" was built! This is NOT a rivalry, rivalries are two sided. Kansas has a rivalry with Mizzou. K-state is the annoying little brother of Kansas basketball. You always beat them and rub their nose in it, but otherwise you want them to do well. It makes you, your state, and your conference look better. I cheer for K-state unless we are playing them. That's not a rivalry. Mizzou fans can go to hell. Now please LJW, can we use a different word for our titles and stories?
jayhawkerjoel (anonymous) says…
Dont' forget your power towel - bring it to every game -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RPPJu...
Graczyk (anonymous) says…
Love that video.
puzzler (anonymous) says…
Geez Atlas. That's a narrow mineded biggoted statement. Well, I guess the KU fan base must be proud to call you one of their own.
puzzler (anonymous) says…
Yes, the one about Clemente.
georgiahawk (anonymous) says…
jbiegs, I can roll a mean joint! I have degrees in it, but that doesn't take away from the fact that KSU is inferior! Go farm some respect! BTW, hope you guys do great in the tournament, Go Big 12!
jehovah_bob (anonymous) says…
New KSU advertising campaign.
http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k18...
BABBOY (anonymous) says…
Actually, K-State has nuclear generator on site.
I did not go to either school. I root for KSU, because young KU fans (anyone under the age 40) are disrespectful punks. Just read their thoughts above.
So, too be clear, I went from being a pretty strong KU fan, to being a KSU fan because I thought Bill Snyder just had way more class. (Glen Mason, are you serious?) By strong KU fan, I used to be able -- and still probably can with some thought -- name all the starting lineups for the basketball team back to Paul Mokoski and Darnell Valintine. It does get fuzzy during the Kenny Gregory years but other then those two or three seasons in Williams off years, I think I can do it. But, somewhere around the end of the 1990s I started seeing KU in a different light.
I blame Johnson County and fans from Kansas City.
First, let me clarify something. The KU fans above did not beat KSU three times this year in basketball. You need to drop that "we" part of it. The KU basketball team beat KSU three times this year. Too many times I have heard, "we routinely beat KSU." No, you didn't have anything to do it. Your team certainly has dominated KSU, but the fan had nothing to do with it other then acting stupid about it.
Secondly, while KU is a top 3 program in basketball (along with UK and UNC), it SUCKS in football. Two good years in 1968 and 2008 do not make program. Football always is more important then basketball so I do not understand the infatuation. Now, if KU had a program like ou, nu, uf, usc or Bama, i would understand why everyone is so excited and would give them a pass for getting over excited. But, not for basketball. No way.
Lastly, I do not like any lame punk that thinks they are all that when they are not. Re-read my first point. That is why I am now a KSU fan. I root for the team when KU plays. But, when they loose, I do giggle at the fans i describe above.
I just really do not like those types of fans.
ku12345 (anonymous) says…
babboy "i did not go to either school. I root for KSU, because young KU fans (anyone under the age 40) are disrespectful punks. Just read their thoughts above."
I go to ku currently and have never done anything to deserve that title. I have always been nice to KSU fans, but in return at least in my experiences...they are disrespectful punks. Just for having a KU sticker on my car driving in manhattan I have had drinks thrown at my car, going into a store I got told I needed to watch my back for wearing a shirt, and the first game that we played against KU at KSU my friend was at a bar and someone just walked up and poured a drink on her. You think that us fans are immature, well look at your own comment, and if KSU is better than us than football who cares because it is currently basketball season. When football season comes around you can make your comments about it.
and jbiegs you look just as low saying stupid hippies as people do saying comments about the farming comments...you are trying to be superior with those comments but in all reality you making those comments makes you look uneducated.
And I agree with zstolenberg this is not a rivarly at all and that KSU is like the annoying little kid that wants to pretend to beat you up.