Big win for K-State over Kansas on Big Monday. Time for some Rapid Fire. Let’s GO!

-K-State’s 75-70 overtime win over Kansas did not surprise me. KU was coming off a big, emotional win over Houston on Saturday, and they haven’t necessarily played well on the road this season. At the very least, they were bound to exhale after that game. That happened, as they were flat for much of the first half. K-State guard Tylor Perry had been hitting some shots of late, and it continued into Monday night, so it was the perfect storm for K-State to pull the upset.

-Jerome Tang is still undefeated in overtime games in his career at K-State. 11 wins and zero losses. I don’t recall another coach having a streak of overtime wins like this, especially to start their career. The six overtime wins this season tie an NCAA record. One would think this will even out eventually, but I’ve been saying that the last few games that have gone into overtime, and the team figures out a way to win every time. It is somewhat of an anomaly that I hope continues.

-K-State students did not storm the court after the win, but they wanted to. ESPN cameras showed a group of students preparing for the court storm. Then they cut to K-State assistant Jareem Dowling begging and pleading with the students not to storm the court. Dowling won out. I say what’s the big deal? Let the students storm the court and have some fun. I don’t understand why the league fines for court storming and field storming. I know they are trying to keep people safe, but storming is a part of the game that has always been a college sports tradition after big upset victories. I don’t see the harm in it.

-Tang and Dowling were not worried about fines for storming, however. Tang wants to build an expectation at K-State of winning those types of games. He mentioned in his postgame comments that he doesn’t see students storming the court at KU, Duke, or North Carolina. Well, those programs are historically the favorite in most games they play, and they all have a sustained history of playing in and winning games like that. While I am glad Tang wants to build that at K-State, he does not have the program in that position yet. K-State was unranked on Monday, while KU was in the top five. Also, K-State had lost four games in a row coming into Monday and was noncompetitive in every one of the games. People were excited to beat their rival, who was ranked in the top five. Let them celebrate.

-”The Chant” also returned on Monday. Look, there is nothing Jerome Tang can do in the short term to force people NOT to do the chant. The more you talk about not doing it, the more some people will want to do it. Missouri still does it, and they’re not even in the league anymore. I wish they’d just drop it.

-K-State’s next game, at BYU on Saturday, tips at 9:00 PM central time. What a strange time for a college basketball game. It is a Saturday game. There is no reason not to play the game earlier in the day.

-K-State has eight more games in the regular season. Six of the eight opponents are ranked in the top 25 or receiving votes in the top 25 poll. With a 5-5 conference record, K-State will have to go 4-4 in the final eight games to make the NCAA tournament. And that still might not get them in. 10-8 in the Big 12 conference should mean they are a lock. Can they get it done? I am skeptical.

-Tylor Perry has played solid basketball lately, and K-State will need him to continue to play well if they want to make the NCAA tournament. He was 4/10 from three-point range with 26 points against Kansas on Monday night.

-In football news, Kansas City Chiefs defensive lineman Charles Omenihu will miss the Super Bowl, meaning Chiefs rookie and ex-K-State star Felix Anudike-Uzomah is expected to see significant playing time in the game. Seeing him get a sack, or two or three, against Brock Purdy would be most excellent.

-New K-State co-defensive coordinator Matt Wells met with the media this week and, among other things, talked about how he had both played and coached against K-State in the past. I never knew he played against K-State, but he mentioned that he played for Utah State in 1992 when they beat K-State. I heard that and got instant PTSD, as that is probably the worst K-State football game I’ve ever seen. And I’ve seen some bad ones.

-Wells is excited to coach Avery Johnson, (who wouldn’t be), and has been on the road recruiting ever since he was hired. Wells’ recruiting connections will do nothing but help K-State get some more talented players.

-Since rising to number two in the polls, the K-State women have lost two games in a row. They are a half game back in the conference standings. Ayoka Lee is still on pace to return in two weeks, and they will need her if they want to make a run in the conference and NCAA tournaments.

-We are a month away from tourney time, but as of today, I think the K-State men will do enough to sneak into the tournament, and the women will make the Sweet 16.

-Why are the 49ers the favorite in this Super Bowl? I’m going with the Chiefs and the money line. Does anyone have any suggestions as to what I can watch during halftime?