The 2008–09 Kansas State Wildcats men's basketball team represented Kansas State University in the 2008–09 college basketball season. The Wildcats, led by second-year head coach Frank Martin, played their home games at Bramlage Coliseum.
Pre-season The 2007–08 season was a successful one for the Wildcats. They returned to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1996. 2007–08 was also the first season for head coach Frank Martin. Michael Beasley and Bill Walker led the team in scoring and nearly every other offensive category. They were also both drafted, marking the first time since 1990 that a Wildcat was drafted (Steve Henson was the last). It was also the first time since 1982 that more than one Wildcat was drafted (Tyrone Adams, Randy Reed and Ed Nealy.
Regular season Kansas State became just the second school in Big 12 history (after Iowa State in 2004–05) to rally from an 0–4 start to get back to at least .500 in conference play. The previous best finish after such a start came in 1983–84 when K-State finished Big Eight play with a 5–9 mark.
The Wildcats finished the conference season in a tie for fourth place with a 9–7 record in the Big 12 and a 21–10 record overall. They earned the number four seed in the 2009 Big 12 men's basketball tournament. 2008–09 marks the third consecutive year that the team earned one of the top 4 spots in the tournament, and thus received a first round bye.
Incoming signees
Schedule
!colspan=9| Exhibition
!colspan=9| Regular season
!colspan=9| Phillips 66 Big 12 tournament
!colspan=9| 2009 NIT tournament
Roster #NameHeightWeight (lbs.)PositionClassHometownPrevious Team(s)0Jacob Pullen6'0"200GSo.Maywood, IL, U.S.Proviso East HS1Fred Brown6'2"190GSo.West Palm Beach, FL, U.S.Dwyer HS13Justin Werner6'3"190GFr.Topeka, KS, U.S.Washburn Rural HS15Luis Colon6'10"265CJr.Bayamón, Puerto RicoKrop HS (Miami, FL)21Denis Clemente6'1"175GJr.Bayamón, Puerto RicoCalusa Prep HS (Miami, FL)University of Miami23Dominique Sutton6'5"210GSo.Durham, NC, U.S.Patterson HS (Lenoir, NC)24Curtis Kelly6'8"250FJr.New York, NY, U.S.Rice HSUniversity of Connecticut25Buchi Awaji6'3"185GJr.Los Angeles, CA, U.S.Loyola HSFlorida International UniversityCitrus College31Chris Merriewether6'3"210GJr.Jacksonville, FL, U.S.Arlington Country Day HS32Jamar Samuels6'7"215FFr.Washington, DC, U.S.Patterson HS (Lenoir, NC)33Victor Ojeleye6'6"225FFr.Ottawa, KS, U.S.Patterson HS (Lenoir, NC)40Ron Anderson6'8"255FSo.Upper Marlboro, MD, U.S.McCallie HS (Chattanooga, TN)42Darren Kent6'11"230FSr.Apple Valley, MN, U.S.Eastview HS
See also 2008–09 Big 12 Conference men's basketball season
References