The Kansas State Wildcats achieved the goal set for Hawaii, overtaking what was largely a weak Diamond Head Classic field and winning the title on Sunday with a 77-60 win over Long Beach State. For K-State (10-1), however, the really encouraging stuff wasn't that the Wildcats took the title. Instead, it certainly appeared as though several players maximized opportunities afforded them during the sun-and-fun business trip.
With a week off now before a final nonconference game versus Howard, the question will be whether some of the treasures KSU uncovered in Waikiki were for real (if so, this is a Top 15-20 team with more upside to be had considering not all cylinders were firing), or more along the lines of Jim Wooldridge's fool's gold.
Knowing what we did about the players, and what we expected of them this year, I'm certainly leaning toward the former as the level of play was even louder than the coaching staff's shirts during Sunday's final.
