The K-State men’s basketball team finished their season with a disappointing 79-76 loss to Florida Atlantic in the Elite 8 which marks the team’s 10th all-time loss in the regional final round. They finish their historic 2022-23 season with a record of 26-10.

Despite the less than ideal end to the season, K-State wasn’t supposed to be in this position accounting for where this team was last April.

After the first few weeks of the Jerome Tang era, only two players remained from the previous year’s team: Markquis Nowell and Ismael Massoud.

Those two players would be the building blocks of something never done before in K-State basketball history. They had to completely rebuild their basketball team up from virtually nothing.

By the time July rolled around, Tang and his hastily put together coaching staff had a rag-tag group of misfits that had bounced around from college team to college team looking for a new place to call home.

Somehow and some way they were able to take those kids and accomplish greatness. Tang and his team would credit it to “crazy faith”.

This past season they won an in-season tournament in the Cayman Islands, had just one loss in non-conference play, beat every team in the Big 12 at least once, defied all odds and not only made the NCAA Tournament, but got a 3-seed and won three games in the tournament, tied for the most in the entire Big 12.

Many remember that this was a team picked to finish dead last in the Big 12 preseason poll. They were coming off three of the worst seasons in program history with a bunch of players that no one knew or no one thought could play competitively in the toughest conference in college basketball history.

Markquis Nowell was the story of the NCAA Tournament with his sensational performance in Madison Square Garden this past Thursday, but he wasn’t anything more than a complimentary piece to Nijel Pack on the 2021-22 team.

Keyontae Johnson’s story has touched the lives of millions of people. After his near fatal heart condition three years ago in Talahasee, FL, he returned to college basketball and was a third-team All-American.

Desi Sills is a guy that the Wildcats will miss next year with his toughness, humility and play-making abilities. His selflessness is a character trait that can’t be taught, and K-State fans will hope that it rubbed off on the players that will be back for another go next season.

Ultimately, this is just the start to the Tang era in Manhattan, KS. And if that’s true, a Final Four berth is just around the corner. All it takes is crazy faith.