A new plan emerges for Kansas State 
Coaching on the court is the easy part of the job of a major college basketball coach. It's the crisis management that Martin will have to deal with now that the NCAA has suspended his two best players, Jacob Pullen and Curtis Kelly, for receiving impermissible benefits from a Manhattan, Kan., clothing store. Pullen will miss the next two games, while the NCAA has not ruled yet on Kelly's punishment.
Throw in ugly performances in a two-game losing streak to the Florida Gators and UNLV Rebels -- and a season-long slump at the foul line, where the Wildcats are shooting 54 percent -- and Martin and his team are about to be challenged by the typical adversity of a long season.
Right now, this squad is a borderline Top 25 unit. How it responds to all of the above will determine whether it is a top-five outfit, as polls saw the Wildcats at the beginning of the season.
For Fran's full take here, you need to be an ESPN Insider.
ABOUT THIS BLOG
College Basketball Experts
Fran Fraschilla is an analyst for ESPN and was previously the head coach at New Mexico, St. John's and Manhattan.
Joe Lunardi is the resident bracketologist for ESPN.
Seth Greenberg is an analyst for ESPN and was previously the head coach at Virginia Tech, South Florida and Long Beach State.
