Call it the Dean Wade effect.
If you’re looking for an elaborate explanation as to why the Kansas State basketball team has won five straight games and rocketed to the top of the Big 12 standings, you don’t need to look much further than its senior forward.
Wade, the Preseason Big 12 Player of the Year, returned to the lineup four games ago and the Wildcats have been on a roll ever since. They have radically improved on offense, become even more stingy on defense and shown new degrees of toughness and poise on both ends of the court.