Will Dean Wade return for Kansas State vs Kentucky?

The Kansas State Wildcats have been without their leading scorer, Dean Wade, since the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Conference Tournament on March 8th.

Wade suffered a stress fracture in his foot against TCU. But on Thursday, he could be making his come back to the court for the Sweet 16 against the Kentucky Wildcats.

Wade was asked Sunday about his status for this week, he sounded pretty sure he’s playing Thursday.

“I’m like 98 percent sure I’ll play. I don’t know if they can keep me out of this one. This is big time,” Wade said. “It gives me another couple days to heal. I’m starting to feel a lot better. Day by day gets a lot better so it gives me a few more days to heal and recover.”

Dean Wade has been a huge factor for K-State all season. He’s averaging 16.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.8 assists while shooting 55% from the floor.

If K-State can get him back, it would be bad news for Kentucky. The 6-10, 230-pound forward is a nightmare matchup for any team, but Kentucky’s length could help them compete.

K-State has actually been playing better since he went down, similar to how Kentucky has played better since Jarred Vanderbilt went down. But that’s because players from both teams have stepped up their game with injured teammates out.

That doesn’t mean they wouldn’t be better with their injured stars back, and that’s especially true for K-State. Wade is just too good of a player not to make a positive impact in a game that could come down to the final minutes.

If he does return, he probably won’t be 100%, but expect him to still make a big difference for this team in need of any help they can get against Kentucky.

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