We’ve got double the action this afternoon, with the TangCats facing the Squawks in MHK, and the MittieCats in Stillwater to face the Cowgirls.
For the first time in a month, your Kansas State Wildcats enter today’s game at .500 overall.
In the midst of their 6-game losing streak, it seemed like getting back to even was going to be impossible. But a 4-game win streak has brought new life to K-State’s season, and Wildcats fans optimism. But it’s going to be tough to keep that streak alive, especially with rival KU in town today.
The last time these two teams met, the TangCats spotted the Squawks 14 points before finally coming alive, and closing the gap to just six points at more than one point, before ultimately succumbing 84-74 in AFH, for the 5th loss of the 6-game streak. The Cats took one more loss on that road trip, but after returning to Manhattan the following week, they’ve been a different team.
So now it’s time to see if the new-look Wildcats are ready for the big time. Certainly, they knocked out a very good Iowa State team in Ames in front of a very hostile crowd, but now they’ll get to play in Bramlage in front of a very juiced home crowd. The Octagon of Doom hasn’t looked like it will today yet this season. KU is not unfamiliar with raucous road environments, but the TangCats haven’t had a raucous home environment this season — and that could be an issue if the Cats don’t handle the energy well early in the game; but will could also be a huge benefit down the stretch.
The “new” TangCats have a golden opportunity today. Hopefully they can continue to rise to the occasion.
We’ve got a 1pm CT tipoff for the game today at Bramlage Colisuem, and you can catch the action on ESPN (and streaming on ESPN.com) with Rich Hollenberg (play-by-play) and Fran Fraschilla (analyst) on the call.
If you don’t get ESPN, or can’t access the stream, the game can be heard across portions of the 28-station K-State Sports Network with Wyatt Thompson (play-by-play) and Stan Weber (analyst) calling the action. The game will also be available online at K-Statesports.com and via the Varsity Network app, as well as on satellite radio on SiriusXM Ch. 391. Live stats are also available at k-statesports.com, and social media updates (@KStateMBB) will also be a part of the coverage.
Well, the Wildcats survived their toughest test of the season.
It wasn’t always pretty, but the MittieCats outlasted the visiting TCU Horned Frogs 59-50 on Wednesday evening to take sole possession of first place in the Big 12 standings. It was the only meeting between the top two programs in the conference during the regular season, giving the Wildcats (22-2, 10-1 Big 12) a big advantage down the stretch.
But those aren’t the only two good teams in the Big 12. Baylor is currently in 3rd place, and there’s a three-way logjam for fourth right now. And in that logjam is today’s opponent, Oklahoma State.
The Cowgirls, coached by former Wildcats assistant Jayce Hoyt, are 18-4 overall and 8-3 in Big 12 play — and have enough big wins to get them ranked right at the bottom of the poll. They’ve beaten Baylor in Waco, and West Virginia and TCU in Stillwater, but also have a loss in KU in Stillwater and a head-scratching loss to Houston. They Pokes are a dangerous team, but inconsistent. Last time out, they struggled all morning in a 54-37 loss in West Virginia. But they’ve had a week off to get things figured out, and get hyped up for a Top 10 team to visit Stillwater.
For their part, K-State has figured out life without Ayoka Lee by relying heavily on senior guard Serena Sundell. Sundell was huge in the win over TCU, with a season-high 27 points to lead the Cats to victory. But the rest of the crew has been playing well also, and the Cats pressing defense should cause lots of issues for the Cowgirls.
This does have the possibility of being a trap game for the Cats, after the big win over TCU earlier this week. But the Pokes are good enough that hopefully the Cats won’t feel like they can take a day off and still win. They’ll need the same effort they’ve brought in their last three games to take down Oklahoma State.
We’ve got a 2:00pm CT tipoff for the game this afternoon from Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, and you can catch the action on ESPN+ with Adam Hildebrandt (play-by-play) and Bryndon Manzer (analyst) on the call.
If you can’t access the stream, the game can be heard across portions of the 28-station K-State Sports Network with Brian Smoller (play-by-play) and Randy Peterson (analyst) calling the action. The game will also be available online at K-Statesports.com and via the Varsity Network app. Live stats are also available at k-statesports.com, and social media updates (@KStateWBB) will also be a part of the coverage.
Go Cats!