Can the Wildcats put away the Knights for a second time?
Things have certainly not gone the way they were planned for the Kansas State Wildcats down the stretch of the season.
Despite an early season loss to a very good Duke team, the Wildcats were looking like the clear favorites to win the Big 12. Then Ayoka Lee got hurt in late January, and the struggles began, though it was masked for a while. A loss to Colorado was the first surprise, immediately after the loss of Lee. But three straight big wins, over Iowa State, KU, and TCU, had the MittieCats back on top. Then came the disaster in Stillwater. And a little over a week later another disaster in Morgantown. The Cats even dropped their last two of the regular season to fall out of the top 4 in the Big 12, which is why the Cats are playing today against UCF, instead of getting another day of rest.
So we’re here, first thing in the morning in Kansas City, for a second round game that the Cats should’ve easily been able to avoid. K-State is 3-0 against UCF all-time (and in Big 12 play), and beat the Knights 97-67 in Bramlage a few weeks ago.
The Knights are led by senior guard Kaitlin Peterson — a really good player on a mid team. The 5’9 Alabama-native is averaging over 21 points per game while shooting a healthy 40% from the floor. She dropped 35 points on BYU in their 81-69 win yesterday, but was held to “just” 19 points in Manhattan earlier this year (after coming off a 34-point performance against Arizona State the game prior).
K-State should win this game as easily as they won the first meeting. But they’re going to have to put forth a greater effort than they’ve shown the past few games to get out of this funk. A Big 12 Tournament championship is no regular-season crown, but it’s still hardware and a banner that can be hung.
It’s time to get back on track. It’s time to play like there’s no tomorrow. It’s time to go out and win.
We’ve got an 11:00am CT tipoff for the Big 12 Tournament game today at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, and you can catch the action on ESPN+ with Eric Frede (play-by-play) and Christy Thomaskutty (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 Kristin Waller (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!