The 5-seed MittieCats face off against the 1-seed Trojans in the Sweet 16.
It’s been over 20 years since the Kansas State Wildcats made the regional semifinals.
Back in 2002, the then 3-seed Wildcats fell 82-62 to 7-seed Old Dominion. It was a reversal of 1982, when in the first NCAA Tournament, the 4-seed Wildcats beat the 1-seed Monarchs 76-67 to advance to the program’s one and only regional final.
The Wildcats face a huge test today. USC comes into today’s game having lost just three games all season, earning them a 1-seed. They did, however, lose JuJu Watkins last weekend. Watkins is one of, if not the, best players in college basketball this season, and was the Trojans leading scorer all season. Other stepped up last Monday night, and USC still absolutely smoked 9-seed Mississippi State, but the loss of Watkins took some shine off the win.
For K-State, Ayoka Lee is another week healthier, and the Wildcats, despite needing overtime on Sunday to beat 4-seed Kentucky, have an extra day of rest on the Trojans. K-State has shown they can win big games against really good teams, but USC is definitely the best team they’ve faced this season. A daunting challenge for sure, but not impossible.
USC is the favorite, but without Watkins the line is remarkably close. K-State has the horses and the experience to win this game. But it will require a complete game effort from everyone to pull off the upset and keep playing.
We’ve got an 7:00pm CT tipoff for the NCAA Tournament game today at the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena in Spokane, WA, and you can catch the action on ESPN with Ryan Ruocco (play-by-play), Rebecca Lobo (analyst), and Holly Rowe (sideline) 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 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!