Plus soccer ends season without a conference win, and volleyball reeling
Basketball
It was Big 12 basketball media days in Kansas City this week as we near the start of basketball season.
The Kansas State women’s basketball squad has high expectations headed into the season, starting with being picked as the presumptive favorite to win the league, as well as having the preseason player of the year in Ayoka Lee. But the MittieCats are far more than just their stellar center, as a bevy of talented veteran guards will prevent opposing defenses from being able to crash into the paint and allow the offense to be even more versatile.
Despite a rough 2023-24 season, Jerome Tang is all smiles headed into this season with a revamped roster led by star-transfer Coleman Hawkins. Hawkins was a four-year standout at Illinois under Brad Underwood before deciding to head into the transfer portal this offseason looking to secure a big payday, and a better fit to enhance his profile before heading off to the professional ranks. But it’s not just the transfers, as freshman guard David Castillo is bringing a maturity beyond his years into the program, and is expected to be a major cog early in his career.
Soccer
The SoccerCats season came to a close last night, and it ended without a single Big 12 victory. K-State fell 0-2 to KU in Manhattan to end their season at 3-12-3 overall and 0-9-2 in Big 12 play, failing to win a conference game for the first time since 2018.
There’s not much left to say at this point about the Cats. The Cats high-water mark was 2022, when they went 6-10-3 overall and 2-5-2 in Big 12 play enroute to their first postseason appearance. But last season was also a 3-win campaign, one in Big 12 play, and the program’s momentum is headed in the wrong direction.
Volleyball
The VolleyCats are also back on the struggle bus. After reeling off three straight wins, the Cats have lost two straight, albeit to ranked teams. Thursday night it was the #21 Utah Utes who knocked off the Wildcats in four sets at Morgan Family Arena. The Cats took the first set 25-21, but despite a strong offensive showing from the Cats it was all Utah after that (22-25, 24-26, 19-25). With the loss, K-State drops to 6-11 on the season and 4-4 in Big 12 play, and another tough matchup awaits the Cats on Sunday as they head up to Ames to face the Cyclones at noon.
Football
While the Sunflower Showdown may not be going the way of the Wildcats so far in the 2024-25 school year, the Wildcats football team should be up to the challenge of reversing that trend as they take on KU tonight at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. 7pm, ESPN2 if you aren’t at the stadium.
Despite the Jayhawks’ struggles, the Wildcats are still, as they should, taking this game seriously. Despite struggling to start a season with high expectations, KU has some dangerous weapons on offense, and some key players on defense that can cause fits. The Squawks ended their 5-game losing streak last week with an emphatic 42-14 win over Houston at Arrowhead, though Houston is having plenty of issues of their own.
We’ll have your game thread here and over on Discord for tonight’s game, as K-State looks to extend their winning streak in the series to 16 games.