RV/RV Kansas State vs Vanderbilt: Open Game Thread

Things nearly went from bad to worse for the Kansas Sate Wildcats. First, the Wildcats lose star forward Dean Wade for no less than several weeks, and then they compound that by coming out flat and lost against Southern Miss. It might not have been completely season-ending, but the Wildcats were teetering on the edge of catastrophe down big at halftime at home against the Golden Eagles.

Then Kamau Stokes decided he could shoot the ball again, and single-handedly pulled the Wildcats back from the brink, giving the Cats the lead, before leading the team to a victory that will look further apart on the score sheet than the game actually was.

Since the team has returned from the Virgin Islands, things have appeared off, especially on offense. Bruce Weber’s teams have never been known for great, or even good, offenses, but performances against Marquette, Tulsa, Georgia State, and Southern Miss have been even worse than expected, especially given the high number of experienced players on this team.

And tonight will be another tough test. The Wildcats have generally fared well in non-Big 12 play at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, MO, but this Vanderbilt team is tough and decently well-coached, and Bruce Weber’s-charges likely won’t be able to mount the kind of comeback against Vandy like the one needed on Wednesday to get the Wildcats back in the game.

Hopefully, a change of scenery will do these Wildcats some good. Otherwise it could be another long night for the purple faithful.

Tonight’s game, scheduled for a 6:01pm CST tip, will be available on ESPN2 with Dave LaMont (play-by-play) and Jon Sundvold (analyst) on the call. You should also be able to access the game on WatchESPN.com/ESPN3 and the ESPN app.

You will also be able to listen to live audio across much of the K-State Sports Network with with Wyatt Thompson (play-by-play) and Stan Weber (analyst) calling the action. The game will also be available streaming for free online via the TuneIn app/TuneIn.com and at www.kstatesports.com/watch. Satellite coverage is also available at Sirius 109 / XM 199 / Internet 953. Live stats are available at k-statesports.com, and Twitter updates (@KStateMBB) will also be a part of the coverage from K-State Athletics.

PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP

Kansas State Wildcats (8-2)
G: #2 Cartier Diarra
G: #3 Kamau Stokes
G: #5 Barry Brown Jr.
G/F: #20 Xavier Sneed
F: #14 Makol Mawien

Vanderbilt Commodores (7-2)
G: #0 Saben Lee
G: #2 Joe Toye
F: #8 Matthew Moyer
F: #32 Matt Ryan
F: #11 Simi Shittu

Go Cats!