Kansas State vs TCU: 2018 Big 12 Tournament Open Game Thread

Kansas State Wildcats versus TCU Horned Frogs: Big 12 Tournament Edition.

The Wildcats and the Horned Frogs split their games this season, each taking their victory on their home court. Back in January, K-State earned a 73-68 victory with balanced scoring, solid defense, and maybe a little luck with the debut of the lavender tops. Just a few weeks ago, TCU sent the Cats packing with a 66-59 that was cemented with a late 9-0 that included dickety K-State turnovers. So it’s anyone’s ballgame headed into this morning’s match-up.

The oddsmakers give TCU the slight advantage. But K-State should have more of the crowd, and is coming off a big 77-67 victory over Baylor at home last Saturday to send the seniors out with a win. And while TCU lost its last game of the season, they did take 2-seed Texas Tech to the wire on Tech’s senior night, falling 79-75.

The Wildcats have not had much luck as the 4-seed in the tournament, and lost the last two games against the 5-seed, both under Frank Martin (2009, 2011). And Bruce Weber is only 2-2 in the tournament quarterfinals, but did win last year against Baylor as the 6-seed.

For K-State, it comes down to which team is going to show up. If the team that beat Baylor last Saturday caught the bus to Kansas City, the Wildcats should win this game. If the team that caught the flight to Ft. Worth shows up, then it could be a short trip for the Cats, and extra sweating on Selection Sunday. Welcome to Weberville.

Today’s game is scheduled for an early 11:30 a.m. CST tip-off, and opens session one of the Big 12 Tournament quarterfinals. The game can be seen on ESPN2/ESPN3 with Bob Wischusen (play-by-play), Fran Fraschilla (analyst), and Holly Rowe (sideline reporter) on the call. Be sure and check out Jon Morse’s full How To Watch post for more details.

The game can be heard over-the-air on the K-State Sports Network with Wyatt Thompson (play-by-play) and Stan Weber (analyst) on the call (you can also listen online for free at TuneIn.com or at KStateSports.com). Satellite radio is available on Sirius 145, XM 199, and “Internet” 953.

Be sure and stick around following the K-State game, as the Kansas Jayhawks will take on their mortal rivals*, the Oklahoma State Cowboys, in game two of the morning session.

*2018 season

PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP

Kansas State (21-10, 10-8 Big 12)
G: #2 Cartier Diarra
G: #5 Barry Brown Jr.
G: #20 Xavier Sneed
F: #32 Dean Wade
F: #14 Makol Mawien

TCU (21-10, 9-9 Big 12)
G: #25 Alex Robinson
G: #1 Desmond Bane
G: #34 Kenrich Williams
F: #12 Kouat Noi
F: #10 Vlad Brodziansky