RV/RV Kansas State vs RV/RV TCU: Open Game Thread

Things are currently looking up in Wildcatland. The return of Dean Wade, coupled with the elevation of play from Barry Brown has righted the S.S. WeberCats. At least for now.

Three straight wins, two on the road against Top 20 opponents, has the Wildcats right back in the thick of the Big 12 race. And after dropping out of the polls after disastrous losses to Texas and Texas Tech, the Wildcats are poised to head back into the Top 25. That is, as long as they can keep their winning streak alive.

TCU isn’t going to make it easy for the Cats. Once the league’s bottom-feeder, TCU has firmly planted itself among the mid-tier of the Big 12, and even cracked the Top 25 two weeks ago, before consecutive losses at Kansas and at Oklahoma sent them back down into Receiving Votes Land. But the Horned Frogs looked impressive against West Virginia earlier this week, dropping nearly 100 points on the struggling Mountaineers at home to put them back on the border of moving back into the Top 25.

The Wildcats will need to keep up their run of stellar defense against TCU, who took over from OU as the league leader in average scoring at 80.4 ppg, and their leading scorer Desmond Bane. Bane dropped in 26 against the Mountaineers, so expect to see Barry Brown on him all afternoon.

For those wondering, no word yet on if K-State will trot out the lavender uniforms for today’s game. But it is Legends Weekend in Manhattan, so it would be the perfect time to do so.

TThis afternoon’s game is scheduled for a 3:05pm CST tip from icy Manhattan, KS, and will be available on ESPN2 with Rich Hollenberg (play-by-play) and Robbie Hummel (analyst) on the call. You should also be able to access the game on WatchESPN.com/ESPN3.

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 103 / 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 (13-4, 3-2 Big 12)
G: #3 Kamau Stokes
G: #5 Barry Brown Jr.
G/F: #20 Xavier Sneed
F: #32 Dean Wade
F: #14 Makol Mawien

TCU Horned Frogs (13-3, 2-2 Big 12)
G: #25 Alex Robinson
G: #1 Desmond Bane
F: #12 Kouat Noi
F: #15 JD Miller
C: #21 Kevin Samuel

Go Cats!