RV Kansas State at No. 11 Texas Tech: Open Game Thread

Well Wildcat fans, things do not look so great in Bramlage right now. It’s still early yet, but a demoralizing 67-47 loss to Texas on Wednesday night has created even more angst among the Kansas State fan base, angst that had already built after losses to Marquette and Tulsa, and sub-par performances against Southern Miss and George Mason. And injuries to Dean Wade and Kamau Stokes haven’t helped any either.

And it’s not like it gets any easier. Texas Tech enters today’s game ranked 11th, and with a resume that includes wins over USC and Nebraska (hey, they’re ranked now) in Kansas City, a win over Memphis in Miami, and a respectable 69-58 loss to No. 2 Duke in New York before the Christmas break (the Red Raiders led at halftime, and by as much as 8 in the second half, before Duke pulled away late). After that, the Cats will face WVU, Iowa State, OU, and TCU before finishing January at home against the Red Raiders. The “easiest” game on that list is West Virginia. Yikes.

Something drastic needs to change for the Wildcats to win this game. They’ve been generally solid of defense all season, as usual, but the already anemic offense is bordering on complete failure with the loss of both Wade and Stokes. Barry Brown, the team’s leading scorer, was a non-factor against Texas, and Cartier Diarra, who had a solid RS freshman season last year, has been stuck in a sophomore slump all season long. Things look bleak for the Wildcats.

No-one would blame you if you decided to keep the TV tuned to ESPN2 after 1pm instead of flipping over the ESPNU.

Today’s game, scheduled for an 1:01pm CST tip, will be available on ESPNU with Jay Alter (play-by-play) and Reid Gettys (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 127 / XM 200 / Internet 954. 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 (10-3)
G: #00 Mike McGuirl
G: #2 Cartier Diarra
G: #5 Barry Brown Jr.
G/F: #20 Xavier Sneed
F: #14 Makol Mawien

Texas Tech Red Raiders (12-1)
G: #13 Matt Mooney
G: #23 Jarrett Culver
G: #25 Davide Moretti
F: #11 Tariq Owens
C: #32 Norense Odiase

Go Cats!