Kansas State at Iowa State: Open Game Thread

Well, it wasn’t exactly the prettiest thing we’ve ever seen, but it was a win for a Kansas State team in desperate need of something positive.

But it doesn’t get any easier tonight. The Wildcats are in Ames, for the earliest tip off to conference play in school history. The Cyclones aren’t in a much better spot than the Wildcats, as Jamie Pollard’s bunch sits at just 1-2, including a 105-77 loss to Iowa last Friday. Pollard’s crew is also about as new at Bruce Weber’s with seven newcomers to the Cyclones roster, though at least two of those are D1 transfers.

The Wildcats youth movement finally picked up steam against Milwaukee, with four newcomers playing significant minutes for K-State. Davion Bradford, Selton Miguel, and Nijel Pack all started and played over 30 minutes (which is huge, especially for the big man Bradford). They were joined by JUCO transfer Rudi Williams, who snagged 30 minutes off the bench. All four also topped the double-digit mark, and with senior Mike McGuirl also posting double-digits, marks the first time since the 2019 Big 12 Tournament (the semifinals game against Iowa State) that five Wildcats posted double-digits.

It’s a positive step. Let’s see if the Wildcats can keep making more positive steps.

We’re finally off the 7pm start time but not by much, with a 8:05pm CT start that can be seen on ESPNU with Mark Neely (play-by-play) and King McClure (analyst) on the call. You might be able to stream the game via WatchESPN if the game isn’t blocked in your area. Hilton Coliseum will be open to approximately 10% capacity (1,373), so it will feel much like the last couple home games for the Wildcats.

If you don’t get ESPNU, or can’t access the stream, you can listen to Wyatt Thompson (play-by-play) and Stan Weber (analyst) call the game on much of the K-State Sports Radio Network, and also available online via the TuneIn App and at K-StateSports.com, and satellite radio on XM 381.

PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP

Kansas State Wildcats (2-4)

G: #24 Nijel Pack
G: #00 Mike McGuirl
G: #2 Selton Miguel
G: #3 DaJuan Gordon
F: #21 Davion Bradford

Iowa State Cyclones (1-2)

G: #5 Jalen Coleman-Lands
G: #45 Rasir Bolton
F: #55 Darlinstone Dubar
F: #13 Javan Johnson
F: #33 Solomon Young

Go Cats!