Kansas State vs TCU: Big 12 Tournament Open Game Thread

It’s time for the 2020 Big 12 Tournament.

What a long strange road it’s been for the Wildcats getting here. Not much has gone as expected. From early season surprises, to historic losing in February, these Wildcats have been all over place, but usually on the losing end of tough games.

But there has finally been a bright spot. The WeberCats rode a career day from Xavier Sneed during his last game at Bramlage Coliseum in rout to a victory on Senior Day. The Wildcats are hoping to use that momentum to do something they haven’t done since December: win two games in a row. And really, they’d like to win four more games, because at this point there’s only one game left to the season, it’s just a matter of how long it takes for this season to finally be over.

Tonight’s opponent is still in the running for an NCAA berth, though their come-from-ahead loss to OU the past weekend put a serious dent in those chances. But they still have a strong shot at an NIT berth, though they still need a win or two to feel comfortable about that. Aiding the Cats tonight: TCU has just two wins in the 13 attempts away from Ft. Worth; and while the Wildcats fell in their contest at the Sprint Center back in December, a game in Kansas City will feel much more like a home game to the team wearing the away purple.

We’re in the second game tonight with a scheduled 8:05pm CDT tip (but no sooner that 20-30 minutes after the end of the OSU/ISU game that tips at 6pm, so expect 8:30pm) that can be seen on ESPNU with Rich Hollenberg (play-by-play), Chris Spatola (analyst), and Kris Budden (sideline reporter) on the call. You might be able to stream the game via WatchESPN if the game isn’t blocked in your area. Tonight’s game will also be the alst Big 12 game that will be played in front of a crowd, as Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby announced earlier this evening that fan access would be extremely limited (125 tickets per team, presumably for families) after today’s games due to the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak.

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 Sirius 135 or XM 199.

PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP

Kansas State Wildcats (10-21)

G: #2 Cartier Diarra
G: #00 Mike McGuirl
G: #3 DaJuan Gordon
G/F: #20 Xavier Sneed
F: #14 Makol Mawien

TCU Horned Frogs (16-15)

G: #1 Desmond Bane
G: #2 Edric Dennis
G: #5 Jaire Grayer
G: #22 R.J. Nembhard
C: #21 Kevin Samuel

Go Cats!