Kansas State at Oklahoma State: Open Game Thread

Two straight games, the Wildcats have finally looked like the pieces might actually starting to come together this season. The oh-so-close loss to Texas was easily the best 40 minutes of basketball that the Wildcats have played all season, and it took a similar lights-out performance from the Longhorns to prevent the upset.

But a loss is a loss, and the Wildcats still haven’t won a game in the year 2021, and Tuesday night’s loss was just the third time in 12 games that the WeberCats lost by single digits. So while it may stink less, it’s still a pile of excrement.

But, we do have a glimmer of hope, if the Wildcats can maintain this level of effort. The Cowboys have the best freshman in the country in Cade Cunningham, but are still a young team and have some very surprising victories and some head-scratching losses. And even the last time these two teams played, the WeberCats held Cunningham to just 10 points, but manged to lose 70-54 in Manhattan.

If the Cats can play like they did against Texas for 40 minutes (maybe not scoring, but definitely effort and intensity), they will have a chance. But anything less results in yet another loss on this moribund season.

We’ve got morning basketball in GOTZ, with a 11:01am CT start from Gallagher-Iba Arena that can be seen on ESPNU with Chuckie Kempf (play-by-play) and Robbie Hummel (analyst) on the call. You might be able to stream the game via WatchESPN if the game isn’t blocked in your area.

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 (5-16)

G: #21 Nijel Pack
G: #00 Mike McGuirl
G: #2 Selton Miguel
F: #11 Antonio Gordon
F: #21 Davion Bradford

Oklahoma State Cowboys (12-6)

G: #0 Avery Anderson III
G: #14 Bryce Williams
G: #13 Isaac Likekele
G: #2 Cade Cunningham
F: #22 Kalib Boone

At (or near) the conclusion of the men’s game, the women return to action from Bramlage Colisuem where they are set to host the Kansas Jayhawks in the 125th edition of the women’s basketball version of the Sunflower Showdown.

The women, like the men, are mired in a losing streak that has lasted all of 2021, but have looked different doing it. While the men often fall behind early and can never make up ground, the women have had often large leads in the middle of games before giving up runs after halftime that have tipped the scales in the other direction. The current 10-game losing streak is second all-time at K-State, and the most since the record was set at 11 during the 1991-92 season. And the Jayhawks are not the kind of team that Jeff Mittie’s squad can afford to pick up that 11th loss against.

Last time out in Lawrence, the Wildcats held leads as high as 14 points before intermission, and seven at the break, but the Hawks battled back in the third, and it became a back-and-forth affair into the 4th until the Willdcats knotted things at 49-49. Then KU used a 7-0 run to break away and the Cats were just unable to recover. The Jayhawks win snapped a 7-game win streak in Lawrence by the Wildcats.

Let’s hope the extra juices from the rivalry game in Bramlage will be enough for the MittieCats to break through their 2021 fog.

Today’s game from Bramlage Coliseum tips at 1:00pm CT and can be seen on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ with Brian Smoller (play-by-play) and Missy Heidrick (analyst) on the call.

If you haven’t subscribed to ESPN+ (and you can do so right here) or just don’t want to, you can listen to Matt Walters (play-by-play) and Kristin Waller (analyst) call the game on select stations of the K-State Sports Radio Network, and also available online at K-StateSports.com.

Go Cats!

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