Kansas State at West Virginia: Open Game Thread

There’s not a lot to be gleaned from the Tuesday evening game in Manhattan against Texas, or really today’s game against West Virginia in Morgantown.

The Wildcats were shorthanded on Tuesday, playing with seven scholarship players — Nijel Pack, Mike McGuirl, Mark Smith, Selton Miguel, Luke Kassubke, Ish Massoud, and Carlton Linguard — and just two coaches on the sideline, including being down head coach Bruce Weber and associate head coach Chris Lowery. Shane Southwell did well leading the team on Tuesday, and had them out to an early lead against a good Texas squad before the lack of depth finally caught up to them.

Today’s game is more of the same. Still just seven scholarship players — though we’ve swapped Markquis Nowell and Davion Bradford for Mike McGuirl and Ish Massoud* — and now down to just one coach, Jermaine Henderson, as the WeberHendoCats try to take on a good WVU team led by a future hall-of-fame head coach.

*UPADTE: Ish Massoud apparently is actually available today, giving the Cats 8 scholarship players available.

We won’t even try to sugar coat this one. It’s liable to get ugly today, and it would be great if the short-handed Cats can just keep the score respectable (like, low double-digits).

Today’s game from WVU Coliseum in Morgantown tips at 1:01pm CST and can be seen on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ with Ted Emrich (play-by-play) and Bryndon Manzer (analyst) on the call.

If you haven’t subscribed to ESPN+, or just don’t want to, you can listen to Brian Smoller (play-by-play) and Casey Scott (analyst) call the game on much of the K-State Sports Radio Network, and also available online on the The Varsity Network app and at K-StateSports.com.

PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP

Kansas State Wildcats (8-5, 0-1 Big 12)

G: #1 Markquis Nowell
G: #3 Selton Miguel
G: #13 Mark Smith
G: #24 Nijel Pack
F: #25 Ismael [Ish] Massoud

West Virginia Mountaineers (11-2, 0-1 Big 12)

G: #1 Kedrian Johnson
G #22 Sean McNeil
F: #1 Pauly Paulicap
F: #11 Jalen Bridges
F: #13 Isaiah Cottrell

Go Cats!

Completeing the second-half of a slightly-delayed double-header, the MittieCats and the WVU women’s basketball team square off in the early evening in Morgantown.

The Cats are currently riding a 5-game win streak since their loss at #1 South Carolina to begin December, and that run includes wins over a then-ranked Oregon squad in Bramlage just before the holiday break, and a win over then-#10 Baylor in Bramlage to ring 2022 with a bang.

Today’s game is the second in a two-game road swing, as the Cats dispatched Oklahoma State in Stillwater on Wednesday night. For the first time in several games, Ayoka Lee both didn’t have a double-double and didn’t lead her team in scoring, and the Cats still won 60-49. Lee still finished with 18 points and 6 rebounds, but it was her lowest outing for both since that loss at South Carolina.

Freshman studs Brylee Glenn and Serena Sundell also continue to impress. Glenn led the Wildcats with 19 points in the win over OSU, setting a new career high. Sundell only had 5 points, which dropped her season average just a tenth below a double-digit average, but grabbed seven rebounds (a new career high) and dished 7 assists.

The Cats will be looking for more of the same from all three today in Morgantown, as the Cats will attempt to break a three-game winning streak in the series by the Mountaineers (all from last season), and continue improving on their best start to a season since the 08-09 team went 18-1 to start their season.

Tonight’s game from WVU Coliseum in Morgantown tips at 6:00pm CST and can be seen on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ with Andrew Caridi (play-by-play), Warren Baker (analyst), and Amanda Mazey (sideline) on the call.

If you haven’t subscribed to ESPN+, or just don’t want to, you can listen to Brian Smoller (play-by-play) and Randy Peterson (analyst) call the game on some of the K-State Sports Radio Network, and also available online on the The Varsity Network app and at K-StateSports.com.

PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP

(RV/RV) Kansas State (12-2, 2-0 Big 12)

G: #3 Jaelyn Glenn
G: #4 Serena Sundell
G: #5 Brylee Glenn
G: #24 Emilee Ebert
C: #50 Ayoka Lee

West Virginia (7-4, 0-1 Big 12)

G: #00 Jayla Hemingway
G: #3 Kirsten Deans
C: #20 Yemiyah Morris
F: #21 A’riana Gray
G: #30 Madisen Smith

Go Cats!