Kansas State vs Baylor: Open Game Thread

Well, time to get back on the wagon. The ride is still bumpy, but at least the scenery has improved slightly.

After two straight wins, the Wildcats have pushed themselves back onto the brink of bubble discussion. Such is the life in the toughest conference in the country this season. Four or five more wins would put the Cats squarely on the bubble, hoping they’ve done enough. Of course, what they really need are some more good wins.

And so we come to tonight’s game against Baylor. You remember what happened just a couple weeks ago, no matter how much you want to forget. It was ugly, it was brutal, it was embarrassing. Still not as bad as the loss in Waco last season, but still pretty terrible. But just maybe these Wildcats have figured something out in the intervening time. Maybe they can even make a game of it, or even pull off a big upset.

But at minimum, please don’t get blown out...again.

Tonight’s game from Bramlage tips at 7:01pm 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 Wyatt Thompson (play-by-play) and Stan Weber (analyst) call the game on much of the K-State Sports Radio Network, and also available on XM channel 385 and online on the The Varsity Network app and at K-StateSports.com.

PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP

Kansas State Wildcats (12-10, 4-6 Big 12)

G: #00 Mike McGuirl
G: #1 Markquis Nowell
G: #13 Mark Smith
G: #24 Nijel Pack
C: #21 Davion Bradford

(10/10) Baylor Bears (19-4, 7-3 Big 12)

G: #10 Adam Flagler
G: #11 James Akinjo
G/F: #2 Kendall Brown
G/F: #24 Matthew Mayer
F: #0 Flo Thamba

Go Cats!

The last time these two played, we had no idea what to expect. K-State hadn’t played a game in two weeks after knocking off Oregon in Bramlage, and Baylor’s new head coach was coming to Manhattan for her first taste of Big 12 basketball.

On that magical night in Manhattan, Ayoka Lee dropped in 32 points (28 in the second half) and grabbed 10 boards, and got just enough from the rest of the team, especially on defense, to hold on to a wire-to-wire victory over the Bears. It was the first time K-State had beaten a Top 10 team since 2012, and the first win over the Bears since 2004, snapping a 36-game losing streak to Baylor.

So I’m sure the Bears will be out for revenge tonight, and the home crowd in Waco will be ready for college basketball’s best player. It’s going to be tough, but at least K-State has already figured it out once this year.

Let’s see if they can turn a losing streak into a winning streak.

Tonight’s game from Ferrel Center in Waco tips at 7:00pm CST and can be seen on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ with Lincoln Rose (play-by-play), Jim Haller (analyst), and Brooke Bednarz (sideline) on the call.

If you haven’t subscribed to ESPN+, or just don’t want to, you can listen to Matt Walters (play-by-play) and Randy Peterson (analyst) call the game on potentially 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 Wildcats (17-6, 7-4 Big 12)

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

(10/12) Baylor Bears (17-5, 7-3 Big 12)

G: #3 Jordan Lewis
G: #21 Ja’Mee Asberry
G: #24 Sarah Andrews
F: #1 NaLyssa Smith
C: #4 Queen Egbo

Go Cats!