Kansas State at Iowa State: Basketball Farmageddon with the top spot on the line

After last week’s win over KU in Bramlage, and with tonight’s big match-up with Iowa State looming, it would have been easy for Kansas State to fall to Texas Tech on Saturday as a “classic trap game”. But your Wildcats prevailed anyway, continuing their magical run in Jerome Tang’s first season in Manhattan.

And now the Wildcats, who lead the Big 12 at 6-1, are ranked #5 in the country in both polls, the highest ranking since 2010. And with that comes even more pressure. No longer are these guys the hunters, now they are the hunted. Can they keep the run going?

It’s going to be very tough, with two insane road environments on tap in the next three games. Tonight, it’s the home of the Cyclones, Hilton Coliseum. Not as big as Allen Fieldhouse, maybe not quite as loud as Bramlage, but crazy things happen in Ames and it’s raucous environment. “Hilton Magic” as it’s often been called.

Some really really good K-State teams have faltered in Ames. Some bad ones have stolen the show. But tonight we have a good K-State team up against a very good Iowa State team, and the Cyclones would love nothing more than to knock off the Wildcats and regain a share of the Big 12 lead.

It’s going to be a interesting game from nay standpoints. Can K-State not turnover the ball as much and force their preferred faster pace on an Iowa State team that loves to slow things down? Can the Cats make their trips to the line count? Will the Cyclone’s doggedness on the boards give them enough opportunities?

It should be a close one, and those favor the home team, so don’t be surprised if the Wildcats head back home tonight with one more loss.

Tonight’s matchup is scheduled for an 8:05pm CT tip and will be aired on ESPNU with Rich Hollenberg (play-by-play) and Chris Spatola (analyst) on the call. You’ll also be able to hear the game online at K-StateSports.com (and via the Varsity Network app), plus parts of the K-State Sports Radio Network and on SiriusXM 85 or 199 with Wyatt Thompson (play-by-play) and Stan Weber (analyst) calling the action over there.

Go Cats!

Hey, are you on Discord? We are now, too! Feel free to join us! (Make sure you click the reaction button on the rules notice though, or you won’t see anything.) We’ll have a game thread there as well!