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I never thought I'd say this, but thank goodness basketball is here! Kansas State opened the 2015-16 season with a resounding 80-42 victory in an exhibition game against Emporia State. Our own TheBigE has all the details in his game Quickie-cap: K-State 80, Emporia State 42.
The win was due in large part to stellar play from nearly everyone, including newcomer Kamau Stokes, who played 24 minutes and gave fans a hint of things to come.
Wesley Iwundu had a strong game too, scoring 17 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists. As the team's most seasoned player, he's expected to do big things this season, and while a win over Emporia State doesn't say much, Iwundu looked on farm (Ken Corbitt, Topeka Capital-Journal). Bruce Weber admitted his team is a bit of an unknown, but gave the Wildcats a passing grade and complimented them on good defense, including adapting to the new rules (Corbitt, Capital-Journal).Kansas State is off today, and that's probably just as well. Maybe some players can get healthy again and the team can get refocused and find their spark again. In the meantime, Baylor quarterback Jarrett Stidham will get his first start ever against Kansas State next week. But don't expect a drop-off for the Bears. Despite Stidham's lack of experience, there is so much talent around him that Baylor won't miss a beat (Kirk Bohls, Cedric Golden; Austin American-Statesman).
For its part, Kansas State still thinks it can make things difficult for Stidham. But given that Stidham is 24 of 28 passing so far this season, Bill Snyder thinks that will be a tall order (Robinett, Eagle).
The VolleyCats begin a four-game homestand today. The first match will be against TCU tonight at 7 PM in Ahearn Field House. The team is coming off back-to-back road sweeps against Texas Tech and West Virginia. TCU is also on a streak, as the Horned Frogs are coming off a huge upset win over #2 Texas, the team's first win over a Top-10 opponent.