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The editorial staff at Bring on the Cats would like to wish our Benevolent Despot a very happy birthday!
Yes, I'm leading with women's basketball.
Kansas State completed a rare trifecta of wins over in-state rival Kansas yesterday, winning 57-49 in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament. The team let a 17-point lead slip away and the Jayhawks even managed to take a late lead, but the Wildcats came up big down the stretch to take the game. The win was keyed by a record first-half defensive effort and by Breanna Lewis' fifth career double-double (18 points, 10 rebounds, four blocks). Lewis was joined in double figures by Haley Texada (17) and Kindred Wesemann (13).
The Wildcats will take on top seed and regular season conference champions Baylor in the quarterfinals. The game tips off at 1:30 PM, and will be an uphill struggle for the Wildcats, as Wesemann was injured during the Kansas game.
Kansas State takes on Texas today in the final game of the regular season. The Wildcats are faced with a must-win situation against an opponent also in a must-win situation. (Timothy Everson, K-State Collegian)
Here's the game preview: Kansas State at Texas, courtesy of TheBigE.
Bruce Weber referred to the game as the biggest game of the year, and maybe that's because the stakes are still pretty high for the Wildcats. (Ken Corbitt, Topeka Capital-Journal)
As previously reported here, Nino Williams nor Jevon Thomas will not be playing today (Staff, Kansas City Star). While the circumstances around Thomas' absence are unclear, Williams is missing the game for personal reasons and is expected to rejoin the team for the Big 12 Tournament.
The game against Texas tips off at 3 PM today. Here's the all-important, all-inclusive How to Watch post, courtesy of Jon Morse.
The men's golf team will attempt to recover from a disappointing showing last week at the Tiger Invitational at the Grand National Lake Course in Opelika, Alabama starting tomorrow. The event field is particularly strong and includes No. 10 Auburn.
The Kansas State rowers open the spring season today in Oklahoma City taking on Oklahoma in a preseason contest. The event is essentially a scrimmage between last year's Big 12 champion Sooners and runners-up Wildcats and should give both teams a chance to practice at full race speed.
Honors continue to roll in for the track and field squad. Head coach Cliff Rovelto was named Midwest Region Women's Coach of the Year by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). This is the first indoor award for Rovelto, although he was previously conference outdoor coach of the year twice, and in 2001, women's outdoor national coach of the year.
Akela Jones was named Midwest Field Athlete of the Year, thanks to her season-long domination of the field. She will be competing in three events at the NCAA Championships (60H, high jump and long jump) and already has the No. 1 long jump mark in the country this season.
Freshman Christoff Bryan was named Midwest Field Athlete of the Year on the men's side, thanks to a 2.28m height cleared, currently No. 1 in the country. He is the first Kansas State athlete to win this honor since Erik Kynard in 2013.
It's that time of year! Fake St. Patty's Day is upon us, and to explain the origins of a holiday only killjoys like me actually object to, here's Derek Smith's fabulous ballad: The Legend of Fake Patty.