Busy weekend for Kansas State

Jon Morse rewinds yesterday's basketball action, now with an appearance by (formerly) our very own Angel Rodriguez.

Kansas State takes on top-seeded South Carolina in the second round of the NCAA Tournament for a spot in the Sweet Sixteen. Tipoff is at 6 PM, and the game will be on ESPN.

The Wildcats know that the odds are not in favor of a victory. Kansas State is playing a higher-ranked team in front of a hostile crowd. But they intend to give the game their best shot Breanna Lewis is convinced that Big 12 play prepared the team for the toughest competition. Look for the Wildcats to disrupt the Gamecocks with zone defense (David Cloninger, The State (via Salina Journal)).

Kansas State is also determined to avoid distractions. Shaelyn Martin noted that sticking to season-long habits will help in that regard. Grinding out a win against a tough opponent in the last game has also helped the team's confidence (Joshua Kinder, Manhattan Mercury).

The BatCats dropped their second straight game yesterday, with a 6-2 loss to Western Carolina.

Kansas State gave up five runs in the sixth inning and could not recover after that. Starter Parker Rigler had his worst game of the season, giving up three runs on five hits and three walks in the just over five innings he pitched. This is the first time this season that Rigler has not pitched for at least six innings in a game.

The Wildcats will try to salvage a win in this series today. Jacob Ruder will start.

In women's golf, junior Madison Talley shot a one-under-par 71 to finish in the top five at the MountainView Collegiate in Tucson. This is her fifth career finish in the top five and the third of the season. As a team, Kansas State finished in 11th place with a 7-over-par 295 in the final round.

The men's team managed an eighth place finish at the Desert Shootout in Arizona, with all five team members scoring under par in the final round. The team score of 15-under-par 849 is the best team round and best overall score for the Wildcats since 2014. Individually, junior Matt Green tied for 15th with a score of 7-under-par 209 for the weekend. It was the best score over 54 holes for his career, and also marked Green's fifth top 20 finish this season.

Kansas State rowing earned its first win of the season when the Varsity 8s beat Tulsa at the Verdigris River in Catoosa, Oklahoma. In difficult wind conditions, the Wildcats A boat beat the Tulsa B boat by five with at time of 8:03.5. The Wildcats B boat came in fourth.

The rowers return to action next weekend in the San Diego Crew Classic.

The men's and women's track team got off to a good start in the outdoor season at the UTSA Invitational. The teams recorded several first place finishes, and both men and women finished in sixth place.

For the women, Sonia Gaskin took first in the 400m event and later took another first in the 4x400 relay, teaming up with Ranae McKenzie, Keiteyana Parks and Tia’ Gamble. Rhizlane Siba took third place in the high jump, while senior Alyssa Kelly finished in second place in the triple jump event and Shardia Lawrence took second in the long jump.

On the men's side, NaTron Gipson won his first event of the season when he took first place in the high jump. Brett Neely finished fourth in the shot put and also took 11th in the discus.

Up next, the team returns to Kansas to participate in the Emporia State Open next weekend.