K-State ready for Blackout Saturday

Men’s Basketball

Kansas State will take on #7/#8 West Virginia at Bramlage Coliseum today on Blackout Saturday. Tip-off is scheduled for 5 PM tonight, and the game will air on ESPN2.

The Wildcats may be without the services of Kamau Stokes today. He sprained his ankle in the win over Oklahoma State and is a game-time decision. Injuries are never helpful and Stokes’ possible absence comes at a most inopportune time. Kansas State will need all hands to hold off West Virginia’s relentless defense (Ken Corbitt, Topeka Capital-Journal).

Luckily, the Wildcats are better placed to handle Stokes’ absence this year. Wesley Iwundu, Barry Brown, Xavier Sneed and possible Stokes replacement Carlbe Ervin are all likely contributors against West Virginia, and everyone recognizes the importance of a team effort (Kellis Robinett, Wichita Eagle).

Kansas State is 3-3 in the Big 12 and coming off a rare conference road win. West Virginia is 4-2 in conference and coming off a rare home loss, and its second loss in five games. With home-court advantage and momentum on its side, maybe Kansas State can pull the upset? (Greg Woods, Bring on the Cats).

Women’s Basketball

Kansas State (#22/RV) is in Ames today to take on Iowa State. Tip-off is scheduled for 5 PM, and the game will be available on Cyclones.TV as well as on the K-State Sports Network.

The Wildcats have won five of their last six contests and are on a four-game winning streak. Iowa State, on the other hand, has only one win over the last seven games including a blowout loss to Baylor on Wednesday. However, the Cyclones are 10-3 at home and have three players averaging double figures, so this may be a stiffer challenge than the record suggests.

Track and Field

The DeLoss Dodds Invitational continues in Manhattan today, with field events already underway and track events scheduled for this afternoon.

The first day of the event was especially productive for freshman Nina Schultz as she took first place in the pentathlon event with 4,042 points, good enough to break into the top ten scores all-time at Kansas State. Schultz finished first in four events (60H, high jump, shot put, and long jump) and about 400 points ahead of her nearest competitor. The Wildcats swept the event too, with Lauren Taubert, Morgan Coffman, and Ariel Okorie finishing in second, third and fourth places respectively.

On the men’s side, Max Estill is currently in second place in the heptathlon, after tying for first in the high jump and winning the long jump event. Teammate Simone Fassina is currently in fourth place.

You can follow the track and field action live via the @KStateTXFC account on Twitter.