Basketball teams in weekend doubleheader

Basketball

Kansas State plays Southeast Missouri State at Bramlage Coliseum tonight. Tip off is scheduled for 7:10 PM, and the game will be broadcast on FOXSports Kansas City as well as on ESPN3.

Coming off a tough loss to Tulsa, the team will look to its leaders—Kamau Stokes, Barry Brown, and Dean Wade—to help regain momentum. Xavier Sneed may also be key as he takes over Wes Iwundu’s spot of the team’s “stat stuffer.”

Overall, the team needs better inside production. Could a smaller lineup be just the thing?

The women’s basketball team is also in action today at Bramlage. They’re the first feature in today’s hoops doubleheader, taking on Little Rock. The game is scheduled for 2 PM and you can watch on ESPN3.

The Wildcats are coming off a long break for finals, having not played since December 6a hiatus that can mess with both focus and rhythm. But Jeff Mittie thinks his team has handled the combination of practice and studying well, along with fine-tuning certain problem areas.

One of those problems has been in rebounding, where Kansas State has been outdone by opponents by an average of 4.1 boards per game. This is an area where Shaelyn Martin shines. With 15 rebounds in her last game, Martin now has the honor of wearing the team’s coveted “Rebound Warrior” jersey in practice.

Football

The Cactus Bowl is still in the future, but questions about the game have begun to trickle in. In his weekly Q&A, Kellis Robinett says Skylar Thompson should get the start in the bowl game even if Alex Delton is healthy.

Speaking of bowl games, how well do you know Kansas State’s bowl history? In case you’ve forgotten, here’s a handy guide to every Wildcat bowl appearance ever.

The Cactus Bowl has been kind to the Wildcats. This is actually the team’s fourth appearance in the game, although the bowl has had a different name and location each time. Then still the Copper Bowl, Tucson was the site of Bill Snyder’s first-ever bowl game, a comprehensive 52-17 beatdown of Wyoming.

Things went less well in 2001, when Kansas State returned to Arizona (Phoenix) for the same bowl game, this time called the Insight Bowl. Coming off a disappointing 6-5 regular season, the Wildcats barely showed up in the game, losing to Syracuse 26-3.

The 2013 outing was much better, however. Taking on a Michigan more blue than blueblooded in the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl at Sun Devil Stadium, Tyler Lockett did Tyler Lockett things and Kansas State won handily 31-14.

Let’s hope the team’s fourth trip to the same bowl site yields results similar to 2013.