:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/62891912/usa_today_12026012.0.jpg)
Men’s Basketball
It’s all Sunflower State at the top of the Big 12 basketball standings right now thanks to an impressive 58-45 win by your Kansas State Wildcats last night in Bramlage Coliseum over the visiting #14/13 Texas Tech Red Raiders. Continuing the trend that has led to the current 5-game win streak, the Wildcats defense was stellar once again, this time limiting Tech to just 45 points, a record low for Tech under Chris Beard and the lowest opponent output for the Wildcats since limiting Tech to 45 points waaay back in 2003.
We have recaps aplenty for last night’s contest:
- Balanced offense and stingy defense win the night - Luke Sobba, BotC
- K-State Wins Defensive Battle - K-State SID
- K-State overwhelms Texas Tech - Kellis Robinett, KC Star/Eagle
- K-State handles Texas Tech’s top-ranked defense - Ryan Black, Mercury
- K-State basketball suffocates No. 14 Texas Tech - Arne Green, Topeka C-J
Kellis also wrote some takeaways from last night’s game, including that the Wildcats deserve to be ranked again after handling Tech. He’s got a strong supporter for that notion, as Tech’s head coach Chris Beard was effusive in his praise for the Wildcats after his team’s loss (247Sports/GoPowercat).
Next up, the Wildcats, and the rest of the conference, take a break from Big 12 play. K-State will be headed south on Saturday to Reed Arena in College Station, TX to take on the struggling Texas A&M Aggies. Be sure an keep tuned to BotC as this week’s Bring on the PodCats is devoted to the match-up with our former conference brethren.
Speaking of defense, K-State senior guard Barry Brown Jr. has been named to the mid-season list of candidates for the 2019 Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Award. Brown is K-State’s career record-holder in steals, and currently sits in 10th-place all-time in the Big 12.
Football
New K-State head coach Chris Klieman wasted no time in replacing Ted Monachino, who left for a position with the Chicago Bears after just a few weeks in Manhattan, and officially announced yesterday that Impressive Beard Owner Scottie Hazelton has been hired away from Wyoming to be the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach. Hazelton and Klieman previously worked together at North Dakota State, and Hazelton was the DC when Klieman first arrived in Fargo. Hazelton, and his beard, have since served as DC at Nevada, and as linebackers coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars before joining Craig Bohl in Laramie (Robinett, Eagle).
Women’s Basketball
The MittieCats are in action tonight from Bramlage, and will look to keep their own win streak alive against the Oklahoma State Cowgirls. That win streak, much like the men’s, has been aided by increased aggression and quality defensive play, especially from Wildcat leaders Kayla Goth and Peyton Williams. The Wildcats also earned some weekly honors after their performance last week, and K-State freshman guard Chrissy Carr was named USBWA National Freshman of the Week, the first K-State player to receive the national freshman award.