This is it.
There is no tomorrow for the Kansas State men’s basketball team unless they can pull off the upset. Regardless, barring a magical run to a Big 12 Tournament Championship, this is the last time we will see this Wildcats team on the court — in more ways that one. Of course there will be a new coaching staff next season, but in the portal era it’s very likely that most of the current roster will move on to different opportunities once this season has officially concluded.
So to finish things
off, K-State (12-19, 3-15 Big 12) is the 15-seed in the Big 12 Tournament. Of course it’s the lowest K-State has ever been seeded at the annual postseason tournament, but not actually the worst as K-State was 10th out of 10 in 2020 under Bruce Weber, and 12th out of 12 back in 2000 — Tom Asbury’s last season in Manhattan. But for as much as K-State spent on this roster, and will spend on it’s fired coach and future coach, this season is easily one of the worst in school history.
This was a roster that had talent, but never a singular vision. A well-coached version of this team is likely not playing today, and is thinking about where they will be going next week. But alas we spent a lot of money and now we’re wondering what, if anything, we got for the investment.
The Wildcats are set to face 10-seed BYU in this likely-ultimate game. The last time the Cats and Cougars squared off, it was the start of 2026 at the very beginning of conference play. K-State was flawed but not dead, and BYU was one of the hotter teams in the country. Of course, BYU won that game in Manhattan, 83-73, and would go on to open Big 12 play at 4-0. But then the wheels started to come off for the Cougars, losing five of their next six, and four of their final six — snapping an ugly three-game losing streak with a surprising 82-76 win over then-No. 10 Texas Tech in Provo to end their regular season.
At 21-10, 9-9 in conference play, the Cougars are generally considered a lock for the NCAA Tournament. But a loss to a bad K-State team in KC, a team with nothing but pride and spite to play for, might just be enough for the committee to reconsider BYU — especially if Cincinnati can rise up and make some noise.
Is potentially knocking BYU out of The Dance enough motivation for this K-State team to pull off the upset? Or will this go down as yet another in a long line of ugly losses in 2026? Time to find out.
Today’s Big 12 Tournament game is scheduled for a 6:01pm CT tipoff from the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, and you can catch the action on ESPN+ with Jon Sciambi (play-by-play), Fran Fraschilla (analyst), and Angel Gray (reporter) on the call.
If you don’t have ESPN+ the game can be heard across portions of the 28-station K-State Sports Network with Wyatt Thompson (play-by-play) and Stan Weber (analyst) calling the action. The game will also be available online at K-Statesports.com and via the Varsity Network app, as well as on satellite radio at Sirius/XM Ch. 138/198. Live stats are also available at k-statesports.com, and social media updates (@KStateMBB) will also be a part of the coverage.
Go Cats!
