Last Sunday, it took a bit for the Wildcats to knock off the rust following a week off to rest over Christmas break, but Kansas State prevailed against the visiting Warhawks of ULM to improve to 9-4 on the season and finish the roller-coaster non-con slate on a four game win streak.
Now, after another almost full week off, the Wildcats get back out on the court to open Big 12 play by hosting No. 10 BYU, who starts the new year at 12-1. Led by all-star freshman AJ Dybantsa, who is averaging 23 points
per game, the Cougars’ lone blemish this season came at the hands of fellow top-10 squad UConn at a technically neutral-site game in Boston early in the season. Also of note, the Cougars dropped one of their exhibition games…to (you might want to sit down for this) undefeated Nebraska. These two squads aren’t remotely the same, but they both hold a 1-point loss to the Cornhuskers in 2025.
So, anyway, don’t get too excited about this one. While these TangCats have shown they are capable of competing with good teams when everything is firing, they’ve also shown they are capable of getting run off their own court by mediocre teams. The real truth of this squad lies somewhere between, and it’s far more likely that the much more consistent and battle-tested visitors open conference play with a win than the Wildcats hold serve on their home court.
If the Cats can win, that would be fantastic. Epic, even. But what we’re looking for today is can these Cats compete with a good team, can they show fight and determination, and what happens after today — because no games are easy in the Big 12 and this is just the tip of the iceberg. At least there is no pressure for K-State, low expectations mean Tang and Co. are playing with house money right now.
Maybe this time the Cats get a lucky deal and fleece the dealer.
We’ve got an 12:36pm CT tipoff from Bramlage Coliseum, and you can catch the action on CBS Sports, and streaming on CBSSports.com (or on Paramount+), with John Sadak (play-by-play) and Jim Spanarkel (analyst) on the call.
If you don’t have CBS Sports, or can’t access the stream, 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. 389. Live stats are also available at k-statesports.com, and social media updates (@KStateMBB) will also be a part of the coverage.
Go Cats?
