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MANHATTAN — Kansas State basketball interim coach Matthew Driscoll said he would motivate his team by saying it could play spoiler to some of the remaining teams on its schedule, and it worked against a bubble team in the Wildcats' home finale.
The Wildcats outhustled a desperate West Virginia squad for a 65-63 win on Tuesday, March 3, at Bramlage Coliseum. It's the Wildcats' second win since the school fired Jerome Tang for cause on Feb. 15.
West Virginia (17-13, 8-9 Big 12) entered the game considered to be one of the next four teams out of the NCAA Tournament by ESPN's Joe Lunardi. A loss to K-State, which could still finish last in the Big 12, surely popped the Mountaineers' bubble.
Kansas State (12-18, 3-14 Big 12) has one game remaining when it travels to No. 15 Kansas on Saturday, March 7, before playing in next week's Big 12 Tournament.
Here are our takeaways from the Wildcats' win.
The Wildcats delivered their best scoring run of the season during the second half, scoring 21 unanswered points and keeping the Mountaineers off the scoreboard for 8 minutes, 6 seconds.
The run helped the Wildcats go from being down by four to taking a 17-point lead with 10:53 remaining. They only made one 3-pointer over a stretch that saw hustle plays from Khamari McGriff, Taj Manning, Nate Johnson and others. The Wildcats built their lead to as many as 19 points with 7:51 to go.
West Virginia didn't go down without giving the Wildcats a scare. The Mountaineers scored 11 straight while keeping the Wildcats off the board for over three minutes. WVU kept momentum and cut K-State's lead to three with under a minute left.
West Virginia had the ball multiple times with a chance to tie, but couldn't get it done.
McGriff scored 18 points for the Wildcats, while Johnson added 16.
Haggerty, the nation's third-leading scorer, was a surprise scratch for the Wildcats, popping up on the availability report 90 minutes before tipoff. The school said Haggerty is considered day-to-day after sustaining an injury during practice ahead of the game. CJ Jones started in his place.
The Wildcats will travel to No. 15 Kansas to wrap the regular season on Saturday for a 1 p.m. tipoff at Allen Fieldhouse. The two played on Jan. 24 in Manhattan, when the Wildcats had the game within four with under seven minutes left only to lose 86-62.
Kansas will likely need the win to secure a double-bye at next week's Big 12 Tournament. Utah and Colorado played late Tuesday night, which could affect whether the Wildcats finish last in the Big 12 this season.
Wyatt D. Wheeler covers Kansas State athletics for the USA TODAY Network and Topeka Capital-Journal. You can follow him on X at @WyattWheeler_, contact him at 417-371-6987 or email him at [email protected]
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas State basketball hurts WVU NCAA Tournament chances with upset
Continue reading...
The Wildcats outhustled a desperate West Virginia squad for a 65-63 win on Tuesday, March 3, at Bramlage Coliseum. It's the Wildcats' second win since the school fired Jerome Tang for cause on Feb. 15.
West Virginia (17-13, 8-9 Big 12) entered the game considered to be one of the next four teams out of the NCAA Tournament by ESPN's Joe Lunardi. A loss to K-State, which could still finish last in the Big 12, surely popped the Mountaineers' bubble.
Kansas State (12-18, 3-14 Big 12) has one game remaining when it travels to No. 15 Kansas on Saturday, March 7, before playing in next week's Big 12 Tournament.
Here are our takeaways from the Wildcats' win.
Kansas State, West Virginia traded second-half runs for a wild finish
The Wildcats delivered their best scoring run of the season during the second half, scoring 21 unanswered points and keeping the Mountaineers off the scoreboard for 8 minutes, 6 seconds.
The run helped the Wildcats go from being down by four to taking a 17-point lead with 10:53 remaining. They only made one 3-pointer over a stretch that saw hustle plays from Khamari McGriff, Taj Manning, Nate Johnson and others. The Wildcats built their lead to as many as 19 points with 7:51 to go.
West Virginia didn't go down without giving the Wildcats a scare. The Mountaineers scored 11 straight while keeping the Wildcats off the board for over three minutes. WVU kept momentum and cut K-State's lead to three with under a minute left.
West Virginia had the ball multiple times with a chance to tie, but couldn't get it done.
McGriff scored 18 points for the Wildcats, while Johnson added 16.
PJ Haggerty didn't play for Kansas State, is listed as day-to-day
Haggerty, the nation's third-leading scorer, was a surprise scratch for the Wildcats, popping up on the availability report 90 minutes before tipoff. The school said Haggerty is considered day-to-day after sustaining an injury during practice ahead of the game. CJ Jones started in his place.
Kansas State wraps regular season at Kansas
The Wildcats will travel to No. 15 Kansas to wrap the regular season on Saturday for a 1 p.m. tipoff at Allen Fieldhouse. The two played on Jan. 24 in Manhattan, when the Wildcats had the game within four with under seven minutes left only to lose 86-62.
Kansas will likely need the win to secure a double-bye at next week's Big 12 Tournament. Utah and Colorado played late Tuesday night, which could affect whether the Wildcats finish last in the Big 12 this season.
Wyatt D. Wheeler covers Kansas State athletics for the USA TODAY Network and Topeka Capital-Journal. You can follow him on X at @WyattWheeler_, contact him at 417-371-6987 or email him at [email protected]
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas State basketball hurts WVU NCAA Tournament chances with upset
Continue reading...
