The Wildcats have a much better chance to pick up a win on their road trip today than they did earlier this week.
That was bad. We all expected it to be bad…but it often looked like the Kansas State Wildcats were a high school team playing against pros. Oh well, at least it’s over with — on to the second game in the state of Arizona.
The Wildcats (9-6, 0-2) have headed north out of the Gadsden Purchase to the Phoenix suburb of Tempe to face the Sun Devils of Arizona State (9-6, 0-2) for the fourth time since ASU joined the Big 12 Conference. Last season, the TangCats took two of three against Bobby Hurley’s squad, winning on the road in Tempe and in the Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City, but falling in Manhattan.
Not a whole lot has changed for either team since last season, at least record-wise. The Sun Devils entered Big 12 play this season exactly as they did last year at 9-4, and went on to win just four of their 20 Big 12 games to finish at 13-20. K-State actually started the season better this year, opening at 9-4 after struggling to a 6-5 opening in 2024, but like Arizona State have yet to record a win since the calendar has flipped to 2026. The only big difference between the two is the quality of wins and losses, with ASU facing a non-con schedule currently rated at 71 by KenPom, while the Cats faced a slate rated at 142.
The Cats have generally looked mostly awful away from Bramlage so far this season, except for the game against Creighton in Omaha. But the Sun Devils have dropped their last two at home, falling to Oregon State and Colorado before heading out on the road to BYU earlier this week. This really is a coin-flip game, but give the edge to the home team.
Someone will pick up their first Big 12 win today, let’s just hope it’s the Cats.
We’ve got an 2:02pm CT tipoff from Desert Financial Arena in Tempe, and you can catch the action on NBCSN (available on YTTV) and streaming on Peacock with James Westling (play-by-play) and Matt Muehlebach (analyst) on the call.
If you don’t have NBCSN or Peacock, 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. 381. Live stats are also available at k-statesports.com, and social media updates (@KStateMBB) will also be a part of the coverage.
Go Cats!
Back in Manhattan, the MittieCats (9-8, 2-2) are looking to start a winning streak in Big 12 play as they host a Utah squad that have started the season at 12-4 and 3-1 in Big 12 play, including a win over TCU in overtime last weekend in Salt Lake City.
Last time out, the MittieCats showed some fight, literally and figuratively, and managed to overcome a poor start to outlast Houston 71-62 in Houston. The young Wildcats have been wildly inconsistent, managing to knock of Top 25 Ole Miss in St. Joseph, Mo. and a solid Creighton squad in Omaha, but struggling against bad teams like Green Bay and Houston.
While it’s most likely that the Utes will triumph this afternoon in Bramlage, anything is possible. If the Cats can play consistently, play up to their abilities, they are capable of picking up a very nice conference win.
The best analysis I can give you of this one: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
We’ve got an 4:00pm CT tipoff from Bramlage Coliseum, and you can catch the action on ESPN+ with Brian Smoller (play-by-play), Missy Heidrick (analyst), and Hannah Whetstone (sideline) on the call.
If you don’t have ESPN+, the game can be heard across a few select stations of the 28-station K-State Sports Network at the conclusion of the men’s game with Matt Walters (play-by-play) and Kristin Waller (analyst) calling the action. The game will also be available online at K-Statesports.com and via the Varsity Network app. Live stats are also available at k-statesports.com, and social media updates (@KStateWBB) will also be a part of the coverage.
Go Cats!
Category: General Sports
