Kansas at Kansas State final score: 7th-ranked Jayhawks fall to rival Wildcats, 85-82
By Brad Rowland
When the Kansas Jayhawks and the Kansas State Wildcats get together in Manhattan, KS, the records can virtually be thrown out the window (if you’ll pardon the cliche), and that was the case yet again on Monday night.
It looked for all the world as if KSU was going to run away and hide down the stretch of regulation, but when Andrew Wiggins followed his own miss with a game-tying bucket with less than 10 ticks remaining, the two teams were headed for overtime. Despite the fact that the Wildcats blew a 9-point lead in the final 2 minutes, they were undeterred, though, and KSU blitzed ahead for a nice lead in overtime and held on for dear life in route to a 85-82 final score.
Monday night’s performance was an across-the-board effort from K-State, and it showed in the final box score. Marcus Foster made 4-for-5 from beyond the arc in route to a team-high 20 points, but all nine players that saw time for KSU scored 4+ points, and it was a truly balanced showing. As a team, the Wildcats shot 49% from the field and a blistering 8-for-15 (53%) from long range, and that was enough to overcome a sizable rebounding deficit.
On the Kansas side, there is little shame in losing to a cross-state rival in hostile territory, and there were honestly some positive signs here. Andrew Wiggins struggled mightily at times, but he kept on coming, finishing with 16 points despite 4-for-12 from the field, and the final play of regulation was indicative of his potential. Kansas was also without Joel Embiid for much of the night (inexplicably, I might add), and yet they still managed to play dead-even with KSU despite shooting just 3-for-17 from 3-point land.
This will likely be the “win of the year” for Bruce Weber’s club, and at 17-7 overall, they are in nice shape as they head toward the Big 12 tournament.