K-Stated

1:44 left, MU, 75-72

Mike hits both, it’s 72-68, with 3:40 left. Keon Lawrence is getting what he wants right now, and he blows by Blake to slash it to 72-70. Still no Bill, which is exasperated when he picks up his fourth foul on an drive to the hoop with 2:49 left. Carroll ties it up after Mike still on the floor swats away Lyons’ shot. To the other end, Tiller drives hard to the rack, and Blake is too deep. A block is called, and Tiller hits the free throw. Danger, folks. Mizzou by 3.

3:40 left, KSU, 70-68

Frank is talking the official about allowing the proper amount of space on the in-bounds play. K-State finally gets it in, but Darren Kent steps out of bounds, turning it over - it’s K-State’s 14th of the afternoon. Lyons nails a 15-footer at 4:30 that cuts it to 70-68. Bad offensive possession, but Stew secures offensive rebound. Looks like the offense is a little out of sync right now. Mike drives to the bucket and is fouled. Not a bad option. Wonder if we’ll see Bill back on the floor…

4:53 left, KSU, 70-66

Brown hurt his hand on a shot attempt, and he’s begging to come out. He’s replaced by Stew. Lyons at the line, and he hits his first. He’s played a strong second half. He missed the second, so it’s K-State, 67-61 with 7:00 to go. Lyons strips Beasley, and Carroll finishes on the other end. They’re outplaying the Wildcats right now. Stew drives, and he’s short on a runner. Out of bounds, ball to MU. Momentum totally with the home team. Tiller on the cut and finish. Tigers within two. Amazing turn of events. Tiller is fouled in open court by Beasley, hits one of two at 5:39. Misses the second, so it’s K-State by one, 67-66. Ball is knocked around, somehow ends up in a Wildcat’s hands, pass ahead to Beasley, who tries to dunk but is fouled with 5:24 left. He hits No. 1, but misses the second. K-State by two, 68-66. Lawrence misses a good look at a 3, but Beasley hits on the other end. With 4:53 left, Wildcats call timeout, ahead, 70-66.

7:43 left, KSU, 67-60

Pass hits Walker in the hands, and everyone looks at DK. Don’t understand. MU has had chances, and the Tigers squander another. Walker converts, but Lyons answers at 9:30. Stew drives to the rack and finishe with 9:00 to go, but Keon Lawrence gets a 3 on the ensuing possession at 8:45. It’s a four-point game. Walker goes too strong, picking up and offensive for his fourth foul. Ron Anderson is in the game for Walker. Stew nails a 3, and he’s in double figures, too. The fifth Wildcat to do so, but maybe this is the case against balanced scoring, though, no?

10:48 left, KSU, 60-55

Sutton won’t be leaving the starting lineup anytime soon. A whirling, double-pump finish on which he was fouled was smooth. Only thing was, he missed the foul shot. But now he’s in double figures (11 points), and K-State is up, 56-42. Lawrence hits a 3, but that’s what he does. Or what he should do. On the next possession, Lyons drills a 19-footer. But DK gets a 3. Lyons again - these Tigers don’t quit, which is a testament to Mike Anderson, I guess. DeMare Carroll finally shows up, and the lead is down to eight points. The place is getting louder, which is nice. I mean, there’s a game going on, after all, involving a Top 25 team. Safford cuts it to seven, and the crowd - believe it or not - rises ot its feet. At 11:11, Keon Lawrence gets into the lane and hits, and Mizzou is within five. Walker throws it away, and my, oh my, we’ve got a game, folks.

15:52 left, KSU, 54-42

Spoke with Fatima Smith at halftime. Let’s say next’s week “Mama Sayz” should be interesting. K-State has four guys on the verge of double figures, another with five. Blake is the first to double figures, canning a 3. He’s got 10. It’s Tiller again, going baseline with a strong finish. He’s the game’s high scorer with 12. Young is out of his mind, knocking down another 3. Now he’s the game’s high scorer with 13. Walker and Sutton have nine each, and Beasley has eight. Still, K-State is only up 10 after Vaidotas Volkus hits a 12-footer. Beasley gets to double figures with a mid-air catch-and-finish. Dude to my right simply says, “Wow.”

HALFTIME, KSU, 44-34

Doesn’t Fred Brown’s flat shot give hope to all of us? It might not be for everyone, but I love Bill Walker’s nastiness on the court. I thought early in the season it might hurt the Wildcats, but it’s clear his energy fuels K-State. Tiller lost Brown with a crossover and then stuck a jumper. He now has 10 points. Let’s just say the Tigers are getting their chances - and then Mike goes and finishes while absorbing a ton of contact. I just said out loud, about three times, “That’s ridiculous.” And it is. Still, the Tigers are hanging around - again, which I anticipated. It’s the lift they’re receiving from this crowd - I kid. Another dunk for Sutton.

2:36 left in 1st half, KSU, 38-30

Lyons hits a pair of free throws. It’s uncanny how much Mike Anderson Jr. looks like his dad. Tiller fills it up from 3, back to a 10-point game. Frank glares at Fred Brown as the freshman walks off the floor. If not for Tiller, who has eight points, the Tigers would be getting blown out of their own gym. This Matt Lawrence, the very definition of a “driveway shooter,” has lost his touch. He’s 1-for-4 from long distance, which disappoints the MU-affiliated media type to my right. Such is life.

5:31 left in 1st half, KSU, 38-23

Seven of the eight Wildcats who have played have scored. The K-State writers, myself included, are talking about covering the NCAA Tournament because, let’s face it, it’s all but a done deal. The KU win basically sealed the deal. Been a short hook with Jake tonight. It’s a broken record by now, I know, but I like how Frank handles his roster. He knows he’s going to need more firepower off the bench in the next two months, and we’ve son a ton of Fred Brown already today. J.T. Tiller just tried to bang it on Bill - no dice. On cue, Freddy Brown connects from downtown, pushing the Wildcats’ lead to 11. Big Luis Colon is in. Stew hits a big 3 with the shot clock winding down. Young goes baseline - he’s got seven points already - he’s outscoring Beasley (six points). Now eight Wildcats have scored, by the way.

7:54 left, KSU, 28-20

Blake coast-to-coast, Cats up by 10. Leo Lyons responds. Don’t think you want to see ‘Nique taking those 3s. J.T. Tiller hits a three, and it’s back down to five just like that. Blake drills a 3. I figured this would be the type of game - up and down - where he would thrive. Marshall Brown hits a jumper, and he’s a nice player, too. But he’s no Bill Walker, who went reverse for a man’s finish on the baseline. Ridiculous. How about some touches for Mike? Not saying K-State has reverted to early-season form, but the Wildcats can’t go stretches without Mike not touching the ball. Good to see Fred Brown back on the court, which must mean he practiced well this week. Mark Janssen from the Manhattan Mercury leans in and says, “Boy, it’s electric in here.” He’s joking.

11:32 left, KSU, 21-13

Members of MU’s football team were recognized during the break, including freshman return specialist/wide receiver Jeremy Maclin and quarterback Chase Daniel. They were given a standing ovation, and it was by far the most excited these MU fans have been all afternoon. But it’s early. Beasley is back on the floor, and the Tigers turn it over out of the break. Shot-clock violation for the Wildcats, and Frank isn’t happy. In transition, Sutton is looking like a nice option. On his second free throw, Sutton got his own rebound before Walker finally converted. He’s a guy you just need on the floor.

13:45 left in 1st half, KSU, 18-13

Bad news for the Cats. Mike tweaks something, not sure if it’s an ankle of what, but he limps into the tunnel at 18:08. At that point, he’d scored four of K-State’s first six points. Matt Lawrence hits a 3. Fast-forwarding, Beasley comes back to the floor at the 17:24 mark, drawing applause from the many K-State fans in attendance. Dominique Sutton shows his athleticism on a graceful two-handed flush… And then he does it again, shooting the passing lane ans dunking uncontested. He’s going to be a nice player. Hey, there’s a Fred Brown sighting - he’s checking into the game at 16:22, along with one of the stars of the KU victory, Jake Pullen. Is this next year’s starting backcourt? Probably not - if Denis Clemente is as good as some are suggesting. Keon Lawrence drains a 3 in Jake’s mug. Bill scoops up some loose change and deposits it. Justin Safford knocks down a 3 for MU, which is hanging around. DK muscles - yes, muscles - in a four-footer. This Safford kid can make it rain, apparently. Another 3. But Jake answers with a 3 of his own. Timeout on the floor.

12:27 p.m.

There is a sense of impending doom in Mizzou Arena. The prevailing thought seems to be that this one could get out of hand quickly, but that’s a little hard to believe - especially with the Tigers playing at home. I asked one MU-affiliated writer about his thoughts on the game, and he shrugged his shoulders. “I’m looking forward to spring football,” he said. Indeed - another MU beat writer was working on a Signing Day advance on quarterback Blaine Gabbert, who might have honored his commitment to Nebraska if Bill Callahan wasn’t so, well, Bill Callahan. Even the fans are listless, filing into the arena as if this were little more than a weekend chore. It just might be for the Wildcats.