K-Stated

FINAL, KSU, 82-61

Looks like Ron Anderson wants more minutes. He’s working. Mike looks to be done at 23 points and 13 rebounds. Dove has four fouls, by the way. Luis - oh my. All of the assistant coaches are smiling at what they just saw from the big man. We’re not used to such agility and grace from Big Lu. The official tells him to “play easy, big fella.” Fred Brown gets a 3, and this one is officially a rout. 17-5, folks. 7-1 at the midway mark of the Big 12 season. Give this team some love.

3:37 left, KSU, 76-53

Franklin misses a pair, but Ron Anderson - where has he been? - grabs the board and puts it back. Damn, Frank doesn’t quit coaching, does he? He’s constantly, um, “teaching.” It’s brought to my attention that Bill is 6 for 21 from the field. That’s dreadful, but because they rebound so well - with 4:30 left, K-State was up, 45-25, on the glass - it covers up a lot. Question - how many times have we seen K-State’s so-called ‘A’ game (if such a thing exists)? We saw it against KU. Maybe against California? Mike passes up a dunk for a lay-up, which elicits a remark from Ron Anderson, which draws a big smile from Mile. He loves being a Wildcat. Folks, please enjoy him while you can.

7:25 left, KSU, 68-51

Are we about to witness the finishing blow? Or are the Wildcats about to allow the Cowboys back into the game? Fred Brown is in, with is news. He likes the low-cut sneakers. I dig those, too. Eaton with a steal and goes the other way, unimpeded. Some K-State fan says to Eaton, “Hey, try Jenny Craig.” Now that’s just mean. How do you know he hasn’t? Walker with a pair of free throws, back to a 13-point game. Timeout, K-State, at 11:57. Sutton, by the way, doesn’t leave the bench during timeouts, keeping that right leg extended. Dove picks up his 4th foul with 11:33 left. Mike at the line. He makes the first and gets the second, too. Up to a 15-point lead. Harris at the line for OSU - makes a pair. Jake’s courageous, that’s for sure. He takes it inside and is knocked to the floor. But he draws the foul. He makes the first, misses the second but Colon gets the rebound. He misses the put-back. Luis, Luis, Luis - the crowd wants to see him do well. Ron Anderson comes in for Luis, who scores before he exits. Fred Brown at the line, and K-State is up 14 with 9:19 left. First is good, second is too. Man, the Wildcats extend so far with their defense. The lineup of Franklin, Merriewether, Brown, Anderson and Kent is on the floor, and some kid yells, “Frank, who’s going to score?” It’s a legitimate question. Meanwhile, Sutton goes to a press, which is brilliant. Anderson misses a pair, so the Pokes still trail by 16. Maybe they’ll score at the foul line… DK is there and he hits one. Blake is on the bike on the sideline - how much did he play in this half? Anderson with a tip of a Franklin missed lineup. Nice energy from the bench tonight. Not much offense, but great effort. Fred Brown from - where else? - downtown. Cats by 20. Thomas for 3… he’s a hard player to figure out.

13:38 left, KSU, 53-40

DK with a follow. Hopefully you’re going to be hearing a little more from DK around here in the coming days, but I’m going to keep that under wraps for now. This Marshall Moses character is a nice-looking athlete. He played with ‘Nique at the Patterson School, which makes you wonder how that team ever lost - they didn’t lose much, by the way. Mike nails a 3, but comes from a C-Merr offensive rebounder. Back to Beasley, on a dish from Bill - who has five assists, and is flirting with a triple-double - who scores. He’s got 19. Dove still has three fouls.

15:48 left, KSU, 46-35

Sean Sutton is a bizarre fellow. That’s all I’m going to say. Almost on cue, the OSU bench - and Sutton had to be restrained from going on the court - is called for a technical foul. Meanwhile, Jake misses the first and cans the second. He seems to be settling into the third scorer this team desperately needs. Hey, if K-State lines up every night and can count on a combined 65-70 points from Mike, Bill and Jake, how are you going to handle this team? Especially given how K-State defends? And when Stew comes back - Levi reminds me, “Stew’s been great” - and Blake is working hard… You start to see how it could come together. As DK messes somehow and incurs the wrath of Frank, Clent and David Hoskins laugh in the background. And now Blake joins in. Ah, to be a veteran.

17:11 left, KSU, 42-33

Second-half starters: C-Merr, Bill, Jake, Mike and Blake. Sutton is on the bench with a brace on his right knee. They go right to Bill, who scores immediately. Ibrahima Thomas, at 6-foot-11 and 238 pounds, has no chance against Bill. Another easy deuce for Walker, who now has 10. Mike has 14 and 8, in case you’re wondering. And I know some of you are. Dove has three fouls, by the way…

HALFTIME, KSU, 38-33

Eaton hits a short jumper and, improbably, OSU is within 9. I don’t know how it’s possible, but it’s the truth. Mike hits a pair of freebies and it’s back to 11. I don’t like the erratic nature of mascots, and Willie was hovering over my shoulder for a few minutes. Hard foul by Dove on Mike, who said, in response, “Get the @$%@ off me…” He missed the first. He missed both. Harris makes a pair of free throws. Mike is a little off right now. A pull-up from 18 feet looks good, but it misses its mark. Anderson isn’t called for charging, although C-Merr was set, and he makes two free throws - and it’s a seven-point game. Unbelievable. Anderson drills a 3, and it’s down to 4. Frank is just sitting on the edge of the scorer’s table, and he hasn’t moved almost a minute. Mike’s 3 is enormous, but Oklahoma State gets a bucket at the other just before the half. Frank glares at C-Merr and has some unpleasantries to share with the walk-on.

3:53 left in 1st half, KSU, 33-22

Sutton is going to the locker room. He’s hobbling a bit. Harris with a 3, OSU with 13. Mike misses a bunny and shakes his head. Sean Sutton is cheering like he paid good money for that seat on the floor. I’m reminded that Byron Eaton was a McDonald’s All-American, which only illustrates how much a crap-shoot that whole game is. Lineup on the floor - Bill, Luis Colon, Blake, James Franklin and C-Merr. Bill seems to be striking up a conversation with one of the officials. I can’t help it that I find Bill fascinating. It’s 33-22. Luis at the line, he misses the front end of 1-and-1. Frank is working the officials pretty hard right now. I’m wondering if he’s been slapped with a technical yet this year…

7:53 left in 1st half, KSU,29-15

Sidorkis makes a pair for OSU, and I’m vowing to never right his late name again. From now on, he’s Nick S. - if he does anything else. DK is in, which is always fun. This Mike Beasley guy, for the 1,030th time, is rather good. Pretty focused effort right now by the Cats. Bill is playing both ends, and he just delivered a no-look pass to Blake for a lay-up - after his recovery of a loose ball. It’s all K-State, but doesn’t feel like a lull is coming? ‘Nique limps off behind the bench and he’s being worked on. Don’t know what the ailment is, but it might be a cramp. They’re massaging his right calf. Harris, Mr. Gum, drills a 3. Martavius Adams is on Beasley now, and he conspires with Eaton to hack Mike. He’s at the line and hits the first. Bill applies some defense and picks up a charge on Dove. Gotta love Blake’s stones - he went baseline and tried to bang it on three guys. No dice. Not even close. This is one of those games where you can see how Bill translates at the next level, one of those games where he has his lift. He looks special today.

11:50 left in 1st half, KSU, 22-10

Bill misses the free throw. Jake is out of his mind - another 3. Levi suspects he might be in a zone right now, and I can’t disagree. James Franklin comes in for Jake. No comment, just stating the facts. Selfish note - I just received a text message from my brother saying my nephews can see me on television. That makes me smile. OK, back to the game. Oklahoma State struggles on offense. I mean, you can complain about the stagnant stretches K-State goes through, but man, the Cowboys are rough. When you’re relying on Marcus Dove for offense with this particular lineup on the floor, that’s trouble. OSU guard Terrel Harris just walked over to where we’re sitting and dropped a piece of gum on the table. Used, by the way. I don’t mind gifts, but used gifts? No good.

14:41 left in 1st half, KSU, 17-10

Marcus Dove is on Mike, as expected. He misses his first shot. James Anderson nails a 3, and I think he’s a player. I know Jake is, and he answers with a 3 of his own. Mike is called for a foul at 18:24 after helping on a Dove drive. Steal for Mike, and a big flush. But Byron Eaton, who seems to have lost about 25 pounds, gets to the rim unmolested and it’s tied again. Traveling on OSU, and it’s K-State ball. Nice extra pass from Blake to Jake, who nails the 3. Frank is pissed again at ‘Nique, who forces a turnover just before he can lash out at him. Another 3 for Jake, and the place has come to life. Jake with a steal. Oh my - Bill just abused some cat with a spin and two-handed flush. But Anderson drains a 3. The Beasley-Dove matchup is already compelling. Dove is pushing him away from the hoop - the right thing to do, by the way - but it doesn’t matter. Nails a 17-footer anyway. Then Bill’s at it again, going right by Ibrahima Thomas, who receives a push from Dove as if to say, “C’mon.” Thomas can’t hang with Bill, and I would hope Sean Sutton recognizes this.

5:08 p.m.

Good recognition by the crowd about 20 minutes prior to the opening tip as Clent Stewart, dressed in a dark suit with a pink ribbon on his lapel and flanked by his father and perhaps his sister and nephew, made his way onto the floor at Bramlage Coliseum. I can’t begin to imagine the emotions through that kid’s head. According to ESPN, he landed in Manhattan at 4:08 p.m. This place is kinda electric, by the way. Definitely charged. I think people need a distraction right now, and this might be exactly what they’re in search of. In other news, Ron Franklin rocks. We hung out in the press room at the Bram and watched the last eight minutes of the Texas-Iowa State. We chatted it up about a variety of topics, and now, yeah, I’m kind of a big deal. If you’re not here, you missed the Bill Walker head-on-a-stick promotion those wacky people at K-State have borrowed as their own. And oh, yeah, Fatima is in the house (make sure to wish Malik a happy birthday because it either was recently or it will be soon), and so is Andre Gilbert, who just might actually sit on the bench. He’s in street clothes, though. The coaches are wearing sneakers again with their suits, and this time, Frank passed on the white Air Force Ones. He’s rocking some Nike cross-trainers. You know what? He should have asked the Man, Bill Snyder, for a pair of those classic Cortez. Those go with EVERYTHING.