Kansas State learned it will first face Gonzaga in the championship round of the CBE Classic next season. The game will tip at 8:30 p.m. on Nov. 22.
The Wildcats will host two regional round games at Bramlage Coliseum before heading to Kansas City to take on the Bulldogs in the Sprint Center. Duke and Marquette will face off in the other championship-round game.
If K-State can get past the Zags, who went 27-7 last year and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, it could meet the defending national champion Blue Devils in the final.
During summer interviews, soon-to-be senior guard Jacob Pullen has said he would love to play Duke in a much-publicized, early-season game.
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For anyone that wanted Florida to take down BYU in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last season, you’re about to see what could have been.
Well, kind of, anyway.
Had the Gators defeated BYU in overtime at the Ford Center, they would have been the ones playing Kansas State in an entertaining second-round matchup instead of the Cougars. While nothing can be done to recreate that game, we will soon see the next best thing. The Wildcats have added Florida to two of its future nonconference schedules.
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By Kellis Robinett
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Tags: BankAtlantic Center, Billy Donovan, BYU, Fla., Florida, Florida Panthers, Ford Center, Gators, Intrust Bank Arena, Kansas State, Orange Bowl Classic, Sprint Center, Sunrise, Wichita, Wildcats
Filed under Basketball
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A win over Kansas in the Big 12 Tournament championship game would have gone down as one of the top moments in the modern era of K-State sports.
It didn’t happen, and Wildcats players cried when they realized they missed out on a tremendous opportunity.
But in the grand scheme of things, Saturday’s highly competitive loss to the Jayhawks wasn’t a season-altering setback. Not even close. Yes, K-State had everything to gain from winning on the Big 12′s grandest stage, but it also had nothing to lose.
When the NCAA Tournament selection show begins at 5 p.m. today, the Wildcats will like what they see. A No. 2 seed, a spot in the Oklahoma City sub-regional, some praise from the program’s hosts … All are likely to occur.
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By Kellis Robinett
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Tags: Allen Fieldhouse, Bramlage Coliseum, Cole Aldrich, Denis Clemente, Dominique Sutton, Jacob Pullen, Jamar Samuels, Jayhawks, K-State, Kansas, Kansas State, Sprint Center, Wally Judge, Wildcats
Filed under Basketball
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Pardon the cliche, but Kansas State’s cakewalk over Oklahoma State last night at the Sprint Center was exactly what the doctor ordered.
The two-game lapse the Wildcats experienced at the end of the regular season is history. K-State bounced back in a big way, and played one of its best games of the season. Maybe even THE best.
Jamar Samuels was in a zone, Denis Clemente made fabulous reads all night long and Dominique Sutton was a difference maker.
Heading into tonight’s Big 12 Tournament semifinal game against Baylor, that’s the way K-State wants to be playing. A win will move it a step closer to wrapping up a first-round NCAA Tournament trip to Oklahoma City and give it a shot at winning a trophy Saturday.
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Want to know how your favorite Big 12 team will perform at this week’s conference tournament in Kansas City?
Well, I guess you’ll have to watch the games. But if you are curious as to how your favorite team could perform at the Sprint Center, this may be helpful. Below is a look at how all 12 teams, in official seeding order, could do at the Sprint Center.
1. Kansas
Chances of winning it all: High.
Aside from a lone loss at Oklahoma State, the Jayhawks went undefeated in the Big 12 regular season. And after going out in the second round of this tournament a year ago, Sherron Collins and company will be motivated.
Chances of going out early: Remote.
Colorado has been playing well enough lately that it could challenge Kansas on Thursday, but if the Jayhawks meet Texas Tech in the second round they will sleep walk to victory.
2. Kansas State
Chances of winning it all: Fairly high.
Coming off back-to-back losses, the Wildcats are looking at the Big 12 Tournament as their chance to get back into the conversation for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. That may be out of reach no matter what they do in Kansas City, but it’s clear they will be playing with something to prove. And that’s when K-State is at its best.
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By Kellis Robinett
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Tags: Baylor, Big 12 Tournament, Colorado, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas City, Kansas State, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Sprint Center, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech
Filed under Basketball, Big 12
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When Victor Ojeleye talks about Kansas City, he talks about home.
The Kansas State sophomore grew up in nearby Ottawa, and routinely visited the City of Fountains when he was in high school every chance he got.
“I used to go there a lot with my family,” Ojeleye said. “My mom always used to go up there to grocery stop and stuff. It’s common area. I remember going to basketball camps and AAU tournaments in the Kansas City area on a lot of weekends.”
When he’s not on the basketball court, he has a few favorite places to visit.
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