Overtime wasn’t necessary this year as Kansas State men’s basketball completed its third consecutive home upset in the Sunflower Showdown, controlling No. 16 Kansas from start to finish in an 81-73 win.

Playing as well as any team in the country currently, the Wildcats have won five straight contests and moved to 12-11 and 6-6 in Big 12, soaring back above .500 for the first time since early January. Head coach Jerome Tang moved to 3-0 against Kansas, marking three consecutive home wins against Kansas for the first time since 1981-83.

“Our guys, they’ve it’s been so resilient, and they are a lot of fun to coach right now,” Tang said. And it’s really not a lot of coaching. It’s just letting them play and they want to win. We’ve said all year long, they like each other, and now on the floor, they look like they like each other.”

Kansas (16-7, 7-5) led once at 17-15, but it was primarily all K-State behind a ravenous sellout crowd of 11,010 in attendance. A balanced scoring effort from K-State’s starters led the way to shooting exactly 50%, including 40% from 3-point land.

Senior David N’Guessan’s 20 points and seven rebounds were a team-high, followed by junior Dug McDaniel with 15 points and 12 from seniors Max Jones and Coleman Hawkins. McDaniel painted as K-State’s point guard, collecting a double-double with 11 assists and six rebounds. Hawkins also stuffed the stat sheet with eight assists, five rebounds and five blocks.

“Winning feels good, against KU I guess a little bit extra, but, I mean, it’s just another game,” N’Guessan said. “We just have to keep it going.”

Here are some takeaways from the win.

Big Game Bram

Students wrapped around Bill Snyder Family stadium before the game, approaching the front side of the Vanier Family Complex. As students entered Bramlage and peeled off mittens, coats and stocking caps off, melting down toward tip-off, there was no doubt the sixth man would be present for the marquee matchup.

“I want this to be the toughest place in the country to play,” Tang said. I’m thankful that we have a fan base that does their part.”

From the jump, K-State’s offense added fuel to the fire of the crowd, and vice versa. Each bucket by both teams meant more, between Kansas’ Hunter Dicksonson flashing a “shhh” at the crowd and a barrage of K-State fans and players proudly pulsating at the splash of the net.

As K-State took a 15-point lead with 5:13 left to play, Sandstorm and expletive chants radiated around the arena, looking to carried the Wildcats down the finish line. Kansas cut the lead back under double-digits, but the damage had been done.

Can you Dug it?

McDaniel, a Michigan transfer, has cemented himself as one of the Big 12’s conferences best point guards with his play lately.

“I say it’s like he’s been living in one country for a while, and they spoke a certain language,” Tang said before the game. “And now, he’s an exchange student in a different country. He’s learning a new language….And he’s learning how to say it the way we say it, and learning how to ask questions the way, to get the right answer. It’s just that process of time and but he’s been as good of a guard as there have been in our league the last four or five games.”

In a battle of premier point guards, McDaniel out-matched Kansas’ Dejuan Harris, who only played four minutes in the first half with three early fouls. Harris finished with four points and six assists in 24 minutes.

“I definitely feel comfortable,” McDaniel said. My guys believe in me. They keep putting that confidence in me. I’m playing with the most confidence I have in a long time, and we’re winning. So it feels good.”

Tang, who’s coached a surplus of All-Conference guards during his coaching career, applauded his confidence.

“Confidence is a crazy thing, hard to get, easy to lose” Tang said after game. “What I like about Dug is that he’s not letting negative plays impact his next play. And that’s what leaders do, and that’s what tough people do.”

How it happened

Jones led the Wildcats offense early on with nine points off perfect shooting. However, Kansas’ size with Dickinson and KJ Adams kept pace with K-State as the duo combined for 17 of Kansas’ first 22 points.

When Harris exited with three fouls at the midway point of the first half, Dickinson left the floor simultaneously for a break and K-State sprinted to its largest lead at 29-22, putting together a 5-6 run on field goal attempts. After that point, K-State never looked back.

By the end of the half, K-State led 44-35 after N’Guessan nailed a fadeaway jumper just inside the 3-point line. The Wildcats shot 54.3% in the period, including 4-12 from long distance. Ball protection was key as well, committing just two turnovers. On the other side, K-State forced six turnovers and scored eight points off those miscues.

Out of the half, similar storylines emerged as K-State’s offense simply outpaced Kansas’ production with the ball. The Wildcats made six triples during the first 12 minutes of the second half, compared to one for KU, which was the first bucket out of halftime.

Hausen bottomed an unguarded triple with just under three minutes to play, sending K-State back to its largest lead of 15 points. Kansas closed the gap late, but all that was left for K-State was to let the clock dwindled down to zeroes.

Up next

Another ranked team will look to end K-State’s hot stretch on Tuesday as the Wildcats play host to No. 20 Arizona at 7 p.m. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.

“The job not finished,” McDaniel said.