Kansas State men’s basketball met Arizona as two of the hottest teams in the country, with both teams on long winning streaks, but it was K-State who advanced its win streak to six games with a 73-70 win on Tuesday night.
The Wildcats, the ones in lavender, have played as well as anyone nationally the last few weeks and they continued their performance over Arizona, who lost their six-game win streak.
“Our message today, and the last couple of days was humility,” head coach Jerome Tang said. “For every 1,000 men who can handle adversity, only one can handle success. We wanted to show that we weren’t going to allow all the text messages, and everything else that people are saying, to impact what we needed to do to keep this thing going.”
Tang is now 13-3 at home vs. AP Top 25 opponents, including 4-1 in 2024-25. K-State moved to 13-11, 7-6 Big 12 while Arizona dropped from a tie for first place in the Big 12, falling to 17-7, 11-2.
While the Wildcats didn’t have shots fall like they have lately, making just one 3-pointer (1-19) they have found a way to win with their play inside and defense. Arizona was nearly identical as they made just two 3-pointers, one in each half for 2-22.
“Last game we made shots, tonight we didn’t. We had to guard and not hang our heads when the ball didn’t go through the hole and they did whatever was needed at the time for us to have a chance to win,” Tang said.
Making the biggest impact on the game with his scoring around the rim was none other than the smallest player on the court in Dug McDaniel, personifying former guard Markquis Nowell’s ‘heart over height’ mantra.
McDaniel scored 24 points on the night and used his scrappiness to grab five steals as well. The Michigan transfer added four rebounds and three assists.
The five steals by McDaniel were a part of 17 total turnovers by Arizona leading to K-State scoring 23 points off those turnovers. The steals and points off turnovers have been something K-State has forced lately and that has been a big help to its success.
“Whatever I can do to help us get that edge and win it, I’m going to do it,” McDaniel said. “The fact that they are looking at me to make those big plays, just makes it even more meaningful. Because, they count on me, and I’m counting on them too.”
One of the teammates McDaniel counts on is the reigning Big 12 Player of the Week David N’Guessan, who continued his run of good performances with 16 points and seven rebounds in just 23 minutes. N’Guessan was in foul trouble throughout the night but was effective in the minutes he played.
On the other side, Arizona’s star player and All-American candidate Caleb Love was shut down by the Wildcats’ defense, holding him to just six points. Love shot 3-15 from the field and 0-7 from three as nothing came easy for him.
“They were handsy and they were aggressive and we just didn’t play strong enough with the ball,” Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd said. “Kansas State gets a lot of credit because they were the ones making the plays.”
Both teams were hot and energetic early but after the quick start things really slowed down for both teams as neither team was hitting many shots from the outside which continued throughout the night. Going into the under-four media timeout K-State was trailing 29-22 and it seemed like Arizona was gaining the momentum.
However, K-State answered with a massive 13-0 run to end the half and be up 35-29 at the break. During that run, they got a great burst from guard C.J. Jones, who provided valuable minutes and scored nine first-half points.
“I feel like I gave a huge spark. Everybody gets involved, just being active on defense. I feel like my defense can result in a good offense, so I try to be a better defender,” Jones said.
In the second half, K-State was able to maintain its lead but wasn’t able to pull away from Arizona as they kept it close by its relentlessness on the inside and on the glass.
Keeping it close allowed Arizona to make a run and take a two-point lead at the under-four timeout and was looking to steal a victory in Bramlage. However, K-State went on an 8-0 run sending Bramlage into a frenzy as K-State looked to pull off another massive upset.
The exclamation mark on the run came from forward Mobi Ikegwuruka who had an and-one dunk. Ikegwuruka played with great energy on the defensive end all night, and a big offensive play at the end of the game seemed fitting.
“I got the ball down, slowed down, a little bit to kind of get behind my back, jumped up and just dunked it,” Ikegwuruka said.
Arizona was cut the lead down to one but clutch free throws from junior guard Brendan Hausen made it a three-point game again with just three seconds to go.
Caleb Love, who had made a half-court shot earlier this season to tie a game and force overtime, missed his heave at the buzzer, cementing K-State’s win over yet another ranked opponent.
“The fact that we never gave up and even though we were losing, you can still tell by the body language and demeanor of the guys that you know they care,” McDaniel said.
The win moves K-State into a tie for sixth place in the Big 12, a position that seemed nearly impossible to be in a month ago. With the win, K-State is back on the bubble of some brackets, as ESPN’s Joe Lundardi had K-State on the next, next four out before the win.
At 7-11, it seemed probable that the Wildcats would be left out of the NCAA tournament, but the Wildcats knew they were talented and had the leadership to go on the run they are currently on.
“I’m just trying to win. I’ll do whatever it takes to speak up, do whatever for my team that’s bringing the energy up and I’ll do that,” Ikegwuruka said.
The Wildcats look to continue their hot streak as they go into BYU on Saturday with tip-off at 8 p.m. CST.
