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Wildcat Warm-Up
It was an all out cat attack on Tuesday night in a lavender layered Bramlage Coliseum as the Kansas State Wildcats defeated the 13th ranked Arizona Wildcats 73-70. K-State improved to 6 straight wins on the back of Dug McDaniel’s 24 point performance accompanied by David N’Guessan’s 16 pt outing.
Opponent Match Up
The Arizona Wildcats, ranked No. 13, entered the game with a 17-6 overall record and a 11-1 mark in Big 12, posting the largest win streak in Big 12 play with six straight wins. The Wildcats, standing at 12-11 overall and 6-6 in the conference, were looking to continue their five game win streak and get above .500 in Big 12 play.
Tip-off to Buzzer
First Half
The first half was a tight race with both teams fighting to win the paint. From the jump it was abundantly clear that nobody was going to win from the arc, and the game slowly became an all out cat attack. Dug McDaniel quickly set the pace for K-State, hitting tough layup after tough layup and keeping the Cats in the fight even when Arizona found their rhythm. The moment the switch truly began to flip for the team was coming out of a timeout when referee Ted Valentine removed a goaltending call against Arizona subsequently removing the score, setting KSU back five points against U of A. From that point, K-State went on a 13-2 run to end the 1st, rallying the crowd and heading into halftime with a 35-29 lead. Both teams only made one three pointer the entire half.
Second Half
Both teams came back striking in the second half early, going blow for blow for the first couple of minutes. Slowly, Arizona put together a run that tied the game, 46-46 with 10:26 on the clock. Arizona never truly let the game get away from them, tying it two more times in the half and making KSU earn every point they got. The Bramlage faithful made it loud as can be for the visitors, and eventually blew the roof off of the Coliseum when sophomore Mobi Ikegwuruka got a steal fast break dunk to put the Cats up six with 1:39 left on the clock. The clock hit zeros with a final score of 73-70, and another top 25 victory for Kansas State.
Courtside Conclusions
Kansas State’s win over Arizona marks their sixth straight win and their fifth ranked win in Big 12 play. The Cats are officially back in Joe Lunardi’s Bracketology, back above .500 in Big 12 play, and most importantly, they’re just back. Even when shooting 5.3% from the arc Kansas State found ways to attack the glass, get open shots and force the ball in the cup against a tough Arizona defense. Good teams win their way, great teams always find a way to win, and Kansas State played like a great team.
Future Focus
Looking ahead, Kansas State begins a road campaign through the mountains of Utah as they travel to Provo to face the 16-8 BYU Cougars on Saturday and then head north to Salt Lake City to take on the 13-11 Utah Utes that Monday.
For the latest updates and sports talk from 6-7 PM every week day, stay tuned to Wildcat 91.9.
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