Well, at least the TangCats took care of business on Monday. And yet, despite beating literally the worst team in NCAA Division 1 108-49, it wasn’t even all that impressive. The Wildcats were even later mocked by said team, and it’s not the first time this season that the TangCats have been on the receiving end of public derision from an opponent. Regardless, the Wildcats did still win, and as such ended a four game losing streak that included two straight losses in what should be the friendly confines of Bramlage Coliseum.
But now the Wildcats (6-4) are back on the road, and while maybe not as tough as test as their first road trip a few weeks ago, today’s trip north to Nebraska’s biggest city is still going to be difficult. Though this is not a normal Creighton team, either. Normally a strong program, the Bluejays are just 5-4 to start Greg McDermott’s 16th season in Omaha. The record is a bit misleading, however, as all four losses are to teams that are currently expected to make the NCAA Tournament: Gonzaga, Baylor, Iowa State, and Nebraska. They also have a neutral-site win over Oregon (and former K-State and Creighton coach Dana Altman) on their resume. So while both teams have four losses, they aren’t the same level of schedules.
Working in K-State’s favor is that Creighton is not a heavy scoring team, averaging 74 points per game. They have just one player averaging double figures right now, though five players are averaging over 8 points per game. In three of their four losses, the Bluejays struggled to score, barely breaking 60 points in two games, and scoring just 50 last Sunday against a Nebraska team that gave up 85 to K-State. If the TangCats can score at the rate they did in the first 6 games of the season — even including the loss to Nebraska — then this is a game they are capable of winning. But effort like they showed against Bowling Green and Seton Hall will result in yet another ugly loss for the purple squad.
This will be Jerome Tang’s first game at K-State against Creighton, despite a long history between the two programs that dates back a hundred years (literally) and yet, somehow, includes just 16 meetings between the schools that are just a few hours apart. The last time the two schools met was in 2018, when the legend of Mike McGuirl was born as the Cats knocked the Bluejays out the NCAA Tournament enroute to an Elite Eight appearance. The last time the Wildcats and Bluejays met in the regular season was in December 1987 — a season that also finished with the Wildcats in the Elite Eight.
Maybe today’s game will spark a similarly magic run.
We’ve got an 2:10pm CT tipoff from CHI Health Center Omaha in Omaha, and you can catch the action on FOX, and streaming on FoxSports.com, with Brandon Gaudin (play-by-play) and Donny Marshall (analyst) on the call.
If you don’t have FOX, or can’t access the stream, the game can be heard across portions of the 28-station K-State Sports Network with Wyatt Thompson (play-by-play) and Stan Weber (analyst) calling the action. The game will also be available online at K-Statesports.com and via the Varsity Network app, as well as on satellite radio at Sirius/XM Ch. 390. Live stats are also available at k-statesports.com, and social media updates (@KStateMBB) will also be a part of the coverage.
