STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) — Kansas State’s Dean Wade didn’t know he had a perfect shooting night going from the field until assistant coach Chris Lowery told him.

“Honestly, I had no idea,” Wade said. “I didn’t really know until the very end, when coach Lowery said something to me about, `Oh, you just don’t want to shoot, don’t want to mess up your percentage.’ I was like, `What are you talking about?”

Wade scored a season-high 24 points on 9 of 9 shooting to help Kansas State defeat Oklahoma State 75-57 on Saturday night. It was just the seventh time in school history that a Kansas State player had a perfect shooting night with at least nine attempts. He also made three 3-pointers.

Barry Brown scored 18 points and Cartier Diarra added 10 for the Wildcats (16-5, 6-2 Big 12), who entered the night tied for the conference lead.

The Wildcats were ranked seventh out of 10 Big 12 teams in 3-point percentage during league games and 10th in all games before Saturday. They made 16 against Oklahoma State, the most in school history for a conference game and the second-most overall.

“I’ve said all among we could be a good shooting team,” Kansas State coach Bruce Weber said. “We should be. The ball movement was really spectacular. Kind of what we’d hoped all year.”

In a building where Oklahoma State has pulled numerous upsets the past two seasons, the Wildcats were unusually comfortable.

“I think a lot of the credit has to go to the coaching staff,” Wade said. “The scouts — they put so much time into the scouts, and it gives us just a great base of how we’re going to play. We went out tonight and executed.”

Curtis Jones scored 14 points and Lindy Waters added 12 for the Cowboys (9-12, 2-6).

Oklahoma State hung tough for a while, but a putback dunk by Kansas State’s Makol Mawien put the Wildcats ahead by 13 late in the first half. Brown hit a 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer to give Kansas State 43-27 advantage. Kansas State shot 61.5 percent before the break.

Oklahoma State didn’t score for more than six minutes to start the second half as Kansas State pulled away. The Wildcats led by 34 at one point, and Oklahoma State went on a 13-0 scoring run late in the game to make the game seem closer.

“They shot the ball better than what they have all season, and a team that’s that good defensively shooting the ball that well offensively — you’re in for a tough game then,” Oklahoma State guard Thomas Dziagwa said.

BIG PICTURE

Kansas State: The Wildcats won their sixth straight conference game, and their fourth straight by double digits. Other than a loss to Texas A&M in the SEC/Big 12 challenge, the Wildcats have been dominant lately and could make their way into the Top 25.

Oklahoma State: The Cowboys were scrappy for a while, but they were simply overmatched. It was Oklahoma State’s fourth straight conference loss. The long-term effects of four players leaving the program or being kicked off the team this season are taking effect.

WADE’S WORLD

Wade has rounded into form since returning from a foot injury. He scored just two points in his first game back, but has been on a tear since then. In his past five games, he’s averaging 18 points on 58 percent shooting, including 53 percent from 3-point range.

STAT LINES

Oklahoma State made just two of nine free throws, making just one in each half. Kansas State made 7 of 12.

HE SAID IT

Oklahoma State forward Cameron McGriff: “It’s a bad loss. It’s just one loss.”

UP NEXT

Kansas State hosts Kansas on Tuesday.

Oklahoma State plays at TCU on Wednesday.

— Associated Press —

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — Texas A&M coach Billy Kennedy figured the Aggies had nothing to lose in trying to snap a three-game losing streak, so he overhauled his defensive strategy entering Saturday’s game against Kansas State.

“We took a chance and played zone the whole game, and I thought it disrupted Kansas State and took them out of their offense,” Kennedy said. “I thought we’d have a hard time guarding them man to man.”

Turns out the Wildcats had a hard time guarding A&M’s Wendell Mitchell, but only after halftime. Mitchell scored a game-high 22 points, all in the second half, and A&M dashed past KSU 65-53 in the annual Big 12/SEC Challenge.

“On (Friday) night I talked about expecting the unexpected,” Wildcats coach Bruce Weber said of the Aggies going with a zone defense throughout. “In the first half we should have got the lead to 10 or 12 points, but we didn’t make the plays we needed to.”

The Wildcats (15-5) led 30-26 at halftime before the Aggies (8-10) outscored their former Big 12 brethren 39-23 over the final 20 minutes. A&M relied on an 18-3 run early in the second half to overcome a seven-point deficit just after the break.

Mitchell, who started his college career at Baylor of the Big 12, made 7 of 9 shots in the second half, and 7 of 12 overall, after sitting out all but six minutes in the first half in foul trouble. The Aggies had lost their four prior home games, including a nonconference contest against Texas Southern, before earning their first double-digit victory since prior to Christmas.

“Communication was at a high level today,” Mitchell said. “And I was just feeding off of my teammates.”

Dean Wade led the Wildcats with 17 points and the Aggies’ Savion Flagg led all rebounders with 12. The Wildcats held a 16-14 advantage in points in the paint in the first half, but the Aggies wound up with a 32-20 edge on that front.

“If we’re going to have a chance, we have to really be locked in defensively every time,” said Weber, whose squad is tied atop the Big 12 standings with Kansas at 5-2.

A&M exited the Big 12 and entered the SEC in the summer of 2012.

BIG PICTURE

KSU: Weber figured the Wildcats might step into a trap in College Station, and he was right. KSU stumbled into a desperate SEC team, although the Wildcats’ five-game win streak in Big 12 play still stands. KSU was on the cusp of re-entering the Top 25, but that likely won’t happen coming off a double-digit setback against a team with an overall losing record.

A&M: Even if it’s not SEC action, the Aggies needed this one in the worst way after dropping five of their first six league games. This was the first of three consecutive homes games for A&M, and a solid start to trying to get back on track in conference play before it’s too late.

UP NEXT

KSU: The Wildcats stay on the road at Oklahoma State on Feb. 2.

A&M: The Aggies stay home against LSU on Wednesday.

INJURY REPORT

A&M starting guard Jay Jay Chandler sat out with a sprained shoulder, and Kennedy said he hopes the sophomore returns to practice on Monday.

HIGHLIGHT REEL

The Aggies likely knew things were going to go their way when, on their first shot of the second half, a short jumper by Christian Mekowulu rolled across the top of the backboard and smoothly dropped through the hoop, in cutting the Wildcats’ lead to 33-28.

STAT OF THE DAY

A&M shot 51 percent from the floor (25 of 49), only the third time this season the Aggies have shot better than 50 percent in a game.

— Associated Press —

MANHATTAN, Kansas (AP) — Barry Brown Jr. had 15 points, Dean Wade had 13 and Kansas State’s defense shut down No. 14 Texas Tech in a 58-45 win Tuesday night.

The Big 12’s top-ranked defenses combined to force 30 turnovers. The Wildcats (15-4, 5-2) held Texas Tech to 33-percent shooting and never led the Red Raiders get their offense rolling.

Jarrett Culver led Texas Tech (15-4, 4-3) with 17 points. Tariq Owens had 12.

The Red Raiders struggled to contain Brown in the first half. He had two step-back 3-pointers and 11 points. Wade was a mismatch as well, with Red Raider big man Norense Odiase called for three fouls in the first half. He only played five minutes.

Owens scored seven points off the bench in Odiase’s absence, keeping Texas Tech in it. Kansas State led 32-24 at the half.

The Wildcats led 46-38 midway through the second half before Wade made two free throws and Xavier Sneed hit a 3. The Red Raiders got back within eight but couldn’t get any closer.

BIG PICTURE

Texas Tech has lost three straight games after starting 4-0 in conference play. They will need to get the ship going back in the right direction soon.

Kansas State has won five straight and looks to be one of the best teams in the Big 12.

UP NEXT

Texas Tech will be home Saturday against Arkansas in the SEC-Big 12 Challenge.

K-State plays at Texas A&M on Saturday

— Associated Press —

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State head coach Chris Klieman completed his inaugural coaching staff in Manhattan on Tuesday with the hiring of Scottie Hazelton as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach.

“I have known Scottie for a long time and couldn’t be more excited for him to be a part of our staff,” Klieman said of the 23-year coaching veteran. “He is one of the top defensive coordinators in the college game right now and has quickly asserted himself as a rising name in our profession. His experience at all levels of the game, including at Power Five schools and the NFL, and also his familiarity with our schemes makes him a great fit for our program.”

Hazelton comes to Manhattan after a successful two-year run as the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Wyoming. Both seasons the Cowboys ranked in the top 25 nationally in total defense and top 30 nationally in scoring defense. Additionally, Hazelton saw 13 Wyoming defenders earn All-Mountain West honors, including four by linebackers.

His 2017 defense was one of the best in the country as the Cowboys led the nation in takeaways, forcing 38 opponent turnovers thanks to a nation-leading 18 fumbles recovered and a No. 2 ranking with 20 interceptions. Wyoming also ranked ninth in scoring defense (17.5 points per game), 13th in pass defense (174.9 yards per game) and 23rd in total defense (335.2 yards per game).

Hazelton’s defensive unit featured three First Team All-Mountain West honorees and nine all-conference players overall, including linebackers Jahmari Moore, Adam Pilapil and Logan Wilson.

Prior to his stint at Wyoming, Hazelton spent the 2014 through 2016 seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars as the assistant linebackers coach. In 2016, he was part of a Jacksonville defensive staff that saw the Jaguars rank sixth in the NFL in total defense (321.7 yards per game) and fifth in passing defense (215.2 yards per game). Two linebackers in which Hazelton worked with, Paul Posluszny and Telvin Smith, each ranked in the top 10 in the NFL in tackles in 2015.

Hazelton and Klieman worked together at North Dakota State in 2011, which ended a five-year stint in Fargo for Hazelton. He was the defensive line coach from 2007 to 2009 before taking over as defensive coordinator and coaching the linebackers in 2010 and 2011.

During his first season as defensive coordinator in 2010, NDSU’s defense ranked seventh nationally in both scoring defense (18.21 points per game) and turnover margin (+1.07 per game) en route to a quarterfinal appearance in the FCS playoffs. The next season, the Bison defense led the nation in scoring defense (12.73 points per game) as they went on to win their first FCS national championship.

Hazelton moved from North Dakota State to his first Power Five job as he was the linebackers coach at USC in 2012, a year that ended with a Sun Bowl berth. The next year, he served as the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Nevada.

Hazelton’s coaching career began in 1996 at his alma mater, Fort Lewis College, working with the defensive backs for four seasons and serving as the interim defensive coordinator in 1998. Hazelton served his first stint at North Dakota State from 2000 to 2001 as a defensive graduate assistant before moving into a full-time coaching position at St. Olaf College in 2002 and 2003 where he was the recruiting coordinator and defensive backs coach.

Hazelton was hired next at Missouri Southern for the 2004 and 2005 seasons as defensive coordinator and safeties coach. The next year, he coached the linebackers and special teams at Michigan Tech before returning to North Dakota State in 2007.

A native of Thornton, Colorado, Hazelton was a three-year letterwinner at linebacker for Fort Lewis College from 1992 to 1994. He earned his bachelor’s degree in exercise science from Fort Lewis in 1997.

2019 K-State Football Coaching Staff
Chris Klieman (Head Coach)
Scottie Hazelton (Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers)
Courtney Messingham (Offensive Coordinator/Tight Ends)
Brian Anderson (Running Backs)
Joe Klanderman (Safeties)
Collin Klein (Quarterbacks)
Van Malone (Cornerbacks)
Jason Ray (Wide Receivers)
Conor Riley (Offensive Line)
Blake Seiler (Defensive Ends)
Mike Tuiasosopo (Defensive Tackles)

— K-State Athletics —

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Bruce Weber was very confident about his team before the season started, but after a few injuries the season looked shaky.

After a 65-55 win for Kansas State over TCU on Saturday and everyone healthy again, the Wildcats look to be rolling at the right time once again.

“Right now we are hitting our stride and we are playing for each other,” Wade said. “We are playing at an all-time high and have lots of confidence.”

The win marked the Wildcats fourth straight after starting 0-2 in Big 12 play as TCU has now lost three of four.

K-State (14-4, 4-2) led from wire-to-wire for the second straight game as Barry Brown provided 10 points and Kamau Stokes ended with eight in the winning effort.

“It was a good team effort and we did a lot of good things,” Weber said. “We knew they were going to go zone, but I thought we had some good looks and the second half we got the ball where we needed to.”

The Horned Frogs (13-4, 2-3) couldn’t generate much offense with their second leading scorer, Kouat Noi, out with the flu. They were led in scoring by Alex Robinson who had 17 points, Desmond Bane who finished with 16 and JD Miller had 11.

“That hurt not having Kouat in there, but we can’t make excuses,” Jamie Dixon said. “They are experienced and stuck to their game plan tonight.”

K-State took advantage of 18 TCU turnovers and scored 21 points off turnovers.

“Obviously we didn’t have the right game plan in place,” Dixon said. “That’s what they do and they played well. I take the blame on this one for not having our guys ready, but we must take care of the ball to win.”

Sneed took over the first two minutes of the second half with two alley-oop dunks as K-State led 43-32, their biggest lead of the game up to that point.

“I was just picking and choosing my spot,” Sneed said. “I was just taking what the defense was giving me.”

The Horned Frogs got back within four at 47-43, but that was as close as TCU would get. The Wildcats led the entire first half led by Sneed who had eight points with four rebounds.

“We knew they were a good defensive team, but we have to play better,” Bane said.

K-State closed the half on a 9-3 run sparked by Wade’s 3-point play to give them a 37-30 lead at intermission.

BIG PICTURE

TCU: The Horned Frogs are ready for two straight home games next week after playing three of their last four on the road. The Horned Frogs haven’t won a true road game since Dec. 5.

Kansas State: The win marks the fourth straight for the Wildcats and that’s mainly because Wade and Stokes are back. If they beat Texas Tech on Tuesday, they will be in a tie for first in the Big 12.

UP NEXT

TCU is back at home when they host Texas on Wednesday night.

Kansas State will host Texas Tech Tuesday at 6 p.m.

— Associated Press —

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Kansas State guard Barry Brown didn’t need any last-minute heroics this time.

After hitting game-winners in the final minute of the Wildcats’ previous two games, he helped Kansas State control Oklahoma from start to finish. Brown scored 25 points as Kansas State beat the 20th-ranked Sooners 74-61 on Wednesday night.

Brown, coming off his first Big 12 player of the week honor, is averaging 25.7 points during the Wildcats’ three-game win streak.

“Obviously, Barry’s playing at a really high level,” Kansas State coach Bruce Weber said. “But I love that he had five assists. That means at least he’s seeing some other things.”

Dean Wade added 20 points in his second game back since missing six in a row with a torn tendon in his right foot. It was Kansas State’s second straight road win over a ranked team — the Wildcats won at Iowa State last Saturday.

Kansas State (13-4, 3-2 Big 12) shot 50 percent from the field against an Oklahoma squad that was holding opponents to 37.7 percent, good for ninth nationally.

“Sometimes you line up and just get whipped,” Oklahoma coach Lon Kruger said. “We did that tonight. Kansas State whipped us. They kind of got us down a little bit and they kept working. We just couldn’t overcome that. We have to figure out a way to keep that from happening. But they whipped us tonight for sure.”

Christian James scored 20 points and Rashard Odomes added a season-high 17 for Oklahoma (13-4, 2-3). It was the Sooners’ first home defeat and their first loss to an unranked team this season.

Kansas State ran out to an 8-0 lead as Oklahoma went scoreless for more than three minutes to start the game. The Wildcats stretched their advantage to 20-7 before the Sooners found their footing. James hit a 3-pointer in the closing seconds of the first half to cut Kansas State’s lead to 30-24.

The Wildcats kept the Sooners at bay, and an emphatic two-handed dunk by Wade with just over two minutes to play put the Wildcats up 71-56.

Kansas State forced Oklahoma into 16 turnovers and one of its lowest-scoring outputs of the season.

“I think our main priority as a team is defense,” Wade said. “It’s where we hang our hat. We’re a great defensive team.”

Oklahoma’s giveaways sabotaged a 47 percent shooting effort.

“I thought we were careless with the ball in the first half, especially,” Kruger said. “Drove into some gaps that were crowded and didn’t make very good decisions.”

BIG PICTURE

Kansas State: The Wildcats are starting to look like the team that was ranked No. 12 in the preseason. With Brown and Wade clicking, they are gaining momentum. The two road wins early in Big 12 play put them in an ideal position to challenge for a spot near the top of the league standings.

Oklahoma: The Sooners got just 14 minutes from starting center Jamuni McNeace, who is still struggling after coming back from an ankle injury. He did not score and had only two rebounds. The Sooners could benefit from more production from him heading into games at Texas and Oklahoma State.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Kansas State, which was 33rd in votes in the AP Top 25 this week, positioned itself for a potential spot in the rankings pending Saturday’s game against TCU, which dropped out of the poll this week after losing to Oklahoma last Saturday. Oklahoma might lose its spot in the Top 25 after this home loss to an unranked opponent.

HE SAID IT

Weber, on Brown and Wade: “They’re seniors. They’ve been through it. They make you good coaches. They know what to look for.”

MILESTONE

James surpassed 1,000 points in his Oklahoma career.

UP NEXT

Kansas State hosts TCU on Saturday.

Oklahoma plays at Texas on Saturday.

— Associated Press —

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Kayla Goth had 20 points and tied her career-high with 12 assists and Kansas State used a big first half to defeat No. 11 Texas 87-69 on Wednesday night.

Christianna Carr added 19 on points 7-of-10 shooting, including four 3-pointers, for the Wildcats (11-6, 2/3 Big 12). Peyton Williams had 18 points with eight rebounds. Goth’s 12 assists were a conference high this season.

Williams had back-to-back 3-pointers in a 10-0 run and added a third in the first quarter as K-State jumped to a 23-13 lead. Carr scored four in a 6-0 burst to start the second quarter and Williams scored the last four before the half for a 42-23 lead.

Kansas State was 6 of 13 from distance and shot 50 percent overall. The Longhorns shot 35 percent and had 10 turnovers.

The lead remained in double figures throughout the second half when the Longhorns shot 52 percent but the Wildcats shot 58 percent. K-State finished 11 of 19 from distance (58 percent), shot 54 percent overall and was 16 of 18 from the foul line.

Sug Sutton had 22 points for Texas (14-3, 4-1), which had won seven straight and seven straight over KSU. Danni Williams added 18.

— Associated Press —

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State head coach Chris Klieman announced Monday that Mike Tuiasosopo has been hired to coach the Wildcat defensive tackles for the 2019 season.

The hire allows Blake Seiler to focus on the defensive ends, while Klieman also announced that Chris Dawson – a nine-year member of the K-State staff – will remain in Manhattan as the Director of Strength and Conditioning.

“Mike is a veteran coach who has a substantial amount of Power Five experience throughout his career, which includes developing defensive linemen and a strong presence on special teams,” Klieman said. “I also was looking for a coach who had an extensive recruiting background on the west coach – and California in particular – and Mike certainly has that.”

Tuiasosopo comes to Manhattan after serving the 2018 season as the defensive tackles coach at UTEP, but he has spent a majority of his career on the west coast and, specifically, in the Pac-10/12.

In 2017, Tuiasosopo was the special teams quality control coach at USC, a year in which the Trojans claimed the Pac-12 Conference title for the first time in nine years. USC was successful in large part to its return game, as the Trojans ranked third in the Pac-12 in kickoff returns (23.5 yards per return) and punt returns (11.9 yards per return). He was also an offensive consultant for USC in 2016 and an analyst in 2015.

Prior to USC, Tuiasosopo worked across town at UCLA as he tutored the Bruin outside linebackers and special teams in 2014. That season, UCLA finished No. 3 in the Pac-12 in total defense (398.5 yards per game), which featured Tuiasosopo product Deon Hollins becoming the Bruins’ sack leader in his first season as a starter. On special teams, the kickoff coverage unit ranked second in the Pac-12 as returner Ishmael Adams finished the season ranked 21st nationally in combined returns.

Tuiasosopo joined Mike Stoops’ staff at Arizona in 2004 and coached in Tucson for seven seasons, including his final three seasons where the Wildcats ranked highly in the nation in total defense (24th in 2008, 25th in 2009, 33rd in 2010). Arizona led the Pac-10 in quarterback sacks all three years, largely due to Tuiasosopo’s defensive front.

Tuiasosopo tutored All-Pac 10 performer Ricky Elmore in addition to Brooks Reed and De’Aundre Reed to 2011 NFL Draft selections. Reed was a second-round pick (No. 42 overall) by the Minnesota Vikings. Tuiasosopo also coached two others that earned all-conference honors and were drafted into the NFL, Earl Mitchell – a third-rounder in 2010 – and Lionel Dotson in 2008. In 2010, he tutored Justin Washington to several Freshman All-America honors.

Tuiasosopo received his start in coaching at Montclair Academy in Van Nuys, California, coaching the defensive line and special teams in 1990 and 1991. He was then a graduate assistant at Pacific before becoming the head coach at Berkley High School in 1993 and 1994.

Tuiasosopo earned his first full-time collegiate job at Utah State as he coached the Aggie defensive line from 1996 to 1999. From there, he moved to Nevada to coach the defensive line from 2000 to 2002, and he worked at Utah during the 2003 season when the Utes earned a 10-2 record and a No. 21 final ranking.

Tuiasosopo lettered four years as a defensive tackle at Pacific Lutheran University (1985-88) and was a starter for the final three seasons en route to a pair of First Team All-Columbia Conference honors. He comes from a football-rich family tradition as his uncle Bob Apisa (Michigan State/Green Bay), cousin Manu (UCLA/Seattle/San Francisco) and younger brother Navy (Utah State/Los Angeles Rams/St. Louis Cardinals) each played collegiately and in the NFL. His nephew, Marques, played quarterback at Washington and with the Oakland Raiders and New York Jets, while he is currently the passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach at California.

A native of Carson, California, who was born in American Samoa, Tuiasosopo graduated from Pacific Lutheran with a degree in physical education and health in 1989, while he earned his master’s degree from Pacific in Education Administration Credentials in 1992. He is married to Kathy Bowles, and the couple has four children, daughters Lanea and Maya, and sons Titus and Luke.

2019 K-State Football Coaching Staff
Chris Klieman (Head Coach)
Courtney Messingham (Offensive Coordinator/Tight Ends)
Ted Monachino (Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers)
Brian Anderson (Running Backs)
Joe Klanderman (Safeties)
Collin Klein (Quarterbacks)
Van Malone (Cornerbacks)
Jason Ray (Wide Receivers)
Conor Riley (Offensive Line)
Blake Seiler (Defensive Ends)
Mike Tuiasosopo (Defensive Tackles)

— Northwest Athletics —

AMES, Iowa (AP) — No. 20 Iowa State appeared to have done just enough to survive on a snowy and sleepy Saturday in Ames.

Barry Brown had other ideas.

Brown hit a layup with four seconds left and Kansas State stunned Iowa State 58-57 on Saturday, handing the Cyclones their second straight loss.

Brown had 23 points to lead the Wildcats (12-4, 2-2 Big 12), who closed the game on a 10-2 run for their first road win of the year. Iowa State (12-4, 2-2) didn’t score over the final 2:42.

“Biggest thing, it’s a tough loss,” Cyclones coach Steve Prohm said. “Brutal loss.”

Iowa State, which hasn’t won since blowing out Kansas last week, was up seven with five minutes left. Brown hit two free throws with 16 seconds left to make it 57-56 Iowa State, and Lindell Wigginton missed the front end of a subsequent one-and-one for the Cyclones.

Brown, who finished 9 of 20 from the floor, then drove through the paint for the winner — which came on the heels of a 21-point comeback against West Virginia in K-State’s last game.

Brown scored eight of K-State’s final 10 points after hitting a late layup to help beat the Mountaineers.

“I just tried to make the plays when opportunity presents itself,” Brown said. “My teammates and coach believe in me when it comes down to the wire. They believed in me to come down and make a play.”

Nick Weiler-Babb had 11 points and five assists to lead the Cyclones. Iowa State responded to its 77-60 win over the Jayhawks with a 73-70 loss at Baylor and a sloppy finish against the Wildcats.

“I think everybody jumped and ran with one game. Now your character is tested, and you’ve got to go back to work,” Prohm said.

Big 12 preseason player of the year Dean Wade, who had been out since the middle of December with a torn tendon in his right foot, returned for the Wildcats. He had two points and nine rebounds in 22 minutes.

“He still has no rhythm and no conditioning, but he gets nine rebounds and got a big bucket late,” Kansas State coach Bruce Weber said. “It’s not like riding a bike where you can just jump on and ride it.”

THE BIG PICTURE

Iowa State: While K-State got Wade back, the Cyclones played with big man Cam Lard — who missed Saturday’s game with a sprained ankle. Iowa State also said after the game that fellow big man Solomon Young will miss the remainder of 2018-19 with a groin injury, and the Cyclones will seek a medical redshirt.

Kansas State: Getting Wade back is huge as far as K-State’s NCAA Tournament hopes are concerned, as was this win over the Cyclones. The Wildcats might be a factor in the Big 12 race after all.

NOT-SO CRITICAL STRETCH

Iowa State fell behind 37-26 to open the second half, but a late 14-2 run gave the Cyclones what looked like enough of a cushion to survive. Wigginton gave the Cyclones a 48-46 lead on a layup in the paint, and Weiler-Babb followed with a 3. Marial Shayok then hit a layup to cap a stretch of nine straight points for Iowa State and make it a 55-48 game. But Weiler-Babb missed a wide-open 3 with about 40 seconds left.

THE NUMBERS

Iowa State lost despite holding the Wildcats to 35.7 percent shooting from the floor. … Kamau Stokes had 12 points for Kansas State. … Shayok had a season-low nine points for the Cyclones. He entered play averaging 20.1 points per game. … K-State outrebounded Iowa State 39-31. … The Cyclones went just 6 of 12 from the line.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Iowa State is one of the 25 most talented teams in the country. But the Cyclones likely won’t be ranked as such on Monday.

UP NEXT

Iowa State plays No. 8 Texas Tech in a huge early league showdown on Wednesday.

Kansas State plays at Oklahoma on Wednesday.

— Associated Press —