Kansas State’s streak of consecutive years of at least one player being taken in the NFL draft has run to 20 after linebacker Arthur Brown was selected in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft Thursday by the Baltimore Ravens.

The 20-year streak is currently the second-longest among Big 12 Conference schools, behind only Texas. Brown, a Wichita native who became the 16th Wildcat ever to be drafted in the first two rounds, was taken by the Ravens with the 56th pick overall.

The 2012 Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and FWAA First Team All-American, Brown led the team in tackles for a second-straight season with 100 stops, including seven TFLs and one sack in 2012. He also had two interceptions, one against West Virginia and the other he returned for a touchdown a week later against Texas Tech.

Aside from his All-America honors and Big 12 postseason honors, Brown was also a 2012 finalist for the Lott IMPACT Trophy and a semifinalist for the Bednarik Award while also earning his degree from K-State.

— KSU Sports Information —

John Giannini kept calling timeouts as La Salle’s big lead kept slipping away, an 18-point halftime advantage wiped out by fourth-ranked Kansas State’s frantic comeback.

The coach’s message every time was simple: Keep playing defense.

The Explorers finally answered his challenge.

Jerrell Wright made three foul shots in the final 30 seconds, and the No. 13 seed from the Atlantic 10 buckled down on defense in the closing minutes, allowing the Explorers to polish off a 63-61 upset win Friday in the second round of the NCAA tournament.

”Every timeout, every time we came in, he was riding us on defense,” said Ramon Galloway, who finished with 19 points for La Salle. ”We had a good margin, and they came back and actually took the lead. We had to stick together, dig down deep and get some stops.”

The Wildcats trailed 44-26 at halftime, but didn’t make another field goal after Jordan Henriquez’s layup with 4:54 remaining in the game. In fact, Kansas State only managed one more point – a free throw by the 7-footer with 2:25 left on the clock – the rest of the way.

That gave the Explorers (22-9) the window they needed.

Wright, who scored a game-high 21 points, made his first two clutch free throws to give La Salle a 62-61 lead with 30 seconds left. Henriquez missed in the paint at the other end, and then Wright made the first of two more foul shots with 9.6 seconds to go.

The Wildcats (27-8) raced down court, looking for a tying basket, but guard Angel Rodriguez got hung up in the corner near the Kansas State bench. His off-balance shot over the corner of the backboard missed everything, deflating a partisan crowd that packed the Sprint Center.

”They made the plays down the stretch and we didn’t,” said Kansas State coach Bruce Weber, who let his guys freelance on the final possession rather than calling a designed play.

Weber said he tried to call a timeout with Rodriguez boxed in, but the referees didn’t hear him with the crowd roaring.

”I guess it’s my fault,” he said. ”I waited too long.”

Sam Mills was credited with shutting down Rodriguez on the game’s final possession.

The junior guard also had 10 points for La Salle, which beat Boise State in one of the First Four games Wednesday night in Dayton, Ohio, caught a late plane to Kansas City and has now won two games in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1955.

”We’re not playing with house money. That’s not at all how we’d every think,” said Giannini, whose program hadn’t even been to the NCAA tournament since 1992. ”We want to win every game.”

The next one will come against No. 12 seed Mississippi, which knocked off fifth-seeded Wisconsin 57-46 earlier in the day in a suddenly shredded West Region.

”We don’t have a chance to be tired or sore,” Galloway said. ”We’re ready for our chance.”

Henriquez and Shane Southwell scored 17 points each for Kansas State, which managed to climb back in the game in the second half by holding La Salle to 3-for-18 shooting after the break.

Senior guard Rodney McGruder, the Wildcats’ leading scorer, finished with 12 points.

”It’s the worst feeling in the world,” he said. ”It’s the last time I’ll play a game in the K-State uniform, and the last time I’ll be on a team with some of the teammates I have now. It just hurts to go out the way we did.”

Giannini was worried his team would be weary after beating Boise State two days ago, so his guys hardly practiced Thursday. They made up for it by putting up extra shots before the game, remaining on the court when Kansas State headed to the locker room for final instructions.

Evidently, they got into quite the rhythm.

Galloway hit the first of his three first-half 3-pointers on La Salle’s opening possession, and he was followed in quick succession by Mills and Tyreek Duren, whose own shots from beyond the arc effectively silenced a crowd that came dressed mostly in purple and white.

Weber kept calling timeouts to implore his team to settle down, but nothing seemed to stick.

The Explorers pushed their lead to 35-16 late in the first half, and even when the Wildcats made back-to-back baskets – and their subdued fans started to stir – La Salle’s veteran backcourt was there to answer with a slicing layup or a fall-away jumper.

La Salle shot 58 percent and committed two turnovers in building a 44-26 halftime lead, while the Wildcats went 1 for 8 from beyond the arc and turned it over seven times.

Everything turned in the second half.

Those open 3-pointers the Explorers had been pouring in were replaced with brick shots and air balls, their weary legs starting to show. And those lousy passes and missed layups by Kansas State were replaced with crisp feeds for open looks around the basket.

Henriquez, the Wildcats’ 7-footer, started to take advantage of a 6-inch advantage in the paint, scoring six points during their 20-5 run to open the half. When he checked out, bruising post player Thomas Gipson kept the pressure on, demoralizing the smaller Explorers.

”As good as we were in the first half, Kansas State was that good in the second half,” Giannini said. ”They were terrific in the second half.”

Gipson’s basket in the paint drew Kansas State within 56-55, and then a put-back by McGruder gave the Wildcats their first lead of the game with 7:10 remaining.

Wright’s two foul shots with just over 4 minutes left in the game knotted it 60-all, and Henriquez’s free throw with 2:25 remaining gave Kansas State the lead. But McGruder missed a closely guarded jumper on the Wildcats’ next trip, and then rattled out a 3-pointer.

The Explorers’ defense helped them finish off a memorable upset.

”It came down to individual battles,” Giannini said, ”and our guys stepped up.”

— Associated Press —

Now the Big 12’s regular-season co-champs will get their chance to settle it all on the court.

Rodney McGruder scored 25 points as No. 11 Kansas State beat a sluggish No. 14 Oklahoma State 68-57 in the Big 12 tournament semifinals Friday night, setting up a title showdown on Saturday with No. 7 Kansas, which swept the Wildcats twice and shared the regular season with them.

“We’re conference co-champs and now you get a chance to play the team that tied you in the big game for the tournament,” said Kansas State coach Bruce Weber. “I’m just really proud of our guys.”
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McGruder, who had 24 points the night before against Texas, scored Kansas State’s first nine points of the second half as the Wildcats (27-6) maintained a comfortable lead throughout the final 20 minutes while holding the Cowboys (24-8) to 30.5 shooting.

A career leader in 10 of 14 categories for the second-seeded Wildcats McGruder helped Kansas State avenge a loss to Oklahoma State in the regular season finale that forced them to share the league title with the hated Jayhawks.

“I just took the open shots, you know, and took the lanes they gave me, and I was fortunate enough to make those shots,” he said of his second-half spree.

Angel Rodriguez, Kansas State’s 5-11 point guard, acquitted himself well against Marcus Smart, his bigger and more celebrated Oklahoma State counterpart. Rodriguez had 17 points, four assists and three steals. He had two 3-point buckets while the Cowboys (24-8) were threatening a second-half comeback.

The 6-4 Smart, the Big 12 player of the year, had 18 points, three assists and three steals.

“I’ve got to give a lot of credit to the coaches,” said Rodriguez. “At first I wasn’t playing that good. I was doing a solid job, but the coaches have tremendous trust in me. They believe in me. And my teammates as well. It was just a matter of me having a good game to bring my confidence back.”

Kansas State, which hadn’t won a regular-season conference title since 1977, held a 28-23 halftime lead and then McGruder launched the second half with a dunk, a coast-to-coast layup, a jumper and a three-point play that put the Wildcats on top 37-25.

Smart’s two free throws began a brief flurry for the Cowboys, who closed to 40-33 on a bucket by Michael Cobbins. But Rodriguez hit a 3-pointer from the wing and, after Smart threw up an air ball, Shane Southwell made a free throw and Thomas Gipson had a dunk for the Wildcats.

“It’s a bad feeling as a coach when you’ve got no offensive rhythm,” said Oklahoma State coach Travis Ford. “You’re trying everything. We were just fighting adversity but we couldn’t get anything to work. It was amazing we hung in the game. It’s just one of those nights. It happens. I told our team Kansas State played better than we did. That happens.”

The lead reached 49-35 when Rodriguez rebounded an Oklahoma State miss and McGruder drilled a 3-pointer.

Le’Bryan Nash had 11 points for Oklahoma State.

Jordan Henriquez had eight points and 11 rebounds for Kansas State.

The game was played before 19, 116, a tournament record, and the Sprint Center is sure to be rocking again Saturday when the two archrivals from the Sunflower State collide for the title. The No. 7 Jayhawks swept Kansas State during the regular season and in fact have tormented their state rivals, holding a bulging 184-91 record against them. Bill Self is 7-0 against Kansas State in conference tournament games and 20-3 since becoming Kansas coach. Kansas reached the finals by beating Iowa State 88-73 in the earlier semifinal.

The Wildcats were miserable in the early going, missing 17 of their first 20 shots. But Oklahoma State was not much better. The Cowboys were only four for their first 11 and had four quick fouls and four quick turnovers.

But the Cowboys got a 3-pointer from Phil Forte and two more long ones from Smart, who had 12 points in the first half, and seized a 17-12 lead on Philip Jurick’s tip-in.

But then Southwell, who missed his first four from the field, connected from behind the arc and launched a 12-2 run. McGruder’s bucket was followed by Martavious Irving’s 3-pointer, then Rodriguez picked up an errant Oklahoma State pass and drove on for a layup and a 24-19 lead.

— Associated Press —

It didn’t seem to matter what Rodney McGruder did – fire away over the Texas zone, pull up in the lane or take a pass from Angel Rodriguez down low.

There was no way the Longhorns were stopping No. 11 Kansas State’s all-conference senior, who scored 24 points to lead the Wildcats to a 66-49 victory over the Longhorns on Thursday night in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 tournament.

”It all starts with our fans, how much they support us,” said McGruder. ”They push us to so hard, we know what we’re doing is not only for ourselves but also the Manhattan (Kan.) community. It just feels good to do big things for our community.”

McGruder, who ranks in the top 10 in 14 of Kansas State’s career categories, also had a team-high seven rebounds as the second-seeded Wildcats (26-6) whipped the Longhorns for the third time this year.

Julien Lewis scored 13 points and Jonathan Holmes had 10 for Texas (16-17), which trailed almost the entire game and is in grave danger of missing the NCAA tournament for the first time in 15 years.

”I’m disappointed,” said Texas coach Rick Barnes. ”I think when you have high expectations in anything you’re going to be disappointed. I’m disappointed. I think we could have won this game today. I think we could have won this tournament. But we didn’t because we made the same mistakes we made in two other games with them. We helped them out. And they don’t need any help.”

The Wildcats, who tied No. 7 Kansas for their first regular-season conference title since 1977, will face No. 14 Oklahoma State or Baylor in the semifinals Friday night.

”It’s a good win,” said Kansas State coach Bruce Weber, whose shooters spent most of the game trying to solve the Texas zone. ”I told the guys I thought they would play zone. So it wasn’t unexpected. And when you saw that starting lineup, you knew they were going to do it.”

The Wildcats held a 43-36 lead midway through the second half when McGruder’s one-handed floater ignited the run that put the game out of reach. A moment later, the 6-4 senior stole the ball at midcourt, drew a foul and then connected on a 3-pointer over the Longhorns’ zone. D.J. Johnson followed with a dunk and McGruder added a pair of 3-pointers.

McGruder’s 10 field goals tied the school record for a conference tournament game.

”We’re living into the second day,” said Weber. ”Now let’s see if we can get to the championship.”

Sheldon McClellan and Lewis hit back-to-back 3-pointers after Kansas State’s 11-0 run to cut the lead to 58-47, but that was as close as the Longhorns would get.

McGruder stole the ball near the Texas basket in the final minute before the break and hit a 3-pointer for a 34-28 halftime lead. A few seconds earlier, D.J. Johnon had tipped in a miss after Jonathan Holmes’ three-point play sliced Kansas State’s lead to 29-28.

Longhorns point guard Myck Kabongo, who scored 24 points in Kansas State’s 81-69 victory at Texas, had seven assists but was 0 for 5 from the floor and scored only two points. Since returning from a 23-game NCAA suspension, the 6-1 sophomore had led the Longhorns with nearly 16 points a game.

Angel Rodriguez had 13 points and five assists for Kansas State.

The Wildcats, who swept two games against Texas in the regular season, fell behind early but seized the lead when the Longhorns turned the ball over on three straight possessions and left Will Spradling all alone for a 3-pointer.

The Sprint Center Arena, brimming with purple-clad Kansas State fans, erupted in a loud cheer near the end of the game when popular football coach Bill Snyder was shown on the big electronic board sitting in the stands. The cheers became deafening when the always-reserved Snyder, prompted by the public address announcer, kissed his wife on the cheek.

The victory continues what’s been a banner sports year for the Wildcats, who produced a Heisman Trophy finalist, conference championships in both football and basketball and garnered Big 12 coach of the year honors for both Snyder and Weber.

The Longhorns closed the game on an 8-0 run, including another bucket by McGruder.

— Associated Press —

Kansas State head coach Bruce Weber earned Big 12 Coach of the Year honors, while Rodney McGruder, Angel Rodriguez and Shane Southwell were named to the Coaches’ All-Conference team, as the league office announced its annual men’s basketball awards on Sunday.

McGruder was named to the five-man All-Big 12 First Team and Rodriguez to the five-man All-Big 12 Second Team, while Southwell was one of nine players to earn honorable mention.  It marked the first time in 14 years that Kansas State had three players on the all-conference team with four players earning honorable mention in 1999.  Overall, only one other time (1951) was there three Wildcats on an all-conference squad.

Weber is the sixth K-State head coach to earn conference Coach of the Year honors and the second in the Big 12 era, following Tex Winter (1958, 1959, 1960), Cotton Fitzsimmons (1970), Jack Hartman (1975, 1977), Dana Altman (1993) and Frank Martin (2010).  He also collects league Coach of the Year accolades for the third time in his career in his third different league after winning the honor in the Missouri Valley in 2002-03 and the Big Ten in 2004-05.  With Weber’s coaching honor, K-State becomes just the second Big 12 school to have its football and men’s basketball coaches earn league Coach of the Year honors in the same season.

A native of Washington, D.C., McGruder became just the third men’s basketball player to earn All-Big 12 First Team honors since the inception of the league, joining Michael Beasley (2008) and Jacob Pullen (2010, 2011).  The leader in six categories, including scoring (15.1 ppg.), double-digit scoring games (25), 20-point games (nine), field goals (174) and minutes (32.9), McGruder also earned first team accolades from the Kansas City Star and ESPN.com.  Overall, he earned all-conference accolades for the third time in his career after being named to the second team as a junior (2012) and third team as a sophomore (2011).  He is averaging 15.1 points on 43.9 percent shooting, including 32.3 percent from 3-point range, to go with 5.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.3 steals in 32.9 minutes per game.  He ranks among the Big 12’s Top 20 in scoring, field goal percentage, steals and minutes played.

Rodriguez, who ranks among the Big 12’s Top 5 in assists, steals and assist-to-turnover ratio, was named to the league’s second team for the first time in his career.  The San Juan, Puerto Rico native, he is averaging 11.5 points on 37.1 percent shooting, including 33.6 percent from 3-point range, to go with 5.5 assists, 2.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals in 27.6 minutes per game.  He ranks second in the Big 12 in assist-to-turnover ratio, third in assists and free throw percentage and fifth in steals.  He paces the Wildcats in 3-point field goals (46), free throws (81), assists (159), steals (43), while he is second in scoring, double-digit scoring games (20) and field goals (103).  His 159 assists are the third-most in a single-season, trailing Steve Henson (186, 1987-88) and Jim Roder (163, 1983-84), while his 5.48 assists per game average is second only to Roder’s 5.62 average.

A Bronx, N.Y., native, Southwell earned all-conference honors for the first time in his career, as the junior was named honorable mention.  The Wildcats’ best 3-point shooter is averaging 8.3 points on 45.5 percent shooting, including 44.3 percent from beyond the arc, to go with 3.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.0 steals in 24.8 minutes per game.  He ranks second on the team in 3-point field goals (43), third in scoring, assists and steals and fourth in field goals and minutes played.  He has registered double-digit scoring nine times this season, including a career-best 19 points against No. 3/2 Kansas on Jan. 22.

The 9/10 Wildcats ended the regular season with a 25-6 overall record and a 14-4 mark in Big 12 play, which includes a tie for its first conference title in 36 seasons and a No. 2 seed in this week’s Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship at the Sprint Center.  The 25 wins are the most-ever in the regular season and just the school’s fifth 25-win season, while the 14 conference wins tie the 1958-59 team for the most in school history.  Overall, it is the 18th conference regular season title in school history and the first since 1976-77 season.

K-State begins play at the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship on Thursday when the Wildcats play the winner of Wednesday’s first round contest between No. 7 seed Texas (15-16) and No. 10 seed TCU (11-20) at 6 p.m. at the Sprint Center.

— KSU Sports Information —

Coach Travis Ford can’t be certain whether NBA prospect Marcus Smart has played his last home game at Oklahoma State.

If he did, he went out with one of his typical beyond-the-box-score plays, changing the game and the Big 12 championship picture.

Smart scored 21 points, but perhaps none of his plays were as big as the charging foul he drew that turned the momentum as the 13th-ranked Cowboys beat No. 9 Kansas State 76-70 on Saturday.

After officials had stopped the game to review a Smart jump shot and rule that it was not a 3-pointer but a 2, he got between Angel Rodriguez and the sideline and drew the foul as Rodriguez tried to catch an inbound pass.

Smart ended up with six points – plus drawing Rodriguez’s foul – during the decisive 14-1 run for the Cowboys (23-7, 13-5 Big 12).

”The momentum changed for us, and we opened the game up,” Smart said.

Smart’s heady play came as no surprise to Ford, who has seen his freshman point guard develop into a Big 12 player of the year candidate without needing to be his team’s leading scorer.

”He is going to be in the middle of the action and more times than not, he’s going to make a positive play. … That’s just his game,” Ford said. ”That’s just his nature. That’s the way he plays.”

Le’Bryan Nash contributed 24 points and Markel Brown scored 16, including seven free throws in the final 2 minutes for Oklahoma State.

The Wildcats (25-6, 14-4), who came into the day tied with rival Kansas for the conference lead, still ended up sharing their first regular-season conference title since 1977 in the Big Eight when the fourth-ranked Jayhawks lost at Baylor later Saturday.

K-State led by as much as nine in the second half and was up 61-57 following Rodney McGruder’s three-point play with 4:45 remaining. The Cowboys didn’t allow another field goal for more than 4 minutes and hit 13 straight free throws during crunch time to come away with the win.

It was 61-59 when Smart drew the charge, then got fouled by Thomas Gipson on a 3-point attempt and hit two free throws to tie it. Nash followed with a driving layup to put the Cowboys ahead to stay at 63-61 with 2:47 remaining.

Kansas State coach Bruce Weber called Rodriguez’s charge the ”big, changing play” of the game.

”I bet if you went and watched it, it wasn’t an offensive foul. So, that changed the game, the momentum a lot,” Weber said. ”But then they made plays and we didn’t.”

McGruder led the Wildcats with 22 points. He had a big game when the teams met in the Big 12 opener, scoring 28 points and making all five of his 3-point attempts to lead K-State to a victory. He couldn’t match that this time, connecting on only six of his 15 shots.

Thomas Gipson chipped in 15 points and Angel Rodriguez scored 10, but also struggled to a 3-for-16 outing.

”They’ve got some pretty good athletes that can guard and defend, and they made their focus – there’s no doubt – to make sure that Rod and Angel were jammed up as much as possible,” Weber said.

The Wildcats allowed Oklahoma State to shoot 57 percent while making just 39 percent of their own shots, but still managed to hang in until the final minutes for a chance to stretch their winning streak to seven and – more importantly – win an elusive conference title.

”It’s been fun. It’s been a blast,” Weber said. ”I just hope, for their sake there’s some more good things to come.”

After McGruder’s three-point play and Rodriguez’s charge, Kansas State missed eight straight attempts. Smart said there had been some build-up to the call, with referees warning both Smart and Rodriguez to stop pushing off.

”At that moment in time, he gave me a little nudge that was enough for the referee to blow his whistle,” Smart said. ”Actually, I wasn’t trying to fall. I actually slipped and it just looked like I fell, like I tried to make it a flop. But I actually slipped. It was a nudge but it wasn’t enough to make me fall.”

The Wildcats will be the No. 2 seed in next week’s Big 12 tournament. Oklahoma State will be the third seed and face Baylor in the opening round.

Shane Southwell and Martavious Irving hit 3-pointers to get the Wildcats going after trailing 36-30 at halftime, and soon they put together a 14-1 blitz to charge into the lead. Rodriguez had two baskets and two free throws during the run, and Nino Williams made a jumper along the left baseline to put K-State up 50-41 with 13:12 left.

The Cowboys responded by pushing the pace in transition, and Nash had a two-handed slam and a pair of layups during an 11-0 comeback. Smart’s three-point play off a driving runner along the right side of the lane put OSU back up 56-53 with 6:21 remaining – and fans chanted ”One more year!” to the NBA prospect as he hit the free throw.

Smart said he has tried to block out that kind of chatter all year long.

”If I was them, I want him to come back. No question,” Ford said. ”But I’ve seen him in a different perspective probably a little bit. I want what’s best for him. I’ve read, and everybody thinks he’s gone for sure. He might. I don’t know. It has not been discussed. I wouldn’t be surprised either way.”

— Associated Press —

Kansas State is tired of seeing Kansas rule the Big 12. The Wildcats have a chance to finally end the Jayhawks run atop the conference.

The Wildcats are tied with the Jayhawks with each team having one game left after a 79-68 victory over TCU on Tuesday night. If Kansas State wins and Kansas loses the Wildcats will win their first title since 1977. Kansas holds the tiebreaker between the teams having beaten their rival twice this season.

The Jayhawks close out their regular season at Baylor.

“We’re tired of KU dominating, basically,” Martavious Irving said. “We want to make some changes around here, so that’s what we work toward every day.”

After Tuesday, the Wildcats are one step closer to that goal.

Angel Rodriguez had 21 points and 10 assists, Shane Southwell and Irving both added 15 points, and the Wildcats stayed tied with No. 4 Kansas for first place in the Big 12 with one regular season game to play.

“Chemistry is so important, and I think we have great chemistry in the locker room,” Kansas State coach Bruce Weber said. “We’ve built a great relationship, coaches and the players.

“We’ve won 25 because they’ve bought in,” he added. “Now the whole thing – do they want more? That’s what it’s going to come down to.”

Kyan Anderson had 29 points for the Horned Frogs (10-20, 1-16), while Devonta Abron added 10.

The Wildcats kept their distance for most of the game, but the Horned Frogs made it interesting early in the second half by slashing into a 42-27 halftime deficit with a 12-2 run.

“We felt like the zone was working for a little bit, and then . they hit big shots,” Anderson said. “We didn’t necessarily want to get out of (the zone) because they were capitalizing on man-to-man too. Just a very tough team.”

Charles Hill Jr., who did not score in the first half, made two free throws to start the spurt for the Horned Frogs. Weber called a timeout after TCU scored eight straight points. But after Rodriguez scored, the Horned Frogs responded with two free throws and another basket, bringing them within 44-39.

A couple of minutes later, a 3 by Rodriguez widened the gap to nine points, but Anderson immediately responded with a 3.

Long-range baskets by Irving and Rodriguez put Kansas State in front 58-48. Anderson followed a slashing layup with a three-point play and cut the deficit to five.

Two straight baskets by Kansas State’s Thomas Gipson and a fastbreak layup by McGruder restored a double-digit lead for the Wildcats, and TCU called a timeout while trailing 64-53 with 7:48 to play.

Kansas State’s ball movement – including 17 baskets on 17 assists in the first half – made life difficult for the Horned Frogs, and TCU coach Trent Johnson credited it before anything else.

“I don’t know if you all realize how nice of a basketball team you have,” Johnson said. “They’re as efficient and play for one another as much as any team I’ve ever been around in a long, long time.”

Kansas State was playing without starter Will Spradling, who was suffering from a bruised sternum. In his absence, four Wildcats played 33 minutes or more, which is unusual for a team that has considerable depth.

“You wish you could have maintained that 15, 17-point lead, now we could have felt a little more comfortable,” Weber said. “We had to get a win, so you had to fight through it.”

Senior Night aside, it was a junior, Southwell, who provided the most consistent offense for Kansas State in the first half. He scored 15 points on 6-of-6 shooting, including two 3s that helped Kansas State take a 15-4 lead.

TCU aided the Wildcats’ cause by giving the ball away eight times in the first half, and Kansas State took advantage getting 14 points off turnovers.

Anderson scored 12 of the first 14 points for the Horned Frogs, but he did not get much help. Garlon Green, who scored five points, was the only other TCU player to get more than one field goal in the opening half.

— Associated Press —