By Tim Everson

The question is inescapable for the Kansas State men, especially now that they’ve won six straight games after downing No. 13 Arizona Tuesday evening: What switch has flipped that’s turned the Wildcats from looking like one of the worst teams in the country into what is statistically the best team in the nation over the last three weeks.

No one knows the full answer. In fact, head coach Jerome Tang has joked several times that if he and his staff knew exactly what’s led to the Wildcats’ recent uptick, they would’ve done it sooner.

Some of it’s fairly basic. K-State assembled a roster that most agreed was loaded with talent. They had one of the top transfer portal classes in the country. With 10 new players on the roster and only one returner with significant playing time from previous seasons, the Wildcats needed time to gel and now, roughly two and a half months into the season, it’s happened.

To view the full article visit theMercury.com.

Click here for more K-State sports.

The post K-State point guard Dug McDaniel has been the catalyst for the Wildcats’ turnaround appeared first on News Radio KMAN.

By Parker Eaves

The Kansas State men are coming off a big win at home by eight over in-state rival Kansas and are looking at No. 13 Arizona, won by nine against No. 12 Texas Tech.

Both of these teams have the longest winning streaks in the Big 12, with Arizona winning six in a row and K-State with five.

Arizona is 11-1 in conference play and tied for first place with Houston and their lone loss was on the road to Texas Tech. Arizona’s overall record is 17-6 and they struggled in non-conference going 6-5 with losses to Wisconsin, Duke, Oklahoma, West Virginia, and UCLA.

To view the full article visit theMercury.com.

Click here for more K-State sports.

The post K-State looks to win six straight as they host Arizona appeared first on News Radio KMAN.

Kansas State senior forward David N’Guessan was named the Big 12 Player of the Week for the first time in his career on Monday afternoon after averaging 21 points in helping Kansas State to wins over Arizona State and No. 16 Kansas last week.

N’Guessan averaged 21.0 points on 70.8 percent (17-of-24) shooting, including 50 percent (1-of-2) from 3-point range, and 77.8 percent (7-of-9) from the free throw line to go with 7.5 rebounds in 34.4 minutes per game in victories over the Sun Devils and Jayhawks. He followed his season-high 22-point performance vs. ASU with a team-high 20 points vs. Kansas to post consecutive 20-point games for the first time in his career. He now has 4 career 20-point games.

To view the full article visit theMercury.com.

Click here for more K-State sports.

The post K-State senior David N’Guessan named Big 12 Player of the Week appeared first on News Radio KMAN.

By Lewis Marien

A former Kansas State men’s basketball All-American returned to Manhattan ahead of the latest Sunflower Showdown.

Through the collective Wildcat NIL — which aims to enhance name, image and likeness opportunities for K-State student-athletes — Michael Beasley held a meet-and-greet Saturday at Rockin K’s to chat with fans and sign autographs. He also sold some of his “We Them Ones” merchandise at the event.

Beasley said it felt good to return with a lot of old memories coming back, and he felt déjà vu driving down some of the streets.

To view the full article visit theMercury.com.

Click here for more K-State sports.

The post Former K-State basketball star Michael Beasley returns to Manhattan appeared first on News Radio KMAN.

Photos by Lewis Marien – Mercury Staff Photographer

The post PHOTOS: K-State men’s basketball winners of five in a row after beating No. 16 KU appeared first on News Radio KMAN.

Senior David N’Guessan led four Wildcats in double figures with 20 points, as Kansas State extended its winning streak to 5 games with a near wire-to-wire 81-73 win over No. 16/17 Kansas in the 303rd edition of the Dillons Sunflower Showdown before a sold-out crowd of 11,010 fans at Bramlage Coliseum.

K-State (12-11, 6-6 Big 12) led for more than 37 minutes, using an 18-5 run midway through the first half to assert control of the game en route to a 44-36 lead at the half. The lead grew to as many as 15 points in the second half, as the Wildcats earned their third consecutive win at home over the Jayhawks for the first time in more than 40 years since a 4-game streak from 1981-83.

The 5-game overall winning streak is the longest for K-State since a similar 5-game streak from Nov. 22 to Dec. 9, 2023, while it is the longest such streak in Big 12 play since a 5-game winning streak from Jan. 9 to Jan. 22, 2019.

N’Guessan posted consecutive 20-point games for the first time in his career, hitting on 9-of-13 field goals to go with a team-high 7 rebounds in 33 minutes. He was joined in double figures by junior Dug McDaniel (15 points) and seniors Coleman Hawkins (12 points) and Max Jones (12 points). McDaniel dished out a career-high 11 assists for his second career double-double.

Click here to subscribe to our YouTube channel.

Jerome Tang

Dug McDaniel, David N’Guessan & Coleman Hawkins

KU coach Bill Self

The post WATCH: Postgame press conferences after K-State beats KU 81-73 appeared first on News Radio KMAN.

By John Elrod

Kansas State used grit, resilience, and a little bit of luck to secure another huge road win over Arizona State in a 71-70 thriller in Tempe on Tuesday night.

The win extends the Wildcats’ streak to four, putting them at 11-11 and 5-6 in Big 12 play.

To view the full article visit theMercury.com.

Click here for more K-State sports.

Subscribe to our Youtube channel.

The post Watch: K-State vs Arizona St postgame press conference and game highlights appeared first on News Radio KMAN.

By Tim Everson

One would be hard-pressed to find a regular-season victory sweeter than Kansas State’s 80-61 win at No. 3 Iowa State on Saturday.

It gave the Wildcats a win over a top-five team in one of the hardest places to win in the country. It also gave K-State its first three-game winning streak of the season. But perhaps most importantly, the Wildcats snapped a 15-game road losing streak that stretches back to January of 2024.

“Obviously, it’s huge,” head coach Jerome Tang said. “(Iowa State) is a great team, I think they are a team that can win a national championship with the pieces they have and when they’re fully healthy. So to win on the road, it was a challenge. We haven’t won a road game in a while, and I took it personally as a coach. I was thankful I had a team that took it personally also, and gave us this opportunity today.”

To view the full article visit theMercury.com.

Click here to subscribe to our Youtube channel.

Click here for more K-State sports.

The post K-State snaps road skid with stunning win at No. 3 Iowa State appeared first on News Radio KMAN.