Kansas
Kansas State women’s basketball drops out of top 16 in latest NCAA committee reveal
Kansas State women’s basketball coach Jeff Mittie on NCAA Tournament
Kansas State women’s basketball coach Jeff Mittie talks about what the Wildcats need to do to be a host team in the NCAA Tournament.
K-State Athletics
MANHATTAN — Kansas State women’s basketball had been living on the edge, and the Wildcats’ recent struggles finally caught up with them.
The women’s basketball selection committee did the second reveal of its top 16 seeds for the NCAA Tournament on Thursday, and the Wildcats are no longer in line to be first-round hosts.
With back-to-back losses, and five in their last eight games, K-State fell off the No. 4 seed line it occupied after the committee’s first reveal two weeks ago. The Wildcats were No. 13 overall, but now have work to do if they hope to play the first two rounds at Bramlage Coliseum.
Oklahoma, which leads the Big 12, was one of two newcomers to the top 16.
K-State, which fell to Iowa State, 82-76, on Wednesday night for its first home loss, stands at 23-6 overall and is third in the conference at 12-5. The Wildcats can clinch a No. 3 seed in the Big 12 Tournament with a victory at 2 p.m. Saturday in the regular-season finale at Texas Tech (16-14, 5-12).
Kansas women’s basketball gains split in Sunflower Showdown with key win over Kansas State
The top four conference finishers receive double byes into the tournament quarterfinals next week in Kansas City.
“We’ve got to win some games. There’s not any doubt about it,” Mittie said of getting back to the No. 4 seed line for an NCAA home game. “There’s no secret formula to it.
“You look across the country, and that No. 4, 5, 6 seed line has lost games a lot here in the last week, and it’s kind of jumbled around here. But we can’t be concerned about that. We’ve got to play better. We’ve got to be concerned with how we guard the ball better. All those things will take care of themselves, but ultimately we’ve got to win some games.”
Charlie Crème, the women’s bracketology expert for ESPN, updated his projections Thursday morning and had K-State going from a No. 4 seed to No. 5 in the Albany regional featuring top overall seed South Carolina. He matched the Wildcats against No. 12 South Dakota in Salt Lake City, with the winner facing No. 4 seed and host Utah, or No. 13 Toledo in the second round.
As for getting back to Bramlage, the Wildcats aren’t ready to throw in the towel.
Kansas State women’s basketball rolls in overtime behind Ayoka Lee to beat West Virginia
“There’s still a shot,” said senior guard Gabby Gregory said after Wednesday’s loss to Iowa State. “We’re tired of losing games. I’d love not to lose another game.
“But I think we just have to take our motivation to the next level here these next few weeks and just get it done. We just didn’t get it done tonight. This one hurts, and we should use that motivation to push us these next few weeks.”
The NCAA committee’s No. 1 seeds as of Thursday were South Carolina, Ohio State, Stanford and UCLA, which replaced Colorado on the top line. The No. 2 seeds are Virginia Tech, Southern California, Iowa and Texas.
The only teams that dropped out of the top 16 from the first reveal on Feb. 15 were K-State and Louisville, with Oklahoma and Gonzaga taking their place.
The selection committee will announce the official 68-team field on March 17.
Arne Green is based in Salina and covers Kansas State University sports for the Gannett network. He can be reached at agreen@gannett.com or on Twitter at @arnegreen.
Kansas
Kansas State Fans Unload On Jerome Tang After Wichita State Loss
Kansas State’s meltdown loss to the Stockers can be attributed to many on the team.
But it was coach Jerome Tang who was the center of the criticism Saturday night. This is the second time in the last three games where the Wildcats were outdone dramatically in the second half.
Kansas State stars Coleman Hawkins and David N’Guessan combined for just 15 points on 35 percent shooting. Meanwhile, David Castillo went 0 of 7 from 3-point range, contributing to a 28 percent shooting performance from the arc.
On the other end, Wichita State’s Xavier Bell and Corey Washington combined for 42 points. The Shockers collectively got to the paint and free-throw line very often Saturday.
“I saw this live,” one user said. “Competitive for 30 minutes, the Cats freaked out being down by 4 and couldn’t stop chucking threes and play horrible defense. Tang tries but this squad has no heart and grit. Soft. Fragile.”
Kansas State starts facing conference opponents next week, with their first Big 12 matchup against Cincinnati (9-1) Monday night. But honestly, most fans are ready to throw in the towel on the season already.
“I love this college with my whole heart,” another fan said. “Will always support the University but this is one of the worst starts to a season I have ever seen. This is not the standard we have built and something needs to change. The program should be embarrassed because the fans sure are.”
Jayden Armant is a graduate of the Howard University School of Communications and a contributor to Kansas State Wildcats on SI. He can be reached at jaydenshome14@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @jaydenarmant.
Kansas
Chiefs Suffer Several Big Injuries Before Steelers Game
The Pittsburgh Steelers have been pummeled with injuries over recent weeks. They aren’t alone in that predicament, however, as their Christmas Day opponent in the Kansas City Chiefs are currently dealing with their fair share of bumps and bruises.
Defensive tackle Chris Jones (calf), wide receiver Xavier Worthy (ankle), offensive tackle Jawann Taylor (knee) and linebacker Jack Cochrane (ankle) all went down in Kansas City’s win over the Houston Texans on Saturday afternoon, casting doubt on their collective statuses for Wednesday’s meeting with Pittsburgh in a short week.
Jones, widely regarded as one of the NFL’s elite defensive talents for the better part of a decade, sustained his injury in the fourth quarter. Chiefs head coach Andy Reid described it as a strain, and it’s unclear if he’ll be ready to go against the Steelers.
The five-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro has recorded five sacks on the season to go with 30 total tackles, nine of which have gone for losses, and a forced fumble.
Worthy, who was selected with the No. 28 pick of the first round in the 2024 draft, posted a career-high six catches for 65 yards and a touchdown versus Houston. He departed with his injury in the second quarter before returning after halftime and remaining available from that point forward, meaning he’s likely good to go against the Steelers.
Reid also described Taylor’s injury as a strain after he was pulled in the third quarter of Saturday’s contest. The 27-year-old has held a spot on the Chiefs’ injury report since Week 13 with a knee issue, though he’s yet to miss a game both this season and throughout his entire six-year career.
Taylor occupies the right tackle spot and has made 15 starts this campaign. Kansas City’s depth has already been tested after left tackle D.J. Humphries was inactive versus Houston with a hamstring injury, leaving Wanya Morris and second-round rookie Kingsley Suamataia as the team’s most likely options at the two spots if the former pair of players can’t work their way back onto the field in the coming days.
Cochrane fractured his ankle, per Reid, which may very well end his year. The special teams ace logged a total of 306 snaps, mustering five tackles over that stretch.
The Chiefs are now 14-1 and have a magic number of one to clinch the No. 1 seed in the AFC, meaning another win or a single Buffalo Bills loss would do the job.
Thus, Kansas City could adopt a safe approach by resting some of its guys and opting not to risk worsening the health of its players with such little down time before taking on the Steelers.
Pittsburgh, on the other hand, has seen its hold on the AFC North slip out of its hands following a loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday that has both teams sitting with a 10-5 record.
Though the Steelers have clinched a postseason berth, they are currently on a two-game losing streak and would ideally avoid slipping any further.
Cornerback Joey Porter Jr. (knee) and wide receiver Ben Skowronek (hip) both suffered injuries against Baltimore while cornerback Donte Jackson (back), defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi (groin), quarterback Justin Fields (abdominal), safety DeShon Elliott (hamstring) and wide receiver George Pickens (hamstring) all didn’t make an appearance with pre-existing wounds.
Pittsburgh needs to get off the schneid quickly, and the hope is that it can return several key pieces whom are currently on the mend for its bout with the reigning Super Bowl champions from KC.
Make sure to bookmark Steelers On SI to get all your daily Pittsburgh Steelers news, interviews, breakdowns and more!
Kansas
Kansas State Has Another Second-Half Collapse In Loss To Wichita State
The Kansas State Wildcats looked like a strong basketball team for one half.
And then the second half happened.
The Wildcats were outscored by 23 in the final 20 minutes in an 84-65 loss to Wichita State Saturday night on the road.
“They were better than us, especially in the second half,” K-State coach Jerome Tang said. “I thought their staff did a great job of putting a game plan together of how they wanted to attack us.”
It was the second time the Wildcats had a second-half collapse. The same thing happened in a blowout loss at St. John’s earlier this month.
“The other coaches did a better job of making adjustments than our staff did,” Tang said.
Xavier Bell led the Shockers with a season-high 24 points. Macaleab Rich led the Wildcats with 20 points.
WILDCATS SIGN RECEIVER
Kansas State is making moves within the transfer portal. Their most recent acquisition former Boston College wide receiver Jerand Bradley.
Bradley had just six receptions for 94 yards and two touchdowns last season with the Eagles. However, he compiled 92 receptions for 1,274 yards and 10 touchdowns with Texas Tech, illustrating his ability to produce. He will have many opportunities to replicate this in Manhattan, with the Wildcats reeling after losing their top two receivers.
KANSAS STATE WILDCATS HAVE NEW UNIFORMS FOR RATE BOWL AGAINST RUTGERS
As Kansas State gears up for the Rutgers Scarlet Knight, storylines have been flying around regarding the transfer portal, new recruits, and possible breakout performances.
But a more light-hearted note was the Wildcats getting to unveil their new uniforms in the Rate Bowl.
Wildcats veteran Taylor Poitier said it was “really cool” to be able to suit up in these newer designs.
“We rarely get to wear those types of uniform combos, so I’m really excited to wear them,” Poitier said. “They’ll look pretty cool out there.”
Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Kansas State Wildcats On SI. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com
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