Kansas State Clawing Its Way Back

Once among the elite of college basketball, Kansas State has retreated to virtual obscurity since Lon Kruger’s departure as coach in 1990.

The Wildcats have not been nationally ranked or had a winning conference record since. They have also made the NCAA tournament only twice after reaching the Big Dance in each of Kruger’s four seasons--and 16 times (with 15 appearances in the round of 16) under such legendary coaches as Jack Gardner, Tex Winter and Jack Hartman.

At first glance, Kansas State--at 9-10 overall and 3-5 in the Big 12 this season--wouldn’t seem to be emerging from its doldrums of the 1990s and 2000s.

But Saturday’s 70-61 victory over No. 9 Oklahoma State at Manhattan, Kan., may have signaled a change.

The victory followed a 71-70 upset of Texas Wednesday and was the first over a top-10 team since a 68-64 stunner over No. 1 Kansas at Lawrence on Jan. 17, 1994.

Speaking of Kansas, the No. 2 Jayhawks are next for the Wildcats, who have lost 18 in a row to their state rival at Manhattan.

“Everybody thought it would be a tough stretch for us,” said Kansas State forward Matt Siebrandt, who had 15 points against Oklahoma State (17-5, 4-5). “We’ve come out and played. We’ve got one more, and it’s the toughest one yet. Hopefully, we’ll have the same fire and energy for Kansas.”

Kansas State never trailed in defeating Oklahoma State for the first time since the inception of the Big 12 in 1996-97. The Wildcats were ahead, 36-21, at halftime and had their lead go below double figures only twice in the second half.

“We knew we had to keep the lead in double digits,” Siebrandt said. “If they got it under that, they’d be within striking distance. We couldn’t let that happen.”

Most responsible for keeping Oklahoma State out of striking distance was Larry Reid, a senior point guard known mostly for his scoring ability until recently. Reid had seven assists and three steals to go with 18 points and eight-for-13 shooting.

“We’ve needed Larry to do more things,” said Coach Jim Wooldridge, whose arrival at Kansas State last season coincided with that of Reid, a transfer from Northern Oklahoma Junior College. “We’ve needed him to get other guys more shots, play better defense and get our guys organized defensively, and be more of a leader out on the floor. All these things he’s doing better right now.”

No. 1 Duke 98, Clemson 88--Jason Williams scored 28 points and the Blue Devils (20-1, 8-1 in the Atlantic Coast Conference) had 11 three-point baskets at Clemson, S.C., in their 13th consecutive victory over the Tigers (11-11, 2-7).

No. 2 Kansas 100, Colorado 73--Drew Gooden had 20 points and 11 rebounds--his 17th double-double of the season--at Lawrence, Kan., as the Jayhawks (19-2, 8-0 in the Big 12) defeated the Buffaloes (12-7, 3-5) for the 26th consecutive time.

Marquette 74, No. 4 Cincinnati 60--Dwyane Wade scored 25 points and Cordell Henry had 20 as the Golden Eagles (19-3, 8-1 in Conference USA) increased their overall winning streak to eight and home record to 12-0. Cincinnati (20-2 , 8-1) came in with a 20-game winning streak, longest in the nation. Marquette held Cincinnati to 35.7% shooting.

No. 5 Florida 76, Mississippi State 48--Matt Bonner had 25 points and eight rebounds at Gainesville, Fla., as the Gators (16-4, 5-3 in the Southeastern Conference) ended a losing streak at three. Mississippi State (17-5, 4-4) scored a season-low 20 points in the first half.

No. 6 Oklahoma 85, Texas 84-- Hollis Price scored 25 points, including the go-ahead basket in the final seconds of overtime at Austin, Texas, as the Sooners (17-3, 6-2 in Big 12) defeated the Longhorns (14-7, 5-3) for the sixth consecutive time. Texas’ Brandon Mouton had 26 points, including a last-second three-point basket that sent the game into overtime.

No. 7 Alabama 57, Louisiana State--Erwin Dudley had 12 points and 16 rebounds and the Crimson Tide (19-3, 7-1 in the SEC) overcame 36% shooting to defeat the Tigers (12-9, 2-6) at Baton Rouge, La.

No. 10 Kentucky 91, South Carolina 74--The Wildcats (15-5, 5-3 in the SEC) made 11 of 22 three-point shots at Lexington, Ky., in defeating the Gamecocks (13-8, 3-5) for the 12th consecutive time. Kentucky came with the lowest three-point shooting percentage (28%) in the SEC.

No. 11 Gonzaga 94, Portland 80--Dan Dickau started the game at Portland, Ore., with back-to-back three-point baskets and finished with 39 points for the Bulldogs (20-3, 7-1 in the West Coast Conference). Portland is 5-17 and 1-7.

Rutgers 82, No. 14 Syracuse 74--Jerome Coleman scored 22 of his 27 points in the second half at Piscataway, N.J., as the Scarlet Knights (14-7, 5-4 in the Big East) posted consecutive wins over ranked teams for the first time in school history. Rutgers beat No. 17 Connecticut, 61-53, Wednesday night. Syracuse (17-6, 6-3) has lost four of five games.

No. 15 Miami 68, No. 17 Connecticut 66--Elton Tyler made a tie-breaking layup with 13 seconds left and 6-foot-1 Michael Simmons blocked a three-point shot with five seconds remaining at Miami for the Hurricanes (19-3, 6-3 Big East). Connecticut is 14-5 and 6-2.

No. 16 Georgia 79, Mississippi 72--Steve Thomas scored 16 points and seven rebounds in his return to the starting lineup for the Bulldogs (17-5, 6-3) at Athens, Ga. Mississippi (17-5, 6-3) lost for the first time in five games. Thomas had only 10 points and two rebounds in two games as a reserve since his reinstatement from a three-game suspension while the school investigated a rape allegation.

No. 20 Texas Tech 69, Iowa State 43--The Red Raiders (16-4, 5-3 in the Big 12) made 11 of their first 12 shots and led by as many as 28 points at Lubbock, Texas. Kasib Powell had 22 points and eight rebounds for Texas Tech. Iowa State (9-14, 1-8) shot 24.2%.

No. 21 Pittsburgh 71, Villanova 59--Julius Page had 18 points for the Panthers (19-4, 7-3 in the Big East) at Pittsburgh. Villanova is 12-7 and 4-5.

No. 24 Wake Forest 89, Florida State 80--Senior Broderick Hicks scored a career-high 23 points, including eight in the final 1:17, for the Demon Deacons (16-6, 6-3 in the ACC) at Tallahassee, Fla. Wake Forest made 18 of 19 free throws in the second half. Monte Cummings had 23 points for Florida State (10-10, 3-6).

No. 25 Ohio State 58, Northwestern 57--Zach Williams made the second of two free throws with 16 seconds left to give the Buckeyes (17-3, 8-1 in the Big Ten) their first lead since midway through the first half and account for the decisive point at Columbus, Ohio. Junior Brent Darby scored a career-high 26 points for Ohio State, including 11 in a row before Williams’ key free throw. Winston Blake had 25 points for Northwestern (12-8, 3-5) but missed the game’s last two shots. The Wildcats have lost 23 in a row at Columbus.