Make it six wins in a row for Kansas State basketball as the Wildcats take down No. 13 Arizona on their home court in front of a great crowd in Bramlage Coliseum. With five wins in a row and three wins against ranked opponents during that streak, Kansas State came into this game as one of the hottest teams in college basketball and now, they just might be the hottest.
Kansas State guard Dug McDaniel, who has been leading this charge for March Madness, had yet another great game, leading the Wildcats in scoring with 24 points and his defense was elite with five steals. On a night where three-point shooting was practically non-existent for both teams, McDaniel sunk the only three-pointer for the Wildcats, who went 1-for-19 from deep.
Kansas State started the game a little slow, allowing Arizona to get the early lead in the battle of the Wildcats, but was able to battle back to take a six-point lead into halftime. While Arizona outscored Kansas State in the second half, head Jerome Tang and his squad scored in times where it mattered most to keep a lead on Arizona and win 73-70.
After starting conference play 1-6, the Wildcats' six-game win streak has vaulted Kansas State to 7-6 in conference play and they are now ranked sixth in the Big 12. This streak that Kansas State is on seems unprecedented with the way they started the season, but ranked wins over No. 23 West Virginia, No. 3 Iowa State, No. 16 Kansas, and now No. 13 Arizona. They also have two wins over Oklahoma State and Arizona State sandwiched in there as well.
This unreal win streak has potentially vaulted Kansas State in the NCAA Tournament bubble watch as a team that could sneak in, even with 11 losses in their record at the moment. Sometimes it doesn't matter how the season starts, but how it ends, and if Kansas State can end on a hot streak, only being able to lose at most two more games, and play well in the Big 12 Tournament, they could make a push for March Madness.
Looking at Kansas State's final seven games, they only have one ranked opponent left and that is going to be their final game of the season when they welcome Iowa State into Bramlage Coliseum, who is currently ranked No. 10. The Cyclones will be looking for revenge and will want to knock off the Wildcats on their home court.
The Wildcats have some easier games on the schedule, which will 100% be trap games for Kansas State, so they need to have their minds right and ready to take care of business in games they know they can win.
Kansas State will return to the court Saturday, February 15 when they travel to Provo, Utah to take on the BYU Cougars at 8:00 p.m. CT on ESPN+.