Kansas State men’s basketball entered Wednesday’s game against the Colorado Buffaloes with three must-haves – shut down the perimeter, limit the second-chance points and keep Barrington Hargress and Isaiah Johnson under wraps.
Needless to say, very little of that actually happened. Instead, The Wildcats wound up on the backend of another road loss, this time 79-70, falling to 2-13 in the Big 12.
Kansas State overwhelmed by Isaiah Johnson, Ian Inman in failed comeback attempt
Kansas State jumped out to a promising start, but Colorado’s firepower quickly exposed the Wildcats’ limits. Johnson and Hargress got going, and Ian Inman’s perimeter barrage didn’t make things any easier for the Wildcats.
Four turnovers in the first four minutes also worked against K-State, killing any momentum they had in the second half to begin with. By the time the dust settled, what started as a 12-11 lead turned into a 22-point hole after the Buffaloes scored 17 unanswered in just over four minutes.
That 17-point stretch only included two threes, the first by Johnson and the second by Inman. Those were complemented by inside shots from Hargress, Bangot Dak and five points from Sebastian Rancik. Dak, who entered the game averaging 6.6 rebounds logged seven against the Wildcats.
Those figures don't create deficits - they determine outcomes. Kansas State’s inability to control things inside during that stretch was ultimately the deciding factor.
Kansas State narrows gap with second-half scoring runs against the Buffaloes
Luckily for Kansas State, they found a rhythm midway through the second half. A 9-0 burst early in the stretch, followed by an 8-0 run in just 41 seconds erased Colorado’s lead and gave the Wildcats a glimmer of hope, still trailing by a single possession.
That’s not the kind of run the Wildcats typically deliver on the road, especially in a season where wins away from Manhattan have been non-existent. They managed that run while hitting just 2-of-11 from three.
PJ Haggerty’s 14 second-half points briefly lit the scoreboard, but one underlying problem lingered: you can’t run an entire offense through one player. When you do, or at least try, defenses adjust. Combine that with three consecutive misses from midrange in the final two minutes, and the result checks out.
That’s exactly what Kansas State experienced – a promising rally that ultimately fizzled, leaving the Wildcats short-handed against a balanced Colorado squad.
Elias Rapieque makes his first return since injury
Wildcats’ forward Elias Rapieque returned from injury Wednesday night against the Buffaloes, playing his first game since Jan. 10 at Arizona State. He logged eight minutes off the bench, chipping in five points, three rebounds, and collecting an assist.
Alongside Rapieque, fellow forward Andrej Kostic also had the potential to give the roster a boost. Kostic, who also returned from injury on Feb. 17 against Baylor, delivered his first double-figure game off the bench since Jan. 24 at Kansas, scoring 10 points in 17 minutes.
His third three-pointer of the night even brought the Wildcats within a single possession, though neither player was able to fully swing the outcome.
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