Kansas State picks up sixth straight win, upsets No. 13 Arizona
Kansas State picked up its sixth straight win on Tuesday night with a 73-70 victory over No. 13 Arizona.
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) February 12, 2025ANOTHER RANKED WIN FOR KANSAS STATE
K-State wins the battle of the Wildcats and tallies a sixth win in a row pic.twitter.com/7UgMPZdjdv
Of those six wins in a row, four of them have come against ranked opponents. Prior to the winning streak, Kansas State had lost six in a row.
Kansas State shot 45.2% from the floor. Both teams, however, combined to make three of their 41 three-point attempts in a poor shooting display from deep. Kansas State also lost the rebounding edge, 46-33, but still found a way to pull the upset.
Junior guard Dug McDaniel's 24 points (10-of-22 FG) and five steals were a huge boost in the win. This cut to the basket by junior guard Brendan Hausen gave Kansas State a 50-48 lead with under nine minutes remaining.
— K-State Men's Basketball (@KStateMBB) February 12, 2025
Trailing 62-60 with 4:05 to play, Kansas State went on an 8-0 run, punctuated by this ferocious dunk from sophomore guard Mobi Ikegwuruka that extended the Wildcats' lead to 68-62 with 1:39 on the clock.
— K-State Men's Basketball (@KStateMBB) February 12, 2025
Turnovers proved costly for Arizona as the Wildcats committed 17 in the game, which led to 23 points from Kansas State. The team's leading scorer, sophomore guard KJ Lewis, had 15 points (6-of-12 FG) off the bench. Senior guard Caleb Love, who leads the team with 16.3 PPG, tied for his season-low with six points (3-of-15 FG, 0-of-7 3PT).
That is something Arizona, which had previously won six straight before Tuesday, cannot have in a competitive Big 12 race.
Kansas State (13-11, 7-6 Big 12) has completely turned its season around after sitting at 7-11 before the resurgence. Kansas State was not among the Field of 68 as of Tuesday morning's most recent Bracketology from ESPN's Joe Lunardi.
However, with its uptick in performance and five total wins over ranked opponents this season, Kansas State has positioned itself to be in contention for a tournament spot, especially if it finishes out the season on a high note.
Colby Colwell is a freelance contributor with a bachelor’s in Computer & Information Technology and a minor in Psychology from Western Kentucky University. With a deep passion for sports, especially NASCAR, he offers his substantial knowledge along with his adept writing skills. When he’s not writing, Colby enjoys traveling, cooking, and spending time with his family
