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After starting 1-6 in Big 12 play, Kansas State has rattled off six straight wins, with four coming over ranked opponents

Three short weeks ago, Kansas State was 7-11 (1-6 Big 12), struggling in losses to Wichita State, Liberty, LSU, TCU, and Oklahoma State. If you had told anyone outside of Manhattan that the Wildcats would win their next six games, I’m not sure anyone would have taken you seriously. But here they are, a handful of players have stepped up, and the talent on paper has started to show itself on the floor.

The Wildcats have made up a lot of ground from their struggles from November to mid-January but need to continue this stretch over their final seven games to find themselves in the NCAA Tournament. It all started against West Virginia a few Saturdays back, as Dug McDaniel (11.0 ppg, 4.7 apg) led the team with 15 points and the Wildcats used a 42-18 halftime advantage to take down the Mountaineers 73-60. Oklahoma State was the next to fall victim to Kansas State, as the Wildcats jumped out to another large first half lead and turned a 45-23 halftime lead into an 85-57 blowout win. Brendan Hausen (11.8 ppg, 40.9% 3P) scored 18 points and hit five three-pointers to lead the way in that one.

The most stunning win over the course of the win streak came next, when Kansas State traveled to Hilton Coliseum to take on then-#3 Iowa State. The Cyclones were the ones who controlled the first half in this one, but Kansas State scored the final five points of the period to take a one-possession lead into the half. Going on a 26-4 run spanning both halves, Kansas State would not be denied a massive victory, a game that has now become the one where everything changed for Kansas State. It was an extremely balanced effort as all five starters reached double figures, McDaniel once again leading the way with 20 points and hitting three of Kansas State’s ten three-pointers on the afternoon.

With everyone rolling after that win, Jerome Tang’s squad finished its two-game road swing at Arizona State, where the game came down to the final seconds, but Sun Devils freshman Jayden Quaintance missed two consecutive free throws and Kansas State escaped with a 71-70 win. David N’Guessan (13.1 ppg, 7.0 rpg) scored 22 points in the victory, hitting eight of his 11 shots from the field. Revenge on their in-state rivals was next on the Wildcats’ minds, as N’Guessan scored 20 once again to lead Kansas State to an 81-73 upset win over Kansas.

Last night, Kansas State added its sixth victory of the streak, once again underdogs, this time hosting an Arizona team which was just as hot, winners of 13 of its last 14 games. The Octagon of Doom brought exactly that to Arizona though, as the road team hit just two of its 22 three-point attempts and Caleb Love’s desperation attempt this time around didn’t go down. This game was a battle throughout, with a handful of lead changes throughout the second half, but it was two McDaniel buckets with three minutes to go that flipped Kansas State in front for good. McDaniel would finish with 24 points, his second time over 20 in the win streak, after having never scored more than 18 for the Wildcats before this recent stretch. N’Guessan added 16 points on a 7-of-9 performance from the field in the win, as he and McDaniel have solidified themselves as the guys who have turned around this team as of late.

Previously mentioned Hausen has also came up big with 16 threes over the six-game win streak, but another guy that hasn’t been mentioned yet who has helped fuel the Kansas State victories is Coleman Hawkins (11.0 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 4.6 apg, 2.0 spg). Hawkins hasn’t had any standout scoring performances in the run but has done a little bit of everything for Kansas State. Over the last eight games, Hawkins has stayed consistent, averaging 11.9 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 6.1 apg, 1.8 spg, and 1.5 bpg, helping Kansas State turn its season around after coming in with a heavy price tag attached to his name in the offseason.

Now 13-11 and fully immersed in the bubble watch conversations, everything stands in front of Kansas State over the final seven games of the regular season. The talent has always been there for this squad, and now it’s all finally starting to click. The strength of the schedule lightens up a bit, but there’s a handful of tough road trips to make, including a trip to BYU and Utah, a visit east to Cincinnati, and a trip to Disney World to take on UCF.

With Dug McDaniel playing at his current level, the Wildcats have a lead guard that can make something happen for them in March once again (see: 2023 Marquis Nowell) and a handful of other guys that will chip in a consistent basis on both sides of the ball with David N’Guessan, Coleman Hawkins, and Brendan Hausen all above 10.0 ppg on the season. If Kansas State can get there, I’m 100% sure I wouldn’t want my team matching up with the Wildcats at any point.

Other Things to Note:

• Thomas Haugh comes up big for #3 Florida with 16 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists in 81-68 road win over #22 Mississippi State
• #15 Kentucky completes season sweep of #5 Tennessee with 75-64 win
• #20 Michigan holds off #7 Purdue 75-73 in Ann Arbor despite 24 points from Braden Smith
• 19 points from Malik Reneau leads Indiana to stunning 71-67 win at the Breslin Center over #11 Michigan State
• 38 points from UConn freshman Liam McNeeley leads Huskies to 70-66 win at #24 Creighton