Streaking Kansas State basketball team takes down No. 17 Kansas for fifth straight win

Posted by author February 8, 2025 Basketball

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MANHATTAN — Kansas State basketball’s streaks are alive and well.

Not only was the surging Wildcats’ impressive 81-73 victory over No. 17 Kansas their fifth straight, but it also ran their string of victories over the Jayhawks at Bramlage Coliseum.

The Wildcats took control with a 12-1 run midway through the first half, led 44-36 at intermission and never looked back, securing a third straight split in the Sunflower Showdown series.

The Wildcats (12-11, 6-6 Big 12) got balanced scoring, a hallmark of their streak, with four players reaching double figures. David N’Guessan led the way with 20 points and seven rebounds, while Dug McDaniel had 15 points, 11 assists and six boards. K-State also got 12 points each from Max Jones and Coleman Hawkins, who added eight assists.

For KU (16-7, 7-5), Hunter Dickinson led all scorers with 21 points and nine rebounds, with Zeke Mayo scoring 15 and KJ Adams 13.

Jerome Tang still undefeated vs. KU at Bramlage

Kansas State coach Jerome Tang became the first K-State coach to beat Kansas in his first three home games against the Jayhawks.

The victory also marked the first time the Wildcats have beaten KU in three straight years at home since 1981-83.

K-State energized by rare sellout crowd

The combination of a four-game winning streak and KU visiting for the Sunflower Showdown finally was enough to fill Bramlage Coliseum for the first time this season, and it clearly energized K-State.

The Wildcats harassed KU defensively, especially at the 3-point line, and played with poise on the offensive end, much to the crowd’s approval. This was a far cry from the half-empty arena for much of the season.

KJ Adams kept KU in the game early

With point guard Dajuan Harris in early foul trouble and K-State’s defense clearly focused on top scorers Hunter Dickinson and Zeke Mayo, Kansas got a big lift from forward KJ Adams to keep the Jayhawks in the game.

The Jayhawks 44-36 halftime deficit could have been much worse had it not been for Adams, who scored 13 points on 6 of 8 shooting in the period.

Arne Green is based in Salina and covers Kansas State University sports for the Gannett network. He can be reached at agreen@gannett.com or on X (formerly Twitter) at @arnegreen.