Preview // K-State, Nebraska Battle for Hall of Fame Classic Championship

GAME 6
KANSAS STATE (5-0) VS. NEBRASKA (5-0)
25th Annual Hall of Fame Classic Championship Game
Friday, November 21, 2025 | 8:30 p.m., CT | T-Mobile Center (18,689) | Kansas City, Mo.

TICKETS
Tickets are available through the T-Mobile Center Ticket Office (link here)

TELEVISION
Peacock / NBC Sports NOW / NBC Sports Network (online link)

Steve Schlanger (play-by-play)
Tre Demps (analyst)
Jeff Graham (producer)

RADIO
K-State Sports Network
Flagships: // KMAN 1350 & WIBW 580
Satellite Radio: Ch. 383
Online: Varsity Network [free] / www.kstatesports.com/watch [free]

Wade Gerstner (play-by-play)
Clent Stewart (analyst)

LIVE STATS
kstate.statbroadcast.com

COACHES
K-State: Jerome Tang [Charter Oak State College '07]
Record at K-State: 66-42/4th Year
Career Record: 68-42*/4th Year+
vs. Nebraska: 1-1

Nebraska: Fred Hoiberg [Iowa State '95]
Record at Nebraska: 89-108/7th Year
Career Record: 204-164/12th Year

LAST GAME STARTERS:
K-State (5-0)
G: #4 P.J. Haggerty
G: #34 Nate Johnson
G: #1 Abdi Bashir Jr.
W: #0 Elias Rapieque
W: #21 Khamari McGriff

Nebraska (5-0)
G: #1 Sam Hoiberg
G: #10 Jamarques Lawrence
F: #9 Berke Büyüktuncel
F: #21 Pryce Sandfort
F: #55 Rienk Mast

SERIES HISTORY
Overall: K-State leads 128-94
In Kansas City: K-State leads 20-3
At T-Mobile Center: K-State leads 1-0
Active Streak: Nebraska, 1
First Meeting: Nebraska won 50-14 (2/19/1906)
Last Meeting: Nebraska won 62-46 (12/17/2023)
Jerome Tang vs. Fred Hoiberg: 1-1

A K-STATE WIN WOULD…

Make the Wildcats 6-0 for the first time since 2022-23.
Give the Wildcats a 4-4 record in the Hall of Fame Classic.
Move the Wildcats to 129-94 all-time vs. Nebraska.
Elevate the Wildcats to 26-24 all-time at the T-Mobile Center.
Give the Wildcats a 194-62 non-conference mark since 2006.

K-STATE PLAYS NEBRASKA IN HALL OF CLASSIC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME FRIDAY

K-State (5-0) will play in the championship game of the Hall of Fame Classic for third time in its history on Friday night, as the Wildcats will take on former conference rival Nebraska (5-0) in the nightcap of a doubleheader at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City. It will air on Peacock, NBC Sports NOW as well as on the NBC Sports Network linear channel on YouTubeTV.
K-State will be making its third appearance (2010, 2015, 2025) in the championship game of the Hall of Fame Classic, in this, the fourth appearance (2010, 2015, 2021, 2025) in the event. The Wildcats are 0-2 all-time in the title game, having lost to top-ranked Duke in 2010 and No. 9 North Carolina in 2015. Overall, the team is 3-4 in the Hall of Fame Classic.
K-State and Nebraska will meet for the 223rd on Friday night with the Wildcats leading 128-94 in a series that dates to 1905. This will be the 24th time the schools have met in Kansas City with K-State holding a 20-3 advantage. The Wildcats defeated the Huskers, 71-56, in the only previous matchup at the T-Mobile Center on Dec. 17, 2022. However, Nebraska enacted a measure of revenge in the last meeting, posting a 62-46 win at Bramlage Coliseum on Dec. 17, 2023.
Led by seventh-year head coach Fred Hoiberg, Nebraska is also a perfect 5-0 to start the season after home wins over West Georgia (86-53), FIU (96-66) and UMES (69-50) and neutral site wins over Oklahoma (105-99) and New Mexico (84-72). Four players are averaging in double figures in junior Pryce Sandfort (15.6 ppg.) and senior Rienk Mast (15.4 ppg.).

LAST TIME OUT

Junior P.J. Haggerty scored a season-high 37 points to lift K-State to the Hall of Fame Classic Championship game with 98-77 win over Mississippi State on Thursday night. The 37 points were the most scored by a Wildcat in 49 career games at the T-Mobile Center, surpassing the 29 scored by Makol Mawien against Kansas in the Big 12 Championship on March 9, 2018.
The 37 points are the most by a Wildcat since Barry Brown Jr. scored 38 against Oklahoma State on Jan. 10, 2018, while he is the first player with back-to-back 30-point games since Markquis Nowell in 2023. Haggerty now has six career games of 30 or more points.
Haggerty joins Michael Beasley as the only players in school history to record 5 consecutive games of 20 or more points to open a season. His 141 points through the first 5 games are only topped by Beasley's 150 points in 2007-08 for the most by a player to open a season.
Along with game-high 8 assists and 7 rebounds, Haggerty is the first Wildcat to record a stat line of 30 or more points, 5 or more rebounds and 5 or more assists since Brown tallied 34 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists in a win at Baylor on Jan. 22, 2018.
Haggerty was joined in double figures by senior Nate Johnson (14 points) and junior Abdi Bashir Jr. (12 points), as K-State's 98 points broke the school record for points scored at the T-Mobile Center, topping the 87 scored in the school's first-ever game in the arena in 2007.

THANKS, JACK!

Head coach Jack Hartman, who won a school-record 295 games during his illustrious 16-year tenure from 1970-86, will officially be inducted the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame this week.
Hartman is the sixth person with K-State to be named to the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame, including the fourth men's basketball head coach following Jack Gardner (2006), Tex Winter (2010) and his former player Lon Kruger (2022). In addition, former Wildcat players Rolando Blackman (2015) and Bob Boozer (2016) have also been elected to the Hall of Fame.
Hartman led K-State to a 295-169 record, three Big Eight regular-season conference titles (1971-72, 1972-73, 1976-77), two Big Eight Tournament championships (1977, 1980) and nine postseason appearances during his 16 seasons as head coach.
Hartman saw the Wildcats register 20 or more wins seven times, including 24 wins in both 1976-77 and 1980-81. He also guided the Wildcats to the NCAA Tournament seven times (1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1980, 1981, 1982), including four trips (1972, 1973, 1975, 1981) to the Elite Eight. His teams finished the season ranked among the Top 20 five times, including the No. 7 (UPI) and No. 9 (AP) rankings in 1972-73.
Hartman coached a number of future pros. While at SIU, he tutored Walt Frazier, and at K-State, he produced players like legends Rolando Blackman, Mike Evans, Lon Kruger, Ed Nealy and Chuckie Williams. In all, he coached 10 All-Americans, five Big Eight Players of the year and 16 first team All-Big Eight selections.

OFFENSE OFF TO HOT START

After posting their fourth 90-point performance through the first 5 games, the Wildcats continued their fast offensive start. The squad is averaging 94.4 points on 53.8 percent (172-of-320) shooting, including 45.9 percent (56-of-122) from 3-point range, while hitting on 75 percent (72-of-96) from the free throw line.
The 472 points are the most points through the first 5 games of a season, surpassing the 466 scored by the 1991-92 squad. The 99 points vs. Cal marked the third consecutive 90-point performance to open the season, which was a first since that Dana Altman-led squad 34 years ago.
According to @OptaStats, K-State is the first Big 12 team to start a season with consecutive games of at least 14 made 3-pointers and a 50.0 3-point percentage. The only other DI teams to do that in the last 30 seasons are North Florida in 2015-16 (also coached by associate head coach Matthew Driscoll) and Drake in 2017-18.

POINTS IN THE FIRST 5 GAMES

472, 2025-26 (94, 98, 99, 84 and 98 points)
466, 1991-92 (103, 90, 115, 59 and 99 points)
443, 1997-98 (93, 89, 89, 71 and 101 points)
433, 1956-57 (97, 90, 84, 90 and 72 points)
418, 2008-09 (96, 88, 82, 69 and 83 points)

HAGGERTY JOINS ELITE COMPANY

After his season-high 37-point performance vs. Mississippi State, junior P.J. Haggerty became just the second Wildcat to open a season with five consecutive games of 20 or more points, joining Michael Beasley in 2007-08. His 141 points are only topped by Beasley's 150 points for the most points by a player to open a season.

20-POINT GAMES IN THE FIRST 5 GAMES

32, 30, 28, 30 and 30 points by Michael Beasley, 2007-08
27, 23, 23, 31 and 37 points by P.J. Haggerty, 2025-26

HAGGERTY HAS RARE 30-10 GAME

Junior P.J. Haggerty had 31 points and a career-tying 10 rebounds vs. Tulsa to become the first Wildcat since Michael Beasley in 2008 to post a rare 30-point, 10-rebound double-double. He scored 27 of his 31 points in the second half, which are the fifth-most in any half.

MOST POINTS AT BRAMLAGE

K-State's 99-96 win over Cal on Nov. 13 made history, as the 195 combined points were the most-ever in Bramlage Coliseum, surpassing the 194 scored between K-State (106) and Marshall (88) on Dec. 2, 1995.
K-State posted the highest field goal percentage of the Jerome Tang era for the second straight game, as the Wildcats hit on 64.4 percent (38-of-59) from the field. It was the highest field goal percentage since shooting 66.0 percent vs. Wake Forest on March 14, 2017.

HAGGERTY TOPS 1,500 POINTS

Junior P.J. Haggerty became the 14th active Division I player to top 1,500 career points in the 99-96 win over Cal, as he led the Wildcats in scoring for the third straight game with 23 points on 7-of-12 field goals and 8-of-12 free throws in 34 minutes.

MOST POINTS THROUGH THE FIRST 5 GAMES
150, Michael Beasley, 2007-08
141, P.J. Haggerty, 2025-26
123, Bob Boozer, 1958-59
118, Mitch Richmond, 1987-88
111, Dick Knostman, 1952-53
108, Cartier Martin, 2005-06
107, Norris Coleman, 1985-86

TRIO OF 'CATS POST 20-POINT GAMES

K-State had three players record 20-point games in the win over Cal, as junior P.J. Haggerty led the way with 23 points to go with 21 from senior Khamari McGriff and 20 from senior Nate Johnson.
The trio is the first to each have 20-point games since Dean Wade (34 points), Kamau Stokes (23 points) and Barry Brown Jr. (21 points) did it against Iowa State on Dec. 29, 2017.

McGRIFF, CASTILLO GO PERFECT

Two Wildcats - senior Khamari McGriff and sophomore David Castillo - each went perfect from the field, becoming the 24th and 25th players in school history to go perfect from the field on 5 or more field goals in the 98-71 win over Bellarmine on Nov. 8. They are the first teammates to accomplish the feat in the same game.
Castillo scored a career-high 19 points on 7-of-7 shooting, including 5-of-5 from 3-point range, while McGriff totaled 16 points on 8-of-8 field goals. Castillo is just the eighth Wildcat to go 5-of-5 from beyond the arc, joining his high school coach Clent Stewart who was in attendance.

NOTES ON NEBRASKA

Led by seventh-year head coach Fred Hoiberg, Nebraska is off to a 5-0 start to the season with home wins over West Georgia (86-53), FIU (96-66) and UMES (69-50) and neutral site wins over Oklahoma (105-99) in Sioux Falls, S.D., and last night's 84-72 win over New Mexico. The Cornhuskers return 5 players, including starters Berke Buyuktuncel and Rienk Mast, from a squad that won 21 games, including the inaugural College Basketball Crown.
Nebraska is averaging 88 points on 49.4 percent shooting, including 38.1 percent from 3-point range, while allowing 68.0 points on 38.3 percent shooting, including 29.3 percent from 3-point range. The Huskers rank among the best at 3-point shooting at 12.2 makes per game.
Four Huskers are averaging in double figures, including a pair of 15.0 points per game scorers in Iowa transfer Pryce Sandfort (15.6 ppg.) and Mast (15.4 ppg.). Braden Frager (11.8 ppg.) and Jamarques Lawrence (11.2 ppg.) also average double figures. Mast is averaging a team-high 7.0 rebounds. Junior Sam Hoiberg has a team-best 20 assists and 10 steals.
Hoiberg is in his 12th season as a head coach, which includes a successful 5-year stint at his alma mater Iowa State, where he led the Cyclones to 115 wins and 4 trips to the NCAA Tournament. He has a 204-164 record in his coaching career, including a 89-108 mark at Nebraska with a trip to the 2024 NCAA Tournament and the College Basketball Crown championship.

SERIES HISTORY

K-State and Nebraska have one of the longest running rivalries, having played in 222 games since 1905. It is the fourth-most played series in school history. The Wildcats lead the all-time series, 128-94, including 19-3 in games played on neutral sites.
K-State is 185-170 all-time vs. current Big Ten members, including a 31-20 mark at neutral sites.

LAST 5 MEETINGS [4-1]
Date                   Rank     Result Score   Location
2/2/2011           —/—     W          69-53   Manhattan
2/23/2011         —/—     W          61-57   Lincoln
12/19/2021      —/—     W          67-58   Lincoln
12/17/2022      —/—     W          71-56   Kansas City
12/17/2023      —/—     L            46-62   Manhattan

HALL OF FAME CLASSIC HISTORY

This will be K-State's fourth time playing in the Hall of Fame Classic, which includes runner-up finishes in 2010 and 2015. Most recently, the Wildcats went 0-2 vs. No. 13 Arkansas and No. 14 Illinois in 2014.

ALL-TIME CLASSIC MATCHUPS
Date                   Rank     Result Score   Opponent
11/22/2010      4/18      W          81-64   Gonzaga
11/23/2010      4/1        L            68-82   Duke
11/23/2015      —/—     W          66-42   Missouri
11/24/2015      —/9      L            70-80   North Carolina
11/22/2021      —/13    L            64-72   Arkansas
11/23/2021      —/11    L            64-72   Illinois
11/21/25           —/—     W          98-77   Mississippi State

HISTORY AT T-MOBILE CENTER

K-State is familiar with the T-Mobile Center, having played in 49 games since the arena's opening in 2007, posting a 25-24 all-time record.
Most of these games have come in the annual Big 12 Championship (28; 2008, 2010-current), while the Wildcats have played 13 times in the Wildcat Classic (2007-12, 2014, 2016, 2018-19, 2022-24), along with 6 in the Hall of Fame Classic and once in the NCAA Tournament (2013).
K-State now has 6 wins over SEC teams at T-Mobile, including Alabama in 2011, Florida in 2012, Texas A&M in 2014, Missouri in 2015 and Vanderbilt in 2018. The Wildcats also defeated Nebraska in the 2022 Wildcat Classic.

Preview // K-State, Nebraska Battle for Hall of Fame Classic Championship

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Players Mentioned

Abdi Bashir Jr.

David Castillo

P.J. Haggerty

Nate Johnson

Khamari McGriff

Elias Rapieque

Kansas State University Athletics

Preview // K-State, Nebraska Battle for Hall of Fame Classic Championship

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