Kansas State University Athletics
Friday, November 21
Kansas City
8:30 p.m. CT
Kansas State University
5-1,0-0Big 12
85
vs
86
Nebraska
6-0,0-0Big Ten
1
2
F
Nebraska
45
41
86
Kansas St.
35
50
85
Nebraska Edges K-State in Final Seconds for Hall of Fame Title
Nov 22, 2025 | Men's Basketball
Sam Hoiberg's free throw with .06 seconds proves to be the difference.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Senior Sam Hoiberg knocked down the winning free throw with 0.6 seconds left to lift Nebraska to an 86-85 win over Kansas State in the championship game of the Hall of Fame Classic on Friday night before 6,743 fans at the T-Mobile Center.
After Hoiberg intentionally missed the second free throw and senior Nate Johnson grabbed the rebound, the officials made a timing adjustment to give K-State (5-1) one last chance with 0.9 seconds, however, senior Khamari McGriff's pass was off the mark, as Nebraska (6-0) ran its winning streak to 10 games dating back to last season.
The back court tandem of juniors P.J. Haggerty (27 points) and Abdi Bashir Jr. (26 points) combined for 53 of the team's 85 points, including 33 in the second half when the Wildcats rallied from a 10-point halftime deficit. Johnson joined the duo in double figures with 12 points.
In leading the team in scoring for the sixth consecutive game, Haggerty became the first Wildcat to open a season with six straight games of 20 or more points, eclipsing a record once set by Michael Beasley in 2007-08. Haggerty's 168 points through the first 6 games are the most by a player in that span, surpassing the 163 points scored by Beasley.
K-State, which trailed by as many as 15 points in the first half, got a spark from Bashir out of halftime as he connected on three 3-pointers to ignite an 11-0 run that gave the Wildcats a 46-45 lead. From there, the teams went back and forth with neither holding more than a 5-point lead in a second half that included 12 lead changes and nine ties.
Haggerty gave K-State its largest lead at 72-67 on a layup with 7:21 to play before Nebraska answered back with 9 straight points to go ahead 76-72 with just 5 minutes remaining. However, four free throws by the Wildcats tied it at 76-all, including 3 in a row from Bashir.
Neither team led by more than 2 points in the last 4 minutes, as they seemingly matched each other shot for shot. Tied at 83-all with less than a minute to play, senior Rienk Mast gave the Huskers an 85-83 lead by converting on a layup with 35 seconds before Haggerty matched it 8 seconds later to knot it at 85-all.
Nebraska called a full timeout with 22 seconds to play to set up the final sequence, as junior Pryce Sandfort missed a 3-pointer, but Hoiberg grabbed the offensive rebound and was fouled.
Redshirt freshman Braden Frager was named the tournament MVP after posting 16 points and 6 rebounds off the bench, while Sandfort and Mast posted 21 and 20 points, respectively. Hoiberg, who redeemed himself with the free throw make after missing a pair with the score tied at 78-all with 2:58 to play, finished with 13 points.
Joining Frager on the all-tournament team were Mast and Haggerty as well as Mississippi State's Josh Hubbard and New Mexico's Tomislav Buljan.
One of the top 3-point shooting teams, the Huskers did most of their damage in the paint, where they outscored the Wildcats, 48-24. They converted on 54.1 percent (33-of-61) of their field goals, including a stellar 86.2 percent (25-of-29) of their 2-point attempts. They also scored 24 points off 13 turnovers, including a 17-5 advantage in the first half.
K-State shot a season-low 43.5 percent (27-of-62) from the field, including 34.3 percent (12-of-35) from beyond the arc, while hitting on 86.4 percent (19-of-22) from the free throw line. The 24 points in the paint and 12 fast-break points were also season-lows.
K-State fell to 0-3 in the championship game of the Hall of Fame Classic, following losses to No. 1 Duke in 2010 and No. 9 North Carolina in 2015.
KEY PLAYER(S)
Bashir scored 18 of his season-high 26 points in the second half, including 3 triples in the first 3 minutes to spark an 11-0 run that gave the Wildcats a 46-45 lead. His 7 made 3-pointers tied 14 other players for the sixth-most in a game in school history.
Haggerty continued his excellent play, recording his school-record sixth straight game of 20 or more points, as he finished 11-of-21 from the field and 4-of-5 from the line.
KEY MOMENT(S)
With the score tied at 85-all, Sam Hoiberg snagged the offensive rebound off a 3-point miss of teammate Pryce Sandfort and was fouled with 0.6 seconds left. He made the first free throw to clinch the victory then intentionally missed the second to allow more time off the clock.
KEY STATS
Nebraska shot better than 50 percent in each half on the strength of making 25 of 29 (86.2 percent) of their 2-point attempts. The Huskers outscored the Wildcats, 48-24, in the paint.
HEAD COACH JEROME TANG
Opening statement…
"First of all, just want to thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for the opportunity I have to work at this great university coach this, these great young men and get to play and be a part of great environments like that one tonight. I know a little bit about the history of the Big Six and all of that, so I know this is an important game to our fans and to their fans, and, you know, to be able to play here in Kansas City, get a feel of T-Mobile, it was an incredible experience. This game obviously the outcome wasn't what we wanted, but so proud of my guys, fight and resilience. We dug ourselves a hole, but we didn't hang our heads. And so, it was just a great college basketball game. It comes down to one play, you know, just one thing, and not necessarily what happened at the end, but there's always just one play. And we will learn from this, and we'll get better. But, man, I'm as fired up as I've ever been about coaching a team."
On the environment and how the team responded…
"It definitely had a big-time environment feel to it. I thought we settled down and played some really good basketball in stretches, and there's gonna be a lot that we can learn from it."
On why you are fired up to coach this team…
"Sometimes you like coach teams that it takes them, like the next day to learn from what happened. And this is a group that figures out how to fix it in the course of a game. You know, they figure out how to fix things during practice, and now they come and they show it during the game, and we were able to make the adjustment to their defense. It's hard to describe it until you go against it, you feel it and stuff and what play you need to make. And so, we didn't handle it well early. But then at halftime, we made some adjustments. They made adjustments. And so, when you see guys that care and the joy with which they play the game that's a lot of fun to be around."
On the foul call with less than a second to play…
"I haven't seen it. It didn't come down to the call at the end, you know. So, I mean, on TV it was, but, you know, at the moment you think that, but I'm sure we're gonna be able to look through the course of the game and see multiple things we could have done differently so that we don't put ourselves in that situation. But terrific college game."
On what he learned from his players these last two days…
"We're pretty good, pretty good. You wonder sometimes like, how do we compare to other teams. And I know what I was feeling displayed itself today. And to think yesterday, we said we have another level we can go to, and I firmly believe that we're going to get there."
FIRST HALF
K-State had an early 7-4 lead after a 3-pointer by junior P.J. Haggerty, however, turnovers and sharp 3-point shooting from Nebraska ignited a 10-0 run, forcing a timeout by head coach Jerome Tang, with the Wildcats trailing 14-7 at the 14:55 mark. Unfortunately, the timeout did little to quell the momentum, as the Huskers added 5 more points before a layup by senior Nate Johnson ended the run at 15-0 and cut the deficit to 19-9.
A 3-pointer by junior Elias Rapieque pulled K-State to within 20-12, but Nebraska answered with 9 of the next 11 points to extend their lead to 29-14 at the 8:27 mark. The Wildcats got back-to-back baskets from senior Khamari McGriff and Haggerty plus a 3-pointer from junior Abdi Bashir Jr. to pull to within 31-21 just after the third media timeout.
Haggerty jumper started an 8-2 run that got K-State to within 35-29, forcing a timeout by head coach Fred Hoiberg at the 3:48 mark. After the Huskers got baskets on their next 2 possessions, jumpers by Haggerty and Johnson pulled the Wildcats to within 39-33. However, a 3-point play by Nebraska big Rienk Mast helped spark a 6-2 run to end the half to push the lead to 45-35.
Nebraska connected on 54.3 percent (19-of-35) from the field, including 26 points in the paint, while converting 9 K-State turnovers into 17 points. The Wildcats were held to just 39.4 percent (13-of-33) shooting, including 21.1 percent (4-of-19) from long range.
Pryce Sandfort led all scorers with 13 points, while Haggerty had 12 for the Wildcats.
SECOND HALF
K-State opened the half with some energy as a 3-pointer from Bashir ignited an 8-0 run that cut the deficit to 45-43, forcing a timeout by Hoiberg at the 17:41 mark. The run grew to 11-0 after Bashir connected on his third triple of the half that gave the Wildcats a lead at 46-45. However, Nebraska responded with a layup and a 3-pointer to go back ahead at 50-46.
The teams went back and forth before a Haggerty layup, and 2 free throws gave K-State a 53-52 lead. After a basket returned the lead to the Huskers, 3-pointers by Johnson and Castillo gave the Wildcats a 59-56 lead. Twice the lead stood at 3 after a 3-pointer from Bashir and a jumper from Haggerty but the Huskers tied it at 67-all on a pair of free throws.
A Haggerty layup started a run of 5 straight points that helped K-State take a 72-67 with 7:21 left. However, Nebraska responded with 9 in a row to go ahead 76-72. However, 3 free throws from Bashir and one from Castillo tied it once again at 76-all. From there, neither team held more than a 2-point lead. Mast gave the Huskers an 85-83 lead on a layup with 35 seconds before Haggerty answered back with his only layup with 27 seconds before the final sequence.
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
TEAM NOTES
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
WHAT'S NEXT
K-State plays its first true road game of the season on Tuesday night, as the Wildcats travel to Bloomington, Ind., to face unbeaten Indiana (5-0) at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. This will be the team's first visit to Indiana since 1985. Tip is set for 7 p.m., CT and will air on FS1.
How to follow the 'Cats: For complete information on K-State men's basketball, visit www.kstatesports.com and follow the team's social media channels on X, Instagram and Facebook.
After Hoiberg intentionally missed the second free throw and senior Nate Johnson grabbed the rebound, the officials made a timing adjustment to give K-State (5-1) one last chance with 0.9 seconds, however, senior Khamari McGriff's pass was off the mark, as Nebraska (6-0) ran its winning streak to 10 games dating back to last season.
The back court tandem of juniors P.J. Haggerty (27 points) and Abdi Bashir Jr. (26 points) combined for 53 of the team's 85 points, including 33 in the second half when the Wildcats rallied from a 10-point halftime deficit. Johnson joined the duo in double figures with 12 points.
In leading the team in scoring for the sixth consecutive game, Haggerty became the first Wildcat to open a season with six straight games of 20 or more points, eclipsing a record once set by Michael Beasley in 2007-08. Haggerty's 168 points through the first 6 games are the most by a player in that span, surpassing the 163 points scored by Beasley.
K-State, which trailed by as many as 15 points in the first half, got a spark from Bashir out of halftime as he connected on three 3-pointers to ignite an 11-0 run that gave the Wildcats a 46-45 lead. From there, the teams went back and forth with neither holding more than a 5-point lead in a second half that included 12 lead changes and nine ties.
Haggerty gave K-State its largest lead at 72-67 on a layup with 7:21 to play before Nebraska answered back with 9 straight points to go ahead 76-72 with just 5 minutes remaining. However, four free throws by the Wildcats tied it at 76-all, including 3 in a row from Bashir.
Neither team led by more than 2 points in the last 4 minutes, as they seemingly matched each other shot for shot. Tied at 83-all with less than a minute to play, senior Rienk Mast gave the Huskers an 85-83 lead by converting on a layup with 35 seconds before Haggerty matched it 8 seconds later to knot it at 85-all.
Nebraska called a full timeout with 22 seconds to play to set up the final sequence, as junior Pryce Sandfort missed a 3-pointer, but Hoiberg grabbed the offensive rebound and was fouled.
Redshirt freshman Braden Frager was named the tournament MVP after posting 16 points and 6 rebounds off the bench, while Sandfort and Mast posted 21 and 20 points, respectively. Hoiberg, who redeemed himself with the free throw make after missing a pair with the score tied at 78-all with 2:58 to play, finished with 13 points.
Joining Frager on the all-tournament team were Mast and Haggerty as well as Mississippi State's Josh Hubbard and New Mexico's Tomislav Buljan.
One of the top 3-point shooting teams, the Huskers did most of their damage in the paint, where they outscored the Wildcats, 48-24. They converted on 54.1 percent (33-of-61) of their field goals, including a stellar 86.2 percent (25-of-29) of their 2-point attempts. They also scored 24 points off 13 turnovers, including a 17-5 advantage in the first half.
K-State shot a season-low 43.5 percent (27-of-62) from the field, including 34.3 percent (12-of-35) from beyond the arc, while hitting on 86.4 percent (19-of-22) from the free throw line. The 24 points in the paint and 12 fast-break points were also season-lows.
K-State fell to 0-3 in the championship game of the Hall of Fame Classic, following losses to No. 1 Duke in 2010 and No. 9 North Carolina in 2015.
KEY PLAYER(S)
Bashir scored 18 of his season-high 26 points in the second half, including 3 triples in the first 3 minutes to spark an 11-0 run that gave the Wildcats a 46-45 lead. His 7 made 3-pointers tied 14 other players for the sixth-most in a game in school history.
Haggerty continued his excellent play, recording his school-record sixth straight game of 20 or more points, as he finished 11-of-21 from the field and 4-of-5 from the line.
KEY MOMENT(S)
With the score tied at 85-all, Sam Hoiberg snagged the offensive rebound off a 3-point miss of teammate Pryce Sandfort and was fouled with 0.6 seconds left. He made the first free throw to clinch the victory then intentionally missed the second to allow more time off the clock.
KEY STATS
Nebraska shot better than 50 percent in each half on the strength of making 25 of 29 (86.2 percent) of their 2-point attempts. The Huskers outscored the Wildcats, 48-24, in the paint.
HEAD COACH JEROME TANG
Opening statement…
"First of all, just want to thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for the opportunity I have to work at this great university coach this, these great young men and get to play and be a part of great environments like that one tonight. I know a little bit about the history of the Big Six and all of that, so I know this is an important game to our fans and to their fans, and, you know, to be able to play here in Kansas City, get a feel of T-Mobile, it was an incredible experience. This game obviously the outcome wasn't what we wanted, but so proud of my guys, fight and resilience. We dug ourselves a hole, but we didn't hang our heads. And so, it was just a great college basketball game. It comes down to one play, you know, just one thing, and not necessarily what happened at the end, but there's always just one play. And we will learn from this, and we'll get better. But, man, I'm as fired up as I've ever been about coaching a team."
On the environment and how the team responded…
"It definitely had a big-time environment feel to it. I thought we settled down and played some really good basketball in stretches, and there's gonna be a lot that we can learn from it."
On why you are fired up to coach this team…
"Sometimes you like coach teams that it takes them, like the next day to learn from what happened. And this is a group that figures out how to fix it in the course of a game. You know, they figure out how to fix things during practice, and now they come and they show it during the game, and we were able to make the adjustment to their defense. It's hard to describe it until you go against it, you feel it and stuff and what play you need to make. And so, we didn't handle it well early. But then at halftime, we made some adjustments. They made adjustments. And so, when you see guys that care and the joy with which they play the game that's a lot of fun to be around."
On the foul call with less than a second to play…
"I haven't seen it. It didn't come down to the call at the end, you know. So, I mean, on TV it was, but, you know, at the moment you think that, but I'm sure we're gonna be able to look through the course of the game and see multiple things we could have done differently so that we don't put ourselves in that situation. But terrific college game."
On what he learned from his players these last two days…
"We're pretty good, pretty good. You wonder sometimes like, how do we compare to other teams. And I know what I was feeling displayed itself today. And to think yesterday, we said we have another level we can go to, and I firmly believe that we're going to get there."
FIRST HALF
K-State had an early 7-4 lead after a 3-pointer by junior P.J. Haggerty, however, turnovers and sharp 3-point shooting from Nebraska ignited a 10-0 run, forcing a timeout by head coach Jerome Tang, with the Wildcats trailing 14-7 at the 14:55 mark. Unfortunately, the timeout did little to quell the momentum, as the Huskers added 5 more points before a layup by senior Nate Johnson ended the run at 15-0 and cut the deficit to 19-9.
A 3-pointer by junior Elias Rapieque pulled K-State to within 20-12, but Nebraska answered with 9 of the next 11 points to extend their lead to 29-14 at the 8:27 mark. The Wildcats got back-to-back baskets from senior Khamari McGriff and Haggerty plus a 3-pointer from junior Abdi Bashir Jr. to pull to within 31-21 just after the third media timeout.
Haggerty jumper started an 8-2 run that got K-State to within 35-29, forcing a timeout by head coach Fred Hoiberg at the 3:48 mark. After the Huskers got baskets on their next 2 possessions, jumpers by Haggerty and Johnson pulled the Wildcats to within 39-33. However, a 3-point play by Nebraska big Rienk Mast helped spark a 6-2 run to end the half to push the lead to 45-35.
Nebraska connected on 54.3 percent (19-of-35) from the field, including 26 points in the paint, while converting 9 K-State turnovers into 17 points. The Wildcats were held to just 39.4 percent (13-of-33) shooting, including 21.1 percent (4-of-19) from long range.
Pryce Sandfort led all scorers with 13 points, while Haggerty had 12 for the Wildcats.
SECOND HALF
K-State opened the half with some energy as a 3-pointer from Bashir ignited an 8-0 run that cut the deficit to 45-43, forcing a timeout by Hoiberg at the 17:41 mark. The run grew to 11-0 after Bashir connected on his third triple of the half that gave the Wildcats a lead at 46-45. However, Nebraska responded with a layup and a 3-pointer to go back ahead at 50-46.
The teams went back and forth before a Haggerty layup, and 2 free throws gave K-State a 53-52 lead. After a basket returned the lead to the Huskers, 3-pointers by Johnson and Castillo gave the Wildcats a 59-56 lead. Twice the lead stood at 3 after a 3-pointer from Bashir and a jumper from Haggerty but the Huskers tied it at 67-all on a pair of free throws.
A Haggerty layup started a run of 5 straight points that helped K-State take a 72-67 with 7:21 left. However, Nebraska responded with 9 in a row to go ahead 76-72. However, 3 free throws from Bashir and one from Castillo tied it once again at 76-all. From there, neither team held more than a 2-point lead. Mast gave the Huskers an 85-83 lead on a layup with 35 seconds before Haggerty answered back with his only layup with 27 seconds before the final sequence.
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
- K-State (5-1) dropped its first game of the season, as the Wildcats fell to 0-3 in the championship game of the Hall of Fame Classic.
- K-State is now 3-5 all-time in the Hall of Fame Classic, in this, the fourth appearance in the tournament (2010, 2015, 2021, 2025).
- K-State is now 25-25 all-time at the T-Mobile Center.
- K-State is now 193-63 in non-conference games since 2006.
- K-State used a starting lineup of junior P.J. Haggerty, senior Nate Johnson, junior Abdi Bashir Jr., junior Elias Rapieque and senior Khamari McGriff… This is the fifth straight game using this lineup.
- Haggerty now has 72 career starts (Tulsa/Memphis/K-State), N. Johnson now has 66 career starts (Akron/K-State), McGriff now has 48 career starts (UNC Wilmington/K-State) and Bashir now has 38 career starts (Monmouth/K-State)… This is the fifth start for Rapieque.
TEAM NOTES
- K-State scored its 85 points on 43.5 percent (27-of-62) shooting, including 34.3 percent (12-of-35) from 3-point range, and had 19 assists on 27 made field goals with 13 turnovers.
- K-State connected on double-digit 3-pointers for the fourth time in 6 games.
- K-State shot 86.4 percent (19-of-22) from the free throw line.
- Nebraska outscored K-State, 48-24, in the paint and 24-18 on points off turnovers.
- Each team had 32 rebounds with K-State owning a 13-11 edge on second-chance points.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
- Three Wildcats scored in double figures led by junior P.J. Haggerty's 27 points and junior Abdi Bashir Jr's 26 points, while senior Nate Johnson added 12 points.
- Haggerty scored his 27 points on 11-of-21 field goals, including 1-of-5 from 3-point range, and 4-of-5 free throws to go with a game-high 7 assists and 6 rebounds… He now has scored in double figures in 70 of 78 games, including 49 games of 20 or more points.
- Haggerty is the only Wildcat to score 20 or more points in 6 straight to open a season.
- Bashir scored his season-high 26 points on 7-of-15 field goals (all from 3-point range) and 5-of-5 free throws… He has now scored in double figures in 41 career games, including 5 of 6 games this season, while he has 20 career 20-point games.
- His 7 made 3-pointers tied for the sixth-most in a game in school history.
- Johnson scored his 12 points on 4-of-10 field goals, including 2-of-6 from 3-point range, to go with 5 rebounds and 4 assists in 37 minutes… He now has double figures in 44 career games, including 4 of 6 games this season.
WHAT'S NEXT
K-State plays its first true road game of the season on Tuesday night, as the Wildcats travel to Bloomington, Ind., to face unbeaten Indiana (5-0) at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. This will be the team's first visit to Indiana since 1985. Tip is set for 7 p.m., CT and will air on FS1.
How to follow the 'Cats: For complete information on K-State men's basketball, visit www.kstatesports.com and follow the team's social media channels on X, Instagram and Facebook.
Team Stats
Nebr
KState
FG%
.541
.435
3FG%
.250
.343
FT%
.600
.864
RB
32
32
TO
12
13
STL
6
5
Game Leaders
Pts
27
FGM
11
3FGM
1
FTM
4
Pts
26
FGM
7
3FGM
7
FTM
5
Pts
12
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
8
FGM
1
3FGM
1
FTM
5
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballG
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/ Men's Basketball
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/ Men's Basketball
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