Preview // K-State Plays Baylor at Big 12 Championship Wednesday

GAME 33
[10-seed] KANSAS STATE (16-16, 9-11 Big 12) vs. [7-seed] BAYLOR (18-13, 10-10 Big 12)
Wednesday, March 12, 2025 >> 6 p.m., CT >> T-Mobile Center (19,135) >> Kansas City, Mo.
Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship

TELEVISION
ESPN+ (online link)

Roxy Bernstein (play-by-play)
Sean Farnham (analyst)
Joe McCoy (producer)

RADIO
K-State Sports Network
Flagships: // KMAN 1350 & WIBW 580
Satellite Radio: Ch. 138 or 198
Online: Varsity Network [free] / www.kstatesports.com/watch [free]

Wyatt Thompson (play-by-play)
Stan Weber (analyst)

LIVE STATS
kstate.statbroadcast.com

COACHES
K-State: Jerome Tang [Charter Oak State College '07]
Record at K-State: 61-41/3rd Year
Career Record: 63-41*/3rd Year+
vs. Baylor: 3-1 [0-0 neutral sites]

Baylor: Scott Drew [Butler '93]
Record at Baylor: 462-257/22nd Year
Career Record: 482-248/23rd Year
vs. K-State: 19-19 [2-2 neutral site]

LAST GAME STARTERS:
K-State (16-16)
G: #0 Dug McDaniel
G: #11 Brendan Hausen
G: #2 Max Jones
W: #33 Coleman Hawkins
W: #1 David N'Guessan

Baylor (18-13)
G: #1 Robert Wright
G: #7 V.J. Edgecombe
G: #13 Langston Love
G: #32 Jalen Celestine
F: #15 Norchad Omier

SERIES HISTORY
Overall: Tied 26-26
Big 12 Era: Baylor leads 25-21
Big 12 Championship: K-State leads 3-2
In Kansas City: Tied 3-3
At T-Mobile Center: Tied 2-2
Active Streak: Baylor, 1
Last Meeting: L, 62-70 [1/22/2025 in Waco]
Jerome Tang vs. Scott Drew: 3-1

K-STATE PLAYS BAYLOR AT PHILLIPS 66 BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP
K-State (16-16, 9-11 Big 12) continues play in the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship on Wednesday night, as the 10-seeded Wildcats play 7-seed Baylor (18-13, 10-10 Big 12) in the second session of the second round at 6 p.m., CT on ESPN+. The winner of the game will play 2-seed Texas Tech (24-7, 15-5 Big 12) in the quarterfinals at 6 p.m., CT on Thursday night on ESPN or ESPN2.

The second-round matchup will pit longtime friends Jerome Tang and Scott Drew against each other for the fifth time, as Tang got the better of Drew in 2 wins in 2023 and an overtime win in 2024 before a 70-62 loss in Waco on Jan. 22. Tang spent 19 seasons alongside Drew as an assistant coach (2003-17) and associate head coach (2017-22) at Baylor.

The series is tied at 26 wins apiece after Baylor's 70-62 win over K-State at home on Jan. 22. The Bears hold a 25-21 advantage since the start of the Big 12 in 1997, while Wildcats own a slight 3-2 edge at the Big 12 Championship (2002, 2010, 2012, 2017, 2021). The teams are 3-3 all-time in Kansas City, including 2-2 at the T-Mobile Center (2010, 2012, 2017, 2021). Baylor won the last meeting at the Big 12 Championship in 2021, as the top-seeded Bears posted a 74-68 win over the 9-seed Wildcats in the quarterfinals at the T-Mobile Center.

After the 71-66 win over 15-seed Arizona State in the opening round on Tuesday, K-State is now 39-45 all-time at Big Eight/12 Championship dating back to 1977, including 19-27 at the Big 12 Championship. The Wildcats have won 2 titles (1977, 1980) and advanced to the finals on 8 occasions (1977, 1978, 1980, 1981, 1988, 1993, 2010 and 2013). The team has a 21-15 record in first-round games, including a 5-3 mark as the tournament's No. 10 seed (2001, 2005, 2020, 2024, 2025). Tang is now 2-2 at the Big 12 Championship.

LAST TIME OUT
Senior Coleman Hawkins paced four Wildcats in double figures with a season-high 26 points, as K-State advanced to the second round of the Big 12 Championship with a 71-66 win over 15-seed Arizona State on Tuesday night. He was joined in double figures by junior Dug McDaniel (14 points), senior Max Jones (10 points) and junior Brendan Hausen (10 points).

K-State earned the victory with strong performances on both ends of the court, as the Wildcats scored its 71 points on 50 percent (27-of-54) shooting, including 44.4 percent (8-of-18) from 3-point range, while holding the Sun Devils (13-19) to 38.3 percent shooting (23-of-60), including 26.9 percent (7-of-26) from beyond the arc.

Hawkins, who collected his second 20-point game of the season, was just 4 points shy of his career-high of 30 points vs. Iowa in 2024, as he scored his season-high 26 points on 10-of-17 field goals, including 4-of-9 from 3-point range, and 2-of-3 free throws to go with a team-tying 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks and a steal. It was his ninth career 20-point game.

KEY STORYLINES

It has been a roller coaster of a Big 12 season for K-State, which has had a 6-game losing streak followed by a 6-game winning streak followed by a 4-game losing streak followed by a 2-game winning streak before a split of the last 2 games.
Senior David N'Guessan, who earned All-Big 12 Honorable Mention honors on Monday, leads the Wildcats in both scoring (13.1 ppg.) and rebounding (7.1 rpg.) while connecting on a Big 12-best 63.6 percent (171-of-269) from the field. He has scored in double figures in a team-best 25 games with five 20-point performances, including in 15 of 20 Big 12 games with 5 double-doubles. He played just 17 minutes in the win over ASU on Tuesday due to foul problems, but did have a big 3-point play to finish off the game.
Senior Coleman Hawkins, who returned to the lineup at Cincinnati on March 5, is the only Division I player to average 10 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.0 blocks per game. After being named to the All-Big 12 Third Team on Monday, he is the first Wildcat since 2023 to earn recognition to one of the three main All-Big 12 teams.
Junior Dug McDaniel has continued his emergence in the last 15 games, as he is averaging 13.5 points, 5.9 assists, 2.7 rebounds and 1.7 steals with 13 double-digit scoring games, including three 20-point efforts against No. 3/3 Iowa State (2/1/25), No. 13/13 Arizona (2/11/25) and BYU (2/15/25). He has scored in double figures in 5 straight games.

A K-STATE WIN WOULD…

Advance the Wildcats to play 2-seed Texas Tech on Thursday.
Give it a 40-45 record in conference tournament play.
Give it a 20-27 record in Big 12 Championship play.
Give it a 32-38 record in Kansas City in tournament play.
Be the 1,757th in program history, including 27th vs. Baylor.

NOTES ON BAYLOR

Led by 22nd-year head coach Scott Drew, Baylor is 18-13 on the season, finishing in a tie for seventh place with a 10-10 mark in Big 12 play. The Bears played one of the top non-conference schedules in the country with wins over Arkansas and St. John's while dropping close contests against Tennessee and UConn. They responded to a 3-game losing streak in Big 12 play to win 2 of their last 3 games heading into the Big 12 Championship, including a close 65-61 loss to No. 3/3 Houston to end the regular season.
Baylor is averaging 76.7 points on 44.8 percent shooting, including 35.4 percent from 3-point range, while allowing 69.4 points on 43.7 percent shooting, including 35.4 percent from 3-point range. The Bears average 8.7 made 3-pointers per game with 4 players with 38 or more made triples. They are connecting on 74.2 percent from the free throw line.
Four players are averaging in double figures led by fifth year and All-Big 12 performer Norchad Omier, who is the only Big 12 player to average a double-double with a team-leading 15.6 points on 56.8 percent shooting, including a Big 12-best 10.7 rebounds per game. Big 12 Freshman of the Year V.J. Edgecombe is averaging 15 points on 43.8 percent shooting, including 35.8 percent from 3-point range to go with 5.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2,1 steals in a team-best 32.4 minutes per game. They are joined in double figures by freshman Robert Wright (11.7 ppg.) and senior Jeremy Roach (10.4 ppg.).
The dean of Big 12 coaches, Drew has a 482-248 overall record in 23 seasons as a head coach, including a 462-257 mark in 22 seasons in Waco. He has led the Bears to 12 NCAA Tournament appearances, including 5 consecutive seasons. He is 19-19 all-time against K-State, including 2-2 at neutral sites.

LAST GAME OUT

No. 3/3 Houston overcame a 29-26 halftime deficit, holding Baylor to 30.3 percent (10-of-33) shooting, including 25 percent (4-of-16) from 3-point range, in wrapping up the regular season with a 65-61 win on Saturday afternoon at Foster Pavilion.
Freshman V.J. Edgecombe paced three Bears in double figures with a game-tying 23 points, going 6-of-14 from the field and 9-of-10 from the free throw line. He was joined in double figures by a double-double by Norchad Omier (13 points, 16 rebounds) and Langston Love (10 points).

SERIES HISTORY

The series is tied at 26-all after the 70-62 win by Baylor on Jan. 22. The Bears hold a 25-21 lead in the Big 12 era, but the Wildcats own a 3-2 mark at the Big 12 Championship.
Prior to the loss on Jan. 22, K-State has won the last 3 meetings with 2 of those coming in overtime, including the last such matchup in Waco, a 97-95 thriller on Jan. 7, 2023, in what was the first meeting between Jerome Tang and Scott Drew.

LAST 5 MEETINGS [3-2]

Date	Rank	Result	Score	Location
2/9/2022	—/10	L	60-75	Manhattan
1/7/2023	—/19	W	97-95 [OT]	Waco
2/21/2023	14/9	W	75-65	Manhattan
1/16/2024	—/9	W	68-64 [OT]	Manhattan
12/12/1979	—/—	L	62-70	Waco

LAST MEETING IN 2025
BAYLOR 70, K-STATE 62

VJ Edgecombe showed why he is considered one of the nation's best freshmen, as the rookie scored a game-high 30 points in helping Baylor overcome a 12-point second-half deficit to post a 70-62 win over K-State in the first and only meeting of 2025 on Jan. 22 before 7,500 fans at Foster Pavilion.
Edgecombe scored 20 of his 30 points in the second half, as the Bears connected on 60 percent (12-of-20) from the field while outscoring the Wildcats, 44-32. He finished the night 8-of-13 from the field, including 3-of-7 from 3-point range, and 11-of-12 from the free throw line. He was near perfect in the second half, going 5-of-5 on field goals and 9-of-10 on free throws.
The second-half offensive barrage came after Baylor shot just 25 percent (9-of-36) in the first half, including 28.6 percent (6-of-21) from 3-point range, as K-State (7-11, 1-6 Big 12) built a 10-point lead. The Bears were able to cut it to 30-26 at the break behind back-to-back 3-pointers from Edgecombe and graduate Norchad Omier.
Three Wildcats scored in double figures, including a team-high 13 points for senior David N'Guessan, who added 11 rebounds for his team-leading fourth double-double of the season and the seventh of his career. Juniors Brendan Hausen and Dug McDaniel each finished with 12 points, while senior Coleman Hawkins dished out a team-high 7 assists (with zero turnovers) to go with 8 points and 9 rebounds.

LAST TIME OUT:
K-STATE 71, ARIZONA STATE 66

Senior Coleman Hawkins scored a season-high 26 points to pace four Wildcats in double figures, as 10-seed Kansas State knocked off 15-seed Arizona State, 71-66, in the opening round of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship on Tuesday night at the T-Mobile Center.
K-State earned the victory with strong performances on both ends of the court, as the Wildcats scored its 71 points on 50 percent (27-of-54) shooting, including 44.4 percent (8-of-18) from 3-point range, while holding the Sun Devils (13-19) to 38.3 percent shooting (23-of-60), including 26.9 percent (7-of-26) from beyond the arc.
Hawkins, who collected his second 20-point game of the season, was just 4 points shy of his career-high of 30 points vs. Iowa in 2024 while playing at Illinois, as he scored his season-high 26 points on 10-of-17 field goals, including 4-of-9 from 3-point range, and 2-of-3 free throws to go with a team-tying 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks and a steal. It was his ninth career 20-point game.
The senior was joined in double figures by junior Dug McDaniel (14 points), senior Max Jones (10 points) and junior Brendan Hausen (10 points).
Hawkins was key in K-State's fast start to the game, as he was responsible for 11 points in the Wildcats' 17-4 opening run. He connected on his first three 3-pointers, while he added a jumper just after ASU head coach Bobby Hurley had called a timeout at the 14:52 mark. However, the Sun Devils wouldn't go away, as they used a 15-2 run to tie the game at 19-all before taking their first lead at 24-21 on a 3-pointer by freshman Joson Sanon with 7:45 before halftime.
The Wildcats answered back 11 straight points to go back ahead 34-26 just after the final media timeout with 2:43 remaining, as the team ended the half with 17 of the final 24 points to go ahead 38-31 at the break. Hawkins was responsible for half of the 38 points, scoring his 19 points on 8-of-11 field goals, including 3-of-5 from 3-point range.
K-State led by as many as 14 points (58-44) in the early going of the second half after a 3-pointer by Jones with 9:43 to play. However, ASU stayed within striking distance using an 8-0 run over the next 2 minutes to close to within 58-52. The Sun Devils pulled to within 66-62 with 1:46 to play after 2 free throws from Mason and a jumper from Sanon.
With the momentum fading, junior Brendan Hausen connected on a jumper in the lane with 1:24 before senior David N'Guessan, who was hampered by foul trouble all night, helped finish off the victory in the last 36 seconds with a big 3-point play.

POSTGAME NEWS & NOTES

The win enabled K-State to tie the series with ASU at 6 wins apiece in the school's first-ever meeting at the Big 12 Championship after splitting the 2 regular-season matchups.
K-State has now won back-to-back opening-round games at the Big 12 Championship for the first time since 2020 and 2021.
The Wildcats are now 14-4 this season when scoring 70 or more points.

K-State hit on 50 percent or better from the field for the ninth time this season and the first time since the Kansas game on Feb. 8, 2025.
K-State out-scored Arizona State, 36-24, in the paint.
Arizona State posted a 20-10 advantage in points off turnovers.
K-State held a 36-35 advantage on the glass, but Arizona State had 12 offensive rebounds that enabled the Sun Devils to post a 13-8 edge in second-chance points.
K-State led 38-31 at the halftime, as the Wildcats are now 15-4 when leading at the half.
Four Wildcats scored in double figures led by a season-high 26 points from senior Coleman Hawkins… He was joined in double figures by junior Dug McDaniels (14 points), senior Max Jones (10 points) and junior Brendan Hausen (10 points).

Hawkins scored his 26 points on 10-of-17 field goals, including 4-of-9 from 3-point range, and 2-of-3 free throws to go with a team-high 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks and a steal in 38 minutes… It marked his ninth career 20-point game, including his second this season… He now has 61 career double-digit scoring games, including 16 this season.
McDaniel scored his 14 points on 5-of-13 field goals and 4-of-5 free throws to go with 5 assists, 4 rebounds and 2 steals in 32 minutes… He now has 57 career double-digit scoring games, including 20 this season (14 in Big 12 play).
Jones scored his 10 points on 4-of-7 field goals, including 2-of-3 from 3-point range, to go with 8 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal in 38 minutes… He now has 82 career double-digit scoring games, including 17 this season.
Hausen scored his 10 points on 4-of-6 field goals, including 2-of-3 from 3-point range, to go with 3 rebounds and 1 steal in 35 minutes… He now has 32 career double-digit scoring games, including 20 this season.

INSIDE THE (NOW OVER) WINNING STREAK

K-State made improvements on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball during its 6-game winning streak, which was the longest such streak in Big 12 play since winning 9 in a row from Jan. 9 to Feb. 12, 2019.
The Wildcats averaged 77.2 points during its winning streak, connecting on 47.8 percent (170-of-356) from the field, including 37.9 percent (50-of-132) from 3-point range, while making 70.9 percent (73-of-103) from the free throw line.
Five players averaged between 15 and 11.3 points per game, including Dug McDaniel (15.2 ppg.), David N'Guessan (14.5 ppg.), Coleman Hawkins (12.0 ppg.), Max Jones (12.0 ppg.) and Brendan Hausen (11.3 ppg.).
On the defensive end, K-State allowing 65.2 points during the streak on 40.5 percent (143-of-353) shooting, including 27.9 percent (38-of-136) from 3-point range, while narrowly being out-rebounded, 35.3-35.2, and forcing 14.5 turnovers. The Wildcats averaged 36.3 points in the paint, 17.3 points off turnovers, 9.2 second-chance points and 14.3 fast-break points in this span.
The 6 wins are examples of why getting off to good starts is important to winning, as K-State outscored No. 23/23 West Virginia, Oklahoma State, No. 3/3 Iowa State, Arizona State, No. 16/17 Kansas and No. 13/13 Arizona, 238-173, in the first half on 48.9 percent (91-of-186) shooting. The Wildcats jumped out 19-2 vs. the Mountaineers en route to a 42-18 lead at the break, while they enjoyed a 15-4 start vs. the Cowboys en route to a 45-23 advantage at the half.

Preview // K-State Plays Baylor at Big 12 Championship Wednesday

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Players Mentioned

Brendan Hausen

Coleman Hawkins

Max Jones

Dug McDaniel

David N'Guessan

Kansas State University Athletics

Preview // K-State Plays Baylor at Big 12 Championship Wednesday

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Brendan Hausen

Coleman Hawkins

Max Jones

Dug McDaniel

David N'Guessan

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