K-State Opens Big 12 Play Saturday vs. 10/10 BYU

Saturday, January 3

Manhattan, Kan.

12:30 p.m. CT

Kansas State University

BYU

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Jan 02, 2026 | Men's Basketball

K-State Notes (.pdf)BYU Notes (.pdf)Watch (CBS)Listen Live (K-State Sports Network)Live Stats Program (.pdf)

The Wildcats and Cougars will meet for the first time in a conference opener.

MANHATTAN, Kan. – K-State (9-4) opens Big 12 play on Saturday afternoon with a visit from No. 10/10 BYU (12-1). Tip is set for 12:36 p.m., CT and will air nationally on CBS Sports. This will be the first top-10 team to visit Bramlage Coliseum in a Big 12 opener since a 74-71 win over No. 6 Oklahoma State on Jan. 4. 2014. Overall, the Wildcats have won 4 of their last 5 Big 12 openers, including all 3 under Jerome Tang.

K-State has performed well against ranked teams under Tang, boasting a 16-17 record vs. Top 25 opponents, including 7-6 vs. those in Top 10. The 16 career Top 25 wins tie Tex Winter (1954-68) for the fourth-most in school history, while the 7 against Top 10 competition are also fourth all-time. Thirteen of the 16 ranked wins have come in the friendly confines of Bramlage Coliseum, where Tang is 46-11 (.811) overall, including 21-7 (.750) in Big 12 play and 13-4 (.765) against ranked foes.

The Wildcats are riding a 4-game winning streak after posting a 9-4 record in non-conference play, which is the third-best such mark by the school in the past 7 seasons.

K-State is 56-56 in conference openers, including 13-16 min the Big 12 era. The Wildcats are 38-21 at home in those openers, including 12-6 at Bramlage Coliseum. The team is 8-10 vs. ranked teams in openers, including wins over No. 24 West Virginia in 2022 and No. 16 Cincinnati last season.

Led by second-year coach Kevin Young, the Cougars enter Saturday's contest the winners of 9 straight games, all since Nov. 21. They are led by National Player of the Year candidate AJ Dybantsa, who is the nation's No. 2 scorer at 23.1 points per game. This will be their first true road game, but they have played more games away from home (7) than at the Marriott Center (6).

This will be just the 11th meeting between the schools with each winning 5 games since their first matchup in the 1951 NCAA Tournament. BYU has won 2 of the 3 meetings in Big 12 play, including an 80-65 win last season in Provo, while K-State has won the lone 2 matchups (1973, 2024) at home.

GAME 14
KANSAS STATE (9-4) VS. 10/10 BYU (12-1)
Saturday, January 3, 2026 | 12:36 p.m., CT | Bramlage Coliseum (11,010) | Manhattan, Kan.
Big 12 Opener

TELEVISION
CBS Sports (online link)

John Sadak (play-by-play)
Jim Spanarkel (analyst)
Scott Brandwein (producer)

RADIO
K-State Sports Network
Flagships: // KMAN 1350 & WIBW 580
Satellite Radio: Ch. 389
Online: Varsity Network [free] / www.kstatesports.com/watch [free]

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

COACHES
K-State: Jerome Tang [Charter Oak State College '07]
Record at K-State: 70-46/4th Year
Career Record: 72-46*/4th Year+
vs. BYU: 1-2 (1-0 at home)

BYU: Kevin Young [Clayton State '04]
Record at BYU: 38-11/2nd Year
Career Record: 38-11/2nd Year
vs. K-State: 1-0 (0-0 on the road)

LAST GAME STARTERS:
K-State (9-4)
G: #4 P.J. Haggerty
G: #1 Abdi Bashir Jr.
G: #34 Nate Johnson
W: #0 Elias Rapieque
W: #21 Khamari McGriff

BYU (12-1)
G: #1 Robert Wright III
G: #3 AJ Dybantsa
G: #15 Richie Saunders
G: #30 Kennard Davis Jr.
F: #13 Keba Keita

SERIES HISTORY

Overall Tied: 5-5
In Manhattan: K-State leads 2-0
At Bramlage Coliseum: K-State leads 1-0
Active Streak: BYU, 1
First Meeting: K-State won 64-54 (3/23/1951)
Last Meeting: BYU won 80-65 (2/15/2025)
Jerome Tang vs. Kevin Young: 0-1

A K-STATE WIN WOULD…

Extend its winning streak in conference openers to 4 games.
Make the Wildcats 57-56 all-time in conference openers.
Make the Wildcats 14-16 in Big 12 openers.
Break the tie in the series in favor of the Wildcats, 6-5.
Move coach Jerome Tang to 47-11 at Bramlage Coliseum.

LAST TIME OUT

Junior P.J. Haggerty scored 23 of his 24 points in the second half, as K-State wrapped up non-conference play with a 94-85 win over ULM on Sunday before 8,163 fans at Bramlage Coliseum.
Haggerty, who collected his ninth game of 20 or more points this year, bounced back from his worst first half of the season to score 23 second-half points on 7-of-10 field goals and 9-of-9 free throws. None of his 23 second-half points proved more critical than a pair of 3-point plays after the Warhawks (3-11) had whittled the lead from 20 points (69-49) with 13:18 to play to just 4 points (75-71) with just over 6 minutes left.
With momentum shifting to ULM after a 6-0 run cut the deficit to 75-71 at the 6:04 mark, Haggerty converted on the first of his 3-point plays out of a K-State timeout. He then added a second following a Warhawks' 3-pointer that gave the Wildcats an 83-74 lead with 4:51 remaining.
After yet another rally closed the deficit to 87-83 with over 3 minutes to play, Haggerty came through with a big defensive rebound before assisting on a fast-break layup by sophomore David Castillo that pushed the lead to 92-83 with 2:24 left. He then scored the final points on a layup with 1:10 remaining that put the Wildcats ahead 94-85.
Haggerty finished 7-of-16 from the field and 10-of-11 from the free throw line to go with a team-best 8 rebounds and 3 assists in 29 minutes. He has now scored in double figures in all 13 games while leading the team in scoring 10 times.
Haggerty was joined in double figures by senior Nate Johnson (14 points) and junior Abdi Bashir Jr. (11 points). Two other Wildcats had 9 points (junior Elias Rapieque and Castillo), while senior Khamari McGriff and junior Taj Manning added 8 points each.

OFFENSE OFF TO A HOT START

K-State's offense is off to a hot start, as the Wildcats are averaging 88.5 points on 49.4 percent (411-of-832) shooting, including 39.9 percent (141-of-353) from 3-point range. They rank among the top-40 in 7 offensive categories, including 10^th in 3-point field goal percentage, 13^th in assists (19.6), 21^st in 3-point field goals/game (10.8) and 25^th in fastbreak points (17.3).
The Wildcats have scored 90 or more points in 7 of the first 13 games for the first time in school history, while they have two 100-point games for the just the fifth time. The 1150 points scored are the most through the first 13 games, surpassing the 1078 scored by the 2009-10 team.
Junior P.J. Haggerty is the nation's No. 3 scorer at 22.9 points per game, while he ranks fifth in total points (298) and ninth in field goals made (104). Fellow junior Abdi Bashir Jr. ranks in the top-10 in 3-point field goals/game (377/eighth), total 3-pointers (49, ninth) and 3-point field goal percentage (48.0/13th).

POINTS IN THE FIRST 13 GAMES

1150, 2025-26 (94, 98, 99, 84, 98, 85, 69, 66, 67, 108, 83, 106 and 94 points)
1078, 2009-10 (92, 82, 80, 74, 83, 70, 83, 86, 71, 95, 87, 90 and 85 points)
1070, 1997-98 (93, 89, 89, 71, 101, 90, 67, 76, 70, 87, 111, 64 and 62 points)
1052, 2007-08 (94, 76, 77, 77, 73, 82, 77, 59, 82, 87, 90, 101 and 77 points)
1042, 2008-09 (96, 88, 82, 69, 83, 72, 63, 70, 74, 107, 73, 82 and 83 points)

'CATS SCORE 100+ POINTS TWICE

K-State has twice scored 100 or more points, including a season-high 108 vs. Mississippi Valley State (12/8/25) and 106 vs. South Dakota (12/20/25). The 2 100-point outings tie 4 other teams (1966-67, 1979-80, 1993-94 and 1997-98) for the most in a single season, while also matching the most at home.

MOST POINTS AT BRAMLAGE COLISEUM

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.

MOST POINTS AT T-MOBILE CENTER

The 98 points scored against Mississippi State (11/20/25) in the semifinals of the Hall of Fame Classic, which are the most by the Wildcats in 50 games at the T-Mobile Center topping the 87 scored in the first-ever game in the building against Florida A&M on Dec. 17, 2007.

HAGGERTY JOINS ELITE COMPANY

After his 27-point performance vs. Nebraska, junior P.J. Haggerty became the first Wildcat to open a season with 6 consecutive games of 20 or more points, eclipsing a record shared with Michael Beasley in 2007-08. He is the first Wildcat to score in double figures in the first 13 games since Jacob Pullen in 2009-10, while his 298 points are the second-most by a player through the first 13 games and the most since Beasley's 315 points.

HAGGERTY HAS RARE 30-10 GAME

Junior P.J. Haggerty had 31 points and a career-tying 10 rebounds vs. Tulsa (11/17/25) 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.

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.

CASTILLO'S IMPROVEMENT

Junior David Castillo has scored in double figures in 8 of the first 13 games, including 5 of the last 6, as he continues to display the improvement that he has made in his second season. He ranks second on the team in scoring (13.3 ppg.) while connecting on 48.4 percent (61-of-126) from the field, including 39.4 percent (28-of-71) from 3-point range, and 82.1 percent (23-of-28) from the free throw line. He is second in 3-pointers (28) and third in assists (33).
Castillo has more than doubled his point total (77 to 173) from his freshman year, while also posting 8 double-digit scoring games, including 5 in a row from Dec. 1-20. He scored a career-high 22 points vs. Bowling Green (12/1/25).

BUCA MAKING HIS PRESENCE FELT

One of the tallest players in school history, Italian import Dorin Buca has started to find his footing in the college game as his presence was felt in the last 5 games. He scored 5 points each in games
against Seton Hall (12/6/25), Mississippi Valley (12/8/25) and Creighton (12/13/25) before scoring a season-high 8 points vs. South Dakota (12/20/25). He has grabbed a combined 25 rebounds in the last 5 games to go with 10 blocked shots in a combined 76 minutes off the bench.

NOTES ON 10/10 BYU

Led by second-year head coach Kevin Young, No. 10/10 BYU (12-1) has won 9 straight games since a 98-70 victory over Wisconsin on Nov. 21, including notable wins over Miami, Dayton and Clemson on neutral courts. The Cougars' lone defeat came in a neutral site to UConn on Nov. 15. This is their first true road games, but they have played more games away from home (7) than in Provo (6).
BYU is averaging 87.4 points on 50.2 percent shooting, including 36.8 percent from 3-point range, while allowing just 66.6 points on 40.1 percent shooting, including 31.2 percent from 3-point range. The Cougars are out-rebounding their opponents, 39.3 to 33.1, and turn the ball over 10.1 times per game. They are shooting 72.8 percent from the free throw line.
BYU ranks in the top-50 in scoring offense and defense, while ranking 14th in scoring margin (+20.8) and 26th in field goal percentage. The Cougars are also seventh in fouls/game at 13.7.
The Cougars are led by a National Player of the Year candidate in true freshman AJ Dybantsa, who is averaging 23.1 points on 59.1 percent shooting with 7.2 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 31.3 minutes per game. He is joined in double figures by All-Big 12 candidates Richie Saunders (18.6 ppg.) and Robert Wright III (16.2 ppg.). Senior Keba Keita leads the Cougars in rebounding (7.4 rpg.) and blocks (22), while Wright is tops in assists (72) and Saunders in steals (30).
A longtime NBA assistant coach, including Philadelphia and Phoenix, Young is in his second season as a head coach with a 38-11 record.

SERIES HISTORY

This will be 11th meeting between K-State and BYU with both schools winning 5 games in a series that dates all the way back to the 1951 NCAA Tournament. The Cougars have won 3 of the last 5 meetings, including an 80-65 victory in the last matchup on Feb. 15, 2025.
K-State is 2-0 all-time at home vs. BYU, including an 84-74 win in the first and only meeting at Bramlage Coliseum on Feb. 24, 2024.

LAST 5 MEETINGS [2-3]

Date	Rank	Result	Score	Location
11/23/2002	—/—	L	64-73	Virgin Islands
3/20/2010	7/14	W	84-72	Oklahoma City+
2/10/2024	—/21	L	66-72	Provo^
2/24/2024	—/25	W	84-74	Manhattan^
2/15/2025	—/—	L	65-80	Provo^

+2010 NCAA Tournament
^Big 12 game

LAST MEETING
BYU 80, K-STATE 65 (Feb. 15, 2025)

K-State could not dig itself out of an 18-point first-half deficit, as the Wildcats saw its 6-game winning streak end in an 80-65 loss to BYU in the last meeting between the schools on Feb. 14, 2025. The Wildcats scored a season-low 22 points in the first half on just 27.3 percent shooting.
A 16-3 run pulled K-State to within 53-45 near the midway point of the second half, which included 5 straight points from C.J. Jones. However, BYU responded with 10 of the next 12 points to build its lead back to 63-47 at the third media timeout. The Wildcats could get no closer than 13 points the rest of the way as the Cougars moved to 12-2 at home this season.

UP NEXT:
K-State will begin a 2-game road trip through the state of Arizona with a visit to No. 1/2 Arizona (13-0) on Wednesday, Jan. 7 at 8 p.m., CT on FS1. This will be first visit to Tucson since the 2011 NCAA Tournament and the first to the McKale Center since Arizona joined the Big 12.