Preview // K-State Travels to Top-Ranked Arizona Wednesday

Wednesday, January 7

Tucson, Ariz.

8 p.m. CT

Kansas State University

Arizona

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Preview // K-State Travels to Top-Ranked Arizona Wednesday

Jan 06, 2026 | Men's Basketball

K-State Notes (.pdf)Arizona Notes (.pdf)Watch (FS1)Listen Live (K-State Sports Network)Live Stats

The battle of the Wildcats will be the first in Tucson since 1999.

TUCSON, Ariz. -- K-State (9-5, 0-1 Big 12) begins a 2-game road trip through the Grand Canyon State with a visit to No. 1/2 Arizona (14-0, 1-0 Big 12) on Wednesday night at the McKale Center. Tip is set for 8:10 p.m., CT and will air nationally on FS1. This will be K-State's first visit to Arizona since the Wildcats joined the Big 12 and the first overall visit to the McKale Center since the 2011 NCAA Tournament.

K-State has a 5-18 record vs. the AP No. 1 team, including 1-4 on the road. Four of the five wins over No. 1 have come at home with the lone such victory on the road coming at Kansas, 68-64, on Jan. 17, 1994. The Wildcats have lost 4 straight against the top-ranked team (with last such game coming at home to Kansas in 2020) with the last win coming against Oklahoma at home on Feb. 6, 2016. This will be just the sixth road matchup against the No. 1 team and the first since 2002.

K-State has performed well against ranked teams under Jerome Tang, boasting a 16-18 record vs. Top 25 foes, including 7-7 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.

Led by fifth-year coach Tommy Lloyd, the Wildcats enter Wednesday's game as one of six unbeaten teams (Iowa State, Miami (Ohio), Michigan, Nebraska, Vanderbilt) and are off to their best start since the 2013-14 season. Arizona also has 5 wins over Top 25 teams, including a road win at No. 3 UConn. The Wildcats are one of the most balanced teams with six players averaging in double figures led by freshman sensation Koa Peat (14.4 ppg.).

K-State has won 9 of 15 all-time meetings with Arizona in a series that dates all the way back to the 1951 NCAA Tournament. Six of K-State's 9 wins have come at home, as Arizona has a 5-2 record at home, including 4-1 at the McKale Center. The last K-State win in Tucson came on Dec. 6, 1980.

GAME 15
KANSAS STATE (9-5, 0-1 Big 12) AT 1/2 ARIZONA (14-0, 1-0 Big 12)
Wednesday, January 7, 2026 | 8:10 p.m., CT | McKale Center (14,688) | Tucson, Ariz.

TELEVISION
FS1 (online link)

Jason Benetti (play-by-play)
Bill Raftery (analyst)
Joe Williams (producer)

RADIO
K-State Sports Network
Flagships: // KMAN 1350 & WIBW 580
Satellite Radio: Ch. 392
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: 70-47/4th Year
Career Record: 72-47*/4th Year+
vs. Arizona: 1-0 (0-0 on the road)

Arizona: Tommy Lloyd (Whitman '98)
Record at Arizona: 126-33/5th Year
Career Record: 126-33/5th Year
vs. K-State: 0-1 (0-0 at home)

LAST GAME STARTERS:
K-State (9-5)
G: #4 P.J. Haggerty
G: #1 Abdi Bashir Jr.
G: #34 Nate Johnson
W: #15 Taj Manning
W: #21 Khamari McGriff

Arizona (14-0)
G: #0 Jaden Bradley
G: #5 Brayden Burries
G: #8 Ivan Kharchenkov
F: #10 Koa Peat
C: #13 Motiejus Krivas

SERIES HISTORY

Overall: K-State leads 9-6
In Tucson: Arizona leads 5-2
At McKale Center: Arizona leads 4-1
Active Streak: K-State, 1
First Meeting: K-State won 61-59 (3/21/1951)
Last Meeting: K-State won 73-70 (2/11/2025)
Jerome Tang vs. Tommy Lloyd: 1-0

A K-STATE WIN WOULD…

Be the 6th over a top-ranked team and the first since 2016.
Be the first over a top-ranked team on the road since 1994.
Give the Wildcats a 10-6 all-time edge in the series.
Snap a 2-game skid in Tucson and be the first since 1980.
Be the first in a Big 12 road opener since 2024.

LAST TIME OUT

Despite a valiant effort before a sold-out crowd, K-State could not overcome a poor shooting afternoon from 3-point range in an 83-73 loss to No. 10/10 BYU on Saturday afternoon in the Big 12 opener.
K-State, which entered the day 10th nationally in 3-point field goal percentage (39.9), was held to a season-low 14.3 percent (3-of-21) shooting from beyond the arc, including just 15.4 percent (2-of-13) in a first half in which the Wildcats fell down by 10 points at the half.
BYU (13-1, 1-0 Big 12) climbed out of an early 14-9 deficit with a 9-0 run midway through the first half then outscored K-State, 16-8, to enter halftime with a 45-35 lead. The Wildcats closed the deficit to single digits several times in the second half, including 47-41 at the first media
timeout at the 15:55 mark and 78-71 with 2:21 remaining, but each time the Cougars had an answer to maintain their lead.
Even though the Wildcats struggled from beyond the arc, they gave themselves a chance against the nationally-ranked Cougars, winners of 10 straight games, with 48 points in the paint, 17 points off turnovers and a special performance junior P.J. Haggerty, who finished with his best all-around effort of the season in his first Big 12 game.
The junior recorded his 10th game of the season with 20 or more points, tying freshman AJ Dybantsa with a game-high 24 points, to go with 7 rebounds, 6 assists and a season-high 4 steals in 36 minutes. He is now the first Wildcat since Jacob Pullen in 2009-10 to score in double figures in the first 14 games while leading the team in scoring 11 times.
Haggerty was joined in double figures by junior Abdi Bashir Jr., who was responsible for all 3 of the Wildcats' 3-pointers to finish with 16 points, along with sophomore David Castillo and senior Khamari McGriff, who finished with 13 and 12 points, respectively.
K-State is now 56-57 all-time in conference openers, including 38-22 at home and 12-7 at Bramlage Coliseum, with a 13-17 mark in the Big 12 era. The loss snapped a 3-game winning streak in Big 12 openers.

OFFENSE OFF TO A HOT START

K-State's offense is off to a hot start, as the Wildcats are averaging 87.4 points on 48.8 percent (439-of-899) shooting, including 38.5 percent (144-of-374) from 3-point range. They rank among the top-40 in 7 offensive categories, including 15^th in assists (19.3), 18^th in 3-point field goal percentage (38.5), 31^st in scoring offense, 36^th in fastbreak points (16.4) and 38th in 3-point field goals/game (10.3).
The Wildcats have scored 90 or more points in 7 of the first 14 games for the first time in school history, while they have two 100-point games for the just the fifth time. The 1223 points scored are the most through the first 14 games, surpassing the 1150 scored by the 2009-10 team.
Junior P.J. Haggerty is the nation's No. 3 scorer at 23.0 points per game, while he ranks seventh in total points (322) and ninth in field goals made (112). Fellow junior Abdi Bashir Jr. ranks in the top-10 in 3-point field goals/game (3.71/seventh), total 3-pointers (52/ninth) and 3-point field goal percentage (47.3/10th).

POINTS IN THE FIRST 14 GAMES
1223, 2025-26 (94, 98, 99, 84, 98, 85, 69, 66, 67, 108, 83, 106, 94, 73 points)
1169, 2009-10 (92, 82, 80, 74, 83, 70, 83, 86, 71, 95, 87, 90, 85, 91 points)
1147, 1997-98 (93, 89, 89, 71, 101, 90, 67, 76, 70, 87, 111, 64, 62, 77 points)
1141, 2008-09 (96, 88, 82, 69, 83, 72, 63, 70, 74, 107, 73, 82, 83, 99 points)
1137, 2007-08 (94, 76, 77, 77, 73, 82, 77, 59, 82, 87, 90, 101, 77, 85 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 14 games since Jacob Pullen in 2009-10, while his 322 points are the second-most by a player through the first 14 games and the most since Beasley's 340 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 9 of the first 14 games, including 6 of the last 7, 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 47.9 percent (67-of-140) from the field, including 36.8 percent (28-of-76) from 3-point range, and 80.0 percent (24-of-30) from the free throw line. He is second in 3-pointers (28) and fourth in assists (33).
Castillo has more than doubled his point total (77 to 186) from his freshman year, while also posting 9 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).

NOTES ON 1/2 ARIZONA

Led by fifth-year head coach Tommy Lloyd, No. 1/2 Arizona (14-0) is one of six remaining unbeaten teams in the country. The Wildcats are off to their best start since the 2013-14 season while beating teams by average of nearly 24 points per game. They have 5 wins over Top 25 opponents, including No. 3 Florida in the opener, No. 15 UCLA, No. 3 UConn on the road, No. 20 Auburn and No. Alabama.
Arizona is averaging 90.8 points on 52.1 percent shooting, including 37.8 percent from 3-point range, while allowing just 67.1 points on 39.7 percent shooting, including 32.9 percent from 3-point range. The Wildcats are out-rebounding their opponents, 43.6 to 29.1, and turn the ball over 12.5 times per game. They are shooting 73.2 percent from the free throw line.
Arizona ranks as one of the top offenses in the country, including 15th in scoring offense, 12th in field goal percentage, 17th in assists and seventh in scoring margin (+23.7). The Wildcats are also an elite rebounding team, ranking third in rebounding margin (+14.5) and seventh in rebounds/game.
The Wildcats are one of the most balanced teams in the country with six players averaging in double figures led by freshman sensation Koa Peat, who averages 14.4 points on 56.4 percent shooting with 5.4 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game. Senior Tobe Awaka averages a double-double off the bench with 10.1 points and a team-high 10.3 rebounds per game. Three players have 40 or more assists led by senior Jaden Bradley's team-best 64.
A longtime assistant to Mark Few at Gonzaga, Lloyd is in fifth season at Arizona with a 126-33 record, including 4 NCAA Tournament appearances and 3 trips (2022, 2024, 2025) to the Sweet 16.

SERIES HISTORY

This will be 16th meeting between K-State and Arizona with the Wildcats owning a 9-6 edge in a series that dates all the way back to the 1951 NCAA Tournament. K-State snapped a 3-game losing streak with a 73-70 win at home last season in the first matchup in Big 12 play.
Arizona owns a 5-2 advantage at home in the series, including an 88-69 win in the last meeting on Nov. 16, 1999.

LAST 5 MEETINGS [2-3]

Date	Rank	Result	Score	Location
12/9/1981	—/—	W	63-55	Manhattan
12/30/1997	—/6	L	87-125	Tucson
11/16/1999	—/10	L	69-88	Tucson
11/25/2014	—/3	L	68-72	Maui
2/11/2025	—/13	W	73-70	Manhattan^

^Big 12 game

LAST MEETING
K-STATE 73, 11/11 ARIZONA 70 (Feb. 11, 2025)

Junior Dug McDaniel scored a game-high 24 points, as K-State earned a 73-70 win over No. 13/13 Arizona in the last meeting on Feb. 11, 2025.
After Arizona ripped off a 10-2 run to take a 62-60 lead with 4:05 to play, McDaniel sparked 8 straight by K-State with back-to-back baskets. Arizona closed to 71-70 after a K.J. Lewis jumper with 7 seconds. Brendan Hausen knocked down 2 free throws to extend the lead to 73-70 with 6 seconds. However, senior Max Jones missed both free throws that would have sealed the game, but Arizona couldn't get a shot off before the horn sounded.

UP NEXT:
K-State will continue its 2-game road trip through the state of Arizona with a visit to Arizona State (9-5, 0-1 Big 12) on Saturday, Jan. 10 at 2 p.m., CT on Peacock. The Wildcats defeated the Sun Devils, 71-70, in Tempe last season in the first of 3 meetings.