Following a 12-day winter break, Kansas State will return to the court Tuesday for its last nonconference game of the season, welcoming Chicago State to Manhattan, Kan.
K-State leads the all-time series 2-0, with the last victory coming in 2009 (99-68).
Kansas State (9-3) closed the 2023 portion of its schedule with a 69-60 over Wichita State on Dec. 21 in Kansas City.
The Wildcats used a 15-5 run early in the second half, turning a 36-35 lead into a 51-40 advantage with just under 12 minutes remaining. Four different Wildcats contributed points during the run, including five points from Tylor Perry, four points from David N’Guessan and three each from Cam Carter and Arthur Kaluma.
“It’s the game before Christmas, (so) you just wonder if they’re already home for Christmas,” Wildcats coach Jerome Tang said. “We set the tone for the game and in the second half that really helped us.
“We are really grateful for a win before Christmas, because we say, ‘Everybody has Christmas but the difference between Christmas and a Merry Christmas is a win.'”
Carter (16.3), Perry (15.8) and Kaluma (15.3) lead a balanced scoring attack.
Chicago State (7-12) will face its third Power 6 opponent after splitting a pair of games against Big 10 foes Northwestern (a 75-73 road victory) and Wisconsin (an 80-53 road loss). The Cougars will travel to Oklahoma State for their next game Wednesday.
The Dec. 13 victory over Northwestern was historic. The Cougars came in 0-15 all-time against the Wildcats and 0-64 all-time against current members of the Big Ten. The Cougars were a 24-point underdog.
Chicago State was 0-39 all-time against ranked teams. Then-No. 25 Northwestern, which had just entered the AP Top 25, was looking for its first home win as a ranked team since 1959.
“Probably one of the biggest wins in the state of Illinois history,” Cougars coach Gerald Gillion said after the victory. “For Chicago State, not even a question.”
Chicago State is led by Wesley Cardet Jr. (18.8 points per game) and Jahsean Corbett (13.1 points, 7.1 rebounds per game).
–Field Level Media