Baylor is next for K-State, which has had success vs. highly ranked teams under Weber
Kansas State’s next basketball game will be a daunting challenge.
The Wildcats will play No. 1 Baylor on Monday at Bramlage Coliseum two days after a difficult 66-57 road loss against No. 12 West Virginia. Not only will they need to play their best to challenge the Bears, they will have to do so on a quick turnaround with little time to prepare for a talented opponent.
“It’s a challenge, but it’s a fun challenge,” K-State coach Bruce Weber said. “You come to college basketball and the Big 12 to play some of the top teams in the country. It just so happens that we had No. 12 (Saturday) and No. 1 on Monday. Not an easy task, but we are at home. Hopefully we come out with some energy and fight.”
The Wildcats have no reason to be intimidated by the Bears. Sure, Scott Drew’s team has won 18 straight games and surged to the top of the national polls behind star guards Macio Teague and Jared Butler, but K-State has performed well against highly ranked teams in the past.
Weber has guided K-State to nine victories over top 10 opponents since he was hired in 2012, including a victory over No. 1 Oklahoma in 2016 and a win over No. 2 Baylor the following year.
Highly ranked teams have regularly showed up on K-State’s schedule in recent years, with Weber coaching 28 games against top 10 competition. With a record of 9-19, he has pulled off a win, on average, in nearly one out of every three tries.
He also has a 9-6 record against Baylor.
K-State will try to use that history to its advantage this time around.
“All you can do is talk about preparation and understanding that it is going to be a fight and a grind,” Weber said. “Also understanding why we have been able to beat Baylor, because we have out-toughed them. Scott doesn’t get the credit for whatever reason, he does a really good job coaching and his teams are tough.”
K-State’s older players were there when the Wildcats knocked off Baylor twice as a top 10 opponent in 2017 and when they defeated No. 4 Oklahoma two years ago. But this will be a new experience for junior-college transfer David Sloan and the team’s freshmen.
They have already tried to learn all they can from their teammates.
“I think that emotion will be very high,” Sloan said. “The atmosphere will be very crazy. We are playing against the No. 1 team in the country and I think our fans will definitely help us out. Everyone is going to be pumped to play. It would be very exciting to beat them, just because they are the No. 1 team in the country.”
But the Wildcats know it will also take sharp execution to beat the Bears. They are a difficult opponent under any circumstance.
“We will have the same emotions as always,” Montavious Murphy said. “West Virginia is ranked high and Baylor is also ranked high. We just have to come out there and compete and give ourselves a chance to win. I am confident that we will. We are a competitive team. If people don’t understand that they are going to see it Monday.”
This story was originally published February 2, 2020 at 11:00 AM with the headline "Baylor is next for K-State, which has had success vs. highly ranked teams under Weber."