Kansas State hopes to schedule future basketball game at Wichita’s Intrust Bank Arena
Shortly after Kansas State played its first basketball game at Intrust Bank Arena, the Wildcats said they enjoyed the experience so much that they vowed to return to Wichita on a regular basis.
That was in 2011, and K-State made good on its promise by lining up games there against West Virginia, Gonzaga, Colorado State and Tulsa over a span of six seasons. But the Wildcats haven’t been back to Wichita since that streak ended in 2017.
Instead, they have focused their neutral-court scheduling efforts on Kansas City’s Sprint Center, where they have played Vanderbilt and Saint Louis the past two seasons and will also play Nebraska next season. After that, they will return to the arena for a fourth-consecutive season in 2021 for the CBE Hall of Fame Classic tournament along with Arkansas, Cincinnati and Illinois.
It’s fair to wonder if playing nonconference games in Wichita is still a priority for K-State.
“It is definitely something we are still looking at,” K-State basketball coach Bruce Weber said. “We haven’t forgotten about Wichita. We want to play there every few years and we will try to get back there and play another game soon.”
Weber has a target date in mind.
He said the Wildcats are working to schedule another Wichita game around Christmas in 2021, and they have already approached a few teams about the possibility.
“Wichita is going to get back in the rotation,” Weber said. “Our goal is to play a game there the same year we go to Kansas City for the CBE tournament. That’s the ideal year to go back, because it gives us a chance to play in front of our fans in both Kansas City and Wichita. We are working to get a game there. Hopefully that is around the corner.”
K-State has a 2-2 record playing neutral-court games in Wichita under Weber and former coach Frank Martin. A capacity crowd watched West Virginia edge past the Wildcats 85-80 in double overtime in the first matchup. Then K-State defeated Gonzaga and Colorado State at Intrust Bank Arena before falling to Tulsa three years ago.
Another K-State game in Wichita would be welcomed by Intrust Bank Arena, which typically also hosts a Wichita State nonconference game each season.
It might make sense for K-State and Wichita State to play a game there, but that is unlikely to happen anytime soon. Weber said he reached out to the Shockers about scheduling a series two years ago, but they declined the offer.
Then, in February, Wichita State athletic director Darron Boatright told the Eagle that the Shockers were willing to play the Wildcats in a balanced scheduling scenario but it wasn’t going to happen because K-State had no interest in actually playing the games.
For now, it seems like both teams are willing to play games at Intrust Bank Arena. Just not against each other.
K-State is currently putting the finishing touches on its nonconference schedule for the upcoming 2020-21 season. After that is finalized, the Wildcats will put more effort into their 2021-22 schedule, which they hope will feature another game in Wichita.
This story was originally published June 10, 2020 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Kansas State hopes to schedule future basketball game at Wichita’s Intrust Bank Arena."