Kansas State Wildcats stun No. 3 Iowa State in blowout. Takeaways from the upset win
No college basketball team may have improved more than Kansas State over the course of this season.
The Wildcats, who many left for dead after a dismal start, made that much clear as they pulled off an inconceivable upset against the Iowa State Cyclones 80-61 on Saturday at Hilton Coliseum.
This result is sure to turn some heads across the sport. It was the first time (ever) that a team with a losing record went on the road and defeated a top-5 team by my more than 15 points, according to ESPN research.
Only the most loyal of fans gave K-State a chance. Iowa State was ranked No. 3 nationally and entered the weekend on a home winning streak that spanned nearly two years. The Cyclones were favored by 16.5 points. But none of that fazed the Wildcats as they raced to a 19-point lead and held off a comeback attempt from the Cyclones for their most significant win of the season.
“You are starting to see guys really believe we can do this,” K-State guard Brendan Hausen said. “Life is all about ups and downs. It’s about how you respond in the toughest of times. You’re seeing that right now. So I’m very proud of my guys for coming out here tonight and building off these last few weeks. We are just staying together.”
K-State (10-11, 4-6 Big 12) still has a losing record. But it is on a three-game winning streak and is suddenly playing like a quality team. Iowa State (17-4, 7-3 Big 12), which had won its previous four conference home games by an average of 20.5 points, fell further behind Houston and Arizona in the league championship race with the loss.
What truly made this game hard to see coming was the fact that K-State was on a 15-game losing streak on the road dating back to last season while Iowa State was on a 29-game winning streak at home dating back to 2023.
“We haven’t won a road game in a while, and I took it personally as a coach,” Jerome Tang said. “I was thankful I had a team that took it personally also and gave us this opportunity.”
Dug McDaniel led the Wildcats to the win by scoring 20 points and sending out five assists. Coleman Hawkins added 17 points and seven rebounds. And several of their teammates came through with clutch plays in important moments.
K-State is next in action on Tuesday at Arizona State.
Until then, here are some takeaways on Saturday’s action:
Jerome Tang wisely navigated Dug McDaniel in foul trouble
No basketball coach ever wants to see his point guard pick up two fouls in the first half. Three can feel like a nightmare.
Unpleasant as it was, Jerome Tang had to navigate that kind of foul situation with McDaniel.
Tang showed trust in his point guard and let him continue to play with two fouls in the first half, but then disaster struck when he was whistled a third time just 14 minutes into the game.
“I was frustrated,” McDaniel said. “Because I definitely want to be out there in moments like that.”
What to do?
Tang made the difficult decision to send McDaniel to the bench for the rest of the half, even as Iowa State’s pressure defense made life difficult for secondary ball-handlers like CJ Jones, David Castillo and Brendan Hausen. They struggled with the ISU defense so much that it had to be tempting for Tang to roll the dice and put McDaniel back on the floor, even with three fouls.
But he wisely kept him on the bench and saved McDaniel for the second half.
K-State’s other guards rewarded their coach by overcoming a few shaky moments and delivering enough clutch moments late in the first half to take a 37-35 lead into the locker room.
McDaniel went on to play 33 minutes and score a team-high 20 points. And he didn’t commit another foul.
“My guys, they picked me up,” McDaniel said. “We didn’t lose the lead and they gave me a good starting point to go back in the second half from out of the locker room. My coaches just preached the next play and told me, ‘You’re fine. Don’t get no more (fouls).’ Then I just went out there and played smart.”
In the end, it didn’t matter that he piled up fouls in the first half. Both he and Tang deserve credit for that.
Coleman Hawkins lives for games like this
Some college basketball players save their best performances for home games.
Coleman Hawkins plays his best on the road ... in big-time environments.
This was a perfect environment him. Whenever the sellout crowd of 14,267 got its loudest, he did something to quiet them.
A few weeks after he nearly posted a triple-double against Kansas inside Allen Fieldhouse, Hawkins showed no fear as he scored 17 points, grabbed seven rebounds and sent out three assists in front a sellout crowd at Hilton Coliseum.
He fed off the crowd and made several big shots when his team needed him to.
The biggest of all came with 3:48 remaining when he drained a deep 3-pointer to give the Wildcats a 73-59 lead. The basket felt like a dagger, and he walked off the court with his head held high.
He hopes to play in more games like this before his college career is over.
“I love road games,” Hawkins said. “I like playing at home, but I really, truly love playing on the road in games like this, for moments like this. To see 14,000 people show up and probably only 100 people are cheering for us and the other 14,000 are cheering for the other team, and then to go beat somebody at their place is a really exciting feeling.”
K-State showed resolve after a bad start
For a few minutes, it looked like this game was going to go according to script.
Iowa State appeared on its way to a dominant victory in the early going, just as the big home crowd expected it to.
The Cyclones began the game by making their first five shots from beyond the arc as they raced to a 13-4 lead. Tang called a timeout to try and stop the run, but K-State fans had their doubts the Wildcats could climb out of the hole. They fell behind 14-0 at Kansas earlier this season and were unable to pull any closer than six.
It seems they used that experience to their advantage in this game. They fought back quickly and held a lead at halftime. Then they pulled ahead by 19 and never let the Cyclones truly make things interesting again.
A month ago, the Wildcats would not have been able to pull off that kind of turnaround.
But K-State showed resolve in this difficult road environment. That is yet another area in which they are improving.
This story was originally published February 1, 2025 at 3:46 PM with the headline "Kansas State Wildcats stun No. 3 Iowa State in blowout. Takeaways from the upset win."