Preview // K-State Ends Regular Season at 14/15 Kansas Saturday

Saturday, March 7

Lawrence, KS

1 p.m. CT

Kansas State University

Kansas

Preview // K-State Ends Regular Season at 14/15 Kansas Saturday

Mar 06, 2026 | Men's Basketball

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The Wildcats and Jayhawks will meet for the 305th time.

MANHATTAN, Kan. – K-State (12-18, 3-14 Big 12) concludes the regular season on Saturday afternoon, as the Wildcats renew one of the oldest rivalries in men's college basketball when they travel to Lawrence, Kan., to take on archrival and No. 14/15 Kansas (21-8, 11-6 Big 12) at historic Allen Fieldhouse. Tip is set for 1:07 p.m., CT and will air nationally on CBS with Brad Nessler and Wally Szczerbiak on the call.

K-State has already clinched the No. 15 seed at the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship, where the Wildcats will face either BYU (20-10, 8-9 Big 12) or West Virginia (17-13, 8-9 Big 12) as the 10-seed.

This will be the 305th edition of the Dillons Sunflower Showdown, which is the eighth-most played series (304) in Division I as the schools have met every season since 1907. Kansas owns a 207-97 lead, which are the most victories against one opponent in Division I, with a 96-35 record at home and a 54-17 mark at Allen Fieldhouse. The Jayhawks are 28-1 in the series at home in the Big 12 era, including 19 consecutive wins. The last Wildcat win at Allen Fieldhouse came on Jan. 14, 2006.

The matchup with Kansas will be the third of 3 consecutive repeat opponents to end the regular season, as the Jayhawks emphatically ended a 3-game losing streak at Bramlage Coliseum with an 86-62 win on Jan. 24. The Wildcats trailed just 59-55 after a 3-pointer by P.J. Haggerty with 7:26 to play before things fell apart as the Jayhawks scored 8 straight points en route to ending the game on a 27-7 run. Haggerty led all scorers with a game-high 23 points.

No. 14/15 Kansas needs a win to earn the 4-seed and the double-bye at the Big 12 Tournament. The Jayhawks have lost 4 of their last 6 games, including back-to-back for the first time all season. However, they are 13-2 at home with their only losses coming to UConn and Cincinnati and have not lost a home finale since a 60-58 loss to Nebraska on March 2, 1983 - a mark that spans 42 seasons.

K-State made a coaching change on Feb. 15, parting ways with fourth-year coach Jerome Tang, who compiled a 71-57 record. Associate head coach Matthew Driscoll was named the interim head coach for the reminder of the season. Driscoll, who is in his first season at K-State, has extensive head coaching experience with 276 wins in 20 seasons as a head coach (LaRoche College and North Florida), including a school-record 248 in 16 years (2009-25) with Ospreys.

In snapping K-State's 6-game skid in the 90-74 win over Baylor on Feb. 17, Driscoll became just the second interim head coach in school history to win his debut and the first in nearly 20 years when Jimmy Elgas led the Wildcats to a 66-63 win over Iowa State on Feb. 8, 2006. His two wins are the second-most by an interim coach, as Darryl Winston went 5-10 in a similar role in 1984-85.

GAME 31
KANSAS STATE (12-18, 3-14 Big 12) at 14/15 KANSAS (21-9, 11-6 Big 12)
Saturday, March 7, 2026 | 1:07 p.m. CT | Allen Fieldhouse (15,300) | Lawrence, Kan.
Dillons Sunflower Showdown

TELEVISION
CBS Sports (online link)

Brad Nessler (play-by-play)
Wally Szczerbiak (analyst)
Ryan Galvin (producer)

RADIO
K-State Sports Network
Flagships: // KMAN 1350 & WIBW 580
Satellite Radio: Ch. 380
Online: Varsity Network [free] / www.kstatesports.com/watch [free]

Wyatt Thompson (play-by-play)
Stan Weber (lead analyst)

COACHES
K-State: Matthew Driscoll [Slippery Rock '92]
Record at K-State: 2-3/1st Year
Career Record: 276-344/21st Year
vs. Kansas: 0-0 (0-0 on the road)

Kansas: Bill Self [Oklahoma State '85]
Record at Kansas: 630-165/23rd year
Career Record: 837-270/33rd Year
vs. K-State: 43-9 (21-1 at home)

LAST GAME STARTERS:
K-State (12-18, 3-14 Big 12)
G: #34 Nate Johnson
G: #10 David Castillo
G: #3 C.J. Jones
W: #15 Taj Manning
W: #21 Khamari McGriff

14/15 Kansas (21-9, 11-6 Big 12)
G: #3 Tre White
G: #13 Melvin Council Jr.
G: #22 Darryn Peterson
F: #15 Bryson Tiller
F: #40 Flory Bidunga

SERIES HISTORY

Overall: Kansas leads 207-97
Big 12 era: Kansas leads 60-9 (50-9 in regular season)
In Lawrence: Kansas leads 96-35
At Allen Fieldhouse: Kansas leads 54-17
Active Streak: Kansas, 1
Last Meeting: Kansas won 86-62 (1/24/26)
Matthew Driscoll vs. Bill Self: 0-0

A K-STATE WIN WOULD…

End an 8-game road losing streak.
Snap a 19-game losing streak at Allen Fieldhouse.
Be the first in Lawrence since 2006.
Make the Wildcats 230-293 all-time in Big 12 play.
Give the Wildcats a 1769-1274 all-time record.

LAST TIME OUT

Seniors Khamari McGriff and Nate Johnson had memorable last games in Bramlage Coliseum, as the duo combined for 34 points to carry a K-State team playing without leading scoring P.J. Haggerty to a 65-63 win over West Virginia on Tuesday night.
Both seniors had memorable performances in their last home games, as McGriff had a game-tying 18 points on 6-of-9 field goals and 6-of-8 free throws to go with 7 rebounds and 2 blocks, while Johnson posted an impressive stat line of 16 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists and 5 steals.
Fellow senior C.J. Jones, who started in place of Haggerty, also performed well in his last game at Bramlage Coliseum, as he added 8 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists in a season-high 37 minutes. Junior Taj Manning and freshman Andrej Kostic chipped in 8 points each.
K-State, which built as much as a 19-point lead (57-38) on the strength of a season-best 21-0 run in the second half, had to fight off a staff challenge from West Virginia (17-13, 8-9 Big 12), which entered the game fighting for its NCAA Tournament lives.
The Mountaineers used an 11-0 run to close the deficit to 57-49 with 4:20 to play then continued to whittle away at the lead with 9 of the next 13 points to get within 61-58 with 48 seconds remaining. However, with a chance to tie, Jones stole the ball from senior Honor Huff before getting it to Johnson, who was fouled with 17.6 seconds remaining.
Johnson knocked down both free throws to extend the lead to 63-58. After a tip-in by graduate Chance Moore made it 63-60 with 7.7 seconds, McGriff was fouled on the inbounds pass and calmly hit both free throws to clinch the game at 65-60 with 7 seconds. Huff made a 3-pointer at the buzzer for the final margin of victory at 65-63.
K-State narrowly outshot WVU, 40.8 percent (20-of-49) to 39.3 percent (24-of-61), as the Wildcats won for the first time this season (1-14) when scoring less than 80 points. They also won the points off turnovers battle, 20-11, despite posting 3 more turnovers (16-13).

INJURIES TAKE TOLL

Injuries have played a major role in K-State's fortunes this season, as 7 players have lost time due to injury, totaling 54 games missed entering Saturday's game at No. 14/15 Kansas.
The Wildcats have played just one Big 12 game (at Arizona on Jan. 7) with their full allotment of players. They have played 7 Big 12 games with 4 players out due to injury (all in a row from Jan. 20-Feb. 14), while they have played 11 Big 12 games with 3 or more players out and 14 Big 12 games with 2 or more players out. Leading scorer P.J. Haggerty missed the West Virginia game and is questionable for Saturday.

DRISCOLL NAMED INTERIM HEAD COACH

Veteran head coach Matthew Driscoll was named interim head coach on Sunday night after the university parted ways with fourth-year head coach Jerome Tang. This is the first time K-State has relieved a sitting head coach with games still left in the regular season.
The winningest coach in both North Florida and Atlantic Sun Conference history during a 16-year stint (2009-25) with the Ospreys, Driscoll joined the staff on May 23. He won 248 games at North Florida, including 144 in ASUN play, while guiding the school to 3 regular-season championships and the league's tournament championship and a NCAA Tournament bid in 2015.
This is the fifth instance in school history where an interim head coach has been used to replace a sitting head coach. However, the previous four such scenarios involved health situations.
Assistant coach Darryl Winston served as interim head coach for the last 15 games of the 1984-85 season after Jack Hartman suffered a heart attack. Winston posted a 5-10 record and Hartman returned for the 1985-86 season.
Assistant coach Jimmy Elgas served as interim head coach for 2 games during the 2005-06 season after Jim Wooldridge underwent neck surgery, posting a 1-1 record. Wooldridge returned to coach the last 7 games.
Most recently, Bruce Weber missed 2 games during the 2021-22 season due to COVID-19 health and safety protocols with assistant coach Shane Southwell serving as interim head coach vs. Texas on Jan. 4, 2022 while assistant coach Jermaine Henderson served as interim coach at West Virginia on Jan. 8, 2022.

HAGGERTY ECLIPSES 2,000 CAREER POINTS

Junior P.J. Haggerty reached a person milestone at No. 3/3 Houston (2/14/26) last Saturday, as he became the fifth current Division I player to eclipse 2,000 career points, joining Gonzaga's Graham Ike, Indiana's Tucker DeVries, Oklahoma's Nijel Pack and SMU's Jaron Pierre Jr. The No. 4 scorer nationally at 23.5 points per game, who also ranks first in field goals made (246), second in points (659), field goals attempted (502), posted his 21st game of 20 or more points vs. Colorado (2/25/28), which is the most by a Wildcat in a single season since Michael Beasley had 26 in 2007-08.

FAST-PACED OFFENSE

The Wildcats have shown the ability to score points this season, as they have recorded 80 or more points in 15 games, which includes a school-record 8 games of 90 or more points and 2 games of 100 or more points.
The team is averaging 79.0 points on 45.7 percent shooting, including 35.8 percent from 3-point range. They are still on pace to post the highest field goal percentage since connecting on 48.4 percent in 1988-89. They rank among the top 35 in several categories, including 28th in fastbreak points (14.6) and 31st in assists (17.1).
The 2370 points are the fourth-most points through 30 games behind the 2397 in 2009-10, 2383 in 1987-88 and 2379 in 2007-08. The 79.0 points per game average is the third-highest in school history and highest since 2009-10.

POINTS IN THE FIRST 30 GAMES
2397, 2009-10 (92, 82, 80, 74, 83, 70, 83, 86, 71, 95, 87, 90, 85, 91, 68, 88, 87, 71, 69, 76, 79, 76, 79, 68, 91, 83, 83, 63, 65, 82)
2383, 1987-88 (95, 93, 73, 98, 81, 90, 60, 87, 72, 81, 62, 85, 114, 79, 68, 92, 78, 88, 64, 75, 87, 74, 76, 81, 67, 75, 90, 47, 69, 82)
2379, 2007-08 (94, 76, 77, 77, 73, 82, 77, 59, 82, 87, 90, 101, 77, 85, 84, 75, 72, 82, 84, 74, 74, 82, 75, 100, 64, 86, 65, 74, 78, 73)
2370, 2025-26 (94, 98, 99, 84, 98, 85, 69, 66, 67, 108, 83, 106, 94, 73, 76, 84, 73, 83, 81, 62, 54, 61, 82, 62, 64, 90, 72, 70, 68, 65)
2287, 2008-09 (96, 88, 82, 69, 83, 72, 63, 70, 74, 107, 73, 82, 83, 99, 53, 71, 51, 65, 77, 88, 85, 65, 65, 85, 74, 95, 50, 74, 77, 71)

'CATS BREAK 3-POINT MARK

The Wildcats have set the school single-season record for 3-point field goals with 281, connecting on 35.8 percent. The 281 makes are 20 more than the previous record of 261 set during the 2021-22 season. It marks the seventh time with 250 or more makes in a single season. The 784 3-point attempts are the second-most in a single season and 6 from the record of 790 set in 2023-24.

'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 90-POINT GAMES EVER

K-State's 8 games of 90 or more points, which includes a pair of 100-point performances, are the most by any Wildcat team, surpassing the 7 by the 1986-87 squad. The 15 games of 80 or more points tie the 1986-87 and 1988-89 teams for the second-most in a single season behind the 22 in 2009-10.

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

Junior P.J. Haggerty recorded his fifth 30-point game in the win over Baylor (2/17/26), which is the most since Michael Beasley had a school-record 13 in 2007-08. His 21 games of 20 or more points tie for third on the single season list and are the most since Beasley's record 26 in 2007-08. He is the first Wildcat to score in double digits in the first 29 games since Jacob Pullen in 2009-10.

SCHOOL SINGLE-SEASON POINTS
1. 866, Michael Beasley (2007-08; 33 games)
2. 786, Mitch Richmond (1987-88; 34 games)
3. 729, Askia Jones (1993-94; 33 games)
4. 715, Jacob Pullen (2009-10; 37 games)
5. 691, Bob Boozer (1958-59; 27 games)
6. 677, P.J. Haggerty (2025-26; 29 games)
7. 648, Willie Murrell (1963-64; 29 games)
8. 640, Chuckie Williams (1974-75; 29 games)
9. 633, Markquis Nowell (2022-23; 36 games)
10. 627, Keyontae Johnson (2022-23; 36 games)

HAGGERTY, JOHNSON BOTH SCORE 30

Junior P.J. Haggerty (34 points) and senior Nate Johnson (33 points) became the fifth Big 12 duo and the second this season to each record a 30-point game vs. Baylor (2/17/26). They are the first Wildcat duo to go for 30 or more points since Michael Beasley (44 points) and Bill Walker (31) accomplished the feat at Baylor on Feb. 23, 2008. The 67 combined points are the fourth-most by two Wildcats and the second-most by a duo at Bramlage Coliseum.

JOHNSON FIRST TO POST STAT LINE

In addition to his 33 points vs. Baylor (2/17/26), senior Nate Johnson also produced 9 assists, 6 steals and 5 rebounds in his near 39 minutes of action. He is the first Wildcat to record a stat line of at least 30 points, 9 assists and 6 steals and just the seventh Division I player according to Basketball Reference.

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.

NOTES ON 14/15 KANSAS

Led by Hall of Fame head coach Bill Self, No. 14/15 Kansas has lost 4 of its last 6 games, including both road games at No. 2/2 Arizona and Arizona State, to enter the regular-season finale with a 21-9 record, including an 11-6 mark. The Jayhawks can clinch a double-bye at next week's Big 12 Tournament with a win.
Kansas is averaging 75.6 points on 45.7 percent shooting, including 35.1 percent from 3-point range, while allowing 68.8 points on 38.5 percent shooting, including 29.8 percent from 3-point range. The Jayhawks are out-rebounding their foes, 38.6 to 36.6, and turn the ball over just 10.7 times per game. They are shooting 77.2 percent from the free throw line.
As been the case under Self, Kansas remains one of the top defensive teams in the nation, ranking fifth in field goal percentage defense (38.5), sixth in blocks/game (5.9), seventh in defensive rebounds/game (28.8) and 17th in 3-point field goal percentage defense (29.8). The Jayhawks also do without fouling, ranking 10th in fouls per game (14.4).
Four players are averaging in double figures led by freshman phenom Darryn Peterson, who is averaging 19.5 points on 44.5 percent shooting, including a team-high 52 made 3-pointers on 38.5 percent shooting. Senior Tre White averages 14.0 points on 46 percent shooting with 49 made 3-pointers to go with 6.8 rebounds per game. Sophomore Flory Bidunga averages a near double-double with 13.8 points on 63.7 percent shooting with 9.2 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game. Senior Melvin Council Jr. averages 13.3 points with a team-high 150 assists.
Self has won 837 games in his career, including a school-record 630 at Kansas. His teams have advanced to every NCAA Tournament since 1999, winning national championships in 2008 and 2022. He is 43-9 vs. K-State.

SERIES HISTORY

Kansas leads the series, 207-97, including 60-9 in the Big 12 era.
Kansas leads in games played in Lawrence, 96-35, including 54-17 at Allen Fieldhouse. The Jayhawks have won 19 straight in the series at home with the last Wildcat victory coming on Jan. 14, 2006.

LAST 5 MEETINGS IN LAWRENCE [0-5]

Date	Rank	Result	Score	Location
2/2/2021	—/23	L	51-74	Lawrence
2/22/2022	—/5	L	83-102	Lawrence
1/31/2023	7/8	L	78-90	Lawrence
3/5/2024	—/14	L	68-90	Lawrence
1/18/2025	—/9	L	74-84	Lawrence

LAST MEETING IN LAWRENCE
KANSAS 84, K-STATE 74 (Jan. 18, 2025)

K-State showed fight and resilience against a top 10 ranked Kansas team before a sold-out crowd at Allen Fieldhouse, but the Wildcats could not quite dig itself out of a double-digit deficit to start the game in falling 84-74 in the last matchup between the schools in Lawrence on Jan. 18, 2025.
The Jayhawks jumped out to a 14-0 lead as the Wildcats missed their first 7 field goals. The visitor closed to within 6 points on 3 occasions, including 72-66 with 4:01 to play, but could not close the gap any further.

UP NEXT:
K-State has already clinched the No. 15 seed at next week's Phillips 6 Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City, as the Wildcats play either BYU (20-10, 8-9 Big 12) or West Virginia (17-13, 8-9 Big 12) at 6 p.m., CT on Tuesday. K-State lost its only meeting with BYU, 83-73, on Jan. 3, while it split the season series with West Virginia.