Preview // K-State Plays BYU at Big 12 Tournament Tuesday

Tuesday, March 10

Kansas City

6 p.m. CT

Kansas State University

BYU

Preview // K-State Plays BYU at Big 12 Tournament Tuesday

Mar 09, 2026 | Men's Basketball

K-State Notes (.pdf)BYU Notes (.pdf)Tournament Bracket Watch [ESPN3]Listen Live [K-State Sports Network]Live Stats Program

The Wildcats and Cougars will meet for the first time at the tournament.

MANHATTAN, Kan. – K-State (12-19, 3-15 Big 12) makes the short trek to Kansas City to participate in the Phillips 66 Big 12 Tournament, where the 15-seed Wildcats will play 10-seed BYU (21-10, 9-9 Big 12) in the first round on Tuesday at the T-Mobile Center. Tip is set for 6:01 p.m., CT and will air on ESPN+ with Jon Sciambi, Fran Fraschilla and Angel Gray on the call. The winner will play 7-seed West Virginia.

K-State has a 39-46 all-time record in the Big Eight/12 Tournament dating back to 1977, including 19-28 in the Big 12 era (since 1997). The Wildcats are 21-15 in the first round, including 9-7 at the Big 12 Tournament. This is the first time as No. 15 seed, while the Wildcats are 2-0 all-time vs. the No. 10 seed, having defeated No. 10 seed Texas A&M in 1999 and No. 10 Baylor in 2002.

The matchup with BYU will be the fourth consecutive repeat opponents, as the schools met all the way back in the conference opener on Jan. 3 with the Cougars posting an 83-73 win. K-State made just 3 of 21 attempts (14.3 percent) from 3-point range but did give itself a fighting chance with 48 points in the paint and 17 points off turnovers. Junior P.J. Haggerty tied BYU's AJ Dybantsa with a game-high 24 points, while Haggerty added 7 rebounds, 6 assists and a season-high 4 steals.

This will be the first meeting between K-State and BYU at the Big 12 Tournament. The Cougars have won 4 of the last 6 matchups, but the Wildcats have won both games in the postseason with victories at the 1951 and 2010 NCAA Tournaments.

BYU snapped a 3-game losing streak with an 82-76 win over No. 10/10 Texas Tech on Saturday night in Provo to finish the regular season at 21-10 overall and 9-9 in Big 12 play. The Cougars are 3-5 since losing senior Richie Saunders to a season-ending injury on Feb. 14. However, they have one of the top scoring duos in the country in Big 12 Freshman of the Year AJ Dybantsa (24.7 ppg.) and All-Big 12 Third Team selection Robert Wright III (18.6 ppg.).

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 32
KANSAS STATE (12-19, 3-15 Big 12) vs. rv/rv BYU (21-10, 9-9 Big 12)
Tuesday, March 10, 2026 | 6:01 p.m. CT | T-Mobile Center (18,689) | Kansas City, Mo.
Phillips 66 Big 12 Tournament

TELEVISION
ESPN+ (online link)

Jon Sciambi (play-by-play)
Fran Fraschilla (analyst)
Angel Gray (reporter)
Joe McCoy (producer)

RADIO
K-State Sports Network
Flagships: // KMAN 1350 & WIBW 580
Satellite Radio: Ch. 138/198
Online: Varsity Network [free] / www.kstatesports.com/watch [free]

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

LIVE STATS
kstate.statbroadcast.com

COACHES
K-State: Matthew Driscoll [Slippery Rock '92]
Record at K-State: 2-4/1st Year
Career Record: 276-345/21st Year
vs. BYU: 0-0 (0-0 neutral site)

BYU: Kevin Young [Clayton State '04]
Record at BYU: 47-20/2nd year
Career Record: 47-20/2nd Year
vs. K-State: 2-0 (0-0 neutral site)

LAST GAME STARTERS:
K-State (12-19, 3-15 Big 12)
G: #4 P.J. Haggerty
G: #34 Nate Johnson
G: #10 David Castillo
W: #15 Taj Manning
W: #21 Khamari McGriff

BYU (21-10, 9-9 Big 12)
G: #1 Robert Wright III
G: #3 AJ Dybantsa
G: #30 Kennard Davis Jr.
F: #5 Mihailo Boskovic
F: #13 Keba Keita

BIG 12 TOURNAMENT HISTORY

Overall: 39-46 [21-15 in First Round]
Big 12 era: 19-28 [9-7 in First Round]
In Kansas City: 31-39 [12-16 at T-Mobile Center]
vs. BYU : First meeting
As a 15-seed: 0-0
vs. 10-seed: 2-0/2002 [last]

SERIES HISTORY

Overall: BYU leads 6-5
Big 12 era: BYU leads 3-1 (0-0 in postseason)
In Kansas City: K-State leads 1-0
At T-Mobile Center: First meeting
Active Streak: BYU, 2
Last Meeting: BYU won 83-73 (1/3/26)
Matthew Driscoll vs. Kevin Young: 0-0

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 57 games missed entering Tuesday's game vs. BYU.
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 12 Big 12 games with 3 or more players out and 15 Big 12 games with 2 or more players out.

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. 5 scorer nationally at 23.3 points per game, who also ranks first in field goals made (263), second in points (698), field goals attempted (534), 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.

LAST TIME OUT

Freshman Darryn Peterson and senior Tre White each posted 20-point games, as No. 14/15 Kansas shot nearly 60 percent from the field en route to 104-85 win over K-State in 305th edition of the Dillons Sunflower Showdown at Allen Fieldhouse.
With the win, the Jayhawks (22-9, 12-6 Big 12) extended their streak of winning Senior Day to 43 consecutive seasons, as they won their 20th straight over the Wildcats at home. They also clinched the No. 3 seed and a double-bye at the Phillips 66 Big 12 Tournament.
Peterson paced all scorers with 27 points on 10-of-15 shooting, while White added a double-double with 23 points and a game-high 11 rebounds, as the Jayhawks connected on 59.2 percent (42-of-71) from the field, including 76.7 percent (23-of-30) in the second half.
The 104 points were the most scored in the 305 all-time meetings.
Junior P.J. Haggerty and senior Nate Johnson paced four Wildcats in double figures with 21 points each. Haggerty tied the legendary Bob Boozer for second place on the single season list with his 22nd 20-point game of the season. Johnson, who posted double figures for the seventh consecutive game, tallied his fourth 20-point game of the season.
The pair were joined in double figures by senior Khamari McGriff, who had back-to-back double-digit scoring game for the first since mid-January with 17 points, and freshman Andrej Kostic, who posted his second double-digit scoring game vs. Kansas with 11 points.
The teams were nip and tuck in the first half before an 8-2 run before the third media timeout helped the Jayhawks build a 10-point lead that they extended to 13 (46-33) at the break.
An 11-4 run pulled K-State to within 58-47 with 14:35 remaining, but that would be closest it would get, as Kansas built the lead back to 20 points after a pair of free throws by Peterson then extended to as many as 30 (90-60) with just over 9 minutes left.

FAST-PACED OFFENSE

The Wildcats have shown the ability to score points this season, as they have recorded 80 or more points in 16 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 79.2 points on 45.7 percent shooting, including 35.9 percent from 3-point range. The scoring average is the third-highest in school history and the highest since 2009-10 (79.7 ppg.) with the school record (81.4 ppg.) coming in 1952-53. They rank among the top 35 in several categories, including 28th in fastbreak points (14.7) and 36th in assists (16.9).
The 2455 points are the second-most points through 31 games behind the 2480 in 2009-10 and ahead of the 2449 in 1987-88 and 2439 in 2007-08.

POINTS IN THE FIRST 31 GAMES
2480, 2009-10
2455, 2025-26
2449, 1987-88
2439, 2007-08

'CATS BREAK 3-POINT MARK

The Wildcats have set the school single-season record for 3-point field goals with 289, connecting on 35.9 percent. The 289 makes are 28 more than the previous record of 261 set during the 2021-22 season.
The 806 3-point attempts are also the most in a single season, surpassing 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 16 games of 80 or more points are the second-most in a single season behind the school-record 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. 698, P.J. Haggerty (2025-26; 29 games)
6. 691, Bob Boozer (1958-59; 27 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 BYU

Led by second-year head coach Kevin Young, BYU snapped a 3-game losing streak with an 82-76 win over No. 10/10 Texas Tech on Saturday night at home to finish at 21-10 overall and 9-9 in Big 12 play. The Cougars are 3-5 since losing senior Richie Saunders to a season-ending injury on Feb. 14 in an overtime win over Colorado.
BYU is averaging 84.3 points on 47.7 percent shooting, including 34.7 percent from 3-point range, while allowing 75.8 points on 44.2 percent shooting, including 35 percent from 3-point range. The Cougars are out-rebounding their opponents, 38.6 to 34.4, and turn the ball over 10.5 times per game. They are shooting 74.4 percent from the free throw line.
BYU has one of the most prolific offenses in the country, ranking 23rd in the nation and second in the Big 12 in scoring offense (84.3 pp.). They are also in the top-50 in field goal percentage (47.7), blocks/game (4.5) and fouls/game (15.7).
The Cougars are led by Big 12 Freshman of the Year and All-Big 12 First Team selection AJ Dybantsa, who is averaging 24.7 points on 51.2 percent shooting with 6.7 rebounds and 3.8 assists in 34.2 minutes per game. He is joined in double figures by All-Big 12 Third Team selection Robert Wright III (18.6 ppg.). Senior Keba Keita leads the Cougars in rebounding (7.1 rpg.) and blocks (50), while Wright is tops in assists (142).
A longtime NBA assistant coach, including Philadelphia and Phoenix, Young is in his second season as a head coach with a 47-20 record.

SERIES HISTORY

This will be 12th meeting with BYU holding a 6-5 edge in a series that dates all the way back to the 1951 NCAA Tournament. The Cougars have won 4 of the last 6 meetings, including an 83-73 win on Jan. 3 in Manhattan.
This will be the third postseason meeting with K-State winning games in the NCAA Tournament in 1951 and 2010.

LAST 5 MEETINGS [2-3]

Date	Rank	Result	Score	Location
3/20/2010	7/14	W	84-72	Oklahoma City
2/10/2024	—/21	L	66-72	Provo^
2/24/2024	—/25	W	84-74	Manhattan^
2/15/2025	—/—	L	65-80	Provo^
1/3/2026	—/10	L	73-83	Manhattan^

^Big 12 era

LAST MEETING
10/10 BYU 83, K-STATE 73 (Jan. 3, 2026)

Despite a valiant effort before a sold-out crowd at Bramlage Coliseum, K-State could not overcome a poor shooting afternoon from 3-point range in an 83-73 loss to No. 10/10 BYU in the last meeting on Jan. 3. The Wildcats shot just 14.3 percent (3-of-12) from beyond the arc.
Even though K-State struggled from 3, the Wildcats gave themselves a chance with 48 points in the paint, 17 points off turnovers and a special performance from junior P.J. Haggerty, who finished with his best all-around effort of the season with a game-tying 24 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists and a season-high 4 steals in 36 minutes.

UP NEXT
The winner of Tuesday's first-round matchup will face 7-seed West Virginia (18-13, 9-9 Big 12) in the second round on Wednesday night at 6 p.m., CT. The Wildcats split their 2 games with the Mountaineers, losing 59-54 in Morgantown on Jan. 27 before a 65-63 win in Manhattan on March 3. K-State is 0-2 vs. WVU in the tournament.