Kansas State basketball desperate to carry momentum into West Virginia rematch
MANHATTAN — Happy as he was with Kansas State basketball's victory over No. 21-ranked Brigham Young, Tylor Perry cautioned Saturday that the Wildcats still have plenty of work to do.
By knocking off BYU in impressive fashion, 84-74, at Bramlage Coliseum, the Wildcats ended a three-game slide that had extended to seven losses in the previous eight outings. But with West Virginia coming to town on another short turnaround, they can't afford to take their foot off the gas.
K-State (16-11, 6-8 Big 12) and West Virginia (9-18, 4-10) square off at 6 p.m. Monday at Bramlage in another key game as the Wildcats try to claw their way back into the NCAA Tournament conversation.
"It's always nice to win. You hate the feeling of losing, and it runs through our whole team," said Perry, who had 16 points and five assists against BYU. "Coach has been preaching, and we talk a lot about being desperate, but it's time to do it.
Related: Kansas State basketball coach Jerome Tang keeps a positive outlook amid mounting losses
"We can say what we want to do, but at the end of the day we've got to go out there and show that's what we want to do. All the talking is done. We need a couple of more wins and that's what it's all about, and the biggest one is Monday. We don't have time for error."
K-State coach Jerome Tang has claimed all season that a 9-9 record should be good enough to earn the Wildcats the NCAA bid that they desire, but it's not an easy slog the rest of the way. After last-place West Virginia, they have back-to-back road games at Cincinnati and Kansas, then finish at home against second-place Iowa State.
Still, the fact that the Wildcats put together a complete game against a ranked BYU team was an important step.
"I feel like our mindset was different coming into this game," said junior forward Arthur Kaluma, who led the Wildcats with a career-high 28 points and 10 rebounds. "I mean, we've got to play like a desperate team, and the fact of the matter is that we are, so you're going to give everybody our best punch."
Related: Lack of scoring, not effort, sends Kansas State basketball to another disappointing loss
Now the Wildcats face a West Virginia team that they beat, 81-67, on Jan. 9 for their lone Big 12 road win. At the time, regulars RaeQuan Battle, Kerr Kriisa and Akok Akok had just become eligible, and starting center Jesse Edwards was injured.
But Tang was not interested in discussing the Mountaineers following the BYU game.
"We haven't even watched West Virginia," he said. "I watch basketball just because I'm a basketball junkie, and we've got these guys trying to stay focused. We're going to figure out West Virginia tonight and tomorrow."
Kaluma insisted that the Wildcats are indeed focused on the task at hand. But so are most teams at this time of year.
"By the time the season's coming to its close, that's when teams are really playing connected and playing their best basketball," he said. "And I feel like we've been through a lot of ups and downs, and I feel like that's going to help us come closer together and be a stronger team."Arne Green is based in Salina and covers Kansas State University sports for the Gannett network. He can be reached at agreen@gannett.com or on Twitter at @arnegreen.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas State basketball eager to build on BYU win against West Virgina
