Kansas State basketball returns home to face another Big 12 co-leader in Baylor
MANHATTAN — Kansas State's basketball team is going from the frying pan into the fire, which given the weather forecast might not be a bad thing.
The Wildcats, who are coming off a heartbreaking 60-59 loss Saturday at Texas Tech, draw the only other team without a Big 12 loss when No. 14-ranked Baylor visits Bramlage Coliseum at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
Baylor (14-2, 3-0 Big 12) survived a scare from Cincinnati at home Saturday, 62-59, for its fifth straight victory. The Bears also have won at Oklahoma State in overtime and beaten Brigham Young at home in conference play.
K-State (12-4, 2-1) led Texas Tech by eight points with just over three minutes left before being outscored 11-2 down the stretch by the Red Raiders in suffering its first league loss. The Wildcats had a final possession with a chance to win, but Tylor Perry's jumper in the lane with the clock winding down missed the mark.
Related: Kansas State basketball recap vs. Texas Tech: Wildcats drop 60-59 heartbreaker in Lubbock
"I like the direction our team is headed in," K-State coach Jerome Tang said in a postgame radio interview. "This is the Big 12, right, and it's hard to win on the road, and to give yourself a chance to do it, that's a great thing, and now we've got to build on this."
Tang then appealed to K-State fans to brave the cold — the forecast calls for a high of 17 degrees Tuesday in Manhattan — and show up for the game.
"What we need is a home court advantage," he said. "We need the Octagon of Doom rocking on Tuesday. We've got a really good Baylor team coming in, and I normally don't know who the team we're playing ahead, but I know this one.
"And so, we need our students, we need all of our alumni, everyone. If you have a ticket, I need your behind in the seats and loud, because it makes a difference."
Tang is familiar with Baylor, having spent 19 years as an assistant to Bears coach Scott Drew before coming to K-State last season.
Baylor is led in scoring by freshman guard Ja'Kobe Walter with 15.3 points per game and senior RayJ Dennis with 13.8 points and 6.3 assists. For K-State, Cam Carter averages 16.6 points, Perry 15.1, and Arthur Kaluma 14.9.
Related: Kansas State basketball coach Jerome Tang not surprised by Texas Tech's fast start
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 back at Bramlage for Big 12 game vs. Baylor
