Arizona might have the best college basketball program in the country right now, and it showed that it is a few tiers above Kansas State.
K-State had no answers in a 101-76 loss to Arizona on Wednesday, Jan. 7, at the McKale Center in Tucson, Arizona.
Arizona (15-0, 2-0 Big 12), ranked No. 1 by the Associated Press and No. 2 in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll, was never challenged by Kansas State, never allowing it to take a lead while building its lead up to as many as 29.
Kansas State (9-6, 0-2 Big 12) showed it is nowhere near the country’s elite programs, while Arizona looks like a true national championship contender. K-State showed some fight in the second half, but Arizona remained in control.
Arizona basketball showed why it might be nation’s best
Arizona might have the best frontcourt in the country, and it took advantage of Kansas State’s weaknesses in the post in a big way.
Kansas State tried to use bigger lineups, but it didn’t take long for it to get into foul trouble. At the same time, Arizona still got what it wanted in the post, while also dominating the boards as it’s done all season. This helped Arizona take control in the first half, and it never relinquished control.
Arizona, one of the best rebounding teams in the country, had a 55-32 advantage on the boards and outscored K-State 56-36 in the paint.
At the same time, Brayden Burries, a 6-foot-4 guard, did whatever he wanted against K-State. He scored 28 points on 12-of-16 shooting, with nine rebounds. Big man Motiejus Krivas scored 25 points with 12 rebounds. Koa Peat scored 15 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Tobe Awaka finished with eight points and 11 rebounds.
Kansas State at least showed some fight in the second half
Kansas State could have thrown up the white flag after how poor it looked in the first half, but it showed some life and even brought the game within single digits.
PJ Haggerty helped K-State get back on track, scoring five points in the first four minutes of the second half before Nate Johnson made a 3 with 16:11 left to make it a nine-point game.
Kansas State never seriously challenged to make it a game, while Arizona eventually rebuilt its lead, but the pair of 3’s that 7-footer Dorin Buca made in his 12-point performance were fun.
Kansas State finished the game shooting 33.8%, and was led by Haggerty’s 19 points on 8 of 20 shooting.
Arizona State is up next for Kansas State
At least Kansas State won’t have to see Arizona again, unless the two were to meet in the Big 12 Tournament.
Arizona State, on the other hand, isn’t as strong as its in-state rival. The winner of Saturday’s game will have their first Big 12 victory, with the Sun Devils coming off losses to Colorado and BYU. Arizona State hasn’t won since Dec. 13, when it beat Santa Clara, and is 9-6 overall and 0-2 in the Big 12 to start the season.
Wyatt D. Wheeler covers Kansas State athletics for the USA TODAY Network and Topeka Capital-Journal. You can follow him on X at @WyattWheeler_, contact him at 417-371-6987 or email him at wwheeler@usatodayco.com