MANHATTAN — If you want to snap a four-game losing streak, all you have to do is schedule Mississippi Valley State.
Kansas State found that out with its 108-49 win over the Delta Devils on Monday, Dec. 8, at Bramlage Coliseum. MVSU entered the game ranked as the worst Division I basketball team in the nation, according to multiple metric rankings.
Advertisement
There was some good to come from it for Kansas State (6-4), which saw PJ Haggerty bust out of a little slump and the defense shut down the Delta Devils’ offense. Still, a big grain of salt should be taken, while Kansas State looks ahead to tougher competition for the remainder of the season, starting on Saturday, Dec. 13, with K-State’s trip to Creighton.
Here’s what we took away from Kansas State’s sixth win of the season.
PJ Haggerty ended a slight slump while getting shots to fall
Haggerty looked like he was on his way to more All-American honors through the Wildcats’ first six games of the season, but teams have found a way to slow him down over the last three games. He used the Wildcats’ game against MVSU to bounce back, while hoping it carries over into future games.
Advertisement
Haggerty finished the game with 28 points on 11 of 14 shooting and was 5-for-6 from deep.
Mississippi Valley was as bad as advertised
The Delta Devils weren’t good and lived up to their low rankings. MVSU had open shots available, but struggled mightily to knock down shots. At the same time, Kansas State’s size contributed to a dominant performance in the paint and on the boards.
Mississippi Valley State finished the game shooting 25.8% from the field. This was a glorified practice.
Elias Rapieque returned to Kansas State’s starting lineup
Rapieque started six games for the Wildcats after coming off the bench in their season opener. He came off the bench in the Wildcats’ last two games and didn’t score a point, and only grabbed one rebound.
Advertisement
Rapieque returned to the starting lineup against the Delta Devils, with David Castillo being the sixth man. Rapieque finished the game with five points, six rebounds and five assists.
Andrej Kostic saw minimal action for Kansas State
Jerome Tang continues to leave Andrej Kostic on the bench, but he saw minimal action for the Wildcats after he sat out the last two. Kostic checked in for the first time when the Wildcats were leading 79-32 with 11:27 left in the game.
When asked about Kostic’s absence after the Wildcats’ loss to Seton Hall on Dec. 6, Tang said it was a “coach’s decision” and didn’t expand.
Advertisement
Kostic’s usage is notable, given that he was labeled one of the Wildcats’ prized offseason additions. He reportedly has a $2.5 million NIL deal to play for the Wildcats.
Creighton is up next for Kansas State basketball
The Wildcats will hit the road to play Creighton in Omaha, Nebraska, on Saturday.
The Bluejays have played a tougher schedule, losing to Baylor and Iowa State in the Players Era Tournament in Las Vegas. They’ll be coming off a Dec. 7 loss at Nebraska, in which they lost 71-50. The Wildcats lost 86-85 to Nebraska on Nov. 21 in Kansas City.
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
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas State basketball vs MVSU takeaways as Wildcats bounce back
