Mark Kern sports editor
Coming off a tough victory in their first road game of the season, the Wildcat men’s basketball team will see a familiar foe coaching on the other bench tonight in West Virginia coach Bob Huggins. Huggins coached at K-State during the 2006-2007 season.
Head coach Frank Martin talked about the influence that Huggins had on him.
“He’s an incredible human being. He’s a big part of my personal success,” Martin said.
West Virginia (4-2) is coming off a loss to No. 21 Mississippi State. The Mountaineers were led by Kevin Jones, who had 14 points and nine rebounds in Saturday’s loss. So far in the season, the Mountaineers have not been shooting the basketball and that has been one of the main reasons the the team has struggled early. Even though West Virginia is not off to a great start, Martin knows they will present a huge challenge.
“They’ve got a team of young pups,” he said, “but they’ve also got three guys that have played in the Final Four.”
K-State (5-0) defeated the Virginia Tech Hokies last Sunday 69-61. Senior Jamar Samuels led the Wildcats with 17 points and 14 rebounds. Samuels, the reigning Big 12 Conference player of the week, is ready for the matchup against the Mountaineers.
“It’s definitely a rivalry now.” Samuels said. “It’s going to be a very exciting game on Thursday.”
The game could indeed be the start of a rivalry as West Virginia will be joining the Big 12 in the future.
The Wildcats will look to keep their undefeated start as they play in the first game of the Wichita Wildcat Classic. The game will take place at 8 tonight in Wichita at the INTRUST Bank Arena.