Sunflower Showdown headlines big week in K-State Sports

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Many teams play this week in Kansas State sports, highlighted on Tuesday when the men's basketball team takes on Kansas in the Sunflower Showdown. (Infographic by Kaylie Mclaughlin | Collegian Media Group)

MEN’S BASKETBALL

The men’s basketball team looks to pull off what could be one of the biggest upsets in 2021 on Tuesday night as they face No. 23 Kansas in Lawrence. Kansas State comes into the matchup in a low place with Bruce Weber’s team on an eight-game losing skid and a 5-13 record overall.

KU, however, isn’t having a great year either by the Jayhawks’ standards. The team comes barely above .500 in the Big 12 Conference at 5-4 and also comes off of a 19-point loss to Tennessee.

Both teams look for a big morale boost with a win on Tuesday night. Tip-off for the 294th Sunflower Showdown is set for 7 p.m.

After meeting with their in-state rivals on Tuesday, the Wildcats will return home on Saturday afternoon, taking on another top 25 opponent in No. 13 Texas Tech at 3 p.m. The Red Raiders sit at 12-5 on the year and 4-4 in the Big 12.

One of the four teams in the Big 12 ranked in the top 15, the Red Raiders travel to Norman, Oklahoma, on Monday night to battle No.9 Oklahoma before heading to Manhattan on Saturday. Both games will air live on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ with live audio available through the K-State Sports Network.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

The women’s basketball team also has their own opportunity to take down Texas Tech this week on Wednesday, traveling to Lubbock, Texas, for a 6 p.m. tip-off with the Red Raiders. Sitting dead last in the Big 12 Conference with a 5-9 overall record and a winless record in the Big 12, things are less than ideal for the women on the court as well.

This is the first meeting between the Red Raiders and the Wildcats this season as Texas Tech sits just two spots ahead of K-State in the Big 12 poll with a record of 8-9 and a 3-8 record in the Big 12. Both teams look to break losing streaks as the Wildcats currently sit on a seven-game skid, while the Red Raiders are on a three-game skid.

After traveling to Texas, the Wildcats return home on Sunday to welcome in another team from Texas — and quite possibly their tallest task yet — No. 8 Baylor. The Bears sit at 12-2 on the season and 7-1 in the Big 12, putting them at the top of the Big 12 polls.

The Wildcats are the Bear’s second test this week from the state of Kansas as KU visits Baylor on Thursday before the Bears make the drive to Manhattan. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. Sunday at Bramlage Coliseum.

Both games will air live on Big 12 Now on ESPN+, with live audio coming through the K-State Sports Network.

MEN’S GOLF

The men’s golf team is back in tournament action for the first time in almost four months at the Thomas Sharkey Individual Collegiate in Statesboro, Georgia. Hosted at the Georgia Southern University Golf course, the tournament finishes up on Monday afternoon after teams competed on Sunday to open up the tournament.

WOMEN’S GOLF

Also in action this week is the women’s golf team. The golf crew tees off in Dallas, Texas, in the Trinity Forest Invitational on Monday and Tuesday. Like the men, this is the first time the team golfs in a tournament in months.

The outing is hosted by the SMU women’s golf team at the Trinity Forest Golf Club in Dallas, Texas.

TRACK AND FIELD

The K-State track and field team has found plenty of success already this season and looks to continue the trend in the next meet on Friday. The Wildcats travel to Fayetteville, Arkansas, to compete in the Arkansas Invitational.

Competing inside the Randal Tyson Track Center, competitors and coaches are allowed inside at 9:30 a.m., with events beginning afterward. Results are available on FlashResults.com.

TENNIS

After falling 7-0 at Arkansas on Sunday, the K-State tennis team looks to get back on track this week, visiting Arizona State on Sunday afternoon.

This is the third year in a row the Wildcats visited Tempe, Arizona, and the first time in those three years K-State visited for just a dual match with the Sun Devils.

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