West Virginia Mountaineers at Kansas State Wildcats
· Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship - 1st Round
West Virginia beats Kansas State in Big 12 tournament opener
West Virginia (16-16) advances to play top-seeded Kansas on Thursday. The Mountaineers lost at Kansas 85-59 in January and again at home 71-58 about a month later.
Neither team led by more than nine points in this one.
McNeil scored four points during a 10-2 run that gave West Virginia a 69-60 lead with 3:29 left. Curry and Taz Sherman made 3-pointers on consecutive possessions during the run.
Kansas State only made two of its final 10 field goals. West Virginia shot 52.8% for the game.
McNeil reached 20-plus points for the third time this season, going 7 of 10 from the field against the Wildcats. The Mountaineers won their second straight game following a seven-game losing streak.
Nijel Pack led Kansas State (14-17) with 18 points. Mark Smith added 17 points and Ismael Massoud had 13. Kansas State's reserves were outscored 29-5.
It was the only Big 12 tournament game of the day as the event was reduced to nine teams because Oklahoma State was placed on one-year NCAA probation and is not eligible to participate in this year’s NCAA Tournament.
How can I watch West Virginia vs. Kansas State?
Recent Plays
| 2nd 0:00 | End of Game | 73 - 67 |
| 2nd 0:10 | West Virginia Defensive Rebound. | 73 - 67 |
| 2nd 0:10 | Selton Miguel missed Three Point Jumper. | 73 - 67 |
| 2nd 0:13 | Nijel Pack Defensive Rebound. | 73 - 67 |
| 2nd 0:13 | Pauly Paulicap missed Free Throw. | 73 - 67 |
Statistics
 WVU |
 KSU |
|
|---|---|---|
| 28-53 | FG | 23-55 |
| 53 | Field Goal % | 42 |
| 6-16 | 3PT | 11-30 |
| 38 | Three Point % | 37 |
| 11-14 | FT | 10-12 |
| 79 | Free Throw % | 83 |
| 33 | Rebounds | 28 |
| 6 | Offensive Rebounds | 6 |
| 27 | Defensive Rebounds | 22 |
| 13 | Assists | 9 |
| 9 | Steals | 8 |
| 5 | Blocks | 2 |
| 14 | Turnovers | 15 |
| 1 | Team Turnovers | 1 |
| 14 | Total Turnovers | 15 |
| 0 | Technical Fouls | 0 |
| 0 | Total Technical Fouls | 0 |
| 0 | Flagrant Fouls | 0 |
| 0 | Points Off Turnovers | 0 |
| 0 | Fast Break Points | 0 |
| 34 | Points in Paint | 22 |
| 13 | Fouls | 15 |
| 9 | Largest Lead | 1 |
Game Information
Location: Kansas City, MO
Attendance: 15,295 | Capacity:
2025-26 Big 12 Conference Standings
| TEAM | CONF | GB | OVER |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | 15-2 | - | 28-2 |
| Houston | 12-4 | 2.5 | 24-5 |
| Texas Tech | 12-5 | 3 | 22-8 |
| Iowa State | 11-6 | 4 | 24-6 |
| Kansas | 11-6 | 4 | 21-9 |
| TCU | 10-7 | 5 | 20-10 |
| UCF | 9-8 | 6 | 20-9 |
| Cincinnati | 9-8 | 6 | 17-13 |
| BYU | 8-9 | 7 | 20-10 |
| West Virginia | 8-9 | 7 | 17-13 |
| Colorado | 7-10 | 8 | 17-13 |
| Arizona State | 7-10 | 8 | 16-14 |
| Oklahoma State | 6-11 | 9 | 18-12 |
| Baylor | 5-11 | 9.5 | 15-14 |
| Kansas State | 3-14 | 12 | 12-18 |
| Utah | 2-15 | 13 | 10-20 |