Kansas State hung around and led at various times in the 8 vs. 9 play-in contest to open the Big 12 Tournament, but fell 73-67 to West Virginia Wednesday night at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City.
The Mountaineers (16-16, 4-14 Big 12) will prepare to play top-seeded Kansas tomorrow. Kansas State (14-17, 6-12) will prepare for an uncertain future after a third straight losing season. Three years removed—to the day—from a Big 12 regular season championship, the Wildcats can only wonder how they so thoroughly squandered what should have been a springboard to the next wave of successful basketball.