Shake-up: Kansas State upsets top-ranked Oklahoma, 80-69
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) -- Kansas State coach Bruce Weber was so confident his team would beat top-ranked Oklahoma that he had his team practice what to do when fans stormed the court.
Weber should have let the fans in on the plan.
Led by Wesley Iwundu and Dean Wade, the Wildcats overcame a slow start to each half and beat the Sooners 80-69 on Saturday night. But when the final seconds ticked away and Weber's bunch jogged to the safety of center court, they were startled to see all those fans celebrating in the stands.
"I'm not sure what happened!" Weber said with a smile.
Maybe they expected it, too.
They certainly acted as if they had been there, even though it was the fifth time in school history that Kansas State had knocked off the nation's No. 1 team.
"That's the best team in the country and we just beat them," said Iwundu, who had 22 points. "We have every reason to hold our heads up high right now."
Wade finished with 17 points, D.J. Johnson had 12 and Justin Edwards scored 11 for Kansas State (14-9, 3-7 Big 12), which snapped the Sooners' four-game win streak in part by holding Buddy Hield in check.
The player of the year front-runner had 23 points, but a big chunk came in the final minutes, when the Sooners (19-3, 7-3) were desperately trying to rally against a team that wouldn't budge.
"We got beat by a club that out-fought us," Oklahoma coach Lon Kruger said. "They were more energetic to loose balls and more active and I thought all night long they were a little quicker."
Ryan Spangler had 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Sooners, and Isaiah Cousins scored 16 points before fouling out. Cousins picked up a personal in the closing minutes -- his fourth -- and then kicked the ball into the stands in frustration for a technical foul and a seat on the bench.
It was that kind of game for Oklahoma.
Hield was just 7 of 16 from the floor, and didn't attempt a free throw until there was about seven minutes left. Fellow guard Jordan Woodard went 0 for 5 and failed to score, and forwards Dante Buford and Khadeem Lattin were plagued by foul trouble.
"If you don't play well, get out-fought, you're not going to win in the Big 12," Kruger said.
The start of the game hardly provided any indication of the result.
Kansas State started in about the worst shape possible, turning the ball over four times without getting up a shot. And when it finally did, it was an air ball from 18 feet.
Oklahoma took advantage by scoring the game's first nine points, but was unable to deliver a knockout blow, and eventually Kansas State started fighting back.
Wade was the instigator, hitting a couple of 3-pointers and scoring 10 first-half points. But everybody else got into the act, too: Edwards converted a three-point play just before halftime, and a thunderous dunk by Iwundu a moment later gave Kansas State a 38-32 advantage.
By that point, Hield was so frustrated that he was barking at officials for fouls. The senior guard, averaging 25.8 points, was held to just six on 2-for-7 shooting in the first half.
Kansas State got off to a similarly poor start in the second half, turning it over twice and missing four of its first five shots, only to find its rhythm again. The hustling Wildcats tracked down every loose ball, and slowly turned a 45-41 deficit into a 58-50 lead.
Hield and the Wildcats then began matching each other blow for blow, with the plucky underdogs maintaining their cushion even when the talented guard began getting to the rim for easy layups.
Iwundu and Wade were there for big buckets down the stretch, and a team missing point guard Kamau Stokes because of an injury held its poise until the final buzzer.
"I was waiting for them to storm and they didn't," Weber said, "but that's fine."
SMALL WORLD
The last time Kansas State played No. 1 Oklahoma at home was on Feb. 1, 1989, when Kruger was the coach of the Wildcats. He came out on the losing then, too. The Sooners won, 90-82.
TIP-INS
Oklahoma: Lattin finished with six points and two rebounds. ... Hield finished 0-4 in his career at Kansas State. ... The Sooners have not won at Bramlage Coliseum since 2012.
Kansas State: Freshman G Barry Brown started for the first time in place of Edwards, and Johnson started in place of Wade. ... The Wildcats shot 53 percent despite not scoring on a fast break.
UP NEXT
Kansas State plays No. 15 Baylor on Wednesday night.
