Key Takeaways From Kansas State's Road Loss to West Virginia

Kansas State’s three-game winning streak against West Virginia comes to an end.

Jan 27, 2026; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers guard Chance Moore (13) Kansas State Wildcats forward Taj Manning (15) fight for a ball during the second half at Hope Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Imagesa | Ben Queen-Imagn Images

The Kansas State Wildcats (10-11, 1-7 Big 12) couldn’t secure the win against West Virginia (14-7) as they fell 59-54 on Tuesday night at Hope Coliseum in Morgantown, West Virginia. The Mountaineers extend their home winning streak to 16. 

P.J. Haggerty led the Wildcats with 16 points and five rebounds. Haggerty scored all of his 16 points in the second half. David Castillo added 15 points but had no assists and just one rebound. Nate Johnson notched 13 pounds and eight boards.

Kansas State had a poor shooting night: 37.5% from the field, made 8-of-25 three pointers (32%), and got outrebounded by the Mountsineers 36-28. Kansas State gave up nine offensive rebounds in the second half. Second-chance points cost them heavily in this game. 

The Wildcats tried to make a comeback late in the second half. There was a stretch in the game where no one aside from Haggerty was scoring. It’s one of the main problems for the Wildcats this season. The team needs playmakers or other role players to step up and get the team a basket. 

When the Mountaineers went on a 17-2 run, things got complicated for the Wildcats. Kansas State let West Virginia take advantage of every situation. A timeout should have been called sooner to calm the players down and keep them focused, because it was getting ugly. The Wildcats must avoid giving up runs like that in the future. 

Honor Huff led the Mountsineers with 17 points and eight rebounds. Treyson Eaglestaff added 12 points and nine rebounds. West Virginia played a sloppy game. They committed too many turnovers (12) and were fortunate to come out victorious. It’s their fifth win in Big 12 Conference play. 

Kansas State continues to play the “catching up” game, meaning they constantly have to make a comeback in the second half. The team needs to figure out a way to play great basketball in both the first and second halves. It takes the entire game for the team to come out victorious.

Practice session might be intense after this game. Someone must be the vocal leader and set the tone for the team. The Wildcats have scoring options, but they lack consistency. Every rebound, every turnover, every assist is a big deal. The Wildcats must be very aggressive in boxing out and winning the rebound game. 

If the Wildcats don’t improve in these areas sooner rather than later, they should focus on off-season recruiting to fill those gaps. 

Kansas State’s three-game winning streak against West Virginia came to an end. The Wild Cats will turn home to take on Iowa State on Sunday, Feb 1, at 2 pm. 

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