Wyatt D. Wheeler, Topeka Capital-JournalThu, January 15, 2026 at 3:03 AM UTC·3 min readMANHATTAN — Kansas State basketball continued its slide to open Big 12 play, dropping its fourth consecutive game in a home loss to UCF.
UCF came to Bramlage Coliseum on Wednesday, Jan. 14, and left with an 82-73 win over the Wildcats, dropping them to 0-4 in league play for the first time since 2021-22, Bruce Weber's final season as K-State coach.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAn ugly first half was too much for the Wildcats (9-8, 0-4 Big 12) to overcome. K-State will now have to turn around and go to Oklahoma State on Saturday, Jan. 17, hoping to come away with its first league win.
Here are our takeaways from the loss.
Kansas State attempted a second-half comeback, but came up short
The Wildcats quickly showed life in the second half, erasing UCF's 14-point halftime lead and making it a game in the final minutes.
The play of PJ Haggerty had much to do with it, responding to his five-point first half, but scoring 18 in the second. He brought the Wildcats within a score for the first time in the second half with 12:23 remaining, but seemingly every time the Wildcats did so, UCF had an answer.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementK-State's final push came with under a minute to play, after UCF went back up by seven following a pair of free throws. Nate Johnson missed a 3-pointer at the other end, as UCF got the board and put the game on ice.
Kansas State shot 44.6% in the game, while 54.5% in the second half. Johnson finished the evening with seven points and 10 assists.
Four Knights scored in double-figures, led by Riley Kugel's 18 points. The Knights shot 52.5% in the game.
Kansas State turned in an awful first half
Considering the opponent and the stakes, Kansas State turned in what might have been its worst half of the season to start the game. The first 20 minutes saw the Wildcats go into the break trailing by 14, while shooting 34.4% and allowing UCF to score on 1.24 points per possession.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe half featured a spurt in which the Wildcats went nearly five minutes without a point, and they were shut out for the final 2 minutes, 44 seconds. K-State coach Jerome Tang looked desperate, trying several different lineups and defensive looks, hoping to find something that worked. The Wildcats turned the ball over nine times and were outscored 22-12 in the paint.
Elias Rapieque didn't play for Kansas State
Rapieque continues to be in-and-out of the Wildcats' lineup, as he's been banged up for much of Big 12 play. He was ruled out before the game.
Rapieque played in both of Kansas State's games in Arizona but didn't play in the team's conference home opener against BYU on Jan. 3.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementKansas State will visit Oklahoma State next
The Wildcats will visit Oklahoma State on Saturday, Jan. 17, for a 9 p.m. CT game in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The Cowboys (13-4, 1-3 Big 12) are coming off a 94-79 home loss to Baylor.
Wyatt D. Wheeler covers Kansas State athletics for the USA TODAY Network and Topeka Capital-Journal. You can follow him on X at @WyattWheeler_, contact him at 417-371-6987 or email him at [email protected]
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas State basketball vs UCF takeaways after another Wildcats loss
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