Coming off an explosive offensive performance, Kansas State faces Creighton on Saturday afternoon in Omaha, Neb.
PJ Haggerty, a Memphis transfer, shot 11 for 14 (78.5%), made 5 of 6 three-point attempts and tallied a team-high 28 points to lead Kansas State in a 108-49 triumph over Mississippi Valley State on Monday.
Haggerty leads the Wildcats (6-4) and the nation in scoring with 24 points per game.
The 108 points were a season high for Kansas State, and the victory ended a four-game losing streak. David Castillo came off the bench to score 19 points, while Monmouth transfer Abdi Bashir Jr. added 15 points.
Castillo and Bashir each connected on five treys. Kansas State shot 19 for 36 (52.8%) from beyond the arc against the overmatched Delta Devils.
Castillo (12.9 ppg), Akron transfer Nate Johnson (12.4 ppg), Bashir (12.3 ppg) and UNC Wilmington transfer Khamari McGriff (10.1 ppg) are all averaging in double figures for Kansas State, which is scoring 86.7 points per contest.
Haggerty continues to heavily influence the Wildcats’ outcomes. He is averaging 17.8 points in the team’s four losses and 28.2 points in their six wins.
“The game was easy for (Haggerty) … And when the game is like that for him, and then he sees it go in, it just builds your confidence,” Kansas State coach Jerome Tang said Monday night. “Let’s see how things go with Creighton, because what we have to do is do it against a good opponent.”
For Creighton (5-4), reserve Austin Swartz, a Miami transfer averaging 4.4 points, recorded a team-high 16 as the Bluejays fell behind 15-2 early in a 71-50 loss to in-state rival Nebraska on Sunday.
Creighton has reached and won at least one game in five straight NCAA tournaments, but after losing All-American Ryan Kalkbrenner to graduation and the NBA, the Bluejays are searching for a new identity.
Five players are averaging between nine and 12 points for coach Greg McDermott’s squad, led by Iowa transfer Josh Dix (11.7 ppg). He and Charlotte transfer Nik Graves led the Bluejays’ starters with nine points apiece against the Cornhuskers. Creighton shot just 16 for 52 (30.8%) in the defeat, which snapped a modest two-game win streak.
“Nebraska was the tougher team. They were the more connected team,” McDermott said. “I thought the start of the game was going to be critical, and I was right.”
Saturday afternoon’s contest marks the first regular-season meeting between the schools since 1987.
