Kansas State Looks to Disrupt Colorado's Home Dominance

Interim coach Matthew Driscoll aims to get star scorer P.J. Haggerty back on track as Wildcats visit Buffaloes

Published on Feb. 25, 2026

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Kansas State interim coach Matthew Driscoll will try to make strategic adjustments when the struggling Wildcats (11-16, 2-12 Big 12) visit the Colorado Buffaloes (15-12, 5-9) on Wednesday. The Wildcats snapped a six-game losing streak in Driscoll's debut but were crushed 100-72 by No. 13 Texas Tech on Saturday, with star scorer P.J. Haggerty held to 17 points on 7-of-17 shooting. Colorado, meanwhile, is looking to protect its home-court advantage as it fights to improve its NCAA Tournament resume.

Why it matters

This Big 12 matchup pits a Kansas State team in transition against a Colorado squad trying to solidify its postseason positioning. The Wildcats are looking to get Haggerty, the nation's third-leading scorer, back on track, while the Buffaloes aim to continue their strong play at home and boost their NCAA Tournament hopes.

The details

Kansas State interim coach Matthew Driscoll will try to make minor strategic adjustments as the Wildcats look to bounce back from a blowout loss to No. 13 Texas Tech. Star scorer P.J. Haggerty, who averages 23.5 points per game, was held to 17 points on 7-of-17 shooting in that defeat. Colorado, meanwhile, is 3-3 in February and 12-4 at home this season, coming off an 83-69 win over Oklahoma State on Saturday.

  • The Wildcats and Buffaloes will meet on Wednesday, February 25, 2026 in Boulder, Colorado.
  • Kansas State is 1-1 since former coach Jerome Tang was fired on February 15, 2026.

The players

Matthew Driscoll

The interim head coach of the Kansas State Wildcats, taking over after the firing of former coach Jerome Tang.

P.J. Haggerty

The star scorer for the Kansas State Wildcats, averaging 23.5 points per game and ranked third nationally in scoring.

Bangot Dak

A key player for the Colorado Buffaloes, leading the team with 17 points in their recent win over Oklahoma State.

Barrington Hargress

A Colorado Buffaloes player who scored 16 points in their victory over Oklahoma State, helping the team improve to 12-4 at home this season.

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What they’re saying

“We're not going to change, but we will be different.”

— Matthew Driscoll, Interim Head Coach, Kansas State Wildcats (statenews.net)

“Today you found out that when P.J. Haggerty gets cut, he bleeds, too. He's a regular human being. He had a very tough day.”

— Matthew Driscoll, Interim Head Coach, Kansas State Wildcats (statenews.net)

“We feel the energy at home and love playing in front of our fans. We'll take it, we want to protect home-court advantage. But we are really just focused on playing consistent basketball, whether it's here or away.”

— Barrington Hargress (statenews.net)

What’s next

The Wildcats and Buffaloes will meet again on Saturday, March 2, 2026 in Manhattan, Kansas.

The takeaway

This game will test whether Kansas State's interim coach can get star scorer P.J. Haggerty back on track, while Colorado looks to continue its strong home play and boost its NCAA Tournament resume in a key Big 12 matchup.