The Kansas State Wildcats lead the Colorado Buffaloes, 39-37, through one half of play at the Sprint Center in Kansas City. K-State, the fourth seed, is playing their first tournament game and it's a tough one already. Here are a few observations from the first half:
-Colorado knows how to play Kansas State. Both teams are playing well and Colorado is hanging right there with K-State. The Buffs beat the Wildcats twice in the regular season. Beating someone three times in one year isn't an easy thing to do.
-Alec Burks is the real deal. The Colorado guard is 5-of-9 from the field with 16 points including 4-for-4 from the free throw line. He had 25 points in the second half alone against Iowa State on Wednesday. We'll see what he has in store for the second half here.
-Jacob Pullen, a Big 12 player of the year candidate like Burks, is 3-of-8 from the field with nine points and four assists. It's Curtis Kelly that's made the biggest impact on K-State, though, with eight points and six boards.
-Kansas State has to find some sort of spark defensively to pull away and go on a run. Both teams are shooting well and the offense is flowing so someone on defense has to step it up, even if for a short stretch.
For more on this game, check out Bring On The Cats and Ralphie Report. Here's the full Big 12 tournament bracket.