Print edition: 
OKLAHOMA CITY — Wally Judge walked off the floor and raised his arms high above his head, extending them toward a throng of Kansas State fans at the Ford Center.
The cheers rained down on him and he stayed put, not wanting to let the moment slip away.
"Whether I've had great games or I've struggled this season, the fans have always been behind me," said Judge, who scored eight points and grabbed eight rebounds in the Wildcats' 84-72 victory over Brigham Young. "How much I appreciate that is hard to say... it means a lot when they show me love like that, so I show it back."
With his team headed to the Sweet 16 this week in Salt Lake City, Judge is playing arguably his best basketball of the year at the most opportune time. The 6-foot-9, 248-pound freshman scored six points and grabbed six rebounds in the Wildcats' opening-round win over North Texas in 18 minutes. He played 20 minutes against the Cougars.
Judge, a high school All-American last season, entered as one of the most heralded recruits in the Big 12, but averaged 3.2 points and 2.8 rebounds during the regular season.
"It's hard to come in as a freshman and just destroy," K-State forward Curtis Kelly said. "Unless you're a lottery pick, you're going to need time to develop, which Wally has done. He continues to improve and we saw that tonight. He played excellent."
Judge's signature moment against BYU came with just over six minutes left in the game and the Cougars trying to make one last run to cut into the Wildcats' lead. Judge caught the ball on the left side of the key, drop-step dribbled and finished with a thunderous, two-handed slam.
"My teammates see how athletic I am and they tell me that I every time I get the ball anywhere near the hoop I should try to dunk it," Judge said. "They tell me I should be the Dwight Howard of the college game, so I try to tear the rim down every time.
"If I know how to do one thing, it's how to finish."
K-State guard Denis Clemente said the backcourt feels the lift when Judge is on his game.
"That's just another piece that helps us come together as a whole," Clemente said. "(Judge) was big-time tonight."
With the burden of unwieldly expectations lifted for at least one night, Judge seemed ready to keep the good vibes going with a trip to Salt Lake City and potentially the Final Four hanging in the balance.
"There's no limit to what my game could be," Judge said. "I feel like I'm just tapping into what kind of a player I could be. I'm not a finished product, but everything that happens before I am, well, that's just progress."
