Bracket revealed for Kansas State’s November men’s basketball tournament in Florida
One of the most famous matchups in the history of Kansas State basketball will be recreated in the opening round of the Cayman Islands Classic later this year.
K-State will open the November basketball tournament against Oregon State, a Pac-12 team opponent that will bring back fond memories for every Wildcats fan of a certain age.
Rolando Blackman hit a last-second shot to lead the Wildcats past the top-ranked Beavers in the second round of the 1981 NCAA Tournament. K-State and Oregon State have met four times since then and they will play again at 1:30 p.m. on Nov. 23 in the first round of the Cayman Islands Classic, which has been moved to Niceville, Fla., because of the coronavirus pandemic.
It remains unclear if the tournament will actually be played, as all college sports are currently in limbo, but K-State can at least map out a path to a tournament championship now that tournament organizers have released a bracket.
The winner of the K-State/Oregon State game will face the winner of La Salle and Mississippi the following day. On the opposite side of the bracket, Northern Iowa will open against Nevada and Western Kentucky will start against Miami.
The winners of each bracket will meet in the championship game at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 25. Three consolation games will be held earlier in the day. Every team at the tournament is guaranteed to play three games.
Fans can stream every game of the tournament on FloHoops with a subscription to the sports website.
Oregon State is expected to return 10 players from a roster that won 18 games last season under the guidance of coach Wayne Tinkle.