Pep Rally Set for Monday Night

KSU to Face Xavier

MANHATTAN, Kan. - It will be a familiar opponent Kansas State will face Thursday in Salt Lake City, Utah, at the West Regional.

Xavier, a No. 6 seed, stunned Pittsburgh on Sunday, 71-68, to advance to the Sweet 16 for a date with the Wildcats.

K-State owns a 28-7 record, while Xavier is 25-8. One of those games was against one another with the Wildcats winning on December 6 in Bramlage Coliseum, 71-56.

Jacob Pullen, Curtis Kelly and Jamar Samuels scored 16, 15 and 11, respectively in the win, while on defense K-State held Xavier to 29 percent shooting.

The game will have an 8:57 p.m. Central tipoff from EnergySolutions Arena.

Also in the field are Syracuse and Butler. The two winners will advance to the Elite Eight round on Saturday for the right to attend the Final Four in Indianapolis, Ind., on April 3 and 5.

PEP RALLY FOR WILDCATS
Kansas State will hold a pep rally for its Sweet 16-bound men's basketball team on Monday night at Bramlage Coliseum beginning at 6 p.m.

The event, which is sponsored by the K-State Alumni Association and the athletics department, is open to the general public with doors to the West side of the arena opening at 5:45 p.m. Fans are encouraged to sit in the west side chairback seats.

Emceed by the Voice of the Wildcats, Wyatt Thompson, the pep rally will include performances by the K-State pep band, cheer and Classy Cat squads and Willie Wildcat followed by remarks from University President Kirk Schulz, Athletics Director John Currie, Student Government Association Vice President Wayne Stoskopf, head coach Frank Martin, senior guard Chris Merriewether and junior guard Jacob Pullen.

The No. 2-seeded Wildcats earned their 17th trip to the Sweet 16 and first since 1988 on Saturday night with an 84-72 victory over No. 7-seed BYU at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City. The squad opened the NCAA Tournament with an 82-62 win over 15-seed North Texas on Thursday afternoon.