Kansas State takes down No. 1 Oklahoma in stunning upset

MANHATTAN, Kan. — No one has been able to stop Oklahoma's Buddy Hield this season.

Wesley Iwundu came close.

Hield scored 23 points but was frustrated by Iwundu for much of the night, and the top-ranked Sooners lost 80-69 to Kansas State on Saturday.

"He's long," Hield said. "You have to try to attack off the dribble. The second half, I started to feel myself attack a little bit. I had to stop settling."

Iwundu also scored 22 points for the Wildcats (14-9, 3-7 Big 12), who snapped the Sooners' four-game win streak. Freshman reserve Dean Wade had 17 points, and D.J. Johnson finished with 12.

Hield was just 7 of 16 from the floor, and didn't attempt a free throw until there was about seven minutes left. Most of his damage came in the final few minutes as the Sooners were trying to rally against a team that wouldn't budge an inch.

"I just had to make everything tough for him," Iwundu said. "He's a great player, and I know he's going to get his shots off. My job was just to chase him, make him tired and make him get tough shots."

Ryan Spangler had 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Sooners, while Isaiah Cousins added 16 points. But the senior guard also fouled out with about a minute left when he committed a personal foul -- his fourth -- and then kicked the ball into the stands for a technical.

It was that kind of game for Oklahoma.

"We got beat by a club that out-fought us, beat us to balls and was more active," coach Lon Kruger said. "All night long they were a lot quicker. Their older guys stepped up and played very well."

It was Kansas State's first victory against a No. 1 team since topping Kansas on Feb. 11, 2011, and just the fifth time the program had knocked off the nation's best team.

No. 2 North Carolina also lost on Saturday, falling 80-76 at Notre Dame. According to STATS, it was the first time the top two teams in the country lost to unranked schools on the same day since Jan. 21, 2006, when No. 1 Duke lost to Georgetown and No. 2 Florida was defeated by Tennessee.

Hield had plenty of struggling company among the Sooners. Fellow guard Jordan Woodard went 0 for 5 and failed to score, and forwards Dante Buford and Khadeem Lattin were plagued by foul trouble.

"If you don't play well, get out-fought, you're not going to win in the Big 12," Kruger said.

The start of the game hardly provided any indication of the result.

Kansas State started in about the worst shape possible, turning the ball over four times without getting up a shot. And when it finally did, it was an air ball from 18 feet.

Oklahoma took advantage by scoring the game's first nine points, but was unable to deliver a knockout blow, and eventually Kansas State started fighting back.

Wade was the instigator, hitting a couple of 3-pointers and scoring 10 first-half points. But everybody else got into the act, too: Justin Edwards converted a three-point play just before halftime, and a thunderous dunk by Iwundu a moment later gave Kansas State a 38-32 advantage.

By that point, Hield was so frustrated that he was barking at officials for fouls. The senior guard, averaging 25.8 points, was held to just six on 2-for-7 shooting in the first half.

Kansas State got off to a similarly poor start in the second half, turning it over twice and missing four of its first five shots, only to find its rhythm again. The hustling Wildcats tracked down every loose ball, and slowly turned a 45-41 deficit into a 58-50 lead.

Hield and the Wildcats then began matching each other blow for blow, with the plucky underdogs maintaining their cushion even when the talented guard began getting to the rim for easy layups.

"We didn't shoot it well," Kruger said, "but give K-State credit for that."

SMALL WORLD

The last time Kansas State played No. 1 Oklahoma at home was on Feb. 1, 1989, when Kruger was the coach of the Wildcats. He came out on the losing then, too. The Sooners won, 90-82.

TIP-INS

Oklahoma: Lattin finished with six points and two rebounds. ... Hield finished 0-4 in his career at Kansas State. ... The Sooners have not won at Kansas State since 2012.

Kansas State: Freshman G Barry Brown started for the first time in place of Edwards, and Johnson started in place of Wade. ... The Wildcats shot 53 percent from the field.

UP NEXT

Oklahoma plays Texas on Monday night.

Kansas State plays No. 15 Baylor on Wednesday night.