# 1988–89 Kansas State Wildcats men's basketball team

The 1988–89 Kansas State Wildcats men's basketball team represented Kansas State University as a member of the Big 8 Conference during the 1988–89 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The head coach was Lon Kruger who was in his third of four years at the helm of his alma mater. The Wildcats finished with a record of 19–11 (8–6 Big 8), and received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as No. 6 seed in the East region. Kansas State lost to Minnesota in the opening round of the tournament.
The team played its home games at Bramlage Coliseum in Manhattan, Kansas. It was the first season the team played in the new arena after leaving Ahearn Field House after the 1987–88 season. Kansas State defeated Purdue, 81–77, in the first game played at Bramlage Coliseum.

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site city, state |
| Regular Season ||||||
| Nov 26, 1988* | | Purdue | W 81–77 | 1–0 | Bramlage Coliseum Manhattan, Kansas |
| Nov 30, 1988* | | Utah State | W 86–67 | 2–0 | Bramlage Coliseum Manhattan, Kansas |
| Dec 3, 1988* | | at Oregon State | L 48–66 | 2–1 | Gill Coliseum Corvallis, Oregon |
| Dec 7, 1988* | | Baylor | W 84–60 | 3–1 | Bramlage Coliseum Manhattan, Kansas |
| Dec 10, 1988* | | Vanderbilt | W 71–62 | 4–1 | Bramlage Coliseum Manhattan, Kansas |
| Dec 17, 1988* | | at Missouri-Kansas City | W 83–57 | 5–1 | Municipal Auditorium Kansas City, Missouri |
| Dec 19, 1988* | | at Akron | W 70–68 | 6–1 | James A. Rhodes Arena Akron, Ohio |
| Dec 22, 1988* | | Missouri-St. Louis | W 67–61 | 7–1 | Bramlage Coliseum Manhattan, Kansas |
| Jan 3, 1989* | | at SW Missouri State | L 55–58 | 7–2 | Hammons Student Center Springfield, Missouri |
| Jan 5, 1989* | | Texas-Arlington | W 83–52 | 8–2 | Bramlage Coliseum Manhattan, Kansas |
| Jan 7, 1989* | | at Minnesota | L 67–72 | 8–3 | Williams Arena Minneapolis, Minnesota |
| Jan 14, 1989 | | No. 16 Kansas Sunflower Showdown | L 74–75 $^{OT}$ | 8–4 (0–1) | Bramlage Coliseum Manhattan, Kansas |
| Jan 16, 1989* | | Southern Utah | W 84–75 | 9–4 | Bramlage Coliseum Manhattan, Kansas |
| Jan 18, 1989 | | Colorado | W 98–84 | 10–4 (1–1) | Bramlage Coliseum Manhattan, Kansas |
| Jan 21, 1989 | | at Nebraska | W 80–68 | 11–4 (2–1) | Bob Devaney Sports Center Lincoln, Nebraska |
| Jan 25, 1989 | | at Oklahoma State | L 71–89 | 11–5 (2–2) | Gallagher-Iba Arena Stillwater, Oklahoma |
| Jan 28, 1989 | | at No. 18 Kansas Sunflower Showdown | W 71–70 | 12–5 (3–2) | Allen Fieldhouse Lawrence, Kansas |
| Feb 1, 1989 | | No. 1 Oklahoma | L 82–90 | 12–6 (3–3) | Bramlage Coliseum Manhattan, Kansas |
| Feb 4, 1989 | | at No. 5 Missouri | L 68–73 | 12–7 (3–4) | Hearnes Center Columbia, Missouri |
| Feb 9, 1989 | | Iowa State | W 104–89 | 13–7 (4–4) | Bramlage Coliseum Manhattan, Kansas |
| Feb 11, 1989 | | Nebraska | W 80–66 | 14–7 (5–4) | Bramlage Coliseum Manhattan, Kansas |
| Feb 15, 1989 | | at Colorado | W 87–79 | 15–7 (6–4) | CU Events/Conference Center Boulder, Colorado |
| Feb 19, 1989* | | at Wichita State | W 73–71 $^{OT}$ | 16–7 | Levitt Arena Wichita, Kansas |
| Feb 22, 1989 | | at No. 1 Oklahoma | L 82–86 | 16–8 (6–5) | Lloyd Noble Center Norman, Oklahoma |
| Feb 25, 1989 | | Oklahoma State | W 69–62 | 17–8 (7–5) | Bramlage Coliseum Manhattan, Kansas |
| Mar 1, 1989 | | No. 7 Missouri | W 76–75 | 18–8 (8–5) | Bramlage Coliseum Manhattan, Kansas |
| Mar 4, 1989 | | at Iowa State | L 89–101 | 18–9 (8–6) | Hilton Coliseum Ames, Iowa |
| Big 8 Tournament ||||||
| Mar 10, 1989* | | vs. Kansas Big 8 Tournament Quarterfinal | W 73–65 | 19–9 | Kemper Arena Kansas City, Missouri |
| Mar 11, 1989* | | vs. No. 10 Missouri Big 8 Tournament Semifinal | L 83–88 | 19–10 | Kemper Arena Kansas City, Missouri |
| NCAA Tournament ||||||
| Mar 16, 1989* | (6 E) | vs. (11 E) Minnesota First Round | L 75–86 | 19–11 | Greensboro Coliseum Greensboro, North Carolina |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. E=East. ||||||