N’Guessan, a forward who was spent the past three years at K-State, scored 20 points and he was far and away the best offensive weapon on his team. He also grabbed 10 rebounds for a double-double. Hawkins, a transfer from Illinois, was held to five points.

When the Baylor Bears face the Kansas State Wildcats to open tonight’s evening session of the Big 12 Tournament, it could be an NCAA Tournament springboard. Right now, Baylor is expected to slip into the Big Dance, while Kansas State should probably look forward to the NIT.