Kansas State @ Bradley preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 9, 2014 ) Bradley 47, Kansas State 50

Kansas State had to rally to win its first four games, all against mediocre competition, but the Wildcats couldn't hold the lead late against Pittsburgh on Monday, suffering their first loss of the season. Kansas State will try to improve upon its recipe for success Wednesday when the team plays Bradley in the consolation game of the Fort Myers (Fla.) Tip-Off.

The Wildcats almost had a fifth consecutive come-from-behind win, using a 7-0 run over an 81-second stretch to take a 58-57 with 2:45 to play, but Kansas State missed four consecutive field goals and the front end of two 1-and-1s before Xavier Johnson's driving layup with 11 seconds left gave Pitt a 59-58 lead. Kansas State, which led by as many as 10 points in the first half, scored a season-low 59 points on 40 percent shooting and missed 10-of-13 free throws but did make a season-high 10 3-pointers in 20 attempts. "(Johnson) makes a tough shot down the stretch, we miss our free throws - big difference. They were 18-for-21, we were 3-for-13," Kansas State coach Bruce Weber said. "You know, it was a back-and-forth, hard-fought game. We had our chances. They made the one play at the end and what else can you say." Bradley had its four-game winning streak snapped when it lost to Northwestern 78-51 in its semifinal game Monday.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, FS1

ABOUT KANSAS STATE (4-1): Junior Cartier Diarra (12.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, 6.6 assists, 2.0 steals), led the Wildcats in scoring for the third time with 13 points, assists for the fifth time (six) and steals (three), but the rest of the starting lineup contributed 25 points on 10-of-27 shooting, five assists and 12 rebounds. DaJuan Gordon collected his first career double-digit scoring game with 12 points on 5-of-9 field goals, including 2-of-4 from 3-point range, and fellow frosh Antonio Gordon set season high for both rebounds (seven) and steals (three) in his first career start to go with seven points. Although the team allowed a season-high 63 points, they held Pittsburgh to just 1-of-16 shooting from beyond the arc and forced them into 21 turnovers, which led to 24 points.

ABOUT BRADLEY (4-2): Junior Elijah Childs (13.0 points, 9.2 rebounds) led Bradley with 14 points, seven rebounds and three blocks against the Wildcats and senior Darrell Brown (13.7 points, 5.8 assists, 1.5 steals) added 13 points. The Braves offset 42 percent shooting, including 32 percent from the arc, by ranking 16th in the nation in offensive rebounding percentage (37.6), led by Koch Barr (9.5 points, 8.7 rebounds) and Childs with 24 offensive boards each. Bradley enters the Northwestern game allowing opponents to shoot just 25.2 percent from 3-point range with the Wildcats nearly doubling that mark (10-of-20, 50 percent).

TIP-INS

1. This will be the sixth meeting between the schools and the first since a 50-47 win by the Wildcats on Dec. 9, 2014.

2. Diarra has the most assists (33) by a Wildcat through the first five games of a season, eclipsing the mark of 26 by Anthony Beane in 1992-93.

3. Kansas State's leading scorer Xavier Sneed (14.4 points) was held to eight points on 3-of-13 shooting, including 1-of-4 from the line, against Pittsburgh.

PREDICTION: Kansas State 71, Bradley 58