OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Denis Clemente had 17 points and six assists, helping No. 2 seed Kansas State open the NCAA tournament with an 82-62 rout of North Texas on Thursday.
Kansas State (27-7) gathered itself after a shaky start, riding its defense into the second round for the second time in three years. The Wildcats held the Mean Green (24-9) to 31 percent shooting and stymied Josh White's forays into the lane, holding North Texas' leading scorer to three points.
Jacob Pullen and Curtis Kelly added 15 points each, and Kansas State had a 46-21 advantage inside to avoid joining the list of opening-day upset victims.
Next up is No. 7 seed BYU and sharpshooter Jimmer Fredette in the second round of the West Regional. The Wildcats should have an advantage, too; while they cruised in the first round, BYU needed two overtimes to beat Florida.
