Rodney McGruder continued his hot play with a career-high 33 points as Kansas State picked up an 84-80 victory over visiting Texas on Wednesday.

The Wildcats (13-4, 2-3 Big 12) had fallen to 1-3 in the conference for the second consecutive year, but got the kind of effort they needed to begin climbing back up the standings in search of an NCAA Tournament bid.

McGruder has averaged 25.7 points over the past seven games, and has posted career-best scoring totals three times during that stretch. He scored 28 against Long Beach State on Dec. 25 and put up 30 in a 75-73 loss to Baylor on Jan. 10.

McGruder also had a big hand in holding Texas star J'Covan Brown in check, for the most part. Brown managed 22 points, but he struggled to get open shots, going 8-for-28 from the field.

The Longhorns (12-6, 2-3) stayed in it in large part because they were 19-for-21 from the free-throw line, while Kansas State was 21-of-39. The Wildcats missed five consecutive free throws in the final minute, allowing Texas to hang around until a steal and McGruder dunk sealed it.

Freshman point guard Myck Kabongo posted his second consecutive double-double for Texas with 14 points and 10 assists, but he also committed six turnovers. Sheldon McLellan added 19 points for Texas.