Manhattan ? Kansas State basketball coach Jim Wooldridge will undergo surgery Wednesday to remove a bulging disc in his neck, the school announced Monday.

Kansas State’s next game is at home Wednesday night against Iowa State, but how much longer Wooldridge will be out is uncertain. The problem has caused numbness in his upper and lower extremities.

Assistant coach Jimmy Elgas will serve as interim coach for the Wildcats (12-7 overall, 3-5 Big 12 Conference), who have been reeling from losses to Colorado, Baylor and Oklahoma State.

Wooldridge said in a statement that he had been suffering from the condition for much of the season, but it became more acute the past 10 days, and a neurosurgeon Monday recommended surgery.

“The doctors have informed me that without immediate attention that this condition will only become more serious and permanent,” said Wooldridge, 50.

“I hate to step away from the team at such a critical juncture of the season, but I believe that I have to take measures now to correct these health issues.”

Doctors said Wooldridge was suffering from a “significant disk protrusion” at the C3-4 vertebrae in his neck. The school said this was creating pressure on his spinal cord and causing numbness in the upper and lower extremities.

Doctors also discovered a disk bulge and a small bone spur at the C5-6 vertebrae.

A school spokesman, Tom Gilbert, said Wooldridge was not expected to miss the rest of the season.

“It just really depends on how he’s feeling and how the surgery goes,” Gilbert said. “This is obviously pretty major surgery. They’re going to wait and see. We should have a better idea by Friday.”

In his sixth year at Kansas State, Wooldridge is 80-84 overall and under intense pressure to get his team into the NCAA Tournament this year or face possible dismissal.