Print edition: 
MANHATTAN — The last two times Kansas State beat Kansas on the basketball court, it had an elite scorer to lean on.
In 2008 it was Michael Beasley. The current NBA forward hit the Jayhawks inside and out for 25 points, and the Wildcats celebrated a memorable win at Bramlage Coliseum.
Last year, it was Jacob Pullen’s turn as the all-time leading scorer in program history lit up the Jayhawks for 38 points. Not only did he help K-State win that night in blowout fashion, he gave the Wildcats enough momentum to reel off a lengthy winning streak at the end of the regular season.
The Wildcats are hoping for a similar outcome when Kansas comes to Bramlage Coliseum tonight for a nationally televised game on ESPN.
But they may have to use a different method to get there.
Unlike years past, there is no go-to scorer on this K-State team. Though junior forward Rodney McGruder has had his moments – such as a 33-point effort against Texas, a 30-point night against Baylor and 28-point game against Long Beach State – he isn’t the type of player who can take over a game all by himself. He requires the help of a supporting cast.
“We just need to be prepared to go as a team. Individuals don’t win games, teams do,” said K-State basketball coach Frank Martin. “We’ve got to play team basketball. Guys have to do their jobs, whether it be screening, rotating, whatever. Everyone has to be on board.”
When everyone on K-State’s roster works together and plays in tune with the man next to him, the Wildcats are indeed at their best.
At times, McGruder has received so much help from his teammates that he hasn’t needed to carry the load on offense. He can impact games without scoring 20-plus points. But at other times he has reached the 30-point mark and K-State has still lost.
A 75-64 defeat at Texas on Saturday showed both ends of the spectrum. In the first half, McGruder scored 11 points by making several shots from mid-range and outside with the Wildcats moving the ball around and playing solid defense. Will Spradling also scored 11 points, Adrian Diaz added seven and K-State took a 40-27 halftime lead.
But in the second half, Texas started using double teams to defend McGruder. He seemed flustered by the extra attention, and no one was there to offer relief. He went scoreless in the second half, and K-State only managed 24 points as a team in the final 20 minutes. Not surprisingly, the Longhorns pulled away for the win.
“We didn’t play like a team and we got beat,” Martin said. “We can’t play KU that way.”
Martin points back to several examples of why it is important to have everyone involved, this year and beyond. Even when K-State had Bill Walker and Beasley on the same team, he remembers a game the Wildcats lost with them combining for more than 70 points.
“Mike scored 44 at Baylor and we lost,” Martin said. “Not too many people have had better individual performances than that. Bill had a great game and had 31, but everyone else had four points. You can’t win that way.”
Especially against an opponent like Kansas that has impressed Martin in terms of production against Big 12 opponents. .
“Offensively, right now, they are playing at an incredible rate,” Martin said.
After a short turnaround, K-State is in desperate need of a resume-boosting win, and a strong and loud crowd at Bramlage Coliseum should help.
A year ago, the Wildcats faced the same turnaround. Less than 48 hours after suffering a heartbreaking loss at Colorado, they returned home and played one of their best games of the season.
Can they repeat history tonight? With or without an elite scorer, it’s time to find out.
“If you can find a way to get Jacob Pullen to line up and score 38 I would feel a lot better,” Martin said. “That turnaround feels a lot better when you have a guy who can do that. But our guys have been challenged. We’ve played in hard games, we’ve played KU already. We’ve played away from home, neutral sites.… It’s late in the year. You’ve learned the lessons you need to learn to prepare for this.”
