Xavier Sneed keeps getting better for Kansas State

Kansas State defeated Southeast Missouri State 89-71 on Saturday at Bramlage Coliseum. It was a bounce-back effort for the Wildcats, who were coming off a disappointing loss to Tulsa.

Some thoughts from the game:

Xavier Sneed is becoming K-State’s X-Factor

It sounds cliché, but that doesn’t mean it’s not true. Sneed, a sophomore wing, is starting to look like K-State’s most versatile and explosive player.

He set a career high with 23 points against the Redhawks, two weeks after scoring 21 in a road victory over Vanderbilt. He had two alley-oop dunks, four three-pointers and seven rebounds. He is starting to fill up the stat sheet the same way Wesley Iwundu did last season.

“I like that he is being confident and being aggressive,” junior forward Dean Wade said. “If the shots do not fall he is still being aggressive with everything. Rebounding, he’s athletic so you just throw it toward the rim anywhere and he’s probably going to be at the other end dunking it. I think he is going to have a great Big 12 season.”

The key to his improvement: consistency.

Sneed got off to a promising start as a freshman, and appeared ready to live up to his recruiting hype immediately. But he struggled mightily as 2016 turned to 2017. Another drop-off seems less likely this season. He has scored 12 or more points in seven of K-State’s 11 games, and he bounced back with a vengeance from his lone clunker.

After scoring just three points in a so-so win against South Carolina Upstate, he was K-State’s best player against Tulsa (15 points) and thrived against the Redhawks.

“I just let the game come to me,” Sneed said. “Right now things are flowing. Teammates are looking for me. The shots were going in today.”

Still, he impacted the game without scoring.

“I like that he is rebounding,” K-State coach Bruce Weber said. “I know he has worked at his shooting and he was four of five from three … But (rebounding) like that is a weapon. It’s tough to guard if you get a guy who can get a rebound and push it.”

Makol Mawien played his best game

This was an encouraging sign for K-State’s starting center.

He’s been the weak link in many games, at times struggling to contribute in meaningful ways, but he delivered some jaw-dropping buckets on Saturday.

His best play came on a driving dunk in the second half when he caught a pass in transition, took two steps forward and finished over a defender with his left hand. He also drained a trailer three-pointer in the first half and converted a traditional three-point play in the second half.

“I was a little more aggressive today,” Mawien said. “I just had a little more focus today, because of the loss we had last week.”

If extra motivation is all it takes to get this kind of play out of Mawien, Weber needs to find creative ways to push him in future games.

Southeast Missouri State lacks size, so this was a good matchup for Mawien. But it was a positive step. K-State needs him to play like this more often.

“It would be nice (for him) to not be sporadic,” Weber said, “and be more consistent.”

Hot and cold

K-State’s dreadful shooting performance against Tulsa looks like a fluke.

The Wildcats made 4 of 31 shots from three-point range against Tulsa’s zone defense and lost 61-54. But they bounced back in a big way against the Redhawks, making 11 of 23 from deep.

With a week off, the team had a long time to think about its last loss and clearly wanted to make amends.

K-State is a good shooting team. It will have off nights, but it appears they know how to limit them.

This story was originally published December 16, 2017 at 10:08 PM with the headline "Xavier Sneed keeps getting better for Kansas State."