K-State takeaways: Wildcats show small signs of progress against Arkansas-Pine Bluff
The Kansas State Wildcats defeated the Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions 62-51 on Tuesday at Bramlage Coliseum.
Here are some takeaways from the nonconference basketball game:
Ready for a test
It might feel like the K-State basketball team is treading water at this point in the season, as all four of its games have followed the same pattern. The Wildcats have been miserable in the first half and then good enough to win in the second half. This game was no different, as the score was tied at halftime and K-State never led a hapless opponent by more than 17.
But there were some positives to take away from this one.
For example: Xavier Sneed continued to play like the alpha dog of K-State’s roster, leading the way with 21 points and six rebounds. Perhaps best of all, he made five three-pointers. That’s something the Wildcats sorely missed in their first three games. Freshman guard Dajuan Gordon made a lot of good things happen while scoring eight points, and Cartier Diarra sent out eight assists.
“I think we are still getting better,” Sneed said. “We have a lot of people learning a lot of new things for us but everybody is taking on the challenge of learning and taking on the challenge and being coachable. I think we are on track to getting to where we need to be.”
Still, the Wildcats will need to learn how to play complete game in the near future. Their schedule is about to get more difficult starting next week at the Fort Myers Tip-Off, an early tournament in Florida with Pittsburgh, Bradley and Northwestern. Not long after that, they will host Marquette.
Things are about to get harder.
“I want to get better,” K-State coach Bruce Weber said. “I want to play both halves. If we do (what we did Tuesday) as the competition gets better we are going to be in such a hole that we can’t come back. We have got to be a little more poised and a little more patient. We have had to grind out some things. It’s not fun for a coach, but at the same time you learn and grow from it and try to get better.”
Dishing it out
Cartier Diarra has entered new territory for the Wildcats.
After dishing out eight assists against Arkansas-Pine Bluff he now has 27. That’s the most by any K-State player in the first four games of a season.
He appears to be settling in nicely as K-State’s starting point guard.
“I’m just trying to get the eyes off me, make my teammates better, trying to get attempts, so I’ve got to keep passing the ball and getting assists,” Diarra said. “My teammates make shots for me, and I feel like that’s going to open it up for me too moving forward. It also takes eyes off me so I can attack more. They’re looking for me to pass. That’s the biggest thing and I want to get everybody involved. As the point guard, it’s my job to facilitate.”
Injury update
Freshman forward Montavious Murphy missed this game because of a lingering knee injury.
That meant K-State had to use a different starting lineup in his absence. The Wildcats went with Levi Stockard inside, and he responded by scoring six points and grabbing two rebounds. But he got lots of help off the bench from freshman Antonio Gordon, who had nine points and four rebounds.
Murphy started in K-State’s first three games, and he will likely return to the starting five when he is deemed healthy enough to play. When will that be? For now, Weber can’t say.
“I think it is day to day more than anything,” Weber said. “He tweaked his knee in the game last week and he complained about it. They did a MRI. Nothing major, but enough that we have to sit him and wait until they think he is totally healthy. Obviously, we are hoping for Florida, but we aren’t going to push it.”
This story was originally published November 19, 2019 at 10:33 PM.