K-State takeaways: Mike McGuirl stars for Wildcats in win over Florida A&M
The Kansas State Wildcats defeated the Florida A&M Rattlers 76-58 on Monday at Bramlage Coliseum to bounce back from a pair of losses at the Fort Myers Tip-Off and improve to 5-2 on the season.
Here are some takeaways from the basketball game:
Turning the corner
It’s difficult to read too much into anything that happens during a blowout victory against a winless opponent like Florida A&M, which entered the day rated No. 341 out of 353 in Ken Pomeroy’s college basketball database. But Mike McGuirl was a definite bright spot for the Wildcats.
McGuirl, a junior guard, might have turned a corner over the past few weeks after delivering mostly disappointing results early this season as a new member of K-State’s starting lineup. He erupted for a season-high 16 points against the Rattlers by making 4 of 6 from three-point range and going inside to drain two buckets.
“I felt good,” McGuirl said. “Just going into the game with a focus on executing, moving the ball and we did that today. I was just the recipient of some open shots, so that went well. Overall, we just executed and really played well on offense.”
That comes after McGuirl scored 10 points for the Wildcats in their last game against Bradley and six points the game before that against Pittsburgh.
He is emerging as one of K-State’s few reliable three-point shooters, as he has made multiple shots from beyond the arc in three straight games.
“It helps a lot to see him get going,” K-State senior Xavier Sneed said. “We are all confident in him. We all know he can knock down shots. He is one of the better shooters on the team, so it was good to see him get going tonight and hopefully it will carry over to the next game.”
K-State coach Bruce Weber is crossing his fingers.
The Wildcats have sorely missed his scoring punch this year, as he entered Monday averaging just five points. They have also lacked outside shooting. McGuirl provided both against the Rattlers. K-State is a better team when that happens.
“I don’t want to get overboard and start writing feature articles on him or anything, but I am happy for him,” Weber said. “The reason it has happened is, one, he has gotten in the gym. Two, he has worked on shots that he can make when he works out. And, three, we have gotten him open shots.”
“I thought he played really well at the tournament and our last game at home. He is doing some good things. It’s positive.”
Getting the ball to Sneed
This was also an impressive game for Sneed.
The senior wing scored a game-high 18 points on 10 shots, which was one of his most efficient nights of the season.
During losses to Pittsburgh and Bradley last week he forced things too much and took bad shots. On Monday, he let the game come to him and took advantage of open looks with corner threes and dunks. Those are the kind of shots Sneed thrived on last season, so it’s a good sign that his teammates got back to looking for him against the Rattlers.
Looking ahead
K-State’s home basketball schedule has been a snooze fest during nonconference play for the past several years, but that will change on Saturday when the Wildcats host Marquette.
It’s arguably the biggest game they have hosted outside of Big 12 competition since No. 22 Virginia Tech came to town in 2010.
K-State players were already talking about the matchup on Monday, and the team will debut new throwback uniforms for the game.
It should feel like a conference game this weekend, which is a good change of pace from Florida A&M, which was played in front of a friends-and-family crowd.