Three things we learned from Kansas State’s 78-73 home victory against West Virginia
Perhaps a new nickname is in order for the Kansas State men’s basketball team.
Call them the Comeback Cats.
K-State pulled off its second consecutive come-from-behind victory by defeating West Virginia 78-73 on Monday at Bramlage Coliseum. The Wildcats trailed by 10 points early in the second half but dominated the rest of the way for an important win that will boost their hopes of reaching the NCAA Tournament.
This rally came two days after K-State fought back from a 15-point deficit to beat Iowa State on the road.
“We didn’t really say anything at halftime,” K-State senior Mark Smith said. “Our guys came out and then we brought our energy and we cut the lead down and finally got the win. It was great basketball. It was fun. We just play really hard.”
K-State won with a mixture of defense and free throws. In the first half, West Virginia did just about anything it wanted on offense and hung 42 points on the Wildcats. That was far too many. Bruce Weber’s teams rarely win shootouts. Something had to change in the final 20 minutes if they were going to get back in the game.
Change happened in the form of more energy and defensive pressure in the second half.
“We played with high intensity,” K-State junior Markquis Nowell said. “I feel like we were a little sluggish coming out. We came out in the second half, bought into each other and bought into winning. We just turned up the intensity and did what we’re supposed to do.”
The Wildcats also played with aggression on offense and got the free-throw line a whopping 39 times, scoring 31 points on those trips.
K-State played so well in the second half that it briefly took a nine-point lead after trailing by double digits.
Nowell led the Wildcats with 21 points, but he got lots of help. Smith had 17 points and 10 rebounds, while Nijel Pack and Ismael Massoud both finished with 13.
K-State (14-11, 6-7 Big 12) will try to build off its victory over West Virginia (14-11, 3-9) in its next game at Oklahoma State on Saturday.
Here are three key takeaways from the K-State/West Virginia game:
The Markquis Nowell game
It’s been a while since anyone other than Nijel Pack has played the role of hero for the Wildcats.
That changed on Monday when Markquis Nowell stepped up with 21 points, three steals, and three assists without committing a single turnover against the Mountaineers.
The junior guard had one of his finest games in a K-State uniform.
Weber was so impressed by his stat line that he called it “unbelievable.”
“His improvement and growth are impressive,” Weber said. “He has made a lot of strides since the beginning of the year.”
Nowell was aggressive on offense, and that strategy paid off. He made four three-pointers and pushed the tempo when K-State was in comeback mode. He also dished to his teammaters when they were open and forced West Virginia to spread out on defense.
Perhaps most impressive of all was his play on defense. Nowell hounded West Virginia’s guards all game long and at times made it difficult for them to do something as simple as dribble.
His passion for the game is clear.
“I really want to stay in the game until I physically can’t breathe anymore,” Nowell said. “Basketball is so important to me. I don’t like being on the bench and not being able to control a situation or not be out there for my teammates.”
This wasn’t his career high for points, but it was his best all-around game. Nowell seemed to raise his level of play when he saw Pack struggling to get open shots against West Virginia’s defense.
Balanced attack
K-State is clearly at its best when Weber has lots of different players contributing in the same game.
The Wildcats are 0-2 when Pack scores 30 or more points this season. They are also 0-2 when Smith grabs 16 or more rebounds.
Bizarre as those two stats may be, they prove that college basketball is a team sport. It often takes more than one player having a special game for his team to win.
Furthermore, the Wildcats are 6-1 when they have four players reach double figures.
The Wildcats had impressive balance in this game with strong efforts from Nowell, Smith, Pack and Massoud all scoring 13 or more points.
Pack was still good, finishing with 13 points, six rebounds and five assists. He had a nifty driving layup in the second half and also delivered a crowd-pleasing block against West Virginia guard Taz Sherman. But it was far from his best game.
The Wildcats can afford for Pack to have an off night when other guys step up.
“We were able to win without him being magically special like he has been,” Weber said. “Every shot he’s taken lately, it seems like it’s going in. They were physical with him. They got a body on him and stayed into him. But 13 with five assists, one turnover, six rebounds. You know, that’s pretty good for a bad night. We have obviously made some strides, because there were times early when we would not have won games when he wasn’t scoring 20 points.”
More from Massoud
The Wildcats seem to have settled on a front-court rotation that works for them.
Ismael Massoud delivered his second straight productive game and gave K-State valuable minutes at the center position when Davion Bradford wasn’t in the game. He finished with 13 points and one rebound in 23 minutes of action. That stat line comes one game after he scored 11 points against Iowa State.
At the beginning of the season, Massoud started as a stretch four. But his playing time dropped when the Wildcats switched to a smaller lineup. He appeared to be getting lost in the shuffle. But he appears to have found a new niche for himself as a change-of-pace center.
“I know what I can do,” Massoud said. “My teammates have supported me the whole time. My coaches, they knew what I could do. So I just told myself, ‘Go out there and play. No matter what happens, just play your game and have confidence in yourself.” So that’s just what I decided to do the last couple of games.”
Bradford and Massoud make a good team at the five spot.
Kaosi Ezeagu, who opened the season as the team’s starting center, hasn’t seen the court in back-to-back games. Carlton Linguard is seeing limited minutes. Instead of putting either of them in the paint during meaningful possessions Weber is now going with a five-guard lineup when both Bradford and Massoud are on the bench. Good results have followed.
K-State could still obviously benefit from better inside play, especially when it comes to rebounds. The Wildcats are at a disadvantage against every Big 12 team at the five. But Massoud has given them options beyond Bradford. It’s no coincidence they have won their past two games with him playing well.
This story was originally published February 14, 2022 at 8:38 PM.