Three things we learned from Kansas State Wildcats’ ‘gut-wrenching’ 102-83 loss at KU
There was a point in the final moments of Kansas State’s humbling 102-83 loss to rival Kansas on Tuesday at Allen Fieldhouse when Bruce Weber couldn’t take it anymore.
After watching the Jayhawks shoot 63% from three-point range and 64% from the field, he leaned forward in the visiting coach’s box and yelled the following words at his players — “have some pride.”
Weber was referring to the way the Wildcats were playing (or not playing, to be more precise) on defense. They allowed KU to reach triple figures and come within one point of matching the all-time scoring record in this Sunflower Showdown men’s basketball series.
The message did not yield positive results.
“It was gut-wrenching for me,” K-State senior guard Mike McGuirl said. “They just kept scoring and kept putting it on us. It was like we couldn’t do anything about it. We weren’t good enough to do anything about it.”
Those are rare words from anyone who plays for Weber. During the entirety of his coaching career, only three teams have eclipsed 100 points against him. Baylor did it twice last season. KU followed suit on Tuesday. That’s the list.
The Jayhawks put on an offensive clinic. Ochai Agbaji scored a game-high 23 points, Christian Braun poured in 20, Jalen Wilson finished with 17, Mitch Lighfoot had 13 and eight different KU players scored.
Worst of all, it didn’t feel like a fluke. Yes, KU players were making shots at a dizzying pace. But that is to be expected when they are wide open.
K-State countered with 20 points from Markquis Nowell, while four of his teammates also reached double figures. On any other night, that kind of production probably would have been enough for them to leave with a victory. Instead they got blown out.
The Wildcats (14-13, 6-9 Big 12) must now end the regular season on a hot streak if they hope to put their loss against the Jayhawks (23-4, 12-2) behind them and make a run at the NCAA Tournament.
Here are some key takeaways from the game:
Biggest problem on defense
Weber was asked earlier this week if he wanted to try and beat the Jayhawks in a shootout or go toe-to-toe with them in a slower-paced game.
He emphatically said the Wildcats needed to force Kansas to try and score in half-court situations and limit its fast-break opportunities, thus slowing the game down. Ideally, he said, the winning score would be in the 60s.
The exact opposite occured. That goes to show how off the Wildcats were in this one defensively.
Kansas averaged 1.29 points per possession and scored the bulk of its points shortly after bringing the ball across midcourt. The Jayhawks got in a rhythm and found no need to run set plays or flirt with a shot-clock violation.
“If you had told us we were going to get 83 points and have five guys in double figures you would have felt pretty good about yourself,” Weber said. “We’re not the best defensively, but we’ve been pretty good. We had no answers tonight.”
Weber could do little more than tip his proverbial cap to KU coach Bill Self after this one.
He said the Jayhawks played so well on offense that he hopes the Wildcats use this as an opportunity to “learn from the best.”
Markquis Nowell shines in losing effort
No one will blame this loss on Markquis Nowell.
The Kansas State point guard did all he could to give the Wildcats a chance against the Jayhawks by scoring a team-high 20 points and dishing out eight assists.
Nowell has actually turned in a pair of excellent performances against Kansas. There is something about this matchup that suits him. He was particularly fired up to play in front of 16,300 fans.
“It was a great experience,” Nowell said. “It was a tough crowd and a tough environment. I’m from New York City. I like playing in environments like this. I just wish we could have got the win.”
Nowell was at his best when he was driving to the basket and creating off the dribble. He made some impressive finishes over taller defenders and also found his teammates for open shots.
He ended up attempting too many three-pointers (eight) and only made three of them. But his aggressive play was still a plus.
Where do the Wildcats go from here?
Time is running out for K-State to make a run at the NCAA Tournament.
It likely needs to win at least three more games to have a shot at receiving an at-large berth. That will be no easy task with Iowa State, Texas Tech, Oklahoma and then the Big 12 Tournament next on the schedule.
The Wildcats will likely be favored at home against the Cyclones and the Sooners. But they will be considered underdogs on the road against the Red Raiders. Few will also be picking them to beat a team in the top half of the conference standings in Kansas City.
But a winning streak is far from impossible ... if the team comes together at the right time.
That didn’t happen leading into this game. Weber said the Wildcats had one of their worst practices of the entire season on Monday. He has already challenged them to practice with more passion.
“More than anything we need to try to put the team first and put winning first,” McGuirl said. “We need to do what needs to be done to win. And I think that’s really focusing in on defense. Because it doesn’t matter how many points we score, if they have 100 we’re not winning. We need to show some pride and everybody just has to give themselves to the team for the rest of the year.”
This story was originally published February 22, 2022 at 11:23 PM.