Three things we learned from Kansas State’s narrow road loss against Texas Tech
It’s too bad close losses don’t count for something in college basketball.
Kansas State might still be in the running for an at-large berth into the NCAA Tournament if those helped their resume in the eyes of the selection committee, especially after what happened during its game against No. 12 Texas Tech on Monday at United Supermarkets Arena.
The Wildcats lost to the Red Raiders 73-68, but they came closer to beating them than any other team has all season in their home arena. K-State led for much of the game and had several opportunities to take control in the final minutes, but Texas Tech made all the key plays down the stretch and emerged with the win.
Davion Warren led Texas Tech with 23 points, while Mike McGuirl paced K-State with 18.
K-State (14-15, 6-11 Big 12) is now in danger of finishing with a losing record. Its only hope of reaching March Madness is by claiming the Big 12’s automatic berth into the event, which will require hoisting a trophy at the Big 12 Tournament.
They would be in a more favorable situation if the Wildcats were better at closing out close games. Monday’s defeat dropped their record to 4-8 in games decided by five or less or points, or overtime. Flip those results, and they would likely be headed to the Big Dance.
Texas Tech (23-7, 12-5) stayed alive in the race for a regular season league championship and improved to a perfect 18-0 at home this season. Before this game, its closest victory in this arena was eight points against Kansas. All their other wins came by double digits. with the win.
There is no shame in this result. In normal circumstances, this could maybe be considered a morale victory for the Wildcats. But not at this stage of the season. They needed a victory and didn’t get one.
Here are some key takeaways from the game:
Big game from Mike McGuirl
K-State senior Mike McGuirl has played an integral role in several big victories of the years for the Wildcats.
He almost added another one to the list on Monday.
McGuirl was far and away the best player on his team. He scored a team-high 18 points, grabbed five rebounds and dished out two assists. He also came up with several key defensive plays. Bruce Weber’s oldest player gave the Wildcats an early boost by draining three shots from beyond the arc and stayed aggressive the rest of the way.
He was so good that Weber refused to take him off the floor. McGuirl played a full 40 minutes.
“Mike was great,” Weber said. “You know, maybe that was as good a game for him as he has had in his career. I know it was a season high.”
Had he made a deep three with 47 seconds remaining, the Wildcats may have pulled out this game. They were trailing 69-68 at the time. A swish would have put considereable pressure on the Red Raiders. But his shot clanged off the rim and Texas Tech ended the game on a 6-0 run.
It was difficult for McGuirl to enjoy his strong individual performance after a loss.
“I have got to take ownership for my part,” McGuirl said. “I took two bad shots late in the game. It was fatigue. I just let it get to me. When you’re tired and you’re in that environment, you just you want to do what is easiest, but we had we had them in foul trouble. All of us should have tried to attack the basket.”
No Markquis Nowell in the lineup
Markquis Nowell sat out this game with a hamstring injury.
The junior point guard went through warmups in sweats but wasn’t healthy enough to play. He is considered day-to-day heading into Kansas State’s final game of the regular season against Oklahoma on Saturday at Bramlage Coliseum.
But Weber isn’t sure if he will be ready to play. Nowell apparently has a bad history with hamstring injuries.
“I hope and pray (that he will play),” Weber said. “He gave it a little shot today during shoot around. He’s had issues with his hamstring, not this year but in the past. I think he was a little gun shy. The next few days are going to be really important that he can get back moving again.”
Replacing Nowell wasn’t easy. He was the MVP when K-State defeated Texas Tech earlier this season at Bramlage Coliseum when he had seven points, nine assists and five steals.
It seemed like K-State would have a difficult time playing without its point guard, but it got by with a starting lineup that consisted of Nijel Pack, Mike McGuirl, Selton Miguel, Mark Smith and Ismael Massoud. They actually jumped out to a 23-14 thanks to some early three-pointers.
But the Wildcats could have used him late when the Red Raiders ramped up their defensive pressure and made it difficult for anyone to drive toward the basket.
Biggest home court advantage in the nation?
No team has been harder to beat in its home arena than Texas Tech this season.
College basketball statistician Ken Pomeroy rates the Red Raiders No. 1 when it comes to home-court advantage. His data suggests playing inside United Supermarkets Arena is worth almost five points for Texas Tech.
It’s easy to see why.
“It was an electric in there,” McGuirl said, “especially because it was senior day and they have so many seniors. It was electric from the start, from warm ups. We came out here for warm ups and there had to be 2,000 students here already. It was a great environment. It was fun. Honestly, it might have been the craziest crowd I have ever played in, except for a few times at (Kansas).”
Texas Tech has embraced basketball as its favorite sport in recent years. A sellout crowd cheered on Mark Adams’ team on Monday, getting so loud during big runs that the environment rivaled what K-State encounters on the road when it plays rival KU inside Allen Fieldhouse.
It wasn’t that long ago that this was one of the emptiest arenas in all of college basketball. Now it’s consistently full and loud.
“The crowd is unbelievable here,” Weber said. “It might be better than Kansas, to be honest with the noise, the music and the energy. Our guys fought through it and gave themselves a chance.”
This story was originally published February 28, 2022 at 10:34 PM.