How Kansas State can create matchup problems against Kentucky and advance to Sweet 16
Jerome Tang had an observation to make at the halfway point of his news conference in between rounds of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday at Greensboro Coliseum.
“A lot of these questions,” he said, “have been about Oscar.”
The Oscar that Kansas State’s basketball coach was referring to is none other than Kentucky forward Oscar Tshiebwe, a 6-foot-9 senior who averages 16.2 points and 13.5 rebounds per game. And he was, indeed, the main topic of conversation. That tends to happen when a player grabs an astounding 25 rebounds in a March Madness game and your team is tasked with matching up against that player in a Round of 32 contest at 1:40 p.m. on Sunday.
K-State hasn’t gone up against a center anything like him this season.
He is a true center who plays with his back to the basket and is capable of both scoring and crashing the boards against anyone in college basketball.
“You can’t wrestle with Oscar,” Tang said. “We don’t have anybody on our team who can go into a physical wrestling match with him and win. So we’re going to have to use our speed and our quickness to our advantage.”
That mission is obviously easier said than done. But it is also far from impossible.
Very few college basketball teams play through a lumbering center anymore. In certain games, it can be extremely difficult for a team to match up against that kind of size. In other games, the reverse can be true and a player like Tshiebwe can look silly trying to defend stretch forwards on the perimeter.
Kansas, for example, had tremendous success against Tshiebwe and Kentucky earlier this season when the Jayhawks went on the road and beat John Calipari’s team 77-68. KJ Adams, an undersized 6-foot-7 center, had his way with Tshiebwe on pick-and-rolls and scored 17 points against him.
Kentucky is the nation’s second-best team when it comes to grabbing offensive rebounds, but KU limited the Wildcats to just four offensive rebounds in that game. Mediocre teams like Georgia and South Carolina have also defeated Kentucky this season by spreading the floor against it.
Crazy it sounds, this might be an opportunity for K-State forwards Nae’Qwan Tomlin, David N’Guessan and Abayomi Iyiola to put up big stat lines against Tshiebwe because they all have enough athleticism to make him defend in space. Its best defense could be a good offense.
“They are all really good bigs, because they give us three different looks,” K-State guard Markquis Nowell said. “Nae’Qwan spaces the floor out and he plays like a guard. David and Abayomi give us that inside presence that we need. I feel like tomorrow will be a great challenge for us and the bigs step up to help the team win and contain Oscar Tshiebwe.”
Calipari seems to realize both teams could take advantage of a mismatch inside.
“We have got to go out and play against these guys,” Calipari said. “But the other side is that they have to play us, too. We are coming at you. They do a great job of trapping in the post and creating opportunities to steal balls and be disruptive. The good news is that the season you play prepares you for these moments.”
Which team will win the chess match on the inside?
The answer may come down to foul trouble, as in which side can avoid it. Tomlin erupted for an unbelievable run of five layups and a dunk in the second half of K-State’s win over Montana State in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. But he watched most of the first half from the bench with two fouls.
That can’t happen if K-State hopes to beat a team like Kentucky.
David N’Guessan came off the bench to score 10 points and grab two rebounds against the Bobcats, but he was only on the floor for 19 minutes.
It will be a different challenge for Ismael Massoud and Iyiola. Can Massoud make enough outside shots to make up for his questionable play on defense? Can Iyiola play strong enough defense to make up for his lack of a scoring punch?
If the answer to all those questions is yes, then it could be a very good day for the Wildcats. If the answer is no, then Tshiebwe could end up with another monster stat line.
“It will be a team effort,” K-State wing Keyontae Johnson said. “Oscar gives them a lot of second-chance points. We just have to realize that, get rebounds ourselves and box out. He is going to get his no matter what. That’s who is. He is one of the nation’s best players. But if we all come together with a team effort we will be all right.”