Kansas State’s season ends in the NIT with loss to Iowa. Here are three takeaways
Kansas State men’s basketball coach Jerome Tang said it was an easy decision for the Wildcats to accept a spot in the NIT after they fell short of their primary goal and failed to reach the NCAA Tournament.
Some may disagree with that line of thinking after Iowa bounced K-State from of the postseason with a 91-82 victory at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Tuesday.
The Wildcats played with more than enough energy and determination to give the Hawkeyes a competitive game. They made plenty of shots, too. But their defense didn’t travel across state lines.
For that reason, K-State suffered another loss and is now done for the season with a final record of 19-15.
Iowa guard Payton Sandfort exploited K-State’s defense the most by draining seven shots from 3-point range on his way to 30 points. Ben Krikke also added 24 points. That combination was simply too much for the Wildcats to counter.
Freshman guard Dai Dai Ames led K-State with 16 points on a night when Tang played every healthy scholarship player on his roster.
The Wildcats fell behind 50-39 at halftime but fought back to make it a one possession game in the second half. They could have easily pushed the Hawkeyes to the wire, but they simply couldn’t get enough defensive stops to make that happen.
Tang and his team were hoping to close out the year with a run to Indianapolis and the NIT finals. But it wasn’t to be. Many of the same problems that hurt K-State during the regular season continued to haunt them in this game.
Here are some takeaways from the action:
K-State freshmen got a chance to shine
Tang wasn’t kidding when he said he would consider dipping into his bench and giving some of K-State’s youngest players an opportunity to prove themselves in the NIT.
Even though he stayed with his traditional starting lineup, Tang trusted his freshmen much more than he did during the regular season.
He played Dai Dai Ames for 33 minutes, RJ Jones for 14 minutes and Macaleab Rich for 12 minutes.
All of them responded by doing positive things. Ames led the group with 16 points, Jones grabbed a rebound and an assist, and Rich produced seven points and five rebounds.
They were even on the court at the same time for a while.
It was no surprise to see Ames play so well. He was a catalyst in several K-State victories as the season went on, including a come-from-behind win over Texas at the Big 12 Tournament. But it was eye-opening to see Rich make plays in the paint. Perhaps he should have played more this season. Then again, his defense was clearly lacking.
In any case, he proved what he might be capable of next season as he matures into a more complete player.
One advantage to playing in the NIT is low stakes. Coaches can experiment with lineups without fear of losing a game that will devastate their fan base. Tang took advantage and provided onlookers with a glimpse into the future by playing freshmen in a tournament setting.
Iowa took advantage of a huge discrepancy in free throws
One could point to a plethora of reasons for why K-State lost control of this game.
The Wildcats committed too many turnovers (13), gave up too many points (91) and committed too many fouls (20). But that last statistic seemed to hurt K-State more than any other because it resulted in 30 trips to the free-throw line for the Hawkeyes.
Iowa scored 22 of its points from the charity stripe, and that was simply too many for K-State to overcome. The Wildcats, by comparison only made 16 trips to the free-throw line. Worst of all, they only made eight of those shots.
It’s not like Iowa won this game exclusively from the line. Sandfort was on fire and the Hawkeyes had all kinds of answers on offense for the Wildcats. But K-State couldn’t defend Iowa shooters at the free-throw line.
Important offseason awaits for Jerome Tang
One positive about losing early in the NIT is that Tang and his coaching staff can go ahead and turn their attention to the transfer portal.
Building a quality roster for next season is arguably more important than a consolation tournament.
It will be an interesting few weeks ahead for the Wildcats. Tylor Perry and Will McNair are out of eligibility, so they won’t be back. David N’Guessan and Arthur Kaluma have decisions to make about their futures. And everyone else on the roster is free to transfer if they want a fresh start elsewhere.
If Tang can convince a strong core group of players to stay on the roster and then add some talent out of the portal the Wildcats could be back in the NCAA Tournament next season. But it will probably require significant roster turnover to make that happen.
How many players will be back? How many new recruits will join the team? It’s time to find out now that the season has come to an end.
This story was originally published March 19, 2024 at 10:30 PM.