Takeaways from Kansas State’s lackluster basketball win over Mississippi Valley State
Sometimes the final score in a college basketball game can be deceiving.
Take Kansas State’s 74-56 victory over Mississippi Valley State on Tuesday at Bramlage Coliseum for example. On the surface, it may look like the Wildcats took care of business against an overmatched opponent. But anyone who watched this game for an entire 40 minutes knows that there were tense moments for the home team.
Mississippi Valley State is one of the worst teams in the country. College basketball statistician Bart Torvik ranks the Delta Devils 364th out of 364 teams in his ratings database. They lost to Missouri 111-39 less than a week ago. Texas beat them 89-43 and Iowa State defeated them 83-44. K-State was favored to win by 39.5 points.
And yet, this game was tied at 25 in the early moments of the second half.
K-State eventually began playing with enough energy to pull away for a comfortable win and avoid disaster. But things did not come easy. The small crowd that watched felt nervous for much of the night.
Most of K-State’s starting lineup laid an egg. Coleman Hawkins scored two points, Max Jones had seven and Brendan Hausen scored eight. Only CJ Jones and David N’Guessan reached double figures.
Ugonna Onyenso came off the bench to lead the team in scoring with 16 points.
Many were hoping for the Wildcats to bounce back from a recent 76-65 loss to LSU with a no-drama victory on Tuesday. Instead, they had to play their starters until the bitter end.
In some ways, this felt like a loss.
Nevertheless, K-State improved to 3-1. Mississippi Valley State dropped to 1-4.
The Wildcats are next in action on Friday against George Washington at the Paradise Jam in the Virgin Islands.
Until then, here are some takeaways from Tuesday’s action:
Ugonna Onyenso saved K-State from disaster
It’s scary to think about what the final score might have been in this game if not for the play of K-State center Ugonna Onyenso.
Head coach Jerome Tang inserted the Kentucky transfer into the game during a lull in the first half and he immediately scored eight points. The 7-footer used his size to his advantage and overwhelmed Mississippi Valley State players whenever he touched the ball in the paint.
He gave the Wildcats a lift when they badly needed one.
Onyenso finished with 16 points, four rebounds and one block in just 12 minutes of action. He made six of seven shots from the field.
It’s difficult for K-State to play him for extended minutes against every opponent, because his defensive skills don’t necessarily match up against a stretch-four or a five man who can shoot from the perimeter. But he proved in this game that he is capable of bullying an opponent.
He will be a valuable asset for the Wildcats in certain games.
Good and bad shooting from K-State
One of the biggest things that hurt the Wildcats in this game was 3-point shooting. K-State only made 3 of 23 shots from beyond the arc. Brendan Hausen struggled the most from downtown, as he went 2-of-11. David Castillo made the only other 3-pointer for K-State and finished 1-of-6.
But the Wildcats were excellent at shooting in another area.
K-State made 25 of 27 shots from the free-throw line. That is 92.6% for those without calculators. That could help the Wildcats in close games as the season goes along.
Coleman Hawkins struggled once again
Kansas State’s $2 million forward is off to a rough start with his new team.
The Illinois transfer had his worst game yet against Mississippi Valley State as he only scored two points on 11 shots in 31 minutes of action.
He didn’t make his first bucket until he drained a jumper from about the free-throw line in the final moments. If not for that, he would have gone scoreless.
Tang touted Hawkins as the final piece of a roster that could compete for a Big 12 championship when he enrolled at K-State last spring. Maybe he will eventually turn into a valuable player, but he hasn’t made much of an impact yet.
To be fair, Hawkins did help K-State with 13 rebounds and four assists. He played hard and found a way to fill up the stat sheet even when his shot was off.
Maybe better days are ahead. But much more was expected from him after the massive NIL deal he accepted from the Wildcats.
Dug McDaniel surprisingly didn’t play in this game
Michigan transfer Dug McDaniel was Kansas State’s starting point guard last week when the Wildcats played an important non-conference game against LSU.
He played well against the Tigers and led the Wildcats with 16 points. It seemed like he had done more than enough to remain in the starting lineup. But Tang apparently felt differently. So much so that he benched McDaniel.
Why? Tang called it a “coach’s decision” and left it at that. He chose not to elaborate on his thinking when he asked a follow up question.
McDaniel didn’t see a minute of action in this game. He dressed and warmed up for the Wildcats, but was glued to the bench for 40 minutes.
CJ Jones started in his place and David Castillo came in as a reserve.
Tang has been hard on McDaniel since he he arrived in Manhattan, saying that he still needs to learn what it takes to play point guard in his system.
It’s possible this was a motivational tactic from Tang. He has benched players sporadically in the past to try and get more out of them.
This story was originally published November 19, 2024 at 9:09 PM.