Three takeaways from Kansas State’s gritty road basketball victory against Cincinnati
When people refer to a college basketball game as a “rock fight” they are usually talking about the type of contest that Kansas State won against Cincinnati on Wednesday at Fifth Third Arena.
The Wildcats beat the host Bearcats 54-49 in a midweek Big 12 matchup that was not aesthetically pleasing for either side.
To put the final score in perspective, this was the first time K-State had won a conference road game while scoring 54 points or fewer since 2013.
The Wildcats made just 41% of their shots from the field and 17% of their shots from beyond the arc. But that was enough to give them a hard-fought victory over a Cincinnati team that was worse in both categories.
The Bearcats made 37% of their shots from the field and 11% from 3-point range.
“That game wasn’t pretty,” K-State coach Jerome Tang said on his postgame radio show. “But at the end of the day we play to win. That’s it, right? We won. Our guys figured out a way.”
Even though this game will not be remembered as a work of art, there were bright spots for the Wildcats.
David N’Guessan led them to victory with a fabulous effort that featured 18 points, 10 rebounds and four assists. He led his team in all three statistics.
K-State (15-15, 9-10 Big 12) also received a boost from senior forward Coleman Hawkins, who returned to action after missing the past three games with an injury to his right knee. He had nine points and eight rebounds, but he was clearly not at full strength against Cincinnati (17-13, 7-12).
“It was great to have Coleman back,” Tang said. “It’s going to take a little bit to get him adjusted back to it, but it’s great to have him back.”
The Wildcats fell behind by as many as eight points in each half, but they battled back from both deficits and led by as many as seven in the closing minutes.
Next up for K-State is the regular-season finale against Iowa State on Saturday at Bramlage Coliseum.
Until then, here are some takeaways from Wednesday’s action:
Coleman Hawkins showed grit in his return from injury
A few days ago, Jerome Tang said that no one associated with the K-State men’s basketball team would blame Coleman Hawkins for sitting out the rest of the season with an injury to his right knee.
His logic: Hawkins is a senior forward with a professional basketball career in his future. Some would understandably prioritize a healthy body in that situation, especially with the Wildcats no longer in the mix for an at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament.
But Hawkins has been working hard to return to the lineup for K-State, and he did exactly that after a three-game absence. The Illinois transfer was back in the starting lineup Wednesday against the Bearcats, and that alone made it a significant game for him.
He was so fired up to play he insisted on not having a minute count from Tang. He was all in.
“If I’m going to play, I’m going to play,” Hawkins said afterward. “I don’t want to hear anything about a minute restriction. I don’t want coaches to keep asking, ‘How’s it feeling?’ I just want to go out and play, because otherwise that’s just more distractions. And that’s what I did tonight.”
Hawkins is clearly a competitor who would rather try to help his team finish the season on a high note rather than watch from the sideline. It appears he is on track to continue playing when K-State takes on Iowa State in the regular-season finale on Saturday and then in the Big 12 Tournament.
It also seems like he will be a productive player during those games.
“Some people would say, ‘Oh, this game doesn’t matter,’” Hawkins said. “It’s late in the season and we don’t have the best record, and we can take these games lightly. No, we want to finish out the best we can and make a push in the conference tournament and try to win it.”
Even though he was clearly rusty after spending two weeks on the bench he put a brace on his right knee and boosted the Wildcats with nine points, eight rebounds and three assists.
He announced his return with a deep 3-pointer in the first half and followed with a driving layup. But he did more than just score against the Bearcats. He was also a distributor and a contributor on the boards.
K-State is a better team with Hawkins in the lineup. This game served as a reminder.
David N’Guessan did it all for the Wildcats
It was clear who led K-State in this game.
David N’Guessan put the Wildcats on his back and carried them to a road victory with his offense in the paint.
The senior forward scored 18 points on 8-of-10 shooting. He was most effective around the rim, where he muscled his way past Cincinnati big men Aziz Bandaogo and Dillon Mitchell for buckets in the paint. He made his baskets even as the Bearcats played physical defense against him and K-State coaches argued for fouls to be called after several of his makes.
It didn’t matter. N’Guessan went up strong with the ball and found a way to finish. He also led the Wildcats with 10 rebounds and four assists.
His consistent run of impressive play continues.
Cincinnati coach Wes Miller badly mismanaged the final minute
Jerome Tang may want to consider sending Cincinnati coach Wes Miller a gift basket for the way he handled the final moments of this game.
Cincinnati guard Jizzle James made a jumper with 1:48 remaining to pull the Bearcats within three, at 52-49, and the game was up for grabs. But Cincinnati didn’t score again, thanks in part to some bizarre fouling strategy at the end of the game.
The score was still 52-49 with 28 seconds left with K-State more than midway through an important possession. Time was winding down on the shot clock, but Cincinnati opted to foul Dug McDaniel on the perimeter. Cincinnati wasn’t in the bonus yet, so Miller instructed his players to foul K-State three more times until Brendan Hausen went to the line with 22 seconds remaining.
Hausen made both free throws and gave the Wildcats a 54-49 advantage.
The game was effectively over at the point. Cincinnati would have been much better off continuing to play defense on that possession instead of gift-wrapping two points for the Wildcats and trying to play catch up.
This story was originally published March 5, 2025 at 8:34 PM.