Five things we learned from Kansas State’s 66-65 road victory over No. 23 Texas
Not long after it seemed like the Kansas State men’s basketball team was barreling toward rock bottom, the Wildcats have turned their season around with stunning speed by winning consecutive games against ranked opponents.
K-State pulled off its latest upset by defeating No. 23 Texas 66-65 in front of 11,498 fans on Tuesday at the Erwin Center in Austin, Texas.
Bruce Weber and the Wildcats pulled off the unlikely victory as 11-point underdogs thanks to solid defense, astute coaching and a series of clutch shots from Mark Smith, Nijel Pack and Mike McGuirl.
That was enough for K-State (10-7, 2-4 Big 12) to hold of Texas (13-5, 3-3) even with Marcus Carr erupting for 25 points for the Longhorns.
“The biggest thing is our players have taken ownership of the team,” Weber said. “A player-driven team is much better than a coach-driven team. We are getting good leadership from Mike McGuirl and Mark Smith, Ismael Massoud and even slowly but surely Nijel. We are guarding people and they are starting to figure it out.”
K-State opened Big 12 play by losing its first four games while dealing with COVID issues within its roster, but it has bounced back with wins over No. 18 Texas Tech and Texas since getting back to full strength. Hope has returned.
Smith led the Wildcats with 22 points and eight rebounds. It was one of his finest games in a K-State uniform. He celebrated by throwing the “horns down” hand signal and waving goodbye to the crowd.
“It was fun,” Smith said. “Obviously the passion of playing the game, I probably should have had just a little more class. After the first time we played them at K-State I remembered they were throwing up the EMAW sign and stomping on the Powercat, things like that, and yelling at our fans. That just didn’t sit well with me.”
Pack added 16 points, including the biggest bucket of the game. The sophomore guard converted the final basket of the night when he caught a pass from Markquis Nowell in the lane and finished a layup to give the Wildcats their final lead.
McGuirl had 13 points and three rebounds in another solid game from the team’s veteran leader.
The Wildcats will try to make it three straight wins over ranked teams when they play host No. 7 Kansas on Saturday at Bramlage Coliseum.
Here are some key takeaways from K-State’s win over Texas:
K-State fans can start to dream a little bit
The odds of K-State reaching the NCAA Tournament, or even the NIT, seemed extremely low when the Wildcats lost their first four conference games of the season.
Their next four games were all against ranked opponents, and few expected them to win against top-25 competition. But that is exactly what has happened.
The Wildcats are now on a hot streak. Their upcoming game against the rival Jayhawks is suddenly loaded with meaning. A win over Kansas would give K-State worlds of momentum and another impressive victory for their postseason resume.
K-State doesn’t have much margin for error. But it can join the NCAA Tournament bubble conversation by posting a winning record over its final 13 games. That is within the realm of possibility, even against a difficult schedule.
Fans were down on the Wildcats at this time last week, but there is reason to consider hopping back on the bandwagon now that the Wildcats have the entirety of their players and coaches healthy for games. They have proven what they are capable of, even against strong competition. A season that once appeared lost now has new possibilities.
Mark Smith delivers another gem
If there was a national award for the most improved transfer in college basketball, K-State guard Mark Smith would be in the running for it.
Smith has been one of the Wildcats’ best players all season after putting up mediocre numbers at Missouri over the past few seasons and is now nearly averaging a double-double. He had another standout performance against Texas.
The 6-foot-4 guard was at his best in this game. He attacked the basket and showed aggression every time the Wildcats possessed the ball. He finished with 22 points on 14 shots. He was 7 of 9 around the basket and 2 of 5 from the outside.
He set the tone by scoring K-State’s first six points of the game and never looked back.
This wasn’t his career high. That happened when he erupted for 25 points and 16 rebounds earlier this season against Oklahoma. But this effort was more meaningful because it was good enough to help his team win. That was a welcome change after an 0-4 start.
“We never got down,” Smith said. “Guys angry, because we know we can be better. I think we’re starting to show that now. We’re just going to try to keep growing each and every day in practice and get some more big wins.”
Free throws and fouls nearly doom K-State
Sometimes simple things decide the outcome of games.
That was almost the case on Tuesday with Texas’ free-throw shooting.
The Longhorns got to the foul line 26 times and made 21 of them. That’s 81% for those of you without a calculator.
K-State had much less luck in that area. The Wildcats got to the free-throw line 16 times and made only nine of their attempts.
Missing too many free throws has become a bad habit for the Wildcats in recent games. They also struggled from the charity stripe during a narrow loss to TCU.
If K-State was better at making the easiest shot in basketball it could easily have a winning record in Big 12 play right now.
The Wildcats overcame those discrepancies at the free-throw line by attempting 54 field goals while the Longhorns shot only 47.
What’s wrong with Selton Miguel?
Selton Miguel earned a lasting spot in Kansas State’s starting lineup at the start of Big 12 play earlier this month by giving the Wildcats a valuable combination of energy and defense on the wing, but his contributions on offense have been minimal over the past month.
Nothing changed for the sophomore guard against Texas.
Miguel made 2 of 9 shots and finished with five points. It was another disappointing game for him considering how often he got good looks at the basket. It’s not like the Longhorns were double-teaming him every time he touched the ball. The way he was shooting around the rim ,they were happy to let him be aggressive with the ball in his hands.
He has been cold for a while now.
K-State has played in six conference games and Miguel has only reached double figures in one of them. What’s the problem? It’s hard to say. It could be mental. He appears in need of a confidence boost.
Bruce Weber shows off coaching prowess
Once again, K-State didn’t get much from its front court on Tuesday.
Starting center Davion Bradford had two points and two rebounds, top reserve Kaosi Ezeagu went scoreless and so did Carlton Linguard.
With all three of them struggling, Weber turned to some unconventional lineups to get production inside. That meant playing Ismael Massoud at the five instead of the four for long stretches of the game. It also meant using five guards late in the second half.
Those turned out to be wise decisions, as K-State outscored Texas in the paint 28-16. The Wildcats (32) also grabbed more rebounds than the Longhorns (31). A small lineup opened up some new scoring opportunities on offense and helped K-State defend Carr on the perimeter when he was heating up.
The Wildcats need to start getting something out of Bradford and Ezeagu if they hope to reach their full potential, but Weber deserves credit for winning this game with a small lineup.
