SE: K-State Shows Maturity in Low-Scoring Win vs. Georgia to Set Up Big Monday Matchup with No. 5 Kansas
Jan 29, 2018 | Men's Basketball, Sports Extra
By Corbin McGuire
Prior to K-State's 56-51 victory against Georgia on Saturday, it had been weeks since the Wildcats had an off-shooting performance. It had been even longer since the Wildcats won with one.
Since shooting 35.7 percent in a loss against West Virginia on January 1, K-State had posted field goal percentages of 47.6, 50.0, 49.1, 56.5, 52.9 and 57.1. Against a hardnosed Georgia defense, however, K-State recorded its third-worst field goal percentage (38.3) and 3-point percentage (21.4) of the season, yet grinded out a win.
"(It proves) that we can win games no matter how they look — the good, bad and the ugly," junior guard Barry Brown said, as K-State (16-5, 5-3) hosts No. 5 Kansas (17-4, 6-2) on Monday at 8 p.m., on ESPN. "This is an ugly win, a grind-it-out game, and everything wasn't really falling. It's not going to be like that every night. It shows a lot of maturity from us to win this game without making a ton of shots.
"It's better to learn from a win than to learn from a loss. It's going to feel good going into Monday's game, knowing that we can still protect home court, no matter what happens on the offensive end."
Before Saturday, the last time K-State won a game while scoring less than 60 points was in its 56-54 win at No. 2 Baylor last season. K-State head coach Bruce Weber said the same intangibles his team used to overcome offensive struggles — namely, defense — against Georgia would be vital again on Monday against the Jayhawks.
"I was just happy we found a way to win a game another way other than just pretty and smooth and making shots. That shows a lot (of maturity) for our guys," Weber said. "We knew we had to fight and we had to scrap to find a way to win. We need that mentality against Kansas. That's got to be a difference maker here at home."
Trailing 49-44 in the second half, K-State allowed Georgia to score only two points in the final 6:30. During that stretch, the Wildcats limited the Bulldogs to 1-of-11 from the field and forced a pair of costly turnovers.
"We knew that we needed to get stops and scores," Brown said. "That was our motto every media timeout and every timeout, 'Stop, score, stop. Stop, score, stop.'"
Offensively, a number of Wildcats made plays down the stretch to push K-State to its fourth-straight win and its 23rd-consecutive non-conference home victory.
Redshirt freshman Cartier Diarra completed a pair of three-point plays. Dean Wade, who led K-State with 20 points for his fifth game with 20 or more, knocked in a pair of contested buckets late to extend his team's lead to five points. Brown made a pair of free throws to ice the game, setting up a chance on Monday for K-State to jump into a tie for first place.
"I think we've matured a lot. At the end of games we don't panic. We're playing strong, confident. I think getting a little more experience has helped our confidence and maturity a lot," Wade said, as K-State seeks to beat Kansas for the first time since 2015. "It would mean a lot. I've never beat them. It would also put us in a tie for the lead in the Big 12, so that's huge. It would give the fans something they've been waiting on for a few years. They come out and support us, so I feel like beating them would be big for them. It's a big game."
Prior to K-State's 56-51 victory against Georgia on Saturday, it had been weeks since the Wildcats had an off-shooting performance. It had been even longer since the Wildcats won with one.
Since shooting 35.7 percent in a loss against West Virginia on January 1, K-State had posted field goal percentages of 47.6, 50.0, 49.1, 56.5, 52.9 and 57.1. Against a hardnosed Georgia defense, however, K-State recorded its third-worst field goal percentage (38.3) and 3-point percentage (21.4) of the season, yet grinded out a win.
"(It proves) that we can win games no matter how they look — the good, bad and the ugly," junior guard Barry Brown said, as K-State (16-5, 5-3) hosts No. 5 Kansas (17-4, 6-2) on Monday at 8 p.m., on ESPN. "This is an ugly win, a grind-it-out game, and everything wasn't really falling. It's not going to be like that every night. It shows a lot of maturity from us to win this game without making a ton of shots.
"It's better to learn from a win than to learn from a loss. It's going to feel good going into Monday's game, knowing that we can still protect home court, no matter what happens on the offensive end."
Before Saturday, the last time K-State won a game while scoring less than 60 points was in its 56-54 win at No. 2 Baylor last season. K-State head coach Bruce Weber said the same intangibles his team used to overcome offensive struggles — namely, defense — against Georgia would be vital again on Monday against the Jayhawks.
"I was just happy we found a way to win a game another way other than just pretty and smooth and making shots. That shows a lot (of maturity) for our guys," Weber said. "We knew we had to fight and we had to scrap to find a way to win. We need that mentality against Kansas. That's got to be a difference maker here at home."
Trailing 49-44 in the second half, K-State allowed Georgia to score only two points in the final 6:30. During that stretch, the Wildcats limited the Bulldogs to 1-of-11 from the field and forced a pair of costly turnovers.
"We knew that we needed to get stops and scores," Brown said. "That was our motto every media timeout and every timeout, 'Stop, score, stop. Stop, score, stop.'"
Offensively, a number of Wildcats made plays down the stretch to push K-State to its fourth-straight win and its 23rd-consecutive non-conference home victory.
Redshirt freshman Cartier Diarra completed a pair of three-point plays. Dean Wade, who led K-State with 20 points for his fifth game with 20 or more, knocked in a pair of contested buckets late to extend his team's lead to five points. Brown made a pair of free throws to ice the game, setting up a chance on Monday for K-State to jump into a tie for first place.
"I think we've matured a lot. At the end of games we don't panic. We're playing strong, confident. I think getting a little more experience has helped our confidence and maturity a lot," Wade said, as K-State seeks to beat Kansas for the first time since 2015. "It would mean a lot. I've never beat them. It would also put us in a tie for the lead in the Big 12, so that's huge. It would give the fans something they've been waiting on for a few years. They come out and support us, so I feel like beating them would be big for them. It's a big game."
Players Mentioned
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