SE: K-State Defense ‘The Foundation’ in its Four-Game Win Streak
Jan 21, 2019 | Men's Basketball, Sports Extra
By Corbin McGuire
Plenty of factors played into K-State turning a 0-2 start in the Big 12 to a 4-2 conference record to join a four-way tie atop the league standings.
Dean Wade's return to the lineup, more efficient offense and Barry Brown Jr.'s increased production all were key components. But all three of those have been amplified by K-State's defense. Without it, they likely would have been moot points in more losses.
"They're built on defense," TCU head coach Jamie Dixon said on Saturday, after his team was held to a season-low 55 points in a loss in Bramlage Coliseum. "That's what their thing is."
K-State's thing has been on full display during its four-game win streak, especially in the last three.
On the road, the Wildcats held Iowa State 24 points below its scoring average. Next, they limited to Oklahoma to 13 points below its average. On Saturday, TCU came up 25 points shy of its previous scoring average. K-State has now held opponents below their scoring average in 11-straight games.
"We knew we were a good team," Wade said. "We hadn't showed it a few times this season, but we're hitting our stride and everyone's playing great basketball, really defensive focused."
"We have older guys and they take a lot of pride in defense. They found out if we guarded people it gave us a chance to win in the (NCAA) Tournament," K-State head coach Bruce Weber added. "They buy into it. Our coaches do a good job. They prepare. Hopefully it will be the foundation. We always say, 'What your foundation is early is going to be your foundation late,' and that's got to be it."
K-State (14-4, 4-2), which hosts No. 8 Texas Tech (15-3, 4-2) on Tuesday in a first-place Big 12 battle, ranks second in the Big 12 and sixth in the country in scoring defense (59.2). According to KenPom.com, the Wildcats rank fifth in adjusted defensive efficiency.
Within these numbers lie a few other key statistics.
In its last four wins, K-State forced 15.5 turnovers per game. Collectively, those turnovers led to 75 points for the Wildcats, about 28 percent of their total scoring during the win streak. TCU, which ranked in the nation's top 10 in assists and assist-to-turnover ratio, recorded a season-low 10 assists and season-high 18 turnovers against the Wildcats.
"That's what they do," Dixon said. "We're a low-turnover team. They did what they wanted to do, and we didn't do what we normally do."
Weber said K-State's forwards, especially Makol Mawien and Wade deserve a lot of the credit for the turnover advantage. Specifically, K-State's seventh-year head coach said their ability to defend ball screens has been elite.
"(Mawien's) about as good a ball-screen defender big guy as there is in the country. He just does a great job, and it's not easy. You have to do it every time," Weber said. "I've said Dean is one of the biggest defending big guys in the country. People just don't realize it. He can move his feet. He's smart. He knows the concepts. He studies the game. He can do it."
K-State's perimeter defense deserves some attention as well. Mawien and Wade's abilities, again, play a big part in this, as does Xavier Sneed's versatility to be able to guard many different positions effectively.
During K-State's win streak, opponents have shot only 35.4 percent (29-of-86) from beyond the arc. In its last three wins, that number drops to 30.3 percent. TCU, which ranks second in the Big 12 in 3-point percentage, made 6-of-24 (25.0 percent) from deep on Saturday.
The difference, Weber said, has been a team-wide buy in to scouting reports and preparation. It must continue, he added, for the success to carry on.
"As soon as the Oklahoma game ended, I talked to them about maturity, leadership, getting ready and preparing yourself," he said. "I showed them a video that Kenny Smith did the other night during one of the NBA games, just about how the difference between winning teams and losing teams is having that edge, that mental preparation, doing the little things."
Plenty of factors played into K-State turning a 0-2 start in the Big 12 to a 4-2 conference record to join a four-way tie atop the league standings.
Dean Wade's return to the lineup, more efficient offense and Barry Brown Jr.'s increased production all were key components. But all three of those have been amplified by K-State's defense. Without it, they likely would have been moot points in more losses.
"They're built on defense," TCU head coach Jamie Dixon said on Saturday, after his team was held to a season-low 55 points in a loss in Bramlage Coliseum. "That's what their thing is."
K-State's thing has been on full display during its four-game win streak, especially in the last three.
On the road, the Wildcats held Iowa State 24 points below its scoring average. Next, they limited to Oklahoma to 13 points below its average. On Saturday, TCU came up 25 points shy of its previous scoring average. K-State has now held opponents below their scoring average in 11-straight games.
"We knew we were a good team," Wade said. "We hadn't showed it a few times this season, but we're hitting our stride and everyone's playing great basketball, really defensive focused."
You know we gotta show out. #KStateMBB #EMAW pic.twitter.com/GL6yXNcw9D
— K-State Men's Basketball (@KStateMBB) January 20, 2019
"We have older guys and they take a lot of pride in defense. They found out if we guarded people it gave us a chance to win in the (NCAA) Tournament," K-State head coach Bruce Weber added. "They buy into it. Our coaches do a good job. They prepare. Hopefully it will be the foundation. We always say, 'What your foundation is early is going to be your foundation late,' and that's got to be it."
K-State (14-4, 4-2), which hosts No. 8 Texas Tech (15-3, 4-2) on Tuesday in a first-place Big 12 battle, ranks second in the Big 12 and sixth in the country in scoring defense (59.2). According to KenPom.com, the Wildcats rank fifth in adjusted defensive efficiency.
Within these numbers lie a few other key statistics.
In its last four wins, K-State forced 15.5 turnovers per game. Collectively, those turnovers led to 75 points for the Wildcats, about 28 percent of their total scoring during the win streak. TCU, which ranked in the nation's top 10 in assists and assist-to-turnover ratio, recorded a season-low 10 assists and season-high 18 turnovers against the Wildcats.
"That's what they do," Dixon said. "We're a low-turnover team. They did what they wanted to do, and we didn't do what we normally do."
Weber said K-State's forwards, especially Makol Mawien and Wade deserve a lot of the credit for the turnover advantage. Specifically, K-State's seventh-year head coach said their ability to defend ball screens has been elite.
"(Mawien's) about as good a ball-screen defender big guy as there is in the country. He just does a great job, and it's not easy. You have to do it every time," Weber said. "I've said Dean is one of the biggest defending big guys in the country. People just don't realize it. He can move his feet. He's smart. He knows the concepts. He studies the game. He can do it."
K-State's perimeter defense deserves some attention as well. Mawien and Wade's abilities, again, play a big part in this, as does Xavier Sneed's versatility to be able to guard many different positions effectively.
During K-State's win streak, opponents have shot only 35.4 percent (29-of-86) from beyond the arc. In its last three wins, that number drops to 30.3 percent. TCU, which ranks second in the Big 12 in 3-point percentage, made 6-of-24 (25.0 percent) from deep on Saturday.
The difference, Weber said, has been a team-wide buy in to scouting reports and preparation. It must continue, he added, for the success to carry on.
"As soon as the Oklahoma game ended, I talked to them about maturity, leadership, getting ready and preparing yourself," he said. "I showed them a video that Kenny Smith did the other night during one of the NBA games, just about how the difference between winning teams and losing teams is having that edge, that mental preparation, doing the little things."
Players Mentioned
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K-State Men's Basketball | Press Conference vs Baylor
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