SE: K-State MBB's Offensive Improvement Key in Win Streak
Feb 15, 2019 | Men's Basketball, Sports Extra
By Corbin McGuire
If No. 18/18 Kansas State's defense started its nine-game conference win streak to reach the top of the Big 12 standings, then its offensive improvement has been vital to sustain it. The Wildcats growth on that end of the court has been undeniable as of late.
Senior Dean Wade said two types of movement keyed it.
"Ball and player movement," he said.
K-State's 6-foot-10 forward specifically referenced a moment in his team's latest win — a 71-64 victory at Texas on Tuesday — when senior point guard Kamau Stokes simply cut hard, which opened up a shot for somebody else and led to a score.
"So, a lot of it just has to do with energy, ball movement," Wade said, "and finding the open person, especially."
Recently, K-State has found that person more times than not. The Wildcats have the statistics to prove it, too.
K-State has scored 70 or more points in four-straight games for the first time this season. In those four games, the Wildcats have shot 47.4 percent from the field and 44.8 percent from beyond the arc. The latter helped bump K-State's 3-point percentage in Big 12 games to 36.9, third-best in the league. Also, of K-State's 102 made field goals in its last four games, 70 came off of assists.
A number of factors contributed to these improvements, K-State head coach Bruce Weber said, but one stands above the rest.
"I think passing has been key," Weber said, as K-State (19-5, 9-2) hosts No. 23/22 Iowa State (18-6, 7-4) on Saturday at 3 p.m., on ESPN2. "Making that extra pass, getting in the paint, seeing things, coming in, watching film, understanding what teams give you, pushing the ball a little more, getting some easy ones. I think all of that has added up."
Among other things, it has added up to better scoring balance.
Five Wildcats finished in double figures at Texas, a first for K-State this season. Against Baylor and Kansas, four Wildcats broke the 10-point barrier while another finished at nine points. They are now 9-1 this season when four or more players score in double figures.
"That's been how we've evolved as a team," Weber said. "That's what we had hoped for early. Hopefully it will continue as we go."
Of K-State's games with four players scoring 10 or more points, six occurred in an 11-game window between November 16 and December 22. K-State did not have another until its record-breaking comeback against West Virginia on January 9, when its current conference win streak began.
"It's been huge for us," Wade said of the team's scoring balance.
Both Wade and Weber credited Barry Brown, Jr., K-State's leading scorer, for helping create the team's reborn balance. Brown dished out six assists in K-State's road win at Baylor, his 22nd career game with five or more assists as K-State is 17-5 in those games. He has averaged 4.3 assists in his last three games.
"Part of our success is Barry's taking what they're giving him now," Weber said. "He's driving, getting in the paint, making the next play, not forcing the action. He's one of the leading scorers in the league, so they're gearing toward him."
Wade said Brown's decision making, paired with better overall ball movement, has been a significant factor in K-State's more effective offense.
"Barry's doing a great job of, when he drives into the lane and everyone kind of sucks into him, he's making the right passes out to Kam, X, all those guys," Wade said. "When Barry's scoring a lot, they'll double him, trap him off ball screens, and that ball movement really hurts them because if two guys are guarding one person, somebody's open.
"We're doing a great job of finding the open person, making the right passes and, of course, knocking down shots always helps."
If No. 18/18 Kansas State's defense started its nine-game conference win streak to reach the top of the Big 12 standings, then its offensive improvement has been vital to sustain it. The Wildcats growth on that end of the court has been undeniable as of late.
Senior Dean Wade said two types of movement keyed it.
"Ball and player movement," he said.
K-State's 6-foot-10 forward specifically referenced a moment in his team's latest win — a 71-64 victory at Texas on Tuesday — when senior point guard Kamau Stokes simply cut hard, which opened up a shot for somebody else and led to a score.
"So, a lot of it just has to do with energy, ball movement," Wade said, "and finding the open person, especially."
Recently, K-State has found that person more times than not. The Wildcats have the statistics to prove it, too.
K-State has scored 70 or more points in four-straight games for the first time this season. In those four games, the Wildcats have shot 47.4 percent from the field and 44.8 percent from beyond the arc. The latter helped bump K-State's 3-point percentage in Big 12 games to 36.9, third-best in the league. Also, of K-State's 102 made field goals in its last four games, 70 came off of assists.
A number of factors contributed to these improvements, K-State head coach Bruce Weber said, but one stands above the rest.
"I think passing has been key," Weber said, as K-State (19-5, 9-2) hosts No. 23/22 Iowa State (18-6, 7-4) on Saturday at 3 p.m., on ESPN2. "Making that extra pass, getting in the paint, seeing things, coming in, watching film, understanding what teams give you, pushing the ball a little more, getting some easy ones. I think all of that has added up."
Among other things, it has added up to better scoring balance.
Five Wildcats finished in double figures at Texas, a first for K-State this season. Against Baylor and Kansas, four Wildcats broke the 10-point barrier while another finished at nine points. They are now 9-1 this season when four or more players score in double figures.
"That's been how we've evolved as a team," Weber said. "That's what we had hoped for early. Hopefully it will continue as we go."
Of K-State's games with four players scoring 10 or more points, six occurred in an 11-game window between November 16 and December 22. K-State did not have another until its record-breaking comeback against West Virginia on January 9, when its current conference win streak began.
"It's been huge for us," Wade said of the team's scoring balance.
Both Wade and Weber credited Barry Brown, Jr., K-State's leading scorer, for helping create the team's reborn balance. Brown dished out six assists in K-State's road win at Baylor, his 22nd career game with five or more assists as K-State is 17-5 in those games. He has averaged 4.3 assists in his last three games.
"Part of our success is Barry's taking what they're giving him now," Weber said. "He's driving, getting in the paint, making the next play, not forcing the action. He's one of the leading scorers in the league, so they're gearing toward him."
Wade said Brown's decision making, paired with better overall ball movement, has been a significant factor in K-State's more effective offense.
"Barry's doing a great job of, when he drives into the lane and everyone kind of sucks into him, he's making the right passes out to Kam, X, all those guys," Wade said. "When Barry's scoring a lot, they'll double him, trap him off ball screens, and that ball movement really hurts them because if two guys are guarding one person, somebody's open.
"We're doing a great job of finding the open person, making the right passes and, of course, knocking down shots always helps."
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