SE: K-State MBB Prepared for Bigger Atmosphere in Battle with Rival Kansas
Feb 05, 2019 | Men's Basketball, Sports Extra
By Corbin McGuire
Simply put, for those who have experienced it, the atmosphere is different in Manhattan the day Kansas State welcomes in-state rival Kansas to Bramlage Coliseum.
"I know our fans are outside hours before the game, just waiting to get into the building, waiting to get a good seat," senior guard Kamau Stokes said, as K-State (16-5, 6-2) hosts 13/14 Kansas (17-5, 6-3) on Tuesday at 8 p.m., on ESPN. "It's just going to be a lot of excitement, especially on campus, a lot of people telling you good luck."
"It's just a lot of energy," added senior guard Barry Brown, Jr. "The fans are here two hours before the game, outside probably eight hours before the game, just waiting. The energy in the locker room is maybe just a little bit higher because we know what to expect. We know it's going to be a high-intensity game, a back-and-forth game, it's going to be a fun one.
"So, I think the energy from everyone is going to be a little more amped up, but we have to control it and not let our emotions get the best of us but still have emotion to play the game."
Therein lies one of K-State's biggest challenges, K-State's three seniors — Dean Wade, Stokes and Brown — and K-State head coach Bruce Weber all agreed. How the Wildcats handle everything that surrounds this game should go a long way toward how it ends.
The three seniors said the first challenge within this is finding a balance between being excited for a rivalry game and staying loose enough to perform well.
"When you stay loose, you just get to focus, really," Stokes said. "You can't be too excited for the game or you'll just have mental errors, so we have to be loose but at the same time we have to be really locked in on what we're doing out there."
Brown said he's been on the wrong side of this at least once in the past three years at home against Kansas.
"It's just a game you want to win so bad that you end up doing things you shouldn't. I think right now we understand that we made those mistakes, and we're trying to limit those," he said. "I think it's easier as you get older, just understanding the atmosphere. You know what the atmosphere is going to be like. You know the ins and outs of the game, and the players and the coaches. I think the experience allows you to stay free and stay loose."
"You prepare for moments like this," Stokes added. "As a senior, you know what to expect. As a junior, you know what to expect. We have to control that excitement but, at the same time be ready to play, have a lot of energy to play. But we can't overwhelm ourselves with that."
For a few reasons, this game brings even more excitement than usual for K-State, too.
The Wildcats sit in a tie for first place in the Big 12 standings with Baylor, half a game ahead of the Jayhawks who have won or shared the last 14 regular season conference titles. K-State also has not beaten Kansas in its last eight attempts, with its last win in the historic rivalry coming on February 23, 2015 in Bramlage, before any player on K-State's current roster was on campus.
Neither fact has been lost on these Wildcats.
"It's definitely something we think about. Us seniors, we have bucket list games, and this is one of our bucket list games. We haven't beat them at all the whole time we've been here," Stokes said. "We're talking about Kansas. At the end of the day, that's what matters right now. We know that if we win that game (Tuesday) we'll stay on top of the league, so staying on top is definitely important but the game we have (Tuesday) is more important."
Oddly, the Wildcats have also not hosted the first battle of the season with the Jayhawks since the 2012-13 season, which was Weber's first as K-State's head coach. The two teams ended up sharing the conference title that year.
The last two seasons, K-State missed game-winning shot attempts in Lawrence and lost by wider margins in both rematches in Bramlage. Weber said it comes down to having the same mentality and focus regardless of the venue or the opponent.
"You have to be mentally ready to play. You can't think just because you're playing at home (that) you're going to be able to win the game. The last two years it didn't happen," he said. "That's my big thing: Be prepared. We have to be who we are and be good at it. It's executing on offense, it's executing on defense, doing the things that we do well, and then you have to do it for 40 minutes because they'll keep coming at you.
"It's the same preparation. You hope it's your older guys that are the leaders, the ones that are bringing the good focus, talking about the right things, preparing themselves."
Simply put, for those who have experienced it, the atmosphere is different in Manhattan the day Kansas State welcomes in-state rival Kansas to Bramlage Coliseum.
"I know our fans are outside hours before the game, just waiting to get into the building, waiting to get a good seat," senior guard Kamau Stokes said, as K-State (16-5, 6-2) hosts 13/14 Kansas (17-5, 6-3) on Tuesday at 8 p.m., on ESPN. "It's just going to be a lot of excitement, especially on campus, a lot of people telling you good luck."
"It's just a lot of energy," added senior guard Barry Brown, Jr. "The fans are here two hours before the game, outside probably eight hours before the game, just waiting. The energy in the locker room is maybe just a little bit higher because we know what to expect. We know it's going to be a high-intensity game, a back-and-forth game, it's going to be a fun one.
"So, I think the energy from everyone is going to be a little more amped up, but we have to control it and not let our emotions get the best of us but still have emotion to play the game."
Therein lies one of K-State's biggest challenges, K-State's three seniors — Dean Wade, Stokes and Brown — and K-State head coach Bruce Weber all agreed. How the Wildcats handle everything that surrounds this game should go a long way toward how it ends.
The three seniors said the first challenge within this is finding a balance between being excited for a rivalry game and staying loose enough to perform well.
"When you stay loose, you just get to focus, really," Stokes said. "You can't be too excited for the game or you'll just have mental errors, so we have to be loose but at the same time we have to be really locked in on what we're doing out there."
Brown said he's been on the wrong side of this at least once in the past three years at home against Kansas.
"It's just a game you want to win so bad that you end up doing things you shouldn't. I think right now we understand that we made those mistakes, and we're trying to limit those," he said. "I think it's easier as you get older, just understanding the atmosphere. You know what the atmosphere is going to be like. You know the ins and outs of the game, and the players and the coaches. I think the experience allows you to stay free and stay loose."
"You prepare for moments like this," Stokes added. "As a senior, you know what to expect. As a junior, you know what to expect. We have to control that excitement but, at the same time be ready to play, have a lot of energy to play. But we can't overwhelm ourselves with that."
For a few reasons, this game brings even more excitement than usual for K-State, too.
The Wildcats sit in a tie for first place in the Big 12 standings with Baylor, half a game ahead of the Jayhawks who have won or shared the last 14 regular season conference titles. K-State also has not beaten Kansas in its last eight attempts, with its last win in the historic rivalry coming on February 23, 2015 in Bramlage, before any player on K-State's current roster was on campus.
Neither fact has been lost on these Wildcats.
"It's definitely something we think about. Us seniors, we have bucket list games, and this is one of our bucket list games. We haven't beat them at all the whole time we've been here," Stokes said. "We're talking about Kansas. At the end of the day, that's what matters right now. We know that if we win that game (Tuesday) we'll stay on top of the league, so staying on top is definitely important but the game we have (Tuesday) is more important."
Oddly, the Wildcats have also not hosted the first battle of the season with the Jayhawks since the 2012-13 season, which was Weber's first as K-State's head coach. The two teams ended up sharing the conference title that year.
The last two seasons, K-State missed game-winning shot attempts in Lawrence and lost by wider margins in both rematches in Bramlage. Weber said it comes down to having the same mentality and focus regardless of the venue or the opponent.
"You have to be mentally ready to play. You can't think just because you're playing at home (that) you're going to be able to win the game. The last two years it didn't happen," he said. "That's my big thing: Be prepared. We have to be who we are and be good at it. It's executing on offense, it's executing on defense, doing the things that we do well, and then you have to do it for 40 minutes because they'll keep coming at you.
"It's the same preparation. You hope it's your older guys that are the leaders, the ones that are bringing the good focus, talking about the right things, preparing themselves."
Players Mentioned
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