SE: K-State MBB Ready for Challenges Big 12 Championship Brings
Mar 14, 2019 | Men's Basketball, Sports Extra
By Corbin McGuire
KANSAS CITY, MO. — Before this week, K-State had never been a No. 1 seed at the Big 12 Championship. The last time the Wildcats were the top seed in their conference tournament was in 1977 in the inaugural Big Eight Tournament.
These Wildcats (24-7) do not see it as new territory, however. At this point, they feel like they are familiar with just about everything they are about to face.
To start, they have experienced being the hunted this season. The Wildcats claimed a share of the Big 12 lead after beating TCU on January 19 to move to 4-2 in Big 12 play. They never relinquished it, either, going 14-2 after a 0-2 start.
"We've been in this position almost all of the Big 12 season," said senior Barry Brown, Jr. "It's nothing we're not used to. We're coming in with the same level head, clear mind that we've had these past few weeks."
Part of K-State's winning formula during the regular season was how well it refocused on the next task, regardless of what happened before. The Wildcats came down from highs — such as winning back-to-back road games after beating rival Kansas — and bounced back from a few lows — following a loss at Texas A&M with six wins in its next seven games, for instance.
This time, K-State plays TCU (20-12, 7-11 Big 12) on Thursday at 1:30 p.m., coming off the program's second conference title in 40-plus years. Still, the Wildcats' mindset is not to ride the momentum.
"It's done and over with," Brown said. "We moved past it and we're worried about the Big 12 Tournament."
"What's happened this whole season is over now," sophomore Mike McGuirl added. "We set ourselves up well for this position that we're in. Now, we just have to continue to do what we've done and continue to improve, get better still, do what we do, and that's play defense and execute on offense."
Makol Mawien presented a similar assessment of the team's mindset.
"Even though it was a great feeling winning the championship, you have to forget about it and get to a new task, get to a new goal," Mawien said.
K-State's new goal is to bring back a Big 12 Championship title from the Sprint Center.
The Wildcats may have to do so with another familiar challenge in their way. With senior forward Dean Wade questionable for the Big 12 Championship, K-State's ready to lean on its experiences of playing at less than full strength.
The Wildcats did it for a large part of last season, including their run to the NCAA Tournament's Elite Eight. This season, K-State has played and won, at times, without senior Kamau Stokes and Wade fully healthy or in the game at all.
"I thought that helped us prepare for the NCAA Tournament, to have other guys have that opportunity, be in the spotlight, and they took advantage," K-State head coach Bruce Weber said. "We've been through it. I don't want to say we don't flinch, but it's much easier because we went through it last year and this year."
K-State's roster, with a few minor exceptions, looks identical to the one that went to the Elite Eight last year. With this comes more experience and a concrete understanding of what this time of year is like and how the games differ.
"The intensity picks up," McGuirl said of postseason play. "The urgency of every team picks up. We're going to be playing and seeing some teams in this tournament who are on the bubble even, and we know that their urgency is going to pick up that much higher. The fact that every team has that win-or-go-home mentality, you have to really bring it every game."
Junior Xavier Sneed put it another way.
"Just keep fighting," he said. "Every day we keep fighting through the adversity and keep being tough and resilient. That's our motto so far."
KANSAS CITY, MO. — Before this week, K-State had never been a No. 1 seed at the Big 12 Championship. The last time the Wildcats were the top seed in their conference tournament was in 1977 in the inaugural Big Eight Tournament.
These Wildcats (24-7) do not see it as new territory, however. At this point, they feel like they are familiar with just about everything they are about to face.
To start, they have experienced being the hunted this season. The Wildcats claimed a share of the Big 12 lead after beating TCU on January 19 to move to 4-2 in Big 12 play. They never relinquished it, either, going 14-2 after a 0-2 start.
"We've been in this position almost all of the Big 12 season," said senior Barry Brown, Jr. "It's nothing we're not used to. We're coming in with the same level head, clear mind that we've had these past few weeks."
Part of K-State's winning formula during the regular season was how well it refocused on the next task, regardless of what happened before. The Wildcats came down from highs — such as winning back-to-back road games after beating rival Kansas — and bounced back from a few lows — following a loss at Texas A&M with six wins in its next seven games, for instance.
This time, K-State plays TCU (20-12, 7-11 Big 12) on Thursday at 1:30 p.m., coming off the program's second conference title in 40-plus years. Still, the Wildcats' mindset is not to ride the momentum.
"It's done and over with," Brown said. "We moved past it and we're worried about the Big 12 Tournament."
"What's happened this whole season is over now," sophomore Mike McGuirl added. "We set ourselves up well for this position that we're in. Now, we just have to continue to do what we've done and continue to improve, get better still, do what we do, and that's play defense and execute on offense."
Makol Mawien presented a similar assessment of the team's mindset.
"Even though it was a great feeling winning the championship, you have to forget about it and get to a new task, get to a new goal," Mawien said.
K-State's new goal is to bring back a Big 12 Championship title from the Sprint Center.
The Wildcats may have to do so with another familiar challenge in their way. With senior forward Dean Wade questionable for the Big 12 Championship, K-State's ready to lean on its experiences of playing at less than full strength.
The Wildcats did it for a large part of last season, including their run to the NCAA Tournament's Elite Eight. This season, K-State has played and won, at times, without senior Kamau Stokes and Wade fully healthy or in the game at all.
"I thought that helped us prepare for the NCAA Tournament, to have other guys have that opportunity, be in the spotlight, and they took advantage," K-State head coach Bruce Weber said. "We've been through it. I don't want to say we don't flinch, but it's much easier because we went through it last year and this year."
K-State's roster, with a few minor exceptions, looks identical to the one that went to the Elite Eight last year. With this comes more experience and a concrete understanding of what this time of year is like and how the games differ.
"The intensity picks up," McGuirl said of postseason play. "The urgency of every team picks up. We're going to be playing and seeing some teams in this tournament who are on the bubble even, and we know that their urgency is going to pick up that much higher. The fact that every team has that win-or-go-home mentality, you have to really bring it every game."
Junior Xavier Sneed put it another way.
"Just keep fighting," he said. "Every day we keep fighting through the adversity and keep being tough and resilient. That's our motto so far."
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