SE: K-State MBB Focused on Defensive Identity in Battle with UC Irvine
Mar 22, 2019 | Men's Basketball, Sports Extra
By Corbin McGuire
SAN JOSE, CALIF. — Last year at this time, K-State men's basketball's unofficial motto went: Be the best defensive team in the NCAA Tournament. Now, it's a little shorter.
"Be us," senior guard Barry Brown, Jr. said, as No. 4 seed K-State (25-8) takes on 13th-seeded UC Irvine (30-5) on Friday at 1 p.m. (CT), on TBS. "Which is one of the best defensive teams in the nation. We're just trying to continue to do what we do. We play defense."
Entering Friday, K-State ranks third in the nation in scoring defense (59.2). Going into last year's NCAA Tournament, K-State ranked 59th (67.9).
The difference is not in the personnel; K-State's roster, for the most part, has not changed. The transformation came from within. There has been more buy in, a stronger belief that defense can be the team's ticket to greatness.
"It was, 'Let's do something special. Let's do something that hasn't been done in a minute here at K-State.' I felt like that was enough fuel for us to make a nice little run," sophomore guard Cartier Diarra said. "We have to get back to that."
In last year's NCAA Tournament, the Wildcats held a high-powered Creighton offense to 59 points, UMBC to 43 and Kentucky to 58, before giving up 78 to a hot-handed Loyola-Chicago squad. The Wildcats finished the NCAA Tournament fifth in scoring defense, four spots off their mission.
"Defense travels and wins championships," sophomore Mike McGuirl said. "Coach challenges us to be the best defensive team we can be."
Last year's NCAA Tournament marked a key stretch in K-State's process of solidifying an identity.
This season, the Wildcats proved it was no fluke.
"Coach Weber and all of the coaches, they put an emphasis on defense in practice every day, and we just became some dogs on defense. Throughout the whole year we just improved and kept that mindset," junior Makol Mawien said. "That just stuck with us. It's in our DNA. I feel like that's our best attribute. It's what keeps us in games when we're not scoring the ball well. It always gives us a chance."
The Wildcats rank first in the Big 12 in scoring defense, fourth in field goal percentage defense and third in 3-point field goal percentage. They only gave up more than 70 points twice this season, compared to the 17 times they held opponents below 60 points. They only lost one of those games.
"Some of it is from continuity. Then, the other part is just playing harder," senior Kamau Stokes said. "We have to really fight for things we want to do, and in order to win games, especially in the Big 12, you have to be able to stop your opponent. That was our emphasis for the year."
Weber took the team's strength even further back. The seventh-year K-State coach credited his mentor, the legendary former Purdue head coach Gene Keady.
"Defense was always our foundation," Weber said. "Our principles are the same, our foundation is the same. Our commitment, our pride is the same."
"You're definitely going to leave defensive-minded," Brown, a two-time All-Big 12 Defensive Team member and the conference's Defensive Player of the Year this season, added of the team's culture. "When you leave here, you're definitely going to be a good defender."
K-State hopes to leave the floor Friday as the better defensive team, which will be no small task. UC Irvine ranks 20th nationally in scoring defense (63.3) and fifth in field goal percentage defense (38.0).
Last season, the Wildcats won this battle against the Anteaters in a 71-49 victory in Bramlage Coliseum. They held the Anteaters to 29.6 percent shooting and scored 21 points off 17 forced turnovers.
This time around, both teams are similar in roster build but different elsewhere.
UC Irvine enters Friday with a school-record number of wins, including a program-best 16 in a row. The Wildcats come in with 25 wins, a Big 12 Championship, and an understanding of what it takes to win in March. For them, it comes back to last year's March motto.
"Be the best defensive team in the tournament," Diarra said. "That's the mentality."
SAN JOSE, CALIF. — Last year at this time, K-State men's basketball's unofficial motto went: Be the best defensive team in the NCAA Tournament. Now, it's a little shorter.
"Be us," senior guard Barry Brown, Jr. said, as No. 4 seed K-State (25-8) takes on 13th-seeded UC Irvine (30-5) on Friday at 1 p.m. (CT), on TBS. "Which is one of the best defensive teams in the nation. We're just trying to continue to do what we do. We play defense."
Entering Friday, K-State ranks third in the nation in scoring defense (59.2). Going into last year's NCAA Tournament, K-State ranked 59th (67.9).
The difference is not in the personnel; K-State's roster, for the most part, has not changed. The transformation came from within. There has been more buy in, a stronger belief that defense can be the team's ticket to greatness.
"It was, 'Let's do something special. Let's do something that hasn't been done in a minute here at K-State.' I felt like that was enough fuel for us to make a nice little run," sophomore guard Cartier Diarra said. "We have to get back to that."
In last year's NCAA Tournament, the Wildcats held a high-powered Creighton offense to 59 points, UMBC to 43 and Kentucky to 58, before giving up 78 to a hot-handed Loyola-Chicago squad. The Wildcats finished the NCAA Tournament fifth in scoring defense, four spots off their mission.
"Defense travels and wins championships," sophomore Mike McGuirl said. "Coach challenges us to be the best defensive team we can be."
Last year's NCAA Tournament marked a key stretch in K-State's process of solidifying an identity.
This season, the Wildcats proved it was no fluke.
"Coach Weber and all of the coaches, they put an emphasis on defense in practice every day, and we just became some dogs on defense. Throughout the whole year we just improved and kept that mindset," junior Makol Mawien said. "That just stuck with us. It's in our DNA. I feel like that's our best attribute. It's what keeps us in games when we're not scoring the ball well. It always gives us a chance."
The Wildcats rank first in the Big 12 in scoring defense, fourth in field goal percentage defense and third in 3-point field goal percentage. They only gave up more than 70 points twice this season, compared to the 17 times they held opponents below 60 points. They only lost one of those games.
"Some of it is from continuity. Then, the other part is just playing harder," senior Kamau Stokes said. "We have to really fight for things we want to do, and in order to win games, especially in the Big 12, you have to be able to stop your opponent. That was our emphasis for the year."
Weber took the team's strength even further back. The seventh-year K-State coach credited his mentor, the legendary former Purdue head coach Gene Keady.
"Defense was always our foundation," Weber said. "Our principles are the same, our foundation is the same. Our commitment, our pride is the same."
"You're definitely going to leave defensive-minded," Brown, a two-time All-Big 12 Defensive Team member and the conference's Defensive Player of the Year this season, added of the team's culture. "When you leave here, you're definitely going to be a good defender."
K-State hopes to leave the floor Friday as the better defensive team, which will be no small task. UC Irvine ranks 20th nationally in scoring defense (63.3) and fifth in field goal percentage defense (38.0).
Last season, the Wildcats won this battle against the Anteaters in a 71-49 victory in Bramlage Coliseum. They held the Anteaters to 29.6 percent shooting and scored 21 points off 17 forced turnovers.
This time around, both teams are similar in roster build but different elsewhere.
UC Irvine enters Friday with a school-record number of wins, including a program-best 16 in a row. The Wildcats come in with 25 wins, a Big 12 Championship, and an understanding of what it takes to win in March. For them, it comes back to last year's March motto.
"Be the best defensive team in the tournament," Diarra said. "That's the mentality."
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