SE: K-State MBB Riding Motivation, Breakthrough Win into Season’s First Sunflower Showdown
Jan 21, 2020 | Men's Basketball, Sports Extra
By Corbin McGuire
K-State men's basketball head coach Bruce Weber pulls motivation from just about anywhere he can find it.
Last fall, for instance, he had former K-State football great Jordy Nelson talk to his team. Nelson, a hero in the Green Bay Packers' Super Bowl XLV win, spoke about the importance of seizing opportunities when they arrive. More recently, Weber showed a video from last fall of New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees giving a pre-game speech to Purdue's football team, his alma mater.
"A streak has to start with one game," Brees said in the video. "Every season is full of defining moments and you never know when those defining moments will happen. So, I'm going to say, 'Why not today? Why can't today be one of those defining moments?'"
Weber brought both up experiences after K-State (8-9, 1-4) thumped No. 12/13 West Virginia, 84-68, in Bramlage Coliseum on Saturday.
"It's huge. It keeps their head above water, hopefully a little confidence builder for them," Weber said of the win, which snapped a four-game conference skid. "Is this the point? I don't know. Obviously, it feels a lot better than any other night. We'll see what we do. It doesn't get any easier, obviously."
No, it does not.
K-State plays at No. 3/3 Kansas (14-3, 4-1) at Allen Fieldhouse on Tuesday at 6 p.m., on ESPN2. So, starting a winning streak will take a special performance. The Wildcats, however, know what they are capable of after Saturday's dominant performance.
"It definitely feels good," junior point guard David Sloan said, after his first start on Saturday included nine points, five assists to one turnover and four steals in 35-plus minutes. "(It) just shows that we can basically play with anybody in the league. We've just got to bring it every game."
On Saturday, the Wildcats dominated areas of the game that West Virginia ranks as one of the best in the country in.
Coming into the game, the Mountaineers held the NCAA's second-best 3-point field goal percentage (25.1) and the fourth-best field goal percentage defense (36.2). K-State made 9 of 18 from beyond the arc and shot 59.2 percent from the floor. K-State also exceeded West Virginia's scoring defense (60.6) by nearly 24 points.
"Just being ready, that's the biggest thing," redshirt junior guard Cartier Diarra said, who put up 25 points against West Virginia. "This game has definitely helped us get ready for Tuesday."
It helped in a number of ways.
There's the confidence factor, as mentioned before. But there's also the lessons of what led to the breakout performance in certain areas, such as K-State's 13 steals and 28 points off turnovers.
"We bought into the scouting report. That's why we had steals," Weber said. "We recognized their things. We were in the right place as we fought them for passes."
The steals and transition points certainly helped K-State put up a season high in points on one of the nation's best defensive teams. Weber said another large factor was making simple plays. He rattled off a two-man fast break with freshmen DaJuan Gordon and Antonio Gordon that ended with the latter Gordon slamming one home as a prime example.
"Those are basketball plays. Those aren't scripted. They just happen. I thought we were able to get some of those. Then, when we got a little stagnant, we still were able to run a couple plays," he said, as K-State finished with 18 assists, its most since posting 29 against Alabama State on December 11. "We finally made some basketball plays, and it helps, obviously, when DaJuan jumps up and makes some of those threes, Carti makes a three. All that stuff definitely helps."
K-State also did not allow a size disadvantage against West Virginia's frontcourt duo of Derek Culver and Oscar Tshiebwe to become a significant factor in the stat sheet. The two Mountaineers combined for 16 points and 10 rebounds, about six points and eight rebounds below their combined averages this season.
The Wildcats will face an even greater challenge down low on Tuesday in Kansas' 7-foot senior forward Udoka Azubuike, leading the nation with a 77.6 field goal percentage this season.
"We've got a tough one Tuesday, but are we going to come out and play at a high level? I hope we do," Weber said. "We have some good inspiration for them. No one expects you to win. Play with poise and execute, and we'll see what happens."
"Going into a hostile environment, we have to be ready," Diarra added, "and ready to do something that hasn't been done in a lot of years."
K-State men's basketball head coach Bruce Weber pulls motivation from just about anywhere he can find it.
Last fall, for instance, he had former K-State football great Jordy Nelson talk to his team. Nelson, a hero in the Green Bay Packers' Super Bowl XLV win, spoke about the importance of seizing opportunities when they arrive. More recently, Weber showed a video from last fall of New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees giving a pre-game speech to Purdue's football team, his alma mater.
"A streak has to start with one game," Brees said in the video. "Every season is full of defining moments and you never know when those defining moments will happen. So, I'm going to say, 'Why not today? Why can't today be one of those defining moments?'"
Weber brought both up experiences after K-State (8-9, 1-4) thumped No. 12/13 West Virginia, 84-68, in Bramlage Coliseum on Saturday.
"It's huge. It keeps their head above water, hopefully a little confidence builder for them," Weber said of the win, which snapped a four-game conference skid. "Is this the point? I don't know. Obviously, it feels a lot better than any other night. We'll see what we do. It doesn't get any easier, obviously."
No, it does not.
K-State plays at No. 3/3 Kansas (14-3, 4-1) at Allen Fieldhouse on Tuesday at 6 p.m., on ESPN2. So, starting a winning streak will take a special performance. The Wildcats, however, know what they are capable of after Saturday's dominant performance.
"It definitely feels good," junior point guard David Sloan said, after his first start on Saturday included nine points, five assists to one turnover and four steals in 35-plus minutes. "(It) just shows that we can basically play with anybody in the league. We've just got to bring it every game."
On Saturday, the Wildcats dominated areas of the game that West Virginia ranks as one of the best in the country in.
Coming into the game, the Mountaineers held the NCAA's second-best 3-point field goal percentage (25.1) and the fourth-best field goal percentage defense (36.2). K-State made 9 of 18 from beyond the arc and shot 59.2 percent from the floor. K-State also exceeded West Virginia's scoring defense (60.6) by nearly 24 points.
"Just being ready, that's the biggest thing," redshirt junior guard Cartier Diarra said, who put up 25 points against West Virginia. "This game has definitely helped us get ready for Tuesday."
It helped in a number of ways.
There's the confidence factor, as mentioned before. But there's also the lessons of what led to the breakout performance in certain areas, such as K-State's 13 steals and 28 points off turnovers.
"We bought into the scouting report. That's why we had steals," Weber said. "We recognized their things. We were in the right place as we fought them for passes."
The steals and transition points certainly helped K-State put up a season high in points on one of the nation's best defensive teams. Weber said another large factor was making simple plays. He rattled off a two-man fast break with freshmen DaJuan Gordon and Antonio Gordon that ended with the latter Gordon slamming one home as a prime example.
"Those are basketball plays. Those aren't scripted. They just happen. I thought we were able to get some of those. Then, when we got a little stagnant, we still were able to run a couple plays," he said, as K-State finished with 18 assists, its most since posting 29 against Alabama State on December 11. "We finally made some basketball plays, and it helps, obviously, when DaJuan jumps up and makes some of those threes, Carti makes a three. All that stuff definitely helps."
K-State also did not allow a size disadvantage against West Virginia's frontcourt duo of Derek Culver and Oscar Tshiebwe to become a significant factor in the stat sheet. The two Mountaineers combined for 16 points and 10 rebounds, about six points and eight rebounds below their combined averages this season.
The Wildcats will face an even greater challenge down low on Tuesday in Kansas' 7-foot senior forward Udoka Azubuike, leading the nation with a 77.6 field goal percentage this season.
"We've got a tough one Tuesday, but are we going to come out and play at a high level? I hope we do," Weber said. "We have some good inspiration for them. No one expects you to win. Play with poise and execute, and we'll see what happens."
"Going into a hostile environment, we have to be ready," Diarra added, "and ready to do something that hasn't been done in a lot of years."
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