Kansas State University Athletics
SE: K-State Men's Hoops Does the Little Things in Perfect Start to Big 12 Play
Dec 17, 2020 | Men's Basketball, Sports Extra
By: Austin Siegel
Be honest: You were waiting for Iowa State to make a run.
With K-State up double digits but fighting through a second half shooting slump, the Cyclones always seemed on the verge of clawing their way back into Tuesday night's Big 12 opener.
But they never did, and K-State never trailed after the opening minutes of a 74-65 win in Ames.
"I told them before the game, UNLV banks in a three, Fort Hays banks in a three. Those plays happen because your mindset is in the right place," Bruce Weber said. "Those are the kind of plays that make a difference."
There were plenty to go around on Tuesday night.
K-State isn't 1-0 in Big 12 play because one player came out against Iowa State and started hitting shots until the ball was on fire like something out of NBA Jam.
K-State's leading scorer, DaJuan Gordon, finished with 15 points on Tuesday and hit just two shots from the field the entire game.
As a team, Iowa State outshot the Wildcats. Points in the paint, fast-break scoring and points off the bench were essentially a toss-up.
So, how did this happen?
"We hoped we could take advantage of three things," Weber said. "One, play hard, and we won that. Deflections, loose balls and all the little plays that make a difference. The second thing was getting to the free throw line. Then the rebounding we thought could be a big difference maker. If you look at those three things, it gave us the advantage."
Start with "playing hard." Not the easiest thing in the world to quantify, but there were moments in the win against the Cyclones that make it hard to argue with Weber.
Here's one: Second half, K-State holding off Iowa State even though the shots aren't falling, and Mike McGuirl loses the ball.
McGuirl, the only senior on this team, isn't having his best game of the season. He doesn't get frustrated. He doesn't throw his hands up.
McGuirl keeps fighting, grabs the loose ball and drives baseline, finding Davion Bradford, who immediately gets fouled on the shot. Nothing McGuirl did goes in the box score, but it counts for everything.
"Mike's a great person to look for open players. He just sees me every single time," Bradford said. "I wasn't really talking with Mike in the beginning of my time here. As our relationship got closer and tighter, our relationship on the court, both of our mindsets are just about winning and anything we need to do to win."
Against Iowa State, that included a nearly automatic night from the 'Cats at the free throw line.
The Wildcats finished with a blistering 89.7 free throw percentage that was the 10th-highest in a game (with a minimum of 20 attempts) in school history.
DaJuan Gordon went 11-for-11 at the line. He could have gone the entire night without hitting a field goal and still would have posted the first double-double of his career, with 15 points and 11 rebounds.
"He even said to me, 'Coach, I don't want to take it out anymore. I want to get the ball and get fouled, because I'll make the free throws,'" Weber said. "That's a big step in maturity for him."
K-State started three true freshmen in a Big 12 game for the first time in school history on Tuesday. There are going to be bumps in the road, especially as conference play begins, but a polished night at the free throw line helped K-State paper over some of the cracks.
It happened because players like Gordon fought threw their shooting struggles while staying aggressive.
"I really say a prayer every time he shoots it, because he's such a good kid," Weber said. "He's just got to get one to go in, and I think it'll help him. A week ago, if he missed some threes, his body language changed. This game, he did all the little things that made a difference."
Rebounding, the third spot that Weber said gave the Wildcats an edge in Ames, was where Gordon led K-State to one of their most impressive performances of the season.
Even without starting center Kaosi Ezeagu, the Wildcats were all over the glass on Tuesday and pulled down 35 rebounds. Gordon's 11 rebounds were a career high, as Weber rolled out a small-ball lineup against the Cyclones or paired Bradford with four shooters down the stretch.
"We're able to switch more one through four. We can't really switch with Davion since he's a bigger guy," Gordon said. "But with Davion in, it sometimes makes the other teams go small because maybe they're too big."
Tuesday night was K-State's first victory to begin Big 12 play since 2017 and their first conference road win in over a year. Doing it with this team certainly made a statement.
Even when the non-conference results weren't there this season, the Wildcats never lost track of the little things.
"A week ago, Tuesday was not a very good day. I told Wyatt [Thompson] and the radio people pregame, that if going through the loss last week brings our team together, I'll take all the criticism. I'll take all the gruff," Weber said. "It doesn't matter. It brought those guys together."
Be honest: You were waiting for Iowa State to make a run.
With K-State up double digits but fighting through a second half shooting slump, the Cyclones always seemed on the verge of clawing their way back into Tuesday night's Big 12 opener.
But they never did, and K-State never trailed after the opening minutes of a 74-65 win in Ames.
"I told them before the game, UNLV banks in a three, Fort Hays banks in a three. Those plays happen because your mindset is in the right place," Bruce Weber said. "Those are the kind of plays that make a difference."
There were plenty to go around on Tuesday night.
Wildcats grab a road win at Iowa State to open @Big12Conference play, Gordon with his first career double-double (15 pts, 11 Reb). #KStateMBB x Game Highlights ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/iJJpBOYYQz
— K-State Men's Basketball (@KStateMBB) December 16, 2020
K-State isn't 1-0 in Big 12 play because one player came out against Iowa State and started hitting shots until the ball was on fire like something out of NBA Jam.
K-State's leading scorer, DaJuan Gordon, finished with 15 points on Tuesday and hit just two shots from the field the entire game.
As a team, Iowa State outshot the Wildcats. Points in the paint, fast-break scoring and points off the bench were essentially a toss-up.
So, how did this happen?
"We hoped we could take advantage of three things," Weber said. "One, play hard, and we won that. Deflections, loose balls and all the little plays that make a difference. The second thing was getting to the free throw line. Then the rebounding we thought could be a big difference maker. If you look at those three things, it gave us the advantage."
Start with "playing hard." Not the easiest thing in the world to quantify, but there were moments in the win against the Cyclones that make it hard to argue with Weber.
Here's one: Second half, K-State holding off Iowa State even though the shots aren't falling, and Mike McGuirl loses the ball.
McGuirl, the only senior on this team, isn't having his best game of the season. He doesn't get frustrated. He doesn't throw his hands up.
McGuirl keeps fighting, grabs the loose ball and drives baseline, finding Davion Bradford, who immediately gets fouled on the shot. Nothing McGuirl did goes in the box score, but it counts for everything.
"Mike's a great person to look for open players. He just sees me every single time," Bradford said. "I wasn't really talking with Mike in the beginning of my time here. As our relationship got closer and tighter, our relationship on the court, both of our mindsets are just about winning and anything we need to do to win."
📸📸📸📸#KStateMBB x EMAW pic.twitter.com/4LHLPUqWg3
— K-State Men's Basketball (@KStateMBB) December 16, 2020
Against Iowa State, that included a nearly automatic night from the 'Cats at the free throw line.
The Wildcats finished with a blistering 89.7 free throw percentage that was the 10th-highest in a game (with a minimum of 20 attempts) in school history.
DaJuan Gordon went 11-for-11 at the line. He could have gone the entire night without hitting a field goal and still would have posted the first double-double of his career, with 15 points and 11 rebounds.
"He even said to me, 'Coach, I don't want to take it out anymore. I want to get the ball and get fouled, because I'll make the free throws,'" Weber said. "That's a big step in maturity for him."
K-State started three true freshmen in a Big 12 game for the first time in school history on Tuesday. There are going to be bumps in the road, especially as conference play begins, but a polished night at the free throw line helped K-State paper over some of the cracks.
It happened because players like Gordon fought threw their shooting struggles while staying aggressive.
My goodness. 😳
— K-State Men's Basketball (@KStateMBB) December 16, 2020
Gordon puts the 'Cats up 10 over Iowa State, 47-37. #KStateMBB x @Thatboyquaye pic.twitter.com/zjd2FLXzYG
"I really say a prayer every time he shoots it, because he's such a good kid," Weber said. "He's just got to get one to go in, and I think it'll help him. A week ago, if he missed some threes, his body language changed. This game, he did all the little things that made a difference."
Rebounding, the third spot that Weber said gave the Wildcats an edge in Ames, was where Gordon led K-State to one of their most impressive performances of the season.
Even without starting center Kaosi Ezeagu, the Wildcats were all over the glass on Tuesday and pulled down 35 rebounds. Gordon's 11 rebounds were a career high, as Weber rolled out a small-ball lineup against the Cyclones or paired Bradford with four shooters down the stretch.
"We're able to switch more one through four. We can't really switch with Davion since he's a bigger guy," Gordon said. "But with Davion in, it sometimes makes the other teams go small because maybe they're too big."
Tuesday night was K-State's first victory to begin Big 12 play since 2017 and their first conference road win in over a year. Doing it with this team certainly made a statement.
Even when the non-conference results weren't there this season, the Wildcats never lost track of the little things.
"A week ago, Tuesday was not a very good day. I told Wyatt [Thompson] and the radio people pregame, that if going through the loss last week brings our team together, I'll take all the criticism. I'll take all the gruff," Weber said. "It doesn't matter. It brought those guys together."
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