Kansas State University Athletics
SE: K-State Goes Small, Plays Big in Win Over Jacksonville
Dec 22, 2020 | Men's Basketball, Sports Extra
By: Austin Siegel
Bruce Weber noticed it when he got to practice on Sunday.
"I saw a lot of long faces when we got here," he said. "I just said, 'Guys, if you're going to be sad, I'm not going to let you be sad. You've got to have life, you've got to have energy, and you've got to prepare.' We've got to understand that every game is different."
K-State bounced back after a tough loss to No. 2 Baylor over the weekend, cruising to a 70-46 win over Jacksonville on Monday afternoon.
It was a different outcome but a similar approach for Weber, who continued to rely on small-ball lineups throughout much of the second half on Monday. As K-State looked to close out the Dolphins, players like Nijel Pack and DaJuan Gordon rarely came off the floor.
A pair of underclassmen guards, Pack and Gordon led the Wildcats in minutes against Jacksonville in the wire-to-wire victory.
"It was fun. We haven't really been able to enjoy that yet," Gordon said. "Everybody had good energy."
Weber's hand was forced - at least a little bit - in rolling out all of these guard-heavy lineups, after starting center Kaosi Ezeagu went down with an injury that has sidelined him the past few weeks.
But it's also because some of the shortest players on this K-State team might just have the highest ceilings.
Pack came out firing against Jacksonville, finishing the afternoon with a career-high 16 points, adding five assists and six rebounds.
"Having some confidence when I'm seeing the ball go through the net, pretty much gives everyone confidence," Pack said. "They kept going in and that really boosted my confidence to keep going and shoot a couple more."
Pack has been dialed in from downtown to start his college career, with a .395 three-point percentage that is the highest on K-State (among players with more than five attempts).
A rhythm shooter through-and-through, Pack isn't just sitting in the corner on every offensive possession waiting to pull up from three-point range.
He's running the K-State offense as the team's starting point guard and learning to navigate the hot streaks and shooting slumps of a first-year player.
"I wasn't shooting as well as I was when I started the season," Pack said. "I would say it was a slump. My teammates kept looking for that confidence and my coaches kept putting that in me. I came into today with some confidence and stuff started to go for me."
Pack has played more minutes this season than any Big 12 freshman other than Cade Cunningham of Oklahoma State, a consensus top-three pick in next summer's NBA Draft.
No matter the opponent, K-State has kept Pack on the floor and given their freshman guard an opportunity to learn the college game on the fly.
"We always want to be able to up our defensive presence and intensity. I definitely took something away from [Baylor]," Pack said. "Being able to move without the ball and things like that."
Moving without the ball has been a weapon for Gordon all season, as the sophomore was on the receiving end of a pair of alley-oops from Pack and Mike McGuirl on Monday.
One impact of all the small-ball lineups for K-State this season? Weber has asked a 6-foot-4 guard like Gordon to play inside and crash the boards.
That emphasis on rebounding is clear when you watch K-State, but it's also showing up in the box score. Gordon grabbed the second double-double of his career against Jacksonville, after recording his first against Iowa State just last week.
"To be honest, they weren't really boxing out. Everybody was just trying to crash and rebound," Gordon said. "I think when I was trying to rebound, it encouraged everybody else to get more rebounds."
Gordon's continued evolution is something his head coach has been looking for this season, as the sophomore becomes a player who can impact a game even when his shot isn't falling.
Weber's approach to those shooting struggles – "Be the best DaJuan Gordon" – could apply to anyone on the roster in 2020, as players find themselves in new roles and new rotations.
"I told him, 'Whether you make shots or not, you can help our team because of what you do and how hard you play.' If you look at the plus/minus, he's plus-26, so when he's in the game he's making a big difference," Weber said. "He just out-toughed everyone and outplayed everybody."
Bruce Weber noticed it when he got to practice on Sunday.
"I saw a lot of long faces when we got here," he said. "I just said, 'Guys, if you're going to be sad, I'm not going to let you be sad. You've got to have life, you've got to have energy, and you've got to prepare.' We've got to understand that every game is different."
K-State bounced back after a tough loss to No. 2 Baylor over the weekend, cruising to a 70-46 win over Jacksonville on Monday afternoon.
Wildcats with a balanced attack across the board with a season-high 23 assists, Mike McGuirl drops in 12pts, 7 Ast, 2 Stls in the win over Jacksonville. #KStateMBB x Game Highlights ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/U30FGOYtYN
— K-State Men's Basketball (@KStateMBB) December 21, 2020
It was a different outcome but a similar approach for Weber, who continued to rely on small-ball lineups throughout much of the second half on Monday. As K-State looked to close out the Dolphins, players like Nijel Pack and DaJuan Gordon rarely came off the floor.
A pair of underclassmen guards, Pack and Gordon led the Wildcats in minutes against Jacksonville in the wire-to-wire victory.
"It was fun. We haven't really been able to enjoy that yet," Gordon said. "Everybody had good energy."
Weber's hand was forced - at least a little bit - in rolling out all of these guard-heavy lineups, after starting center Kaosi Ezeagu went down with an injury that has sidelined him the past few weeks.
But it's also because some of the shortest players on this K-State team might just have the highest ceilings.
Pack came out firing against Jacksonville, finishing the afternoon with a career-high 16 points, adding five assists and six rebounds.
Wildcats on a 21-5 run over last 5:30, Nijel Pack leads the way with 9 pts, 3 Ast #KStateMBB 32
— K-State Men's Basketball (@KStateMBB) December 21, 2020
Jacksonville | 1H - 5:45 pic.twitter.com/WmgZFZxwZu
"Having some confidence when I'm seeing the ball go through the net, pretty much gives everyone confidence," Pack said. "They kept going in and that really boosted my confidence to keep going and shoot a couple more."
Pack has been dialed in from downtown to start his college career, with a .395 three-point percentage that is the highest on K-State (among players with more than five attempts).
A rhythm shooter through-and-through, Pack isn't just sitting in the corner on every offensive possession waiting to pull up from three-point range.
He's running the K-State offense as the team's starting point guard and learning to navigate the hot streaks and shooting slumps of a first-year player.
"I wasn't shooting as well as I was when I started the season," Pack said. "I would say it was a slump. My teammates kept looking for that confidence and my coaches kept putting that in me. I came into today with some confidence and stuff started to go for me."
Pack has played more minutes this season than any Big 12 freshman other than Cade Cunningham of Oklahoma State, a consensus top-three pick in next summer's NBA Draft.
No matter the opponent, K-State has kept Pack on the floor and given their freshman guard an opportunity to learn the college game on the fly.
"We always want to be able to up our defensive presence and intensity. I definitely took something away from [Baylor]," Pack said. "Being able to move without the ball and things like that."
Moving without the ball has been a weapon for Gordon all season, as the sophomore was on the receiving end of a pair of alley-oops from Pack and Mike McGuirl on Monday.
The Alley-oop
— K-State Men's Basketball (@KStateMBB) December 22, 2020
🎥 Every Angle | @FoxHomeLLC 🎥#KStateMBB x EMAW pic.twitter.com/oPvKF0eZaH
One impact of all the small-ball lineups for K-State this season? Weber has asked a 6-foot-4 guard like Gordon to play inside and crash the boards.
That emphasis on rebounding is clear when you watch K-State, but it's also showing up in the box score. Gordon grabbed the second double-double of his career against Jacksonville, after recording his first against Iowa State just last week.
"To be honest, they weren't really boxing out. Everybody was just trying to crash and rebound," Gordon said. "I think when I was trying to rebound, it encouraged everybody else to get more rebounds."
Gordon's continued evolution is something his head coach has been looking for this season, as the sophomore becomes a player who can impact a game even when his shot isn't falling.
Weber's approach to those shooting struggles – "Be the best DaJuan Gordon" – could apply to anyone on the roster in 2020, as players find themselves in new roles and new rotations.
"I told him, 'Whether you make shots or not, you can help our team because of what you do and how hard you play.' If you look at the plus/minus, he's plus-26, so when he's in the game he's making a big difference," Weber said. "He just out-toughed everyone and outplayed everybody."
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