Kansas State University Athletics
Tuesday, February 2
Lawrence, KS
7 p.m.
Kansas State University
5-14,1-9Big 12
51
at
74
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Kansas
12-6,6-4Big 12
1
2
F
Kansas St.
25
26
51
Kansas
33
41
74
Second-Half Surge Lifts 23/22 Kansas Over K-State, 74-51
Feb 02, 2021 | Men's Basketball
Box ScoreFinal Stats (.pdf)Postgame Quotes (.pdf)HighlightsVideo: Bruce Weber Press ConferenceVideo: Mike McGuirl Press ConferenceVideo: Nijel Pack Press ConferenceAudio: Bruce Weber Press ConferenceAudio: Mike McGuirl Press ConferenceAudio: Nijel Pack Press ConferencePhoto Gallery
The Jayhawks won their 15th straight vs. the Wildcats at Allen FIeldhouse.
LAWRENCE, Kan. – No. 23/22 Kansas used a strong start to the second half to break open a tight contest, as the Jayhawks posted a 74-51 win over Kansas State in the 294th Dillons Sunflower Showdown on Tuesday night in front of a limited capacity crowd of 2,500 at Allen Fieldhouse.
With the win, Kansas (12-6, 6-4 Big 12) extended its home winning streak in the series to 15 games. The last Wildcat win the series came in a 59-55 victory on January 14, 2006.
Leading 33-25 at the half, Kansas scored 10 of the first 14 points to start the second half while forcing K-State into 3 turnovers and 3 missed shots. Despite a timeout by head coach Bruce Weber at the 15:20 mark, the Jayhawks continued their all-around play, using a 13-3 run capped by 3-pointers from redshirt freshman Jalen Wilson and sophomore Christian Braun to build a 56-32 lead midway through the half. All told, the Jayhawks outscored the Wildcats, 23-7, in nearly the first 10 minutes coming out of halftime.
The lead grew to 26 points in the second half, as Kansas won its fourth straight in the series.
K-State (5-14, 1-9 Big 12) could never catch up after allowing Kansas to hit its first 4 field goals and scoring the game's first 9 points. Senior Mike McGuirl ended the early scoring drought with a pair of free throws at the 16:54 mark then knocked down the Wildcats' first field goal just over a minute later.
McGuirl, along with freshman Nijel Pack, led all Wildcats scorers with 10 points each. The Jayhawks harassed Pack all night, holding him to 4-of-10 shooting, including 2-of-5 from 3-point range, and forcing him into a season-high 4 turnovers. Pack was coming off a season-26 point effort in the loss to Texas A&M on Saturday.
K-State has now lost 9 consecutive games, including 8 in Big 12 play.
Kansas connected on 43.3 percent (29-of-67) from the field, including 45.7 percent (16-of-35), in the second half, while posting a 38-18 advantage in points in the paint and a 16-5 edge in points off turnovers. The Jayhawks won the rebounding battle, 41-34, including 13 offensive boards, turning those into 18 second-chance points.
Four of five Jayhawk starters scored in double figures led by junior David McCormack's fourth double-double of a game-tying 18 points on 9-of-14 shooting with a game-high 10 rebounds. Braun also scored 18 points on 6-of-11 field goals, including 4-of-9 from 3-point range, while junior Ochai Agbaji added 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting with a pair of 3-pointers to along with 10 points from Wilson.
K-State shot a season-low 34 percent (18-of-53), including 23.8 percent (5-of-21) from 3-point range. The Wildcats tied a season-low with 18 points in the paint, while they scored just 5 points off 6 Jayhawk turnovers.
K-State played without sophomore starter DaJuan Gordon, who missed the first game of his Wildcat career. He is the eighth player to miss at least one game this season.
With DaJuan Gordon out, the Wildcats started three true freshmen (Davion Bradford, Selton Miguel and Nijel Pack) for the eighth time this season. K-State is one of six teams (Duke, James Madison, Kentucky, North Carolina and Washington State) nationally to start at least three true freshmen in a game this season.
KEY STRETCH(ES)
Kansas jumped out early, hitting its first 4 field goals and scoring the game's first 9 points, including 7 from junior David McCormack. McCormack's 3-pointer capped the 9-0 run and forced head coach Bruce Weber to call his first timeout at the 17:03 mark. Senior Mike McGuirl ended the drought with a pair of free throws 9 second later.
The Jayhawks stretched the lead to 43-29 in the early moments of the second half, as Weber was forced to call another early timeout after sophomore Christian Braun hit his second 3-pointer at the 15:20 mark. During this early stretch, the Wildcats turned the ball over 3 times while missing their first 3 shots before a dunk by freshman Davion Bradford on a feed from freshman Nijel Pack with 16:16 to play.
In all, Kansas out-scored K-State, 23-7, in nearly the first 10 minutes of the second half to build a 56-32 lead. The run was capped by consecutive 3-pointers from redshirt freshman Jalen Wilson and Braun with 10:08 to play. The Wildcats would get no closer than 17 points the rest of the way.
PLAYER(S) OF THE GAME
Senior Mike McGuirl collected his team-leading 13th double-digit scoring game with 10 points on 3-of-10 field goals, including a 1-of-6 effort from 3-point range, to go with 4 rebounds and 2 assists.
Freshman Nijel Pack scored in double figures for fifth straight game with 10 points on 4-of-10 field goals, including 2-of-5 from 3-point range, to go with 5 rebounds and 3 assists.
STAT OF THE GAME
38-18 – Kansas held a decisive 38-18 advantage in points in the paint, as junior David McCormack collected his fourth double-double of the season with 18 points on 9-of-14 shooting with 10 rebounds in 24 minutes. The 18 points in the paint tied a season-low for K-State.
IN THEIR WORDS
K-State Head Coach Bruce Weber
On the game…
"We really emphasized execution and getting off to a good start. We knew they'd be hyped up. They just had their butts kicked on Saturday. They had taken (Jalen) Wilson out of the lineup and put him back now. I told our guys that Christian Braun would step up and play well. They punched first but to our guys' credit, we hung in there. I think we had it to four or five. Right before half, a play here or there. You put a little more pressure on them, and (head coach) Bill (Self) calls timeout. The second half, it's pretty simple. They out-toughed us for offensive rebounds. Once they got those rebounds and had that little run, they made a couple of threes and now you have yourself in a bind. I'm disappointed for our guys. Again, it's a learning lesson. We gotta be a little tougher. We gotta execute a little better and have some mental toughness. They did a great job on Nijel (Pack). Obviously Nijel was special the other day. We knew they would come after him. (Marcus) Garrett won National Defensive Player of the Year last year. He's got length, he's older and strong. He knows how to play and really got into Nijel and wore him down a little bit. He didn't get the free and open looks. Nijel had four turnovers. I don't think he's had four all year in a game. The two glaring stats, second chance points, 18-11, and then points off of turnovers. We only had 13 turnovers, but they scored 16 out of that. That's an 11-point difference, plus the second chance. That's probably the biggest difference in the game."
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
Team Notes
Player Notes
WHAT'S NEXT
K-State begins a 2-game homestand against ranked opponents on Saturday afternoon, as the Wildcats welcome No. 13/11 Texas Tech (13-5, 5-4 Big 12) at 3 p.m., CT on Big 12 Now. It will be the second meeting after the Red Raiders posted an 82-71 win over the Wildcats at home on Jan. 5. Texas Tech will attempt to sweep the series for the second straight season and win back-to-back games in Manhattan for the first time since 2005 and 2007.
With the win, Kansas (12-6, 6-4 Big 12) extended its home winning streak in the series to 15 games. The last Wildcat win the series came in a 59-55 victory on January 14, 2006.
Leading 33-25 at the half, Kansas scored 10 of the first 14 points to start the second half while forcing K-State into 3 turnovers and 3 missed shots. Despite a timeout by head coach Bruce Weber at the 15:20 mark, the Jayhawks continued their all-around play, using a 13-3 run capped by 3-pointers from redshirt freshman Jalen Wilson and sophomore Christian Braun to build a 56-32 lead midway through the half. All told, the Jayhawks outscored the Wildcats, 23-7, in nearly the first 10 minutes coming out of halftime.
The lead grew to 26 points in the second half, as Kansas won its fourth straight in the series.
K-State (5-14, 1-9 Big 12) could never catch up after allowing Kansas to hit its first 4 field goals and scoring the game's first 9 points. Senior Mike McGuirl ended the early scoring drought with a pair of free throws at the 16:54 mark then knocked down the Wildcats' first field goal just over a minute later.
McGuirl, along with freshman Nijel Pack, led all Wildcats scorers with 10 points each. The Jayhawks harassed Pack all night, holding him to 4-of-10 shooting, including 2-of-5 from 3-point range, and forcing him into a season-high 4 turnovers. Pack was coming off a season-26 point effort in the loss to Texas A&M on Saturday.
K-State has now lost 9 consecutive games, including 8 in Big 12 play.
Kansas connected on 43.3 percent (29-of-67) from the field, including 45.7 percent (16-of-35), in the second half, while posting a 38-18 advantage in points in the paint and a 16-5 edge in points off turnovers. The Jayhawks won the rebounding battle, 41-34, including 13 offensive boards, turning those into 18 second-chance points.
Four of five Jayhawk starters scored in double figures led by junior David McCormack's fourth double-double of a game-tying 18 points on 9-of-14 shooting with a game-high 10 rebounds. Braun also scored 18 points on 6-of-11 field goals, including 4-of-9 from 3-point range, while junior Ochai Agbaji added 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting with a pair of 3-pointers to along with 10 points from Wilson.
K-State shot a season-low 34 percent (18-of-53), including 23.8 percent (5-of-21) from 3-point range. The Wildcats tied a season-low with 18 points in the paint, while they scored just 5 points off 6 Jayhawk turnovers.
K-State played without sophomore starter DaJuan Gordon, who missed the first game of his Wildcat career. He is the eighth player to miss at least one game this season.
With DaJuan Gordon out, the Wildcats started three true freshmen (Davion Bradford, Selton Miguel and Nijel Pack) for the eighth time this season. K-State is one of six teams (Duke, James Madison, Kentucky, North Carolina and Washington State) nationally to start at least three true freshmen in a game this season.
KEY STRETCH(ES)
Kansas jumped out early, hitting its first 4 field goals and scoring the game's first 9 points, including 7 from junior David McCormack. McCormack's 3-pointer capped the 9-0 run and forced head coach Bruce Weber to call his first timeout at the 17:03 mark. Senior Mike McGuirl ended the drought with a pair of free throws 9 second later.
The Jayhawks stretched the lead to 43-29 in the early moments of the second half, as Weber was forced to call another early timeout after sophomore Christian Braun hit his second 3-pointer at the 15:20 mark. During this early stretch, the Wildcats turned the ball over 3 times while missing their first 3 shots before a dunk by freshman Davion Bradford on a feed from freshman Nijel Pack with 16:16 to play.
In all, Kansas out-scored K-State, 23-7, in nearly the first 10 minutes of the second half to build a 56-32 lead. The run was capped by consecutive 3-pointers from redshirt freshman Jalen Wilson and Braun with 10:08 to play. The Wildcats would get no closer than 17 points the rest of the way.
PLAYER(S) OF THE GAME
Senior Mike McGuirl collected his team-leading 13th double-digit scoring game with 10 points on 3-of-10 field goals, including a 1-of-6 effort from 3-point range, to go with 4 rebounds and 2 assists.
Freshman Nijel Pack scored in double figures for fifth straight game with 10 points on 4-of-10 field goals, including 2-of-5 from 3-point range, to go with 5 rebounds and 3 assists.
STAT OF THE GAME
38-18 – Kansas held a decisive 38-18 advantage in points in the paint, as junior David McCormack collected his fourth double-double of the season with 18 points on 9-of-14 shooting with 10 rebounds in 24 minutes. The 18 points in the paint tied a season-low for K-State.
IN THEIR WORDS
K-State Head Coach Bruce Weber
On the game…
"We really emphasized execution and getting off to a good start. We knew they'd be hyped up. They just had their butts kicked on Saturday. They had taken (Jalen) Wilson out of the lineup and put him back now. I told our guys that Christian Braun would step up and play well. They punched first but to our guys' credit, we hung in there. I think we had it to four or five. Right before half, a play here or there. You put a little more pressure on them, and (head coach) Bill (Self) calls timeout. The second half, it's pretty simple. They out-toughed us for offensive rebounds. Once they got those rebounds and had that little run, they made a couple of threes and now you have yourself in a bind. I'm disappointed for our guys. Again, it's a learning lesson. We gotta be a little tougher. We gotta execute a little better and have some mental toughness. They did a great job on Nijel (Pack). Obviously Nijel was special the other day. We knew they would come after him. (Marcus) Garrett won National Defensive Player of the Year last year. He's got length, he's older and strong. He knows how to play and really got into Nijel and wore him down a little bit. He didn't get the free and open looks. Nijel had four turnovers. I don't think he's had four all year in a game. The two glaring stats, second chance points, 18-11, and then points off of turnovers. We only had 13 turnovers, but they scored 16 out of that. That's an 11-point difference, plus the second chance. That's probably the biggest difference in the game."
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
- K-State is now 5-14 on the season, including 1-9 in Big 12 play… The Wildcats are off to a 1-9 start to league play for the first time since 1999-2000, including 9 straight defeats.
- K-State is now 119-268 all-time against Top 25 opponents, including a 5-6 mark vs. the AP's No. 23 ranked team… The Wildcats are 0-6 vs. Top 25 foes this season.
- K-State has lost 11 consecutive games in the month of February dating back to 2019.
- K-State and Kansas met for the 294th time on Tuesday in a rivalry that dates to 1907… It is the sixth-most played rivalry and eighth-most continuously played in NCAA Division I history.
- K-State is now 94-200 all-time against Kansas, including 35-92 on the road… The Jayhawks have won 15 in a row at Allen Fieldhouse in the series with the last win coming on 59-55 on Jan. 14, 2006.
- The Wildcats' starting lineup consisted of senior Mike McGuirl, freshman Nijel Pack, freshman Selton Miguel, sophomore Antonio Gordon and freshman Davion Bradford… This is the first time using this lineup and the eighth lineup employed this season… This is the eighth time this season that the Wildcats have started 3 true freshmen… McGuirl has now started all 19 games this season and has the longest current active start streak at 24 games… Pack has started all 15 games in which he has played.
- Sophomore DaJuan Gordon missed his first career game after leaving with an injury against Texas A&M (1/30/21)… He had seen action in all 50 games in his career with 28 starts before Tuesday's game.
Team Notes
- K-State scored its 51 points on a season-low 34 percent (18-of-53) shooting, including 23.8 percent (5-of-21) from 3-point range, while connecting on 71.4 percent (10-of-14) from the free throw line.
- Kansas scored its 74 points on 43.3 percent (29-of-67) shooting, including 31 percent (9-of-29) from 3-point range, while connecting on 87.5 percent (7-of-8) from the free throw line.
- Kansas led for all but 22 seconds in the game, as K-State did not post a lead in a game for the eighth time.
- Kansas held the advantage in nearly every category, including a 38-18 advantage in points in the paint… The 18 points in the paint tied a season-low, also against Colorado (11/27/20).
- Kansas had just an opponent-low 6 turnovers, while it turned K-State's 13 turnovers into 16 points.
- Kansas held a 41-34 advantage on the boards, including 13 offensive rebounds that turned into 18 second-chance points.
- K-State tied a season-low with 9 assists, while it also turned in a season-low 1 steal.
- Kansas held a 33-25 lead at halftime which included an 18-6 edge in points in the paint.
- K-State is now 0-13 on the season when trailing at the half.
Player Notes
- Senior Mike McGuirl scored 10 points on 3-of-10 field goals, including 1-of-6 from 3-point range, to go with 4 rebounds and 2 assists in 33 minutes… He has now scored in double figures in 23 career games, including a team-leading 13 this season… He has led the team in scoring in 7 games this season.
- Freshman Nijel Pack scored 10 points on 4-of-10 field goals, including 2-of-5 from 3-point range, to go with 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal in 36 minutes… He has now scored in double figures in 9 games, including 4 in Big 12 play… It marked the seventh time leading the team in scoring.
- Freshman Selton Miguel scored 9 points on 3-of-8 field goals, including 1-of-5 from 3-point range, and a 2-of-3 effort from the free throw line to go with 6 rebounds in 31 minutes… He has now scored 8 or more points in 11 games, including 4 of the last 5… His 6 rebounds were one short of a season-high.
- Sophomore Antonio Gordon grabbed a team-high 8 rebounds to go with 7 points on 2-of-6 field goals and 3-of-4 free throws… He has led the team in rebounding 5 times this year.
WHAT'S NEXT
K-State begins a 2-game homestand against ranked opponents on Saturday afternoon, as the Wildcats welcome No. 13/11 Texas Tech (13-5, 5-4 Big 12) at 3 p.m., CT on Big 12 Now. It will be the second meeting after the Red Raiders posted an 82-71 win over the Wildcats at home on Jan. 5. Texas Tech will attempt to sweep the series for the second straight season and win back-to-back games in Manhattan for the first time since 2005 and 2007.
Team Stats
KState
KU
FG%
.340
.433
3FG%
.238
.310
FT%
.714
.875
RB
34
41
TO
13
6
STL
1
6
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
10
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
3
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
8
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
F
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F
/ Men's Basketball
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