SE: The Hope Has Come Out – ‘Cats Bury TCU in Tournament Opener
Mar 11, 2021 | Men's Basketball, Sports Extra
By: Austin Siegel
It was a lesson Bruce Weber remembered from watching his daughter play "little kid soccer."
Before K-State played TCU in the first round of the Big 12 Championship on Wednesday night, a reporter asked the head coach of the Wildcats how much better his team's spirits were after ending the season with three wins in four games.
"My daughter when she was playing soccer, they hadn't won a game all year or even scored a goal. But every time, she'd come back and say, 'Dad, we're going to win tomorrow'…Players have resilience," Weber said. "They come back much better than the coaches and fans."
Just 48 hours later, K-State played like a team that isn't waiting until next season to move forward.
The Wildcats beat TCU, 71-50, in a matchup between the No. 9 and No. 8 seed in the conference tournament. Nijel Pack led the way with 23 points and went 5-for-6 from downtown, introducing himself to a national TV audience in the first game of the Big 12 Championship on ESPN.
Most importantly, K-State advanced to the quarterfinals and a date with top-seeded Baylor.
"When you talk about what our guys have done, where they've come from, what they've had to deal with, it's astronomical," Weber said. "I think more than anything, to buy in, to believe - you know, we've constantly tried to be positive, give them hope and then the hope has come out."
The formula in Kansas City was the same one the 'Cats used to reel off wins over TCU, No. 7 Oklahoma and Iowa State before their rematch with the Horned Frogs on Wednesday night: play lock-down defense and lean on a talented backcourt.
Pack and senior Mike McGuirl combined for 40 points as K-State found their shooting touch on the biggest stage of the season.
"It helps to have Nijel go 6-for-8 and 5-for-6 from three and get five assists," Weber said. "Mike is somebody who's got to have a big game to give us a chance to compete with them."
In the first postseason game of his career, Pack shot the lights out and gave the Wildcats a huge spark at the end of the first half, canning a pair of threes to give K-State a six-point lead before halftime.
When it comes to motivation, the freshman point guard didn't need to look far on Wednesday night. ESPN gave the Wildcats just a 27 percent chance of defeating TCU in Kansas City.
On a more individual level, Pack was left off the Big 12 All-Freshman Team after a stellar first season in Manhattan.
"I was really, really disappointed for Nijel," Weber said. "I know he missed games, but there were other people that missed games. We all told him to use it as motivation."
It was a performance that was matched by McGuirl, as the senior poured in 17 points and five assists.
He was also part of a defensive effort that didn't give the Horned Frogs much of a chance at a second half comeback.
Spoken like a guy playing in his fourth conference tournament, McGuirl gave credit to the coaching staff for a solid game plan.
"I think in our previous matchups and over the previous years, we sort of figured out how to contain TCU's offense. Shout out to Coach Southwell," McGuirl said. "He gave us the game plan and everything we had to do. We did mess up a few times on some switches in the first half. We could have been even better, but we still did a great job and looking to carry that forward."
Of course, that will mean taking on a Baylor team with national title aspirations in less than 24 hours. K-State will once again be underdogs in a matchup with the Big 12 champions.
Sure, the quarterfinals of the conference tournament might be a bigger stage than "little kid soccer." But for McGuirl, it's all about the opportunity.
"I'm very excited to play tomorrow. This is like - as a basketball player, this is what you dream of, March Madness," he said. "I mean, we're about to play probably the best team in the country in the Big 12 tournament tomorrow."
It was a lesson Bruce Weber remembered from watching his daughter play "little kid soccer."
Before K-State played TCU in the first round of the Big 12 Championship on Wednesday night, a reporter asked the head coach of the Wildcats how much better his team's spirits were after ending the season with three wins in four games.
"My daughter when she was playing soccer, they hadn't won a game all year or even scored a goal. But every time, she'd come back and say, 'Dad, we're going to win tomorrow'…Players have resilience," Weber said. "They come back much better than the coaches and fans."
Just 48 hours later, K-State played like a team that isn't waiting until next season to move forward.
Show up on the scene #KStateMBB x #Big12MBB pic.twitter.com/4E6TKIDyaN
— K-State Men's Basketball (@KStateMBB) March 10, 2021
The Wildcats beat TCU, 71-50, in a matchup between the No. 9 and No. 8 seed in the conference tournament. Nijel Pack led the way with 23 points and went 5-for-6 from downtown, introducing himself to a national TV audience in the first game of the Big 12 Championship on ESPN.
Most importantly, K-State advanced to the quarterfinals and a date with top-seeded Baylor.
"When you talk about what our guys have done, where they've come from, what they've had to deal with, it's astronomical," Weber said. "I think more than anything, to buy in, to believe - you know, we've constantly tried to be positive, give them hope and then the hope has come out."
The formula in Kansas City was the same one the 'Cats used to reel off wins over TCU, No. 7 Oklahoma and Iowa State before their rematch with the Horned Frogs on Wednesday night: play lock-down defense and lean on a talented backcourt.
Mike ➡️ Nijel = 😻#KStateMBB x EMAW pic.twitter.com/zH2AK0yo0N
— K-State Men's Basketball (@KStateMBB) March 11, 2021
Pack and senior Mike McGuirl combined for 40 points as K-State found their shooting touch on the biggest stage of the season.
"It helps to have Nijel go 6-for-8 and 5-for-6 from three and get five assists," Weber said. "Mike is somebody who's got to have a big game to give us a chance to compete with them."
In the first postseason game of his career, Pack shot the lights out and gave the Wildcats a huge spark at the end of the first half, canning a pair of threes to give K-State a six-point lead before halftime.
When it comes to motivation, the freshman point guard didn't need to look far on Wednesday night. ESPN gave the Wildcats just a 27 percent chance of defeating TCU in Kansas City.
On a more individual level, Pack was left off the Big 12 All-Freshman Team after a stellar first season in Manhattan.
"I was really, really disappointed for Nijel," Weber said. "I know he missed games, but there were other people that missed games. We all told him to use it as motivation."
It was a performance that was matched by McGuirl, as the senior poured in 17 points and five assists.
He was also part of a defensive effort that didn't give the Horned Frogs much of a chance at a second half comeback.
Spoken like a guy playing in his fourth conference tournament, McGuirl gave credit to the coaching staff for a solid game plan.
"I think in our previous matchups and over the previous years, we sort of figured out how to contain TCU's offense. Shout out to Coach Southwell," McGuirl said. "He gave us the game plan and everything we had to do. We did mess up a few times on some switches in the first half. We could have been even better, but we still did a great job and looking to carry that forward."
Mike with the BIG block 😤#KStateMBB x EMAW pic.twitter.com/DpDXiKJCAp
— K-State Men's Basketball (@KStateMBB) March 11, 2021
Of course, that will mean taking on a Baylor team with national title aspirations in less than 24 hours. K-State will once again be underdogs in a matchup with the Big 12 champions.
Sure, the quarterfinals of the conference tournament might be a bigger stage than "little kid soccer." But for McGuirl, it's all about the opportunity.
"I'm very excited to play tomorrow. This is like - as a basketball player, this is what you dream of, March Madness," he said. "I mean, we're about to play probably the best team in the country in the Big 12 tournament tomorrow."
Players Mentioned
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