High Standard on the Defensive End

By: D. Scott Fritchen

While the wildly high-scoring offensive machine for No. 11 Kansas State often gets the glory, the Wildcats have proven downright stingy in also ranking near the top of all 353 teams in Division I in several key defensive categories this season.

K-State, 17-1 overall and 5-0 in the Big 12 Conference, averages 84.4 points per game, but it is the only team in the country to rank top 10 in scoring defense (51.3 points), field goal percentage defense (32.3%), 3-point percentage defense (23.9%) and blocks (6.4) — all marks that are also on pace to shatter school records.

"That's crazy," All-America senior center Ayoka Lee said.

"I'm not going to lie, I get shocked at some of the numbers," senior wing Temira Poindexter said.

"We've really just bought in," All-America candidate and senior point guard Serena Sundell said. "Everyone on this team takes a lot of pride in defense."

And how.

However, K-State head coach Jeff Mittie, whose team comes off a 92-65 win at BYU on Saturday, was less-than thrilled by the Wildcats' efforts in the final quarter of action. The Cougars shot 71.4% (10-of-14) from the floor and outscored the Wildcats 25-19 in the final period.

"I was not happy with the 71% that BYU shot in the fourth," Mittie said at a news conference on Tuesday. "We have to be better there."

He has high standards for his squad, which returns home to face Arizona, 11-7 and 2-3, in Thursday's 6:30 p.m. tipoff at Bramlage Coliseum.

"We're where we're supposed to be, but we're not anywhere near where you're going to have to be in March," he said. "It's all relative. Right now, no, I don't think our defense is that great, but we're doing some good things, obviously."

Consider K-State has held opponents to single-digit scoring in 21 quarters and has kept 10 teams to 50 or fewer points. That includes a streak of six games when Central Arkansas (39), Eastern Illinois (43), USC Upstate (24), Texas A&M (50), Middle Tennessee (48) and New Mexico State (39) failed to exceed the 50-point threshold.

Fifteen of 18 opponents have managed to score just single digits in at least one quarter against the Wildcats. That includes every Big 12 opponent the Wildcats have faced so far, as Cincinnati scored eight points in the first quarter (in a 76-59 loss), Houston scored four points in the fourth quarter (in a 74-55 loss), then-No. 22 Utah scored seven points in the first quarter (in a 71-47 loss) and BYU scored eight points in the third quarter (in a 92-65 loss).

"We take a lot of pride in our defense," said Lee, who averages 2.1 blocks. "To some extent, that getting stops can really fuel our offense. Coach Mittie does a good job emphasizing that. We buy into the desire to do well on defense, and we know it's really important."

Lee continued.

"The past couple games I've looked up and I'm like, 'How are we up by so much?'" she said, grinning. "I don't know how it happens, but I'm glad it does."

K-State has held eight opponents to under 30% shooting from the floor. K-State has also held seven foes to 20% or less on 3-point attempts. During one three-game stretch, opponents shot 5-for-42 from long range against the Wildcats.

One key to the Wildcats' defensive prowess? Their versatility.

"We have a lot of pieces that can go anywhere on the court," Poindexter said. "I've never guarded guards that much, but I'm guarding shooters, and Serena is guarding post players. We have a lot of pieces. We can do different lineups and matchups. That makes it hard for other teams because they don't know who's going to guard them.

"Defense is where you get going to get your confidence and energy. It definitely starts in practice and just wanting to do it. Defense isn't easy. You have to want to win this screen and want to get this rebound. It's just about having a want, and our team is really good at wanting and being passionate about it. We want to play for each other. At the end of the day, we're close, and we want to play defense for each other."

K-State's current scoring defense of 51.3 points would break the previous school record in the NCAA era of 53.5 points set in 2008-09. K-State's field goal percentage defense of 32.2% would eclipse the school record of 35.5% set in 2002-03. The 3-point percentage defense of 23.9% would squash the record of 26.6% set last season.

"It makes me feel good," Sundell said. "I see that stuff. I'm human. That's impressive. On defense, they read the numbers to us each quarter. If we have a bad defensive quarter, Coach Mittie will come in and say, 'They shot 50% against us that quarter. That's unacceptable.' And we're like, 'Oh shoot. Let's go.' It keeps you motivated. Those numbers mean a lot to us."

Which brought Mittie back to K-State's un-stellar fourth-quarter defensive effort in its most recent game at BYU.

"There are still too many breakdowns," he said. "If you take the last test we had, transition defense was a problem too often, the fourth quarter was a problem, and everyone thinks I'm nit-picking but 71% shooting is not nit-picking. That number isn't good. We're where we're supposed to be defensively, but if this defense is the same in March, it'll be very disappointing to me because this defense has to get a lot better, but I could say the same for the offense as well.

"We're where we should be, but we're still having too many breakdowns for me to say we're good. The numbers are OK. I don't want to discount that. Our team is working hard. I was pleased with our practice today for the most part. If we can keep doing that, we'll be a much better team in four to six weeks."

And that could be truly scary.

Kansas State University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Ayoka Lee

Temira Poindexter

Serena Sundell

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