Kansas State Wildcats
Big 12 (20-13, 8-10)
Kansas State has turned into a very effective, efficient and versatile team. The Wildcats can grind out close, low scoring victories or get up and down the floor and drop 80 or more points on teams that play faster basketball. Whether the score is 56-54 or 90-88, Kansas State will force turnovers, play solid defense and take smart shots.
Big Wins: 1/18 at Oklahoma State (96-88), 1/21 West Virginia (79-75), 2/4 at Baylor (56-54)
Bad Losses: 1/10 at Texas Tech (65-66), 1/28 at Tennessee (58-70), 2/25 at Oklahoma (51-81)
Coach: Bruce Weber
Why They Can Surprise:
Barry Brown leads the strong defensive effort. He averages 2.4 steals per game and will turn many of those forced turnovers into easy buckets the other way. Point guard Kamau Stokes and wing Wesley Iwundu are solid defenders too. Those three also do quite a bit of scoring. Brown averages 12.2 points per game, while Iwundu averages 12.2 points and adds 5.6 rebounds. Stokes averages 12.1 points and 4.6 assists. Stokes is also the most efficient three-point shooter on the team. Brown will knock down some three-pointers too and so will forward Dean Wade and reserve Xavier Sneed. However, this is not a prolific three-point shooting team, but they generally do not force a tough shot, especially from beyond the arc, so they are certainly efficient shooting the ball.
Why They Can Disappoint:
The biggest concern for Coach Bruce Weber is the team’s depth. Brown, Iwundu and Stokes play a lot of minutes and that could take a toll come March. Xavier Sneed, a 6-5 wing, has had some very good games and Carlbe Ervin II adds some more perimeter depth, but Isaiah Maurice could be the most important player on the bench. Maurice, a 6-10 redshirt freshman, adds all of the frontcourt depth behind Wade and D.J. Johnson. Maurice has not played all that many minutes this year and he must have a good postseason backing up Johnson in the paint if Kansas State is going to effectively handle the quality big men they will run into during the tournament. Johnson is a solid 6-9 senior who can score and block some shots and Wade will help a little bit on the glass, although he is more of a shooter than a tough power forward. When the frontcourt matchups are tough for the Wildcats, they can quickly find themselves in foul trouble and losing the battle on the glass.
Probable Starters:
Kamau Stokes, Sophomore, Guard, 11.6 ppg, 4.3 apg
Barry Brown, Sophomore, Guard, 11.7 ppg, 2.4 apg
Wesley Iwundu, Senior, Forward, 12.5 ppg, 3.4 apg, 6.4 rpg
Dean Wade, Sophomore, Forward, 9.4 ppg, 4.6 rpg
D.J. Johnson, Senior, Forward, 11.2 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 1.5 bpg
Key Role Players:
Carlbe Ervin II, Senior, Guard, 2.5 ppg, 1.4 apg
Xavier Sneed, Freshman, Forward, 7.4 ppg, 2.6 rpg
Isaiah Maurice, Freshman, Forward, 3.1 ppg, 2.0 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 72.5 (193rd in nation, 9th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 67.5 (61, 4)
Field-Goal Percentage: 45.9 (98, 8)
Field-Goal Defense: 42.9 (136, 7)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 7.2 (195, 5)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 36.3 (118, 5)
Free-Throw Percentage: 69.3 (199, 6)
Rebound Margin: -0.5 (218, 8)
Assists Per Game: 15.2 (67, 6)
Turnovers Per Game: 13.2 (186, 5)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2014 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Kentucky
2013 NCAA Round of 64 loss to LaSalle
2012 NCAA Round of 64 win over Southern Mississippi
2012 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Syracuse
2011 NCAA Round of 64 win over Utah State
2011 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Wisconsin
2010 NCAA Round of 64 win over North Texas
2010 NCAA Round of 32 win over BYU
2010 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Xavier
2010 NCAA Regional Final loss to Butler
2009 NIT First Round win over Illinois State
2009 NIT Second Round loss to San Diego State
2008 NCAA Round of 64 win over USC
2008 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Wisconsin
2007 NIT First Round win over Vermont
2007 NIT Second Round loss to DePaul
*all team stats through 3/5
