Coming into Wednesday's game with Texas Tech, I was hoping for a workmanlike win, something along the lines of the previous week's victory over Iowa State.
Apparently, Frank Martin and the boys had other ideas, as they jumped to a 12-2 lead over Tech by the first media timeout and never looked back, winning 85-73. That final tally does no justice to how one-sided this game was, as the Cats led by 29 in the second half and were never in danger of losing this game.
What I liked...
...balanced scoring. Four players scored in double figures, led by Darren Kent with 18. Wait, huh? Darren Kent? Yep, that's right. The White Tiger scored 18 points on only 10 shots, had four assists, and grabbed six rebounds. We're sorry, Darren. Well done.
...the continued presence of Good Jake. His shooting percentage wasn't great, but we need him scoring in double figures each game. Last night he had 12. Let's hope next time he doesn't need 12 shots to get to that number.
...Denis Clemente's confidence level. Now that things have clicked for him, he expects them to work, and when you're good and you expect good things to happen, they usually do. I'd like to reverse his assist-to-turnover ratio, but other than that it's hard to complain about what he's doing for us these days. Plus, one of the little joys of my life is watching him leave defenders in his wake as he sprints down court.
...more offensive confidence for Dominique Sutton. A nice little turnaround jumper. A fast-break dunk. A three-pointer. Scoring 12 points. Keep it up, Dom. Keep it up.
...going +8 in rebounds. After getting outrebounded - narrowly - in College Station, it was nice to see our guys step up and dominate the boards last night.
...just seeing the Cats play with the confidence they have right now. They expect things to go well, and they blew out a team they should beat at home. I hate saying this, but that's what good teams do.
What I didn't like...
...not closing out the game strong. After pushing the lead to as much as 29, the team coasted down the stretch, giving Tech some easy looks that they finally started knocking down. I know it's hard to keep that edge when the game is in hand, but it was still a little disappointing to see.
What it means and where we're going...
Right now, it means we've won six conference games in a row and stand alone in fourth place in the Big 12. Unless we pretty much win out, it will be difficult to catch Missouri for third place, as we are already two games behind. But from my perspective, we have a very good chance to remain ahead of Nebraska and Texas for the final bye in Oklahoma City. The Huskers have three difficult road games remaining against K-State, KU and Missouri. They also play Baylor in Waco, which may or may not be difficult. If BU somehow gets things turned around, and I'm not counting on that, they may be a desperate team when NU comes to town for the regular-season finale. Meanwhile, Texas still has to face Oklahoma in Austin, and gets Oklahoma State, KU and Texas A&M on the road. With us owning the tiebreaker against the Longhorns, I feel confident about our ability to remain ahead of them in the standings.
As you may or may not have heard, KU will pay a visit to Manhattan on Saturday. My general feeling from perusing the interwebs lately is that KU fans feel a bit sorry for us, seeing as how we're going to face a very pissed-off bunch of beaks on Saturday. I guess they lost to Missouri on Monday, which is, like, kind of a big deal to them. Just remember, Wildcats, we were going to get their very best shot anyway. The Bram is going to be full and loud and nasty when the birds get to town on Saturday. I'm not predicting a win by any stretch, but I've never felt so confident in K-State's abilities.
0 recs | 4 comments
Well put TB...
…can’t say I have much else to add about last night. I’m fine with Jake taking 12 shots to get 12 points as long as he is dishing out 6 assists to 1 TO. He really played well last night and only took a few “bad” shots. His over-the-shoulder dish to Dom for the slam was a thing of beauty…as was Clemente’s fake dish and up-and-under layup.
If we play like we did for the majority of the first half on Saturday, we’ll win by double digits, in my opinion. One thing that is bothering me the last few is the free throw disparity. The last two games, we have shot 25 free throws (making 20 – 80) to our opponents shooting 57 (making 41 – 72). We’re lucky that hasn’t hurt us, especially in College Station. If that happens again on Saturday, I feel much worse about our chances. At A&M it was a function of all the offensive fouls and just not getting calls at the rim. Last night we were aggressive at the rim, just didn’t get many calls, and-one’s etc. Let’s hope John Higgins, Ed Hightower, and Ted Hillary do not show up in the Bram Saturday.
If the squawks thought it was loud at Mizzou Arena on Monday, they have another thing coming. The Paige is a freaking NBA arena and doesn’t hold sound very well at all with that high ceiling. The Bram is a completely different story, especially when the alums are into it. About half those guys have never played in Bramlage…it is going to be rocking. I’ll be there, looking forward to going down early from KC and getting my drink on.
gw1754 - February 12, 2009
Good point about Jake...
…I totally whiffed on his assist:turnover ratio.
Have fun there on Saturday. Really wish I could make this one, but you can bet I’ll be bouncing off the walls at my house.
TB - February 12, 2009
Another solid performance
Agreed. That fast-break that ended with the Dom dunk was amazing. Plus, you gotta cheer for a Merriweather and one basket.
And it was a great atmosphere with the introduction of President Schulz.
Also Blake Young was back! I sure miss him leading the team out of the locker room and getting the crowd all worked up. I hear there will be quite a few superstars on the sidelines Saturday. Should be an exciting match up. Too bad I won’t be able to be there. Go Cats! Kick the Hawks while they’re down!
I am a little nervous that Saturday is the K-State Proud Campaign game. In case you forgot, our record in these games is now 0-2. I think it’s a great cause, but if we lose Saturday, I hope they consider moving it to the Iowa State or Colorado games for the future. I’m just superstitious about that stuff. Plus, I don’t approve of wearing any color but purple to a game.
ksubailey - February 12, 2009
I have few problems with Merriweather...
…he brings great energy, plays solid defense, and always hustles. But, it was funny that his made layup, was BY FAR his most difficult shot of the night.
gw1754 - February 12, 2009
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