K-State Basketball
Same song, fifth verse for K-State last night in Lawrence. K-State fell behind by 14 points after eight minutes, made a little run in the second half, but ultimately never could even tie or take the lead as KU cruised to a 67-49 win in both schools' Big 12 opener.
The biggest reason K-State's second-half comeback fell short was the two timely three pointers Conner Teahan hit after K-State cut the lead to three. Even though K-State's man-to-man defense was working, Frank Martin went to zone. And even though Teahan can do absolutely nothing to hurt you other than hitting open threes, K-State's players somehow decided to leave him open for three pointers twice in the span of 70 seconds.
I watched the game with Curtis Kitchen last night, and one thing we discussed at length was exactly what he wrote on his site. Frank Martin has to stop acting like winning in Lawrence is like climbing Mount Everest, or we're going to be down 17-3 after eight minutes every single time we go there.
K-State Football
Can a single game settle the Big 12/SEC debate in football? No, it can't, but a K-State win in the Cotton Bowl wouldn't hurt the perception that the Big 12 is a lot closer to the SEC than anyone in the southeast wants to admit.
K-State Women's Basketball
The Wildcats beat defending national champion Texas A&M in overtime last night in Bramlage.
Big 12 Basketball
Iowa State got a little HIlton Magic and beat Texas, 77-71, last night in another Big 12 opener.
I missed linking a few good Big 12 basketball posts from BON yesterday. On Tuesday, Reggieball posted a Big 12 preview, while Peter took a look at the critical three-game stretch Texas was about to face.
0 recs | 61 comments
Sigh.
My don’t care juice has worn off and this just sucks. Pathetic performance by everyone, Martin included.
BlackCats - January 5, 2012
KU fan here with my quick .2 cents
1. Game was closer then most people would probably care to admit. I felt like Martin was just sitting there lookin like Matthew McConaughey’s character in dazed and confused (be a lot cooler if you did). I myself felt like I was channeling some of Martins persona yelling at my tv as you guys cut the lead down to three and made it fun to watch. See you guys on your court next time, this round robbin makes every game a must win.
2. Wish y’all the best on friday in the cotton bowl, tired of that pathetic ass kissing the SEC gets
Isaiah85 - January 5, 2012
It was not close
KU played horribly letting KSU back into the game, even if the Cats didn’t play well themselves, and then KSU let yet another white guy who only shoots three kill them.
Sean T - January 5, 2012
Thanks.
Responses:
1. K-State showed it could play with KU for a brief stretch then KU showed its mental toughness and put the game away. KU is not the most athletic team K-State has played but they are the best in fundamentals. I can’t take anything away from KU, even if I want to, in winning this game. KU had solid defense and a good offense. There were some lapses on KU’s part, but they were corrected in the game. The only time the game was close, first minute and when the lead was cut to 6 in the 2nd half.
2. Thanks, appreciated. Hopefully it will happen.
Anon_the_younger - January 5, 2012
For those that missed it last night
48,589: (69.7%) Actual Sugar Bowl attendance.
64,512: (92.6%) Announced Sugar Bowl attendance (tickets sold).
69,703: Facility Capacity
Sugar Bowl over represents attendance by 22.8% this year.
If you figure the difference between sales and actual is money the schools had to spend to attend the bowl, then Michigan and VT ended up paying at least $1.5 million ($100/ticket) for the privilege of playing in a BCS bowl. If the Sugar Bowl would announce how many tickets the schools actually sold and such, it would be nice.
Once again I think the bowls are a racquet that costs the schools money and anyone who speaks in favor of the bowls should also reveal how much they have received from bowls in free ‘stuff’ over the years.
Anon_the_younger - January 5, 2012
I tuned in for about 7 minutes of the Orange Bowl
and that stadium could not have had 40,000 fans in the seats.
A game on Wednesday night, on Jan 4th, does not allow many people to travel in this economy. ESPN has hijacked the good bowls and created too many crap bowls, in order to fill its insatiable need for tv programming.
The whole system is a house of cards that is about to collapse. Not going to be pretty.
Furnace76 - January 5, 2012
to the two above
And I’m not like calling you out or anything…but both points help prove the poor attendance isn’t our fault! Hope those bowl officials tune in Friday night to see what the f’d up on!
GTcat - January 5, 2012
K-State doesn't have an attendance problem at bowl games.
I expect the Cotton Bowl to be full and there to be lots of purple.
Anon_the_younger - January 5, 2012
In this economy
I doubt we’d have gotten 25,000 to the Orange Bowl on a Wednesday night. Too far to drive; in the middle of a work week. People can’t be taking that much time off from work. When the Bowls were all completed by News Years Day, the travel was taken during “down time” at work.
We would have gotten 25K to the Splenda though, easily.
Furnace76 - January 5, 2012
well yes the Orange
But yea I’d expect an almost 30,000 crowd in the Splenda.
Prices were reasonable, we can take 35K to Tempe…etc, etc
GTcat - January 6, 2012
I'm not sure what to make of that performance.
Frank really frustrates me sometimes. I think if I was one of his assistants I’d go nuts. I think he is a good coach in that he gets his kids to play really hard, but sometimes I wonder WTF he is thinking with some of the in game coaching decisions. Just like any job I guess, some days he is a genius, some days he’s the opposite.
GCat - January 5, 2012
We will be fine for the rest of the season.
This is one of those “what the heck” games where play and coaching combined to produce icky results. And sub-par performance against a Bill Self coached team will produce ickiness.
There is nothing I’m taking away positive from last night’s game, but I am not worried and am still 150% behind the team as I like the character of the team (excepting last).
Anon_the_younger - January 5, 2012
Frank won't be happy unless we go 0-4 to start the conference
then he will be in his element.
Furnace76 - January 5, 2012
so true...and depressing
mjk7166 - January 5, 2012
Did anyone else notice the number for the K-State travel party to the Cotton Bowl?
Is it really 5,000 people? Or is that a typo?
Anon_the_younger - January 5, 2012
There were flights out of Manhattan
and buses out of Manhattan and Wichita so maybe that was a total figure. Is the big announcement at the pep rally going to be about the stadium renovations coming?
mjk7166 - January 5, 2012
I believe those numbers were for the
Alumni Association sponsored travel packages only.
Anyone who gets to Dallas via their own methods would not be included in this figure.
Jeremy Sharp - January 5, 2012
So the official travel party is no where near 5,000 then.
Anon_the_younger - January 5, 2012
Closer to 35-40,0000.
BlackCats - January 5, 2012
The official travel party is usually
the band, the team and other school folks.
I realize that K-State is probably going to have lots of people in Dallas for the game.
Anon_the_younger - January 5, 2012
Not positive, but I believe you are correct.
Considering there are something like 434 total student athletes at KSU, and then say another 400 in the band, 50 cheerleaders, 100 football staff and office people, 100 for administration, yeah, I don’t think there is anywhere near 5,000 in the “official KSU travel party”.
As I said earlier, the way I read the release was that there were 5000 people who left via chartered flights or buses that were organized through the KSU Alumni Association.
I could be totally full of hot air though…has been known to happen before.
Jeremy Sharp - January 5, 2012
Yes
Panjandrum - January 5, 2012
And will be on
KStateHD.tv
BlackCats - January 5, 2012
Headed down to Dallas with a caravan this afternoon
I believe there will be more purple than red. Win or lose I also believe our fans will represent with intelligence and integrity. Plus I’m quite sure we all can read….unlike Ark students.
mjk7166 - January 5, 2012
On the gamethread, many of us agreed with Kitchen's point.
Frank has to stop with this revering of AFH. Yes, it’s a historic place to play. Yes, it’s a very difficult environment to play in. Yes, Bill Self is a good guy who Frank considers a friend and deeply respects.
But enough is enough. Every season our guys come out tight and look scared playing against KU, regardless of the caliber of that year’s team. There’s no excuse for it other than poor preparation and lack of mental readiness.
I’m not saying we should have won last night. But to get so badly outhustled was embarrassing. Thank god it wasn’t nationally televised, because that was most certainly not the type of showing that has made Frank Martin a special coach. The toughness simply wasn’t there.
yeahboozin - January 5, 2012
I don't know if this is happening or not, since I'm not lucky enough to be in the locker room ...
But if Frank isn’t, he needs to (imo) start bringing the hate for ku. He doesn’t need to do it publicly, like Norm Stewart did, but he doesn’t need to keep sucking them off leading up to the game, publicly, either. But like Norm, he needs to bring the straight-up hate and contempt … most importantly contempt … for ku to the locker room. Our guys need to hate ku more than they respect them, especially when they go to AFH. Look, our guys already know that ku is good. We don’t need to keep pounding it into them that they’re awesome, especially occasions they’re not, like this year.
Itchy n Scratchy - January 5, 2012
And I don't think anyone...
…is guaranteeing that K-State wins this game if it comes out more focused and ready to play. K-State was -4 even after falling behind by 14 in the first eight minutes, so there’s absolutely no guarantee that, even with a better start, the Cats don’t still lose.
But damn, it sure would be nice to be competitive through an entire game over there and have a chance to win in the last five minutes. I don’t think that’s too much to ask.
TB - January 5, 2012
It is the way we "start" in Allen that is an embarrassment
Frank has them wound tighter than a guitar string.
Furnace76 - January 5, 2012
It's okay to respect Self and his teams at KU and even their barn (even though I wasn't impressed on my visit)
It’s not okay to be in awe of anything to do with another team.
Sean T - January 5, 2012
"bingin the hate" is what I was trying to do with last year's post
before the KU game and my mini-rant before the game in last night’s game thread. I respect the heck out of HCFM for his ability to get his teams to work hard, but he gets an F in Psyc 101 when it comes to preparing his team to play in Allen. You would never hear a Tex Winter or a Jack Hartman state publically “how tough” it is to play in Allen.
Here’s what he should say, if anything: “so its loud. BFD. My kids worked on the gameplan in practice all week. I trust their poise to make good decisions. My kids will learn to feed off that noise. They’ve practiced well, and they are ready. They don’t have to hear me yelling at them to make good decisions.”
Furnace76 - January 5, 2012
I knew the level of intimidation our guys had for that place was pretty high ...
But last night was insane. A collective mental disorder. There have been ku teams that could have gotten a 40-5 start last night in the first 12 minutes.
Itchy n Scratchy - January 5, 2012
We need to borrow the Hickory tape measure.
Anon_the_younger - January 5, 2012
I needed Shooter's "medicine" last night.
Itchy n Scratchy - January 5, 2012
I think a lot of the lack of hate for KU can be traced back to Jake
Jake and Sherron were friends and respected each other a ton, and that was passed on to the Morris twins as well. Jake always said that he wanted to beat them badly, but he also always said that he didn’t have hate for them and that they all liked each other off the court. There just hasn’t been a buildup of hate, partially due to the fact that KSU has gotten a lot of press and media hoopla since the Elite Eight game. The last time there seemed to be a real edge in the rivalry was the Huggins team and Frank’s first team, which was tired of hearing about the streak. Without the streak, that seems to have died down.
2.1 seconds left - January 5, 2012
didn't catch this, but I think that point has some point to it
Neat perspective.
GTcat - January 5, 2012
At least it wasn't a Big Monday Game.
Only on the B12 network.
BlackCats - January 5, 2012
lol ... you mean the jayhawk network?
Itchy n Scratchy - January 5, 2012
Where's the nearest whataburger to KS?
Anon_the_younger - January 5, 2012
looks like they're in OK and AR.
Itchy n Scratchy - January 5, 2012
Yet the K-State v KU games get their commercials, doesn't seem like a good use of advertising dollars.
Anon_the_younger - January 5, 2012
I've always thought it was weird ...
but Whataburger ads have been attached to the Big12 network for basketball games for what seems like at least a decade. Whatever the game is.
Itchy n Scratchy - January 5, 2012
I blame Texas
For everything!
Sean T - January 5, 2012
Pondering
Coach Martin is a former high school basketball coach, so regardless of the maturity levels for players, he probably knows how to get players to perform. What would a player, or players have to do to get him to think the game is lost? And how are the players picking up on the coaches’ perceptions about the game?
Personally if I was a player on the team after last night’s game, I’d be trying to figure out how to find more gym time so I can run the offense more effectively, shoot from 8-15’ shots consistently and play defense as the coach wants me to.
Anon_the_younger - January 5, 2012
So this is somewhat disappointing...
one of the official stats guys for football (and basketball) was just up in my office. I asked him if he was headed to Dallas. He said he isn’t even going to be watching because he thinks we’ll lose by at least 28 points.
Not the kind of faith I like to be seeing.
Jeremy Sharp - January 5, 2012
Arkie is rated better in most categories.
K-State is better in turnovers.
HCBS will have to win the game, it won’t be Cosh if I had to bet.
Anon_the_younger - January 5, 2012
I know the stats.
And that is what most people are hanging their hats on when they say this is no contest.
They also seem to be forgetting that we have been out-stats’ed in nearly every category in nearly every game, yet here we are with a 10-2 record (and wins over some pretty good football teams).
Just saying, I don’t like it when our own people say “yeah, we’re gonna get clobbered.”
Jeremy Sharp - January 5, 2012
We did get clobbered last night.
Anon_the_younger - January 5, 2012
I realize this.
And I will admit to it AFTER it happens.
But I’m not about to go around spouting that kind of talk before the guys even step on the field.
/Just saying
Jeremy Sharp - January 5, 2012
Hey, I was just talking about last night ... not saying a word about the game tomorrow.
Anon_the_younger - January 5, 2012
I know
I’m still ranting about the words that were spoken in my office today.
Jeremy Sharp - January 5, 2012
Jeremy Sharp's office
IS A POSITIVE ZONE!
MeatGeek - January 5, 2012
blah blah blah
KSU’s been favored over ISU, KU, the other KSU, and EKU. And yet won 10 games. Such little faith.
Sean T - January 5, 2012
Some of us were commenting on the officiating in last night's game
(not saying that would have helped our cause any),
but at least we weren’t dealing with these officials.
Jeremy Sharp - January 5, 2012
It's amazing they let those 2 days pull shit like that
Seriously come on!
MeatGeek - January 5, 2012
#34 (the fat one) was smiling after each foul
Jeremy Sharp - January 5, 2012
Of course he was smiling, every foul he called he got a 20 second breather
/crackatthefatfef
EMAW 4 Ever - January 5, 2012
Foul 1 – probably not a flagarant, just an unathletic fat kid making a hard move.
Foul 2 – not a flagarant.
Foul 3 – Yup, That is a textbook flagarant/intentional foul.
Foul 4 – Now it’s starting to get out of hand. I like how the ball handler swung his elbows to
clear out the ballprotect himself.Foul 5 – Fat boy got beat again…
Foul 6 – meh, not sure if I would have called it.
How did the fat kid not foul out by now?
I hope the opposing coach was ejected for arguing something about the non-calls. If not, that’s not a coach I want on my sideline.
mystman995 - January 6, 2012
I watched that too, don't remember #3.
But #5 was the only one that I thought stood out as flagrant. After watching again, #3 could have easily been called a flagrant as well. The coach of that team should have a shit ton of things to answer for and #1 would be why was that kid still allowed on the floor. I wonder about more backstory to that game though, was the score out of hand? Something happen in football to escalate it? Fouls like that don’t just happen out of nowhere.
Warden11 - January 6, 2012
I love it in the story that the coach said his players are "teddy bears."
That’s one of those things were I would like to watch the whole game. From that video, it just looked like a beatdown and the opposing team didn’t retaliate one bit.
mystman995 - January 6, 2012
Even funnier
I don’t think he was calling ALL of his players teddy bears…he was specifically referring to #34 (the fat one).
Jeremy Sharp - January 6, 2012
Fat guys as Teddy Bear stereotypes
MeatGeek - January 6, 2012
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