Basketball

 

Kansas State Coasts to Win in Lubbock

Courtsey of http://fromthebig12cheapseats.com

Posted on January 26, 2012

 

Questions were answered Wednesday night in Lubbock about the ongoing battle for Jordan Henriquez to escape Frank Martin’s doghouse. Many more questions were asked. Questions like, “Did the airline lose Jamar Samuels?” “Who is the guy wearing that #10 jersey for Kansas State?” In what was an easy win, Samuels had the following stat line: 0 points on 0-3 shooting, 0 rebounds, 0 assists, 0 steals, 0 blocks, 2 turnovers and 5 fouls in 14 minutes of play. Does that sound like a starter for Martin’s team? Conversely, Victor Ojeleye, wearing that #10 uniform, had 8 points on 4-5 shooting and 4 rebounds in 18 minutes. Martin’s message has been consistant, if you don’t go out and perform you don’t play until you can prove that you should play. Just ask Martavious Irving, Angel Rodriguez, Henriquez and now possibly Samuels.

Samuels was supposed to be the senior leader, the glue for this team, bu this season it seems that he just doesn’t have the ability to lead vocally or by example on the court. It begs yet another question, “Will this team miss him next season?” He has been so “Jekyll and Hyde” over his career. Last game he has a double-double, moving K-State’s record to 9-0 when that happens and this game he completely disappears. It’s been consistency with him from day one and after 120 games into his collegiate career it’s easy to say that the answer to the consistency question is, “No.”

Back to my question from yesterday, Henriquez did get to play, in mop up duty, with the rest of the guys at the end of Frank’s bench. A humbling experience I am sure and a message that Henriquez better receive. Adrian Diaz played great in Henriquez’s absence, 6 points, 3 boards (all offensive), 2 blocks 1 nice assist and protected the rim nicely in 19 minutes. This could be the front line for Kansas State next year with Thomas Gipson and freshman recruit Robert Upshaw. Add in Rodney McGruder, Will Spradling and Rodriguez and you have a solid 7 man roster.

Stat of note: Kansas State played 14 players, 11 earned a statistic in the game other than minutes or fouls (looking at you Samuels). I hinted in my earlier recap that OSU and MU combined to play 14 players total. I have a feeling that in late February and early March, depth will win you a ballgame or two. Kansas State comes back home after consecutive road wins to face an Oklahoma team that beat them just three games ago.

A Look at Wisconsin

March 18, 2011
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The Badgers went 24-8 (13-5 in the Big Ten) with wins over Illinois, Purdue, Michigan State, Ohio State and Penn State and losses at UNLV and to Notre Dame on a neutral court. The Badgers return 3 starters from last season (a squad that posted a 24-9 overall record, including a 13-5 mark in the Big Ten). The Badgers defeated Belmont last night (another upset pick that I missed).

The Badgers are lead by F Jon Leuer, G Jordan Taylor and F Keaton Nankivil. Leuer is averaging 19 points/game (leads the team), 7 rebounds/game (leads the team) and 2 assists/game. Leuer, who was as skinny as the free-throw line when he arrived at Madison, has blossomed into a do-it-all forward. He can post up, he can shoot three-pointers and he can put the ball on the floor and go to his mid-range game when opponents try to close out too aggressively. Leuer was well on his way to first-team All-Big Ten honors last year when he broke his left wrist in a Big Ten game Jan. 9 against Purdue. He missed nine games but recovered in time to lead Wisconsin to the NCAA Tournament's second round. Then, during the summer, he turned heads as part of the U.S. Select team asked to practice against the U.S. National team before it went to the world championships.

Taylor is averaging 18 points/game, 4 rebounds/game and 5 assists/game (leads the team). Taylor, Wisconsin's returning starter in the backcourt, benefited the most from Leuer's wrist injury. A sixth man before the mishap, Taylor took Leuer's spot in the lineup. He led the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio for a decent chunk of the year before finishing third with a 3:1 ratio (118 assists, 39 turnovers).

Nankivil is averaging 10 points/game, 4 rebounds/game and 1 assist/game. Nankivil isn't quite as skilled offensively as Leuer, though he shares the excellent shooting touch that's a hallmark of big men in Wisconsin's swing offense. Nankivil, who owns 53 career starts, hit 32% from three-point range last year as the Badgers frequently used him outside to lure opposing centers away from the hoop. He also used his quick leaping ability to grab almost as many offensive rebounds as defensive boards.

Wisconsin's weakest spot is the pivot, which allows opponents' bigs to hedge off the Badgers' centers and act as football free safeties, roaming the lane to protect against Taylor's drives to the hoops. To combat this, head coach Bo Ryan often has Leuer and Nankivil pick-and-pop rather than pick-and-roll to draw the opposing centers away from the bucket so Taylor can drive. The Cats are going to need to be patient on the offensive end, Pullen is going to have to play tough defense on Taylor and our big men are going to have to get their big men in foul trouble. Plus there is the revenge factor from 3 years ago.

DISCUSS

Season 4 Tournament Time

March 9, 2011
StewyBaby

Season 3 ala Big 12 Tournament got underway yesterday for the men.  See, generally teams break down their year into short seasons so you have your Season 1: Non-conference games, Season 2: Conference games, Season 3: Conference Tournament, Season 4: Post season play (luckily for us we'll get to see Pullen play in the post season....I'll admit I was worried when "the statement" was made that we might not see K-State potentially all-time leading scorer play in the post season)

Lets go back...Season 1: All was pretty with a 9-1 record with wins over Va Tech, Gonzaga, and Wash St and the only loss coming to Duke the #1 team in the nation at the time.  Then we went to Florida and the downturn started. Shot 15-55 FG for 27% and 3-19 3pt FG for 15.8%, not the home coming Coach Martin was looking for. To make matters worse, Kelly and Pullen get suspended for impermissible benefits a few days later and can't play in the return home game for K-State great, Coach Lon Kruger of UNLV. 40 minutes and 14-26 FTs later and we're headed back to the drawing board with a 63-59 loss. This is the point people are saying K-State might not be "who we thought they were" (Dennis Green reference).  All said and done Season 1 finishes which a 12-3 mark and I would way a B+ Grade.

Season 2: Preseason Big 12 Champs looked like a bottom 4 team in the Big 12 sitting at 0-2 after the 74-66 loss to Colorado.  Twenty minutes after the Colorado game the quote was said..."I'm not going to the NIT.  I won't play basketball in the NIT.  I'm saying that now.  If we lose and we have to go to the NIT, I will not play." It was at this time K-State was being looked at as a contender....for the NIT. Season 2 had one of two ways to go. Either Pullen was going to be remembered as a good player who couldn't lead his team to live up to the hype or one of K-State's all-time best leaders who carried a struggling team on his back to right the ship.  Like it or not, "the statement" had to be made. Overnight Jacob Pullen became the most talked about player in nation besides Jimmer Fredette. Overnight K-State's Season 2, better yet year 2010-2011, was salvaged.  

Half a month later and we're sitting at 2-5 following a 90-66 loss at KU.  "The statement" becomes the laughing stock. Some people even going as far as saying "Will Pullen play in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI)? That's where K-State is headed." Honestly, I’m not even sure if the CBI still exists nor do I care. 1 Player, 1 Quote, 32 words. No one understood the significance of this besides Pullen. He knew he had a chance to be remembered at K-State for something better than a NIT finish.  He knew he could live up to "the statement." He knew K-State had the talent to turn things around. He knew it was up to him to get it done. He knew what he was doing. The tide was turning...

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A Look at Texas

February 28, 2011
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The Longhorns are 24-5 (12-2) with wins over Illinois in New York City, North Carolina in Greensboro, North Carolina, at Michigan State, over Texas A&M, at Kansas over Missouri and at Texas A&M and losses to Pittsburgh in New York City, to UConn and at USC, Nebraska and Colorado. The Longhorns return 2 starters from last season (a squad that posted a 24-10 overall record, including a 9-7 mark in the Big XII Conference). The Longhorns were projected to finish 3rd in the Big XII Conference.

The Longhorns are lead by G/F Jordan Hamilton, F Tristan Thompson, F Gary Johnson, G Cory Joseph and G J'Covan Brown. Hamilton is averaging 19 points/game (leads the team), 8 rebounds/game (co leads the team) and 2 assists/game. Hamilton just plain looks like an NBA player. Long, lean and smooth, he is perhaps Texas' most tantalizing player. He seems like a 30-point game just waiting to happen. Hamilton lives and dies on the three-point line where he is making 41% this season. 

Thompson is averaging 13 points/game, 8 rebounds/game (co leads the team) and 1 assist/game. Thompson was rated the No. 17 player in the class of 2010 (Rivals.com). He's a Dwight Howard type who is a prolific rebounder and shot blocker and loves to dunk. His jumper is still developing, but he could be a terror on fast breaks and has nice touch around the rim. What he does best is running, jumping and dunking. 

Johnson is averaging 12 points/game, 7 rebounds/game and 1 assist/game. Johnson's size tends to make people think of him as a bench player, but the reality in the Big XII today is that you don't necessarily need a 6'8", 6'9" power forward to get by. A handful of Big XII teams, including some of the best ones, will be giving minutes at the four spot to guys in the 6'5" to 6'7" range, so it's not as if starting Johnson at power forward would create a nightly matchup problem for the Longhorns. Johnson quite obviously isn't going to be a star, but he's a bit of a junkyard dog and can score without having to be catered to, which should make him a nice fit in a Texas starting lineup that has plenty of guys who want the ball. 

Joseph is averaging 11 points/game, 4 rebounds/game and 3 assists/game (co leads the team with G Dogus Balbay). Joseph is a well rounded point guard who can jump out of the gym, defend and score from anywhere. Joseph attended Findlay Prep in Henderson, Nevada. It went 32-2 last year and won the ESPN Rise National High School Invitational, with Joseph scoring a team-leading 20 points per game in a three-day stretch. He also played for the well-respected Grass Roots Canada AAU program in Canada.

Brown is averaging 10 points/game, 2 rebounds/game and 2 assists/game. Brown, like Hamilton, is a prolific scorer with some room for improvement in his decision-making. Brown and Hamilton are both used to being volume shooters, and both might be well advised to take it down just half a notch or so. The good news on that front is that against Wake Forest in the NCAA Tournament, Brown scored 20 and Hamilton had 19. The bad news is Texas lost. 

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A Look at Oklahoma

February 18, 2011
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The Sooners are 12-13 (4-7) with no good wins and losses to Kentucky in Maui, at Arizona and to Cincinnati in Oklahoma City. The Sooners return 1 starter from last season (a squad that posted a 13-18 overall record, including a 4-12 mark in the Big XII Conference). The Sooners were projected to finish 11th in the Big XII Conference.

The Sooners are lead by F Andrew Fitzgerald, G Cade Davis, G Steven Pledger and G/F Cameron Clark. Fitzgerald is averaging 14 points/game (leads the team), 5 rebounds/game (co leads the team) and 1 assist/game. Fitzgerald started 11 games last season and had a couple of nice performances against Top 10 teams late in the year, scoring 16 points with six rebounds against uk and getting 14 points and five boards against the Cats.

Davis is averaging 12 points/game, 5 rebounds/game (co leads the team) and 2 assists/game. Davis is primarily a spot-up shooter, with 35% of his points coming from beyond the three-point line. Davis would be an ideal complementary player on a team with a strong post game and a penetrating point guard. 

Pledger is averaging 12 points/game, 2 rebounds/game and 2 assists/game. Clark is averaging 10 points/game, 5 rebounds/game (co leads the team) and 1 assist/game. Clark is a 6'7" freshmen who was ranked as the #5 SF (#34 overall) in the Class of 2010. Head coach Jeff Capel on Clark: "Cameron is an elite level athlete who has his best basketball in front of him. I don't think he's begun to scratch the surface of who he can become. Because of his athleticism, he has the ability to make some 'wow' plays. He shoots the ball very well from mid-range and he can shoot it to three [point range]. He also has the ability to do things off the bounce. I anticipate him being a big-time wing player for us, a guy who can be a tremendous defender and one who'll be flying around making plays all over the floor." G Carl Blair leads the team in assists with 5 assists/game. 

The Sooners are basically Davis plus 9 newcomers. Add to that the fact that they played a brutal non conference schedule (Kentucky, Arkansas, Arizona, Cincinnati and Virginia). The Sooners main goal is to make the postseason, ANY type of postseason, this season. That will be difficult, however, when you look at the schedule and see only KSU, Texas Tech and OSU as the Sooners remaining non ranked opponents. The Cats should have no trouble in this game.

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