Kansas State vs Texas Basketball Recap

Few people have ever said that collegiate sports constitute a predictable entity. Monday night's events in Manhattan, Kan., illustrated why NCAA basketball routinely defies description.

At Fred Bramlage Coliseum, the Kansas State Wildcats shot the ball poorly. Coach Frank Martin's young men hit just 39 percent of their field goal attempts and made just 1 of 12 3-point shots. KSU committed 18 turnovers - never a satisfactory number - and missed 12 of its 32 free throws, which translated into a thoroughly mediocre 63 percent clip from the charity stripe. The Wildcats were highly-strung, not always in control, vulnerable to mood swings, and bereft of a feathery touch from the perimeter.

And yet, K-State didn't just beat, but convincingly whipped, the No. 1 team in the United States by nine points. The Wildcats - for all their inadequacies - did more than enough to give the Texas Longhorns their first loss in 18 games.

Why? Coach Rick Barnes watched his athletes from Austin, Tex., flail and flounder throughout the evening in America's Breadbasket.

Maybe Texas had a high-sugar breakfast. Perhaps the Longhorns were too keyed up and drenched in adrenaline after their rousing overtime win this past Saturday against Texas A&M. For whatever reason, the Horns were hurried and harried throughout an inelegant yet spirited contest. How else to explain the mistakes they made? How else to account for an absence of efficiency in the UT lineup?

It didn't matter whom Barnes put on the floor in this game. No one who shot the ball with any regularity was able to repeatedly nudge the nylon for Texas. Outside of shot-averse guard Dogus Balbay, who scored seven points on only four shots, and reserve post player Clint Chapman (also 3-of-4 for the Horns), not a single soul in a Burnt Orange jersey could find the net with any degree of consistency.

Damion James - regarded by many writers and coaches as the best player in college basketball right now (Evan Turner of Ohio State would beg to differ, but that's another discussion for another time) - suffered through a miserable 3-of-12 outing from the field. Avery Bradley was okay, but the shooting guard's 12 points were fewer than Barnes and his staff were expecting. Imposing center Dexter Pittman posted only six points, and the bench combination of Jordan Hamilton and J'Covan Brown went 4-of-15 from the field while ringing up just 10 points. Only Bradley scored in double figures with 11 points, and that total would have been higher if UT had been able to make its foul shots.

Speaking of free throws, Texas went just 9 of 22 from the foul line in an historic display of futility. Memphis lost an NCAA championship by missing free throws two years ago, and Texas now appears to merit a similar form of additional media scrutiny.

> Check out the great selection ofKansas State Wildcats apparel & clothing

 

Yes, missing free throws stings a great deal in a high-stakes basketball game, and it's not something that's controlled or determined by the opposition. Nevertheless, in every aspect of competition that could be controlled to some extent, Kansas State carried the play and showed that it could punch the Longhorns in the mouth. How does a team deny unimpressive statistics to win a ballyhooed basketball battle? Simple: by working like crazy.

Kansas State's relentless attitude didn't always lead to patience at the offensive end, but the powerhouse in purple - with its unflagging intensity on defense - ground down Texas and caused the No. 1 team in America to be profoundly and unusually unsettled. The nonstop display of tenacity now has the KSU program ready to not only make the NCAA Tournament, but snare a high seed by the time the smoke clears on Selection Sunday.

By: Matt Zemek
DFN Sports Staff Writer