Game 34: AP Ranked #16 Wisconsin Badgers (24-8 overall, 13-5 Conference record) vs. AP Ranked #21 Kansas State Wildcats (23-10 overall, 10-6 Conference record)
The Kansas State Wildcats will go into the round of 32 of this year's NCAA Tournament in hopes of reaching the Sweet 16 for the second year in a row. K-State, who's the #5 seed in the Southeast Region, will take on the Wisconsin Badgers, who is the #4 seed in the Southeast Region while in the AP Poll, they're ranked #16 in the nation. While the Cats have Jacob Pullen, Rodney McGruger and Curtis Kelly, Wisconsin has a few very good players as well. The Badgers include such players as John Lewer who averages 19 points and 7 rebounds a game and also Jordan Taylor who averages 18 points, five assists and four rebounds per game. This is the second time the Badgers and Wildcats will square off in the NCAA Tournament to decide who one of the teams will be in the Sweet 16. K-State is looking to get revenge on their loss three years ago against Wisconsin, especially after what happened in their last match-up.
K-State vs. Wisconsin, Second Round of the 2008 NCAA Tournament
During the '08 NCAA Tournament, K-State was the #11 seed and one of the last teams to make it in. However, K-State had a lot of momentum going into their second round game against Wisconsin due to upsetting the #6 seed in the region, USC, 80-57. But when the Cats ran into Wisconsin, who was a #3 seed in the region that year, they ran into two things: Trevon Hughes and a streaking Wisconsin team. Trevon Hughes matched his career high that day with 25 points, leading Wisconsin to their 25th victory in their last 27 games and also 12 straight wins at the time. Not even having Michael Beasley was enough that day, scoring 23 points and grabbing 13 rebounds in his last game as a Wildcat before declaring for the NBA Draft. This time around, the Cats hope they can change the outcome, and in their last game, the Cats meant business.
Southwest Region: #5 K-State vs. #12 Utah State
Going into this game, there were a lot of experts who was thinking that Utah State would pull the upset against Kansas State. I thought the same thing, especially since Utah State had a lot of players with size that may have wound up effecting K-State's interior depth since the Cats only have Curits Kelly, Jamar Samuels and Jordan Henriquez-Roberts. At the end of the day, this wasn't too big of a factor as the Cats ended up winning 73-68 to move on to the round of 32. A big factor of why K-State won was because of their free-throw shooting. During the season they were a 64% free-throw shooting team but in this game they shot 24 of 28 from the foul line, good for 86%. Utah State was kept at bay during most of the game, with the Cats maintaining a double-digit lead for most of it. The closest Utah State got to K-State was 56-50 in the second half, but shooting 11-14 from the free throw line iced the game. Jacob Pullen led all scorers with 22 points and also had five assists while Curtis Kelly scored 15 points and grabbed six rebounds. For Utah State, Tai Wesley had 18 points and six rebounds, Brockeith Pane scored 17 poinds and Pooh Williams scored 16 points. Wisconsin only scored 33 points in their Big-10 Tournament loss to Penn State, but they took care of business in their second round game vs. Belmont.
Southwest Region: #13Belmont vs. #4 Wisconsin
In their game before the NCAA Tournament, Wisconsin's total output of points was a typical output for K-State.....in the first half. They only scored 16 points in the first half, and 17 in the second to only total 33. Penn State on the other hand, only scored 36 so they weren't that much better. Two reasons this could have happened was because Wisconsin shot that bad from the field, or, Penn State's defense was that good. Either way, Wisconsin wanted to prove their low point output was a fluke, and they easily did that. Wisconsin hit 12 out of 22 three point shots, shot 65% from the field and made 20 out of 25 free throws on their way to a 72-58 win over Belmont. Jon Leuer scored 22 points for Wisconsin, with 17 of those coming in the second half. Also, Jordan Taylor scored 21 with 14 of those coming in the first half. Mike Hedgepeth scored 17 and Kerron Johnson had 13 for Belmont. Here are the keys to victory for both teams.
K-State
Pace! Wisconsin beat K-State three years ago by controlling the tempo of the game to their style, which is a slow, methodical Big 10 type of game. K-State needs the tempo in their pace, which is a much faster and up and down kind of game. This way it tires out the Wisconsin players and makes K-State's attack that much harder to stop.
Curtis Kelly. Kelly has continued to be a force in the paint and needs to keep this up if the Cats want to make a return trip to the sweet 16. His length and quickness has been key in getting rebounds, getting put-backs and causing mismatches, and will certainly still be a key in this game.
Perimeter defense. Wisconsin's big 12 for 22 day from the three point line can't go unnoticed. The Cats need to slow their three-point shooting weapons and play tight defense so the Cats won't fall into an early hole they might not be able to climb out of.
Wisconsin
Keep up the hot shooting! The Badgers can't afford to go ice-cold like they did against Penn State again. Instead, they need to be as efficient or even more efficient with their shooting as a whole (field goals made, three-point shots made, free throws made). Otherwise, if the Cats catch any kind of fire, Wisconsin's going to be routed out of the gym.
NCAA Tournament Experience vs. K-State in the past. With Wisconsin's win in 2008 to advance to the sweet 16, the Badgers played suffocating defense and took Michael Beasley, one of the greatest players to ever play college basketball, out of the game in the second half. They just need to take the experience gained from there and apply it to this game and see what happens.
Make other players beat you instead of Jacob Pullen and/or Curtis Kelly. It'll be important for Wisconsin to take one of two players out of the game, rather that's Jacob Pullen or Curtis Kelly. That way, Curtis Kelly or Jacob Pullen has to feel like they have to carry the team by themselves, thus, wearing them out and giving Wisconsin a better chance to win.
Prediction: K-State wins, 68-62.
-Paul Payton, Wildcat 91.9 Sports Staff
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Thursday, March 17, 2011
NCAA Tournament Game #1: (12) Utah State (30-3) vs. (5) Kansas State (22-10)
It's finally NCAA Tournament time again, and for the third time in the past four seasons the Kansas State Wildcats will be participants in the Big Dance. The 2010-11 season has been marked by tumult and defections. The Cats started out ranked 3rd in the preseason polls. After a long January, K-State found itself out of the polls and in the cellar of the Big 12 standings at 2-5. But an unprecedented resurgence has brought K-State back into the college basketball forefront. The Wildcats won eight of their final nine games including six straight to close out the regular season. Out of those six wins, three were against ranked teams including KU, Texas and Missouri, all of which made the NCAA tournament. Though an early exit in the Big 12 tournament set the Wildcats back to 22-10, Frank Martin's squad still earned a 5-seed in the Southeast Region. One of the top mid-major teams in the nation over the past decade will be waiting for K-State in the second round in Tucson, the 12-seed Utah State Aggies. The Aggies won the Western Athletic Conference and finished with a 30-win season for the second time in the past three years. The Aggies finished 30-3, with their three losses coming away from the friendly confines of the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum: at BYU, at Georgetown, and at Idaho. This marks the eighth time in 12 seasons that the Aggies have earned a bid to the NCAA tournament.
The Last Time Out...
Colorado 87 (19/23) Kansas State 75 (Big XII Quarterfinals | Sprint Center - Kansas City, MO | 3/10/11)
The third meeting between K-State and Colorado had the same ending as the previous contests. A Colorado victory. The Cats were in control at the beginning of the game, making their first four shots in the opening minutes including three from Curtis Kelly. At one point, the Cats were 23-16, 23-20, and then 25-23 before the Cats made the lead 29-25. Once Colorado took a 35-31 lead with 3:43 left in the first half. However, K-State was up 39-37 at the half although Colorado still had the momentum going into halftime. The Cats were up 55-50 with 12 minutes left in the game, but Colorado went on an 11-2 run to take the lead 61-57. Colorado never let the lead go after that, holding onto it until the finish with the final score being 87-75. Jacob Pullen and Curtis Kelly each scored 18 points a piece for the cats while Colorado had two guys score at least 20 points. Cory Higgins scored 28 points while Alec Burks score 24 points and grabbed six rebounds. While K-State lost their first round conference tournament game, Utah State took their conference tournament title.
(23/17) Utah State 77 Boise State 69 (WAC Championship | Orleans Arena - Las Vegas, NV | 3/12/11)
Utah State played against Boise State in the WAC Championship and won 77-69. Although Boise State made it close at times, Utah State had complete control of the game. In the beginning of the second half, Utah State went on a 12-0 run which put them up 47-33 and did all but secure the game and the tournament for them. Boise State tried to chip away at the lead, making it all the way back to within two points under five minutes left. But Utah State was able to withstand their run and ice the game away. Utah State played perimeter defense at a very high level—only allowing Boise State to shoot 6 for 26 from the arc. La'Shard Anderson led Boise State with 18 points while Tai Wesley and Brokeith Pane scored 19 points to lead Utah State in scoring. Here are the keys to victory for both teams to make it to the round of 32.
Keys to the Game
K-State
Perimeter offense: K-State needs to be able to shoot from the outside, and shoot well. Jacob Pullen, Rodney McGruger, and Will Spradling needs to hit shots so Utah State can't pack their defense in and only worry about Curtis Kelly or Jamar Samuels.
Rebounding: Utah State has size, especially with Leland Miller being 7'1, and weighing 230 pounds. To control the ball, thus control the game, Kelly, Samuels and Jordan Henriquez-Roberts need to box out and win the rebounding battle.
Curtis Kelly: Speaking of Kelly, he needs to continue to be the presence he's been on the inside in the last few games. If the Cats can get a double-double from Kelly and he stays out of foul trouble, with Pullen playing like an All-America, they could be too much for Utah State to handle.
Utah State
Get K-State's bigs in foul trouble: Utah State has plenty of height to go around, with Miller being 7'1, Nate Bendall's 6'9, Morgan Grim and Matt Formisano are 6'8, and Brady Jardine and Tai Wesley being 6'7. Utah State has a big advantage of depth, so it will be key to get Kelly, Samuels, and Henriquez-Roberts in foul trouble. If they do, K-State will have an early exit in this year's tournament.
Perimeter Defense: At times, K-State gets their offense going from penetrating and dishing to three-point shooters off the pass. Utah State needs to continue their outstanding perimeter defense like they had against Boise State to make the Cats' offense one dimensional.
Knock down shots: Utah State is #29 in the nation in field goal percentage, shooting at a 47% clip. This means they almost make one out of every two shots. If they can get their guys going early, especially Wesley and WAC Tournament MVP Brokeith Pane, K-State's defense may not be able to keep up.
Prediction: Utah State wins, 65-59.
--Paul Payton, Wildcat 91.9 Sports Staff
The Last Time Out...
Colorado 87 (19/23) Kansas State 75 (Big XII Quarterfinals | Sprint Center - Kansas City, MO | 3/10/11)
The third meeting between K-State and Colorado had the same ending as the previous contests. A Colorado victory. The Cats were in control at the beginning of the game, making their first four shots in the opening minutes including three from Curtis Kelly. At one point, the Cats were 23-16, 23-20, and then 25-23 before the Cats made the lead 29-25. Once Colorado took a 35-31 lead with 3:43 left in the first half. However, K-State was up 39-37 at the half although Colorado still had the momentum going into halftime. The Cats were up 55-50 with 12 minutes left in the game, but Colorado went on an 11-2 run to take the lead 61-57. Colorado never let the lead go after that, holding onto it until the finish with the final score being 87-75. Jacob Pullen and Curtis Kelly each scored 18 points a piece for the cats while Colorado had two guys score at least 20 points. Cory Higgins scored 28 points while Alec Burks score 24 points and grabbed six rebounds. While K-State lost their first round conference tournament game, Utah State took their conference tournament title.
(23/17) Utah State 77 Boise State 69 (WAC Championship | Orleans Arena - Las Vegas, NV | 3/12/11)
Utah State played against Boise State in the WAC Championship and won 77-69. Although Boise State made it close at times, Utah State had complete control of the game. In the beginning of the second half, Utah State went on a 12-0 run which put them up 47-33 and did all but secure the game and the tournament for them. Boise State tried to chip away at the lead, making it all the way back to within two points under five minutes left. But Utah State was able to withstand their run and ice the game away. Utah State played perimeter defense at a very high level—only allowing Boise State to shoot 6 for 26 from the arc. La'Shard Anderson led Boise State with 18 points while Tai Wesley and Brokeith Pane scored 19 points to lead Utah State in scoring. Here are the keys to victory for both teams to make it to the round of 32.
Keys to the Game
K-State
Perimeter offense: K-State needs to be able to shoot from the outside, and shoot well. Jacob Pullen, Rodney McGruger, and Will Spradling needs to hit shots so Utah State can't pack their defense in and only worry about Curtis Kelly or Jamar Samuels.
Rebounding: Utah State has size, especially with Leland Miller being 7'1, and weighing 230 pounds. To control the ball, thus control the game, Kelly, Samuels and Jordan Henriquez-Roberts need to box out and win the rebounding battle.
Curtis Kelly: Speaking of Kelly, he needs to continue to be the presence he's been on the inside in the last few games. If the Cats can get a double-double from Kelly and he stays out of foul trouble, with Pullen playing like an All-America, they could be too much for Utah State to handle.
Utah State
Get K-State's bigs in foul trouble: Utah State has plenty of height to go around, with Miller being 7'1, Nate Bendall's 6'9, Morgan Grim and Matt Formisano are 6'8, and Brady Jardine and Tai Wesley being 6'7. Utah State has a big advantage of depth, so it will be key to get Kelly, Samuels, and Henriquez-Roberts in foul trouble. If they do, K-State will have an early exit in this year's tournament.
Perimeter Defense: At times, K-State gets their offense going from penetrating and dishing to three-point shooters off the pass. Utah State needs to continue their outstanding perimeter defense like they had against Boise State to make the Cats' offense one dimensional.
Knock down shots: Utah State is #29 in the nation in field goal percentage, shooting at a 47% clip. This means they almost make one out of every two shots. If they can get their guys going early, especially Wesley and WAC Tournament MVP Brokeith Pane, K-State's defense may not be able to keep up.
Prediction: Utah State wins, 65-59.
--Paul Payton, Wildcat 91.9 Sports Staff
Friday, March 11, 2011
Women's Game #31: (4) Kansas State (21-9 | 10-6 Big 12) vs (1) Baylor (29-2 | 15-1) in the Big 12 Semi-Finals
Kansas State takes on 2011 Big 12 regular season champion and No. 1 seeded Baylor in the semifinals of the Big 12 Women’s Basketball Championship. This will be the first appearance K-State has made in the semifinals of the Big 12 tournament since the 2004-05 season. The Wildcats have solid momentum coming into the game off of a three-game winning streak, including a big victory at home over No. 5 Texas A&M on March 2. Top-ranked Baylor is having a stellar season, earning 15 Big 12 wins for the first time in school history after defeating the Colorado Buffaloes on Saturday in Boulder. The Lady Bears have won nine straight against K-State making for a 14-9 series lead. K-State’s last win over Baylor came in 2004. This will be the second time the two teams will meet up this season.
Last Time They Met
Baylor 75 K-State 48 (February 23, 2011- Ferrell Center in Waco, TX.)
Baylor gave a solid performance in their 75-48 win over K-State on Feb. 23, as they shot 54-percent from the field and out-rebounded K-State 38-21. Baylor held a firm lead throughout the contest, putting the game away early in the second half after a 15-3 run. Jalana Childs led K-State with 22 points, but Brittney Griner propelled the Lady Bears with 26 points. Brittney Chambers became the first sophomore since the 2002-03 season to score 400 or more points this game, adding 15 points to go along with Childs’ 22.
Last Game Out
K-State 56 Iowa State 53 (March 9, 2011- Quarterfinal round of the Big 12 Tournament)
After losing twice to Iowa State during the regular season, K-State defeated fifth-seeded Iowa State 56-53 in quarterfinal action of the Phillips 66 Women’s Basketball Championship. The game came down to the final seconds; with K-State securing the win after two Iowa State 3-point attempts came up short. In a recent article Coach Deb Patterson, who earned her 300th win as head coach with the victory, described it as a “classic, gritty, possession-by-possession Big 12 basketball game,” making this a great win for the Cats. First Team All-Big 12 player Brittany Chambers scored a game-high 20 points while teammate and all-conference pick Jalana Childs added 14. Iowa State’s Hallie Christofferson had a team-high of 18 points, while Kelsey Bolte added 10.
Baylor 86 Kansas 51 (March 9, 2011-Quarterfinal round of the Big 12 Tournament)
Blowing up the stat sheet with eight points, nine rebounds, seven assists, and four steals, Baylor’s Melissa Jones gave an all-around performance that helped Baylor to a 86-51 victory over Kansas at the Big 12 tournament. Kansas had a 7-5 lead early on, but it was all Baylor the rest of the game, shutting down the Jayhawks’ All-Big 12 player Carolyn Davis to six points on 2-of-8 shooting. Baylor’s Destiny Williams scored a career-high 21 points and Brittney Griner added 19 points, eight rebounds and five blocks. Monica Engleman led the Jayhawks with 16 points, including four 3-pointers.
Keys to Victory
K-State
Limit turnovers: In the two team’s latest contest, K-State committed 18 turnovers. Baylor’s tenacious defense and quick hands are hard to come by, but K-State needs to make a conscious effort to take care of the ball.
Defensive rebounding: If Baylor doesn’t score on their first attempt, chances are they will on their second. It is key for K-State to find a body and block out.
Take away Jones: Melissa Jones seems to be the glue that holds Baylor together. Running a box and one or somehow limiting Jones’s ball touches will make it harder on Baylor to execute.
Baylor
Work the high-low: With a 6-foot-8 presence inside, guards need to look into the Brittney Griner to score easy bunnies.
Defensive close-outs: the Cats’ versatility on offense tend to hurt opponents. They can hit the three’s and score off the dribble drive, so Baylor has to close out to shooters and make it so its hard to both shoot and drive.
Play up-tempo: If K-State utilizes its quickness to its full potential, Baylor will have to make an effort to keep up with that pace. Running a quick offense will also work in their favor.
--Kylee Nacarrato, Wildcat 91.9 Sports Staff
Last Time They Met
Baylor 75 K-State 48 (February 23, 2011- Ferrell Center in Waco, TX.)
Baylor gave a solid performance in their 75-48 win over K-State on Feb. 23, as they shot 54-percent from the field and out-rebounded K-State 38-21. Baylor held a firm lead throughout the contest, putting the game away early in the second half after a 15-3 run. Jalana Childs led K-State with 22 points, but Brittney Griner propelled the Lady Bears with 26 points. Brittney Chambers became the first sophomore since the 2002-03 season to score 400 or more points this game, adding 15 points to go along with Childs’ 22.
Last Game Out
K-State 56 Iowa State 53 (March 9, 2011- Quarterfinal round of the Big 12 Tournament)
After losing twice to Iowa State during the regular season, K-State defeated fifth-seeded Iowa State 56-53 in quarterfinal action of the Phillips 66 Women’s Basketball Championship. The game came down to the final seconds; with K-State securing the win after two Iowa State 3-point attempts came up short. In a recent article Coach Deb Patterson, who earned her 300th win as head coach with the victory, described it as a “classic, gritty, possession-by-possession Big 12 basketball game,” making this a great win for the Cats. First Team All-Big 12 player Brittany Chambers scored a game-high 20 points while teammate and all-conference pick Jalana Childs added 14. Iowa State’s Hallie Christofferson had a team-high of 18 points, while Kelsey Bolte added 10.
Baylor 86 Kansas 51 (March 9, 2011-Quarterfinal round of the Big 12 Tournament)
Blowing up the stat sheet with eight points, nine rebounds, seven assists, and four steals, Baylor’s Melissa Jones gave an all-around performance that helped Baylor to a 86-51 victory over Kansas at the Big 12 tournament. Kansas had a 7-5 lead early on, but it was all Baylor the rest of the game, shutting down the Jayhawks’ All-Big 12 player Carolyn Davis to six points on 2-of-8 shooting. Baylor’s Destiny Williams scored a career-high 21 points and Brittney Griner added 19 points, eight rebounds and five blocks. Monica Engleman led the Jayhawks with 16 points, including four 3-pointers.
Keys to Victory
K-State
Limit turnovers: In the two team’s latest contest, K-State committed 18 turnovers. Baylor’s tenacious defense and quick hands are hard to come by, but K-State needs to make a conscious effort to take care of the ball.
Defensive rebounding: If Baylor doesn’t score on their first attempt, chances are they will on their second. It is key for K-State to find a body and block out.
Take away Jones: Melissa Jones seems to be the glue that holds Baylor together. Running a box and one or somehow limiting Jones’s ball touches will make it harder on Baylor to execute.
Baylor
Work the high-low: With a 6-foot-8 presence inside, guards need to look into the Brittney Griner to score easy bunnies.
Defensive close-outs: the Cats’ versatility on offense tend to hurt opponents. They can hit the three’s and score off the dribble drive, so Baylor has to close out to shooters and make it so its hard to both shoot and drive.
Play up-tempo: If K-State utilizes its quickness to its full potential, Baylor will have to make an effort to keep up with that pace. Running a quick offense will also work in their favor.
--Kylee Nacarrato, Wildcat 91.9 Sports Staff
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Game #31 - Big 12 Quarterfinals: (5) Colorado (20-12 | 8-8) vs. (4) Kansas State (22-9 | 10-6)
The Kansas State Wildcats begin their postseason run when they collide with the Colorado Buffaloes for the third time, except this time it's in the Big 12 Tournament. Both teams have had solid seasons, and it looks as if both will easily make the NCAA Tournament. K-State is coming in playing their best basketball all season, winning six games in a row and seven out of eight games. Colorado on the other hand, is playing solid basketball as well, winning their last five out of seven. During the first Colorado/K-State tilt, the Buffaloes won in Manhattan, 74-66 back on January 12th. The second time K-State and Colorado played in Boulder, the Cats were a split second away from having a seven-game winning streak instead of the six-game winning streak they're currently enjoying.
The Last Time Out...
Colorado 58 K-State 56 (February 12, 2011 - Coors Events Center in Boulder, CO)
This game came down to the last seconds as Rodney McGruger hit a three point shot to give K-State the lead and the win. However, after the referees reviewed the play through replay and the basket was waved off due to McGruger still having the ball in his hand a tenth of a second after the buzzer went off. This allowed Colorado to win the game 58-56 in thrilling fasion. This was he first time Colorado swept K-State since the 03-04 season. At the time, many people, K-State fans included, had written off the season for the Cats and expecting them to land in the NIT Tournament. Instead of letting this effectively end the season, this was when the Cats started on their magical run not just back into the polls, but more importantly, the NCAA Tournament. This was also before Jacob Pullen went on his run of scoring 20+ points the next five games. In a way, this game wound up being the final wake-up call the Cats needed to get their season in gear. Jamar Samuels led the Cats in scoring with 13 while Jacob Pullen contributed with 12 points of his own. Cory Higgins led Colorado in scoring with 17 points while Levi Knutson scored 16. Here is what happened during K-State and Colorado's most recent games.
K-State 67 Iowa State 55 (March 5, 2011 - Bramlage Coliseum in Manhattan, KS)
On Senior Day last year, Iowa State came into Manhattan and defeated the Cats, ruining the end of a great regular season. The Cats kept this in mind this year when Iowa State came to Manhattan, seeking revenge and making sure that wouldn't happen again. Although Iowa State played a good game, the Cats proved to be too much at the end. K-State won 67-55 which capped off a up and down season for the Cats. Jacob Pullen led the team with 17 points and added four assists, with Curtis Kelly scoring 13 rebounds and grabbing eight rebounds. At one point in the second half, Iowa State was was up 39-38 with 15:19 left to play, but an 8-0 run squarely put the momentum and the control of the game back with the Cats. During this game, K-State shot 47% from the field while Iowa State was held to just 37% shooting. Diante Garrett led the Cyclones with 18 points and five assists. Now, let's see how Colorado fared in their last game.
Colorado 77 Iowa State 75 (March 9, 2011 - First Round of the Big 12 Tournament)
The series was tied at one with Colorado winning big in Boulder, 95-69 on February 1st and then, Iowa State got their revenge in Ames when they won 95-90 on March 2nd. The third time around was during the first round of the Big 12 Tournament at the Sprint Center in Kansas City. It started out slow, with a halftime score of just 28-26, a much slower pace than the last game was. However, both teams easily picked up the pace, with both teams scoring nearly 50 points a piece in the second half. At the end of the game, Colorado took the game 77-75. Alec Burks led the Buffaloes with 29 points, 15 rebounds and six assists, while Cory Higgins scored 16 points and had two assists. Jake Anderson led all scorers with a career-high 33 points while Diante Garrett scored 19 points and had six assists. Colorado won the rebounding battle 48-36, a key reason why the Buffaloes were able to win. Speaking of keys, here are the keys of victory for the Cats and the Buffaloes, starting with K-State.
Keys to Victory:
K-State
Rebounding: If the Cats want to finally win a game against Colorado, they need to win the rebounding battle. It's proven that Colorado can rebound—they had 48 against Iowa State—so keeping the Buffaloes, especially Alec Burks off the boards will be crucial for the Cats to advance to the semis.
Rodney McGruder: The focus of the Buffaloes' defense will be on Jacob Pullen, and rightfully so because he's a pre-season All American and was just nominated to the All-Big 12 First team. This will allow McGruger to have open looks to knock down shots, which he needs to hit to take some of the pressure off of Pullen.
Free-throw shooting: During tournament-time, free throw shooting is crucial. It can keep teams in games if losing, and give teams extra cushion near the end of the game when they want to ice it away and secure victory. K-State needs to hit a lot of their free throws, starting with this game to do all they can to get victories. In turn, the more victories, the better possible seeding in the NCAA Tournament.
Colorado
Alec Burks: He needs to have a big game against Jacob Pullen for the Buffaloes to beat the Cats. If Burks is having a big game, this will also open up opportunities for other players, like Levi Knutson to knock down three point shots and spread the Cats' defense.
Levi Knuston: Knutson is a lights-out three point shooter, shooting at a 49% clip. If he gets going from beyond the arc, it'll make life easier on Alec Burks to do his thing, and will make life very difficult on the Cats' perimeter defense to guard him.
Foul trouble: Colorado needs to do their best to stay out of foul trouble, especially their post-men against the likes of Curtis Kelly, Jamar Samuels and Jordan Henriquez-Roberts. They don't have a whole lot of size besides Shane Harris-Tunks and Ben Mills, making the game very difficult for the Buffaloes to win without some kind of an inside game.
Prediction: K-State wins in a close one, 64-60.
--Paul Payton, Wildcat 91.9 Sports Staff
The Last Time Out...
Colorado 58 K-State 56 (February 12, 2011 - Coors Events Center in Boulder, CO)
This game came down to the last seconds as Rodney McGruger hit a three point shot to give K-State the lead and the win. However, after the referees reviewed the play through replay and the basket was waved off due to McGruger still having the ball in his hand a tenth of a second after the buzzer went off. This allowed Colorado to win the game 58-56 in thrilling fasion. This was he first time Colorado swept K-State since the 03-04 season. At the time, many people, K-State fans included, had written off the season for the Cats and expecting them to land in the NIT Tournament. Instead of letting this effectively end the season, this was when the Cats started on their magical run not just back into the polls, but more importantly, the NCAA Tournament. This was also before Jacob Pullen went on his run of scoring 20+ points the next five games. In a way, this game wound up being the final wake-up call the Cats needed to get their season in gear. Jamar Samuels led the Cats in scoring with 13 while Jacob Pullen contributed with 12 points of his own. Cory Higgins led Colorado in scoring with 17 points while Levi Knutson scored 16. Here is what happened during K-State and Colorado's most recent games.
K-State 67 Iowa State 55 (March 5, 2011 - Bramlage Coliseum in Manhattan, KS)
On Senior Day last year, Iowa State came into Manhattan and defeated the Cats, ruining the end of a great regular season. The Cats kept this in mind this year when Iowa State came to Manhattan, seeking revenge and making sure that wouldn't happen again. Although Iowa State played a good game, the Cats proved to be too much at the end. K-State won 67-55 which capped off a up and down season for the Cats. Jacob Pullen led the team with 17 points and added four assists, with Curtis Kelly scoring 13 rebounds and grabbing eight rebounds. At one point in the second half, Iowa State was was up 39-38 with 15:19 left to play, but an 8-0 run squarely put the momentum and the control of the game back with the Cats. During this game, K-State shot 47% from the field while Iowa State was held to just 37% shooting. Diante Garrett led the Cyclones with 18 points and five assists. Now, let's see how Colorado fared in their last game.
Colorado 77 Iowa State 75 (March 9, 2011 - First Round of the Big 12 Tournament)
The series was tied at one with Colorado winning big in Boulder, 95-69 on February 1st and then, Iowa State got their revenge in Ames when they won 95-90 on March 2nd. The third time around was during the first round of the Big 12 Tournament at the Sprint Center in Kansas City. It started out slow, with a halftime score of just 28-26, a much slower pace than the last game was. However, both teams easily picked up the pace, with both teams scoring nearly 50 points a piece in the second half. At the end of the game, Colorado took the game 77-75. Alec Burks led the Buffaloes with 29 points, 15 rebounds and six assists, while Cory Higgins scored 16 points and had two assists. Jake Anderson led all scorers with a career-high 33 points while Diante Garrett scored 19 points and had six assists. Colorado won the rebounding battle 48-36, a key reason why the Buffaloes were able to win. Speaking of keys, here are the keys of victory for the Cats and the Buffaloes, starting with K-State.
Keys to Victory:
K-State
Rebounding: If the Cats want to finally win a game against Colorado, they need to win the rebounding battle. It's proven that Colorado can rebound—they had 48 against Iowa State—so keeping the Buffaloes, especially Alec Burks off the boards will be crucial for the Cats to advance to the semis.
Rodney McGruder: The focus of the Buffaloes' defense will be on Jacob Pullen, and rightfully so because he's a pre-season All American and was just nominated to the All-Big 12 First team. This will allow McGruger to have open looks to knock down shots, which he needs to hit to take some of the pressure off of Pullen.
Free-throw shooting: During tournament-time, free throw shooting is crucial. It can keep teams in games if losing, and give teams extra cushion near the end of the game when they want to ice it away and secure victory. K-State needs to hit a lot of their free throws, starting with this game to do all they can to get victories. In turn, the more victories, the better possible seeding in the NCAA Tournament.
Colorado
Alec Burks: He needs to have a big game against Jacob Pullen for the Buffaloes to beat the Cats. If Burks is having a big game, this will also open up opportunities for other players, like Levi Knutson to knock down three point shots and spread the Cats' defense.
Levi Knuston: Knutson is a lights-out three point shooter, shooting at a 49% clip. If he gets going from beyond the arc, it'll make life easier on Alec Burks to do his thing, and will make life very difficult on the Cats' perimeter defense to guard him.
Foul trouble: Colorado needs to do their best to stay out of foul trouble, especially their post-men against the likes of Curtis Kelly, Jamar Samuels and Jordan Henriquez-Roberts. They don't have a whole lot of size besides Shane Harris-Tunks and Ben Mills, making the game very difficult for the Buffaloes to win without some kind of an inside game.
Prediction: K-State wins in a close one, 64-60.
--Paul Payton, Wildcat 91.9 Sports Staff
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Women's Game #30: (5) Iowa State vs (4) Kansas State in the Big 12 Quarterfinals
Fourth-seeded Kansas State look to face fifth-seeded Iowa State as they meet up in the Big 12 Championship quarterfinal round in the Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City on Wednesday. This will be the third time the two teams meet up this season, with the Lady Cyclones snagging both victories in conference play. Iowa State comes off of a first-round tournament win over Nebraska on Tuesday, earning its trip to the quarterfinal round for the eight-consecutive year. The Lady Cats earned a first-round bye in the conference tournament this week after defeating the Kansas Jayhawks Saturday night in the finale game of the regular season.
The Last Time They Met…
Iowa State @ Kansas State on February 26, 2011 at Bramlage Coliseum in Manhattan, KS
Not even two weeks ago the two familiar teams met up, with Iowa State snatching a regular season sweep with a 58-51 win against the Wildcats. Iowa State gave the Cats one out of their only two losses at home in Bramlage of the season. Iowa State’s Kelsey Bolte, who was just recently a unanimous selection to the All-Big 12 first team, propelled the Cyclones to victory with the game-high 19 points, while teammate Lauren Mansfield added 14. The Cats struggled beyond the arc in the teams’ last meeting, just shooting 3-of-16. K-State was led by the efforts of Jalana Childs, who was named All-Big 12 second team by the league office on Monday, scoring 19 points in the match-up. Brittany Chambers, also a unanimous selection by the league’s coaches to the All-Big 12 first team, added 12 for the game.
Last Game Out…
Kansas State 56 Kansas 51 (Allen Fieldhouse – Lawrence, KS. 3/5/2011)
The Wildcats knocked off rival Kansas in a fight to the end Saturday at Allen Fieldhouse, 56-51 in the regular season finale for the two teams. Both teams came out fierce, not letting the other take control as the score was tied mid-way through the first half. K-State held on late as KU scored five straight with under minutes to go getting within three points, before Kansas State’s Taelor Karr sank in two free throws to seal the win down the stretch. Jalana Childs led a group of three Wildcats in double figures with 16 points, while Mariah White pitched in 14 and Taelor Karr added 12 points and eight rebounds. Carolyn Davis led Kansas with 15 points and 14 rebounds. She was recently picked for All-Big 12 first team.
Iowa State 69 Nebraska 61 (Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, MO. 3/8/2011)
Fifth-seeded Iowa State earned a 69-61 win over 12th-seeded Nebraska Tuesday. The Cyclones were led by the efforts of Lauren Mansfield who had a career-high 23 points and dished out five assists. Iowa State was hot beyond the arc, connecting on 13 3-point shots. The 13 3-pointers were just one shy of the all-time Big 12 Championship record. Iowa State’s rebounding dominated the game with a 46-32 edge and 16 offensive rebounds to Nebraska’s five. Iowa State’s Chelsea Poppens scored eight-straight down the stretch, scoring 10 points and grabbing 11 rebounds for the game. Kelsey Bolte added 15 points, which were all 3-point baskets.
Keys to Victory
K-State
Rebounding: Rebounding on both the defensive and offensive side will be crucial for the Cats. The Cyclone’s have a knack for snatching rebounds, which has helped them win several games, including its first-round tournament win over Nebraska. If the Cats can out-rebound Iowa State, it’ll create a better opportunity for them to score inside.
Shooting: Based off their last match-up with the Cyclones, one of K-State’s main problems was its shooting. For a team that relies a lot on their outside shooting, it’ll be imperative that they shoot with better accuracy this go around.
Wear them out: K-State already has an advantage given that they have fresh legs compared to Iowa State, who just came off a tough win against Nebraska. Applying intense pressure or a full-court press could help wear the Cyclones down.
Iowa State
Shut down K-State’s shooters: It’ll make it easier on the Cyclones if they don’t let shooters like Brittany Chambers and Taelor Karr go off. Last game, the Cats were cold beyond the arc and will be looking for redemption so Iowa State needs to be on their toes.
Continue to out-rebound: The ability to out rebound opponents is obviously working well for the Cyclones, and their rebounding mentality needs to continue to cap this game off.
Depth: Several times this season, K-State has had at least three players in double figures. Iowa State needs to match up and rely on several of their players to step up.
The Last Time They Met…
Iowa State @ Kansas State on February 26, 2011 at Bramlage Coliseum in Manhattan, KS
Not even two weeks ago the two familiar teams met up, with Iowa State snatching a regular season sweep with a 58-51 win against the Wildcats. Iowa State gave the Cats one out of their only two losses at home in Bramlage of the season. Iowa State’s Kelsey Bolte, who was just recently a unanimous selection to the All-Big 12 first team, propelled the Cyclones to victory with the game-high 19 points, while teammate Lauren Mansfield added 14. The Cats struggled beyond the arc in the teams’ last meeting, just shooting 3-of-16. K-State was led by the efforts of Jalana Childs, who was named All-Big 12 second team by the league office on Monday, scoring 19 points in the match-up. Brittany Chambers, also a unanimous selection by the league’s coaches to the All-Big 12 first team, added 12 for the game.
Last Game Out…
Kansas State 56 Kansas 51 (Allen Fieldhouse – Lawrence, KS. 3/5/2011)
The Wildcats knocked off rival Kansas in a fight to the end Saturday at Allen Fieldhouse, 56-51 in the regular season finale for the two teams. Both teams came out fierce, not letting the other take control as the score was tied mid-way through the first half. K-State held on late as KU scored five straight with under minutes to go getting within three points, before Kansas State’s Taelor Karr sank in two free throws to seal the win down the stretch. Jalana Childs led a group of three Wildcats in double figures with 16 points, while Mariah White pitched in 14 and Taelor Karr added 12 points and eight rebounds. Carolyn Davis led Kansas with 15 points and 14 rebounds. She was recently picked for All-Big 12 first team.
Iowa State 69 Nebraska 61 (Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, MO. 3/8/2011)
Fifth-seeded Iowa State earned a 69-61 win over 12th-seeded Nebraska Tuesday. The Cyclones were led by the efforts of Lauren Mansfield who had a career-high 23 points and dished out five assists. Iowa State was hot beyond the arc, connecting on 13 3-point shots. The 13 3-pointers were just one shy of the all-time Big 12 Championship record. Iowa State’s rebounding dominated the game with a 46-32 edge and 16 offensive rebounds to Nebraska’s five. Iowa State’s Chelsea Poppens scored eight-straight down the stretch, scoring 10 points and grabbing 11 rebounds for the game. Kelsey Bolte added 15 points, which were all 3-point baskets.
Keys to Victory
K-State
Rebounding: Rebounding on both the defensive and offensive side will be crucial for the Cats. The Cyclone’s have a knack for snatching rebounds, which has helped them win several games, including its first-round tournament win over Nebraska. If the Cats can out-rebound Iowa State, it’ll create a better opportunity for them to score inside.
Shooting: Based off their last match-up with the Cyclones, one of K-State’s main problems was its shooting. For a team that relies a lot on their outside shooting, it’ll be imperative that they shoot with better accuracy this go around.
Wear them out: K-State already has an advantage given that they have fresh legs compared to Iowa State, who just came off a tough win against Nebraska. Applying intense pressure or a full-court press could help wear the Cyclones down.
Iowa State
Shut down K-State’s shooters: It’ll make it easier on the Cyclones if they don’t let shooters like Brittany Chambers and Taelor Karr go off. Last game, the Cats were cold beyond the arc and will be looking for redemption so Iowa State needs to be on their toes.
Continue to out-rebound: The ability to out rebound opponents is obviously working well for the Cyclones, and their rebounding mentality needs to continue to cap this game off.
Depth: Several times this season, K-State has had at least three players in double figures. Iowa State needs to match up and rely on several of their players to step up.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Women’s game #28: Texas A/M (24-3, 12-2 Big 12) at Kansas State (18-9, 8-6 Big 12)
The Kansas State Wildcats host No. 5 Texas A&M for the last scheduled home game of the 2010-11 season, which will be televised of Fox Sports Kansas City. The two teams meet up for the first time this season. Before the game, K-State will celebrate “Senior Night” by recognizing its only two seniors, Kelsey Hill and Shalin Spani. K-State looks to cap a win after two straight losses, including just their second home loss to Iowa State last Saturday night. The Aggies come into the contest as winners of three straight and six of their last seven outings. Texas A&M have proven to be strong conference contenders with at least a secured second-place finish in the big 12. The Aggies currently own a three-game winning streak against the Wildcats, with their last victory of 69-63 on Feb. 13, 2010.
Last Game Out...
(25) Iowa State 58 K-State 51 (Bramlage Coliseum-Manhattan, KS. 2/26/2011)
Iowa State prevailed against the Wildcats for the second time this season with a 58-51 win, handing Kansas State just its second loss at home of the season at Bramlage Coliseum. The Wildcats had three players in double figures and led by the effort of Jalana Childs with scored 18 points. Taelor Karr and Brittany Chambers added 12 and 10 points respectively, with Karr dishing out a career-high of seven assists. Iowa State’s Kelsey Bolte made several key shots down the stretch and snagged 19 points for a game-high, while Lauren Mansfield added 14. The Wildcats were cold from beyond the arc for most of the game just shooting 3-of-16, but with just under a minute left in the game, a Chambers three pointer followed by a Kelsey Hill three cut Iowa State’s lead to 53-49, but the Cyclones sealed the win with five free throws down the stretch.
(5) Texas A&M 68 Texas 65 (Erwin Center-Austin, TX. 2/27/2011)
Texas A&M got their 10th consecutive win over the Texas Longhorns on Sunday with a 68-65 victory. As noted in an article by Associated Press, it was the first time since 2008 that the Longhorns had stayed within 10 points of the Aggies. However, the Longhorns were held to their second-lowest first-half total in Texas history at just 17 points, but rallied back in the second, shooting 59 percent and scoring 48 points. Despite the rally, Texas A&M were able to hang on to their lead throughout the game. The Aggies were led by the effort of Danielle Adams who scored 26 points, with Tyra White adding 14.
Keys to Victory
K-State
Containment: K-State needs to limit the amount of runs on offense for the Aggies and not let them go off. If they get in a too big of a hole, there’s no crawling out.
Intense Perimeter Defense: It’s all about the defense for K-State. The Wildcats need to put intense pressure on the Aggies guards to make it difficult to feed into the post. Texas A&M’s 6-1 senior forward, Danielle Adams, leads the team and the Big 12 in scoring with 23.4 points per game and is the ultimate power house inside. The less touches she has on the offense the better for K-State.
Shooting: The Wildcats need to put the ball in the hoop, plain and simple. In the last contest against the Aggies, K-State proved that just hitting a bunch of 3-pointers, but only shooting 31 percent, won’t cut it.
Texas A&M
Guard Pressure: Texas A&M needs to limit the amount of scoring beyond the three-point line by constantly pressuring and closing out to the guards. Last game the Aggies allowed for 11 3-pointers, which could be deadly this go around if the Wildcats step up their overall shooting percentage compared to the last meeting.
Danielle Adams: Danielle just came off a huge week averaging 28 points, 12 rebounds, and two blocks last week that earned her her fifth Big 12 Player of the Week award. If she can continue this type of productivity against the likes of Jalana Childs and Branshea Brown then the Aggies are in good shape.
Ball protection: The Aggies must take care of the ball and not allow for silly turn-overs. K-State is quick on the steal and will pick their pocket if they aren’t careful.
--Kylee Naccarato, Wildcat 91.9 Sports Staff
Last Game Out...
(25) Iowa State 58 K-State 51 (Bramlage Coliseum-Manhattan, KS. 2/26/2011)
Iowa State prevailed against the Wildcats for the second time this season with a 58-51 win, handing Kansas State just its second loss at home of the season at Bramlage Coliseum. The Wildcats had three players in double figures and led by the effort of Jalana Childs with scored 18 points. Taelor Karr and Brittany Chambers added 12 and 10 points respectively, with Karr dishing out a career-high of seven assists. Iowa State’s Kelsey Bolte made several key shots down the stretch and snagged 19 points for a game-high, while Lauren Mansfield added 14. The Wildcats were cold from beyond the arc for most of the game just shooting 3-of-16, but with just under a minute left in the game, a Chambers three pointer followed by a Kelsey Hill three cut Iowa State’s lead to 53-49, but the Cyclones sealed the win with five free throws down the stretch.
(5) Texas A&M 68 Texas 65 (Erwin Center-Austin, TX. 2/27/2011)
Texas A&M got their 10th consecutive win over the Texas Longhorns on Sunday with a 68-65 victory. As noted in an article by Associated Press, it was the first time since 2008 that the Longhorns had stayed within 10 points of the Aggies. However, the Longhorns were held to their second-lowest first-half total in Texas history at just 17 points, but rallied back in the second, shooting 59 percent and scoring 48 points. Despite the rally, Texas A&M were able to hang on to their lead throughout the game. The Aggies were led by the effort of Danielle Adams who scored 26 points, with Tyra White adding 14.
Keys to Victory
K-State
Containment: K-State needs to limit the amount of runs on offense for the Aggies and not let them go off. If they get in a too big of a hole, there’s no crawling out.
Intense Perimeter Defense: It’s all about the defense for K-State. The Wildcats need to put intense pressure on the Aggies guards to make it difficult to feed into the post. Texas A&M’s 6-1 senior forward, Danielle Adams, leads the team and the Big 12 in scoring with 23.4 points per game and is the ultimate power house inside. The less touches she has on the offense the better for K-State.
Shooting: The Wildcats need to put the ball in the hoop, plain and simple. In the last contest against the Aggies, K-State proved that just hitting a bunch of 3-pointers, but only shooting 31 percent, won’t cut it.
Texas A&M
Guard Pressure: Texas A&M needs to limit the amount of scoring beyond the three-point line by constantly pressuring and closing out to the guards. Last game the Aggies allowed for 11 3-pointers, which could be deadly this go around if the Wildcats step up their overall shooting percentage compared to the last meeting.
Danielle Adams: Danielle just came off a huge week averaging 28 points, 12 rebounds, and two blocks last week that earned her her fifth Big 12 Player of the Week award. If she can continue this type of productivity against the likes of Jalana Childs and Branshea Brown then the Aggies are in good shape.
Ball protection: The Aggies must take care of the ball and not allow for silly turn-overs. K-State is quick on the steal and will pick their pocket if they aren’t careful.
--Kylee Naccarato, Wildcat 91.9 Sports Staff
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Women’s game #27: (25) Iowa State (19-8) @ Kansas State (18-8)
Kansas State will turn Bramlage pink for the WBCA “Pink Zone” initiative as they host the Iowa State Cyclones. The Wildcats look to close out the month of February with a winning record and to remain in control of fourth-place in the Big 12. Kansas State achieved a milestone with a 69-64 win at Nebraska on Feb. 19, as they became the 13th program in NCAA Division 1 women’s basketball history to record 800 or more wins.
The Cyclones storm into town as winners of the three of their last four contests and will attempt to win just their third road game of the season, as they are 2-6 away from home and 1-5 in the Big 12. ISU is looking to cap its first win in Manhattan since 2007. ISU is also going for its fifth-straight 20-win season, which has only been done once before (1998-2002). Iowa State is now 19-8 overall and 7-6 in the Big 12.
Last Time They Met
K-State @ Iowa State on February 13, 2011 at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, IA.
The Cyclones hit seven free throws in the final minute-and-a-half of the game and got 25 points from Kelsey Bolte to beat the Wildcats 61-53. Bolte scored eight of the Cyclones’ first 16 points as Iowa State took an early 16-12 lead. The Wildcats answered back and took a 19-18 lead later in the half. After an 11-2 run, the Cyclones gained a 38-27 lead at halftime. Both teams struggled to start the second half as Jalana Childs made the only field goal in the first five minutes. Childs led the Wildcats with 21 points and five rebounds. Brittany Chambers added 19 points. For the Cyclones, Anna Prins added 10 points and Hallie Christofferson had eight points and 11 rebounds.
Last Game Out
(3) Baylor 75 K-State 48(Ferrell Center - Waco, TX. 2/23/2011)
The Lady Wildcats took a hard loss from Baylor on Wednesday when they were held to 48 points to the Lady Bears’ 75. Baylor (25-2, 12-1 Big 12) came out hot scoring the game’s first seven points and led 22-6 only eight minutes in. Kansas State pulled within 10 points in the first half but never got closer. The Lady Bears were supported by a 53.8 percent shooting effort compared to K-State’s 37 percent. The Wildcats were led by Jalana Childs, who tied her career-high with 22 points on 9-16 shooting, and Brittney Chambers, who added 15 points. Baylor’s Brittney Griner had 21 first half points, finishing the game with 26 total. Melissa Jones added 11 points and nine rebounds for Baylor.
(25)Iowa State 66 Texas 57 (Hilton Coliseum - Ames, IA. 2/21/2011)
Iowa State defeated Texas, 66-75, in overtime in Ames on Monday. It was a back and forth contest between the Cyclones and the Longhorns, with the lead changing 11 times and the score tied 11 times. The Cyclones were quick out of the gate at the start of overtime and three inside baskets and a pair of missed Texas’ three-point attempts followed by a Kelsey Bolte big time trey put the game out of reach for the Longhorns. Iowa State’s Chelsea Poppens scored a career-high 23 points with a game-high 13 rebounds. Anna Prins added 13 points. Texas made 10 3-point field goals but Iowa State outrebounded (44-27) and outscored Texas in the paint (34-18) that helped overcome the Longhorn’s sharp perimeter shooting.
Keys To Victory
K-State
Depth: In order to match Iowa State, Kansas State needs help from the bench. The Cyclone’s bench is outscoring its opposition by over four points per game and is contributing 17.1 points per game, or 25.8 percent of their scoring.
Sharp from the start: It is key that the Lady Wildcats come out ready to play right at tip off. The Cyclones are 17-0 this season when leading at half. That means K-State has no time to slack and little room for error, especially in the beginning.
Defense: Cyclone’s Kelsey Bolte averages 19.7 points per game and is one of the nation’s top shooters. She’ll most likely get hers, so it is in K-State’s best interest to shut down other players while limiting Bolte.
Iowa State
Execution: Iowa State will have to take advantage of every possession and execute their offense. Last game the Cyclones were 21 of 26 from the foul line to K-State’s 3 of 4. If they’re not scoring from the foul line this game, they will have to earn their points elsewhere.
Inside Presence: The Wildcat’s recent wins can be traced to its success at scoring in the paint and preventing its opponents from doing just that. K-State is scoring 26.2 points per game in the lane while holding their opponents to 23.5 points per game. Iowa State needs to buckle down and have strong presence in the paint.
Rebounding: K-State is known for having their guards attack the boards and is being lead in rebounds by guard Brittany Chambers. Iowa State will have to block out all five of K-State’s players on the court and limit their second-chance opportunities.
--Kylee Nacarrato
The Cyclones storm into town as winners of the three of their last four contests and will attempt to win just their third road game of the season, as they are 2-6 away from home and 1-5 in the Big 12. ISU is looking to cap its first win in Manhattan since 2007. ISU is also going for its fifth-straight 20-win season, which has only been done once before (1998-2002). Iowa State is now 19-8 overall and 7-6 in the Big 12.
Last Time They Met
K-State @ Iowa State on February 13, 2011 at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, IA.
The Cyclones hit seven free throws in the final minute-and-a-half of the game and got 25 points from Kelsey Bolte to beat the Wildcats 61-53. Bolte scored eight of the Cyclones’ first 16 points as Iowa State took an early 16-12 lead. The Wildcats answered back and took a 19-18 lead later in the half. After an 11-2 run, the Cyclones gained a 38-27 lead at halftime. Both teams struggled to start the second half as Jalana Childs made the only field goal in the first five minutes. Childs led the Wildcats with 21 points and five rebounds. Brittany Chambers added 19 points. For the Cyclones, Anna Prins added 10 points and Hallie Christofferson had eight points and 11 rebounds.
Last Game Out
(3) Baylor 75 K-State 48(Ferrell Center - Waco, TX. 2/23/2011)
The Lady Wildcats took a hard loss from Baylor on Wednesday when they were held to 48 points to the Lady Bears’ 75. Baylor (25-2, 12-1 Big 12) came out hot scoring the game’s first seven points and led 22-6 only eight minutes in. Kansas State pulled within 10 points in the first half but never got closer. The Lady Bears were supported by a 53.8 percent shooting effort compared to K-State’s 37 percent. The Wildcats were led by Jalana Childs, who tied her career-high with 22 points on 9-16 shooting, and Brittney Chambers, who added 15 points. Baylor’s Brittney Griner had 21 first half points, finishing the game with 26 total. Melissa Jones added 11 points and nine rebounds for Baylor.
(25)Iowa State 66 Texas 57 (Hilton Coliseum - Ames, IA. 2/21/2011)
Iowa State defeated Texas, 66-75, in overtime in Ames on Monday. It was a back and forth contest between the Cyclones and the Longhorns, with the lead changing 11 times and the score tied 11 times. The Cyclones were quick out of the gate at the start of overtime and three inside baskets and a pair of missed Texas’ three-point attempts followed by a Kelsey Bolte big time trey put the game out of reach for the Longhorns. Iowa State’s Chelsea Poppens scored a career-high 23 points with a game-high 13 rebounds. Anna Prins added 13 points. Texas made 10 3-point field goals but Iowa State outrebounded (44-27) and outscored Texas in the paint (34-18) that helped overcome the Longhorn’s sharp perimeter shooting.
Keys To Victory
K-State
Depth: In order to match Iowa State, Kansas State needs help from the bench. The Cyclone’s bench is outscoring its opposition by over four points per game and is contributing 17.1 points per game, or 25.8 percent of their scoring.
Sharp from the start: It is key that the Lady Wildcats come out ready to play right at tip off. The Cyclones are 17-0 this season when leading at half. That means K-State has no time to slack and little room for error, especially in the beginning.
Defense: Cyclone’s Kelsey Bolte averages 19.7 points per game and is one of the nation’s top shooters. She’ll most likely get hers, so it is in K-State’s best interest to shut down other players while limiting Bolte.
Iowa State
Execution: Iowa State will have to take advantage of every possession and execute their offense. Last game the Cyclones were 21 of 26 from the foul line to K-State’s 3 of 4. If they’re not scoring from the foul line this game, they will have to earn their points elsewhere.
Inside Presence: The Wildcat’s recent wins can be traced to its success at scoring in the paint and preventing its opponents from doing just that. K-State is scoring 26.2 points per game in the lane while holding their opponents to 23.5 points per game. Iowa State needs to buckle down and have strong presence in the paint.
Rebounding: K-State is known for having their guards attack the boards and is being lead in rebounds by guard Brittany Chambers. Iowa State will have to block out all five of K-State’s players on the court and limit their second-chance opportunities.
--Kylee Nacarrato
Friday, February 25, 2011
Men's Game #28: (21) Missouri (21-6) @ K-State (19-9)
The Kansas State Wildcats will go for their fourth win in a row and sixth in their last seven games when they welcome the #21 team in the nation, the Missouri Tigers, into Bramlage Coliseum Saturday morning at 11 on ESPN. Missouri has had a solid season, staying ranked in the polls during the duration of the season while holding down the #4 seed in the Big 12. The only real knock on the Tigers so far this season has been their inept ability to win conference games on the road. Missouri has only won one game on the road in the Big 12 Conference—and that was on last Saturday, February 19th, against Iowa State 76-70. On the other hand, K-State has turned their season from a disappointment to having a solid chance at making the NCAA Tournament winning recent games against #1 Kansas (at the time), Oklahoma, and a big road win against Nebraska in Lincoln this past Wednesday. Although both teams appear to be NCAA Tournament-bound, Missouri has the last laugh in this match-up. On January 17th, Missouri took care of the Cats with little to no trouble.
The Last Time Out...
(24) K-State @ (14) Missouri (Mizzou Sports Arena - Columbia, MO 1/17/11)
The first time these two teams played, Missouri beat the Cats 75-59 in what was a terrible game for the Cats. K-State had 23 turnovers, were just 3 for 16 from the three-point line and gave up 43 points in the first half to Missouri. MU held K-State to just 28 first-half points due to their “ Fastest 40 minutes” , which means that Missouri pressures the ball for all 40 minutes of the basketball game. Two bright spots for the Cats were Jacob Pullen and Jordan Henriquez-Roberts. Henriquez-Roberts scored 14 points and had six rebounds, an assist, and two blocks. Pullen scored 16 points and only had two rebounds. Marcus Denmon led the Tigers in scoring with 14 points from shooting 4 for 9 from the field, had four rebounds and three steals. Phil Pressey, who had on a glove on his shooting hand to protect a broken finger at the time, scored 13 points and went 3 for 5 from three point range. Before the keys of victory and prediction, let's see how K-State and Missouri did in their last games. K-State got the victory they needed to solidly a spot in this year's NCAA Tournament.
K-State 61 Nebraska 57 (Bob Devaney Sports Center - Lincoln, NE 2/23/11)
K-State was already in the NCAA Tournament to many in the College Basketball world, including Joe Lunardi who does Bracketology on ESPN as a #9 seed in the East Region. Others thought that the Cats needed to do more work in order to get in. Either way, the Cats went into Lincoln and got a big victory against Nebraska, with a 61-57 win. This win will without a doubt put the Cats into the tournament. Jacob Pullen continued his consistent play over the last few weeks by scoring 27 points, with 20 coming in the second half. In the last three games, Pullen has scored 38 against Kansas, 27 against Oklahoma and 27 more vs. Nebraska for an average of 30.6 per game Rodney McGruger chipped in and scored 11 points for the Cats. The Huskers were held to 35% shooting and were forced into committing 17 turnovers. This was the final regular season game between K-State and Nebraska as members of the Big 12, due to Nebraska moving into the Big 10 Conference starting next season. K-State leads the all-time series against Nebraska, holding down a 126-93 record against them. Missouri's last game was at home, which in Columbia they're unbeaten, and that continued in their last contest this past Wednesday.
(21) Missouri 77 Baylor 59 (Mizzou Sports Arena - Columbia, MO 2/23/11)
Missouri and Baylor are on two different planets when it comes to college basketball in the 2010-2011 season. On one hand, Missouri is only playing for seeding in the NCAA Tournament since they have all but punched their ticket to the tournament due to consistent play all season. Baylor on the other hand, are playing for their NCAA Tournament lives every game they play. They did not help matters when they lost to Missouri 77-59 in Columbia this past Wednesday night. The only way the Bears can get into the tournament at this point is if they can win the Big 12 Tournament next weekend in Kansas City. Lawrence Bowers led the Tigers with 20 points, nine rebounds, six steals and 2 blocks. Ricardo Ratliffe chipped in with a double-double, scoring 11 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. Quincy Acy was the leading scorer for Baylor, scoring 13 points, grabbing nine rebounds, dishing out an assist, two steals and two blocks. LaceDarius Dunn only scored 12 points from 4 for 14 shooting for Baylor. Here are the MU/K-State keys to victory, starting with Mizzou.
Keys to Victory:
Missouri
Turn defense into offense: This key to victory is a double-edged sword. If the Tigers can do a good job of applying the “Fastest 40 Minutes” and pressure the Cats' ball handlers, they can cause a lot of problems for K-State. If not, the Cats will have a lot of easy baskets off of MU's press and could win the game by double figures.
Ricardo Ratliffe: Ratliffe just came off of a huge game for the Tigers, scoring 11 points and grabbing 13 rebounds inside the post. The big man has been in double figures in six of his last seven for Mizzou. If he continues to score with that type of efficiency against the likes of Curtis Kelly, Jamar Samuels and Jordan Henriquez-Roberts, the Tigers have a good shot at leaving Manhattan with the victory.
Guards: Missouri needs to get Marcus Denmon going early, especially from the perimeter. He and forward Lawrence Bowers are deadly at penetrating the interior of opposing defenses. If both can attack the rim early, it will eventually open the whole floor for the Tigers offense to operate and knock down shots.
K-State
Handling the “Fastest 40 Minutes”: At times this season, the Cats have handled the ball very well; however, there's been other times when K-State is sloppy with the basketball. The Cats can't afford to turn it over 15+ times against Missouri, or else the Tigers will make them pay.
Jacob Pullen distributing: Pullen's scored 38, 27 and 27 in his last three games, showing a level of consistency not seen from him much this season. Mizzou will be harrassing him all afternoon. That's going to open things up for guys like Will Spradling and Rodney McGruder. Don't expect Pullen to have as big of a scoring day as he's had in the past three games. Keep in mind though that he is still one of the best distributors on this roster. It'll be up to the young guns to knock down some big shots and help alleviate some of the scoring burden from Pullen.
Rebounding: With Bowers/Ratliffe's athleticism, Kelly, Samuels and Henriquez-Roberts will have to hit the glass harder than they have in recent weeks. The key will be staying composed and not getting into foul trouble for the trio of Wildcats.
Prediction: K-State wins, 70-62.
-Paul Payton, Wildcat 91.9 Sports Staff
The Last Time Out...
(24) K-State @ (14) Missouri (Mizzou Sports Arena - Columbia, MO 1/17/11)
The first time these two teams played, Missouri beat the Cats 75-59 in what was a terrible game for the Cats. K-State had 23 turnovers, were just 3 for 16 from the three-point line and gave up 43 points in the first half to Missouri. MU held K-State to just 28 first-half points due to their “ Fastest 40 minutes” , which means that Missouri pressures the ball for all 40 minutes of the basketball game. Two bright spots for the Cats were Jacob Pullen and Jordan Henriquez-Roberts. Henriquez-Roberts scored 14 points and had six rebounds, an assist, and two blocks. Pullen scored 16 points and only had two rebounds. Marcus Denmon led the Tigers in scoring with 14 points from shooting 4 for 9 from the field, had four rebounds and three steals. Phil Pressey, who had on a glove on his shooting hand to protect a broken finger at the time, scored 13 points and went 3 for 5 from three point range. Before the keys of victory and prediction, let's see how K-State and Missouri did in their last games. K-State got the victory they needed to solidly a spot in this year's NCAA Tournament.
K-State 61 Nebraska 57 (Bob Devaney Sports Center - Lincoln, NE 2/23/11)
K-State was already in the NCAA Tournament to many in the College Basketball world, including Joe Lunardi who does Bracketology on ESPN as a #9 seed in the East Region. Others thought that the Cats needed to do more work in order to get in. Either way, the Cats went into Lincoln and got a big victory against Nebraska, with a 61-57 win. This win will without a doubt put the Cats into the tournament. Jacob Pullen continued his consistent play over the last few weeks by scoring 27 points, with 20 coming in the second half. In the last three games, Pullen has scored 38 against Kansas, 27 against Oklahoma and 27 more vs. Nebraska for an average of 30.6 per game Rodney McGruger chipped in and scored 11 points for the Cats. The Huskers were held to 35% shooting and were forced into committing 17 turnovers. This was the final regular season game between K-State and Nebraska as members of the Big 12, due to Nebraska moving into the Big 10 Conference starting next season. K-State leads the all-time series against Nebraska, holding down a 126-93 record against them. Missouri's last game was at home, which in Columbia they're unbeaten, and that continued in their last contest this past Wednesday.
(21) Missouri 77 Baylor 59 (Mizzou Sports Arena - Columbia, MO 2/23/11)
Missouri and Baylor are on two different planets when it comes to college basketball in the 2010-2011 season. On one hand, Missouri is only playing for seeding in the NCAA Tournament since they have all but punched their ticket to the tournament due to consistent play all season. Baylor on the other hand, are playing for their NCAA Tournament lives every game they play. They did not help matters when they lost to Missouri 77-59 in Columbia this past Wednesday night. The only way the Bears can get into the tournament at this point is if they can win the Big 12 Tournament next weekend in Kansas City. Lawrence Bowers led the Tigers with 20 points, nine rebounds, six steals and 2 blocks. Ricardo Ratliffe chipped in with a double-double, scoring 11 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. Quincy Acy was the leading scorer for Baylor, scoring 13 points, grabbing nine rebounds, dishing out an assist, two steals and two blocks. LaceDarius Dunn only scored 12 points from 4 for 14 shooting for Baylor. Here are the MU/K-State keys to victory, starting with Mizzou.
Keys to Victory:
Missouri
Turn defense into offense: This key to victory is a double-edged sword. If the Tigers can do a good job of applying the “Fastest 40 Minutes” and pressure the Cats' ball handlers, they can cause a lot of problems for K-State. If not, the Cats will have a lot of easy baskets off of MU's press and could win the game by double figures.
Ricardo Ratliffe: Ratliffe just came off of a huge game for the Tigers, scoring 11 points and grabbing 13 rebounds inside the post. The big man has been in double figures in six of his last seven for Mizzou. If he continues to score with that type of efficiency against the likes of Curtis Kelly, Jamar Samuels and Jordan Henriquez-Roberts, the Tigers have a good shot at leaving Manhattan with the victory.
Guards: Missouri needs to get Marcus Denmon going early, especially from the perimeter. He and forward Lawrence Bowers are deadly at penetrating the interior of opposing defenses. If both can attack the rim early, it will eventually open the whole floor for the Tigers offense to operate and knock down shots.
K-State
Handling the “Fastest 40 Minutes”: At times this season, the Cats have handled the ball very well; however, there's been other times when K-State is sloppy with the basketball. The Cats can't afford to turn it over 15+ times against Missouri, or else the Tigers will make them pay.
Jacob Pullen distributing: Pullen's scored 38, 27 and 27 in his last three games, showing a level of consistency not seen from him much this season. Mizzou will be harrassing him all afternoon. That's going to open things up for guys like Will Spradling and Rodney McGruder. Don't expect Pullen to have as big of a scoring day as he's had in the past three games. Keep in mind though that he is still one of the best distributors on this roster. It'll be up to the young guns to knock down some big shots and help alleviate some of the scoring burden from Pullen.
Rebounding: With Bowers/Ratliffe's athleticism, Kelly, Samuels and Henriquez-Roberts will have to hit the glass harder than they have in recent weeks. The key will be staying composed and not getting into foul trouble for the trio of Wildcats.
Prediction: K-State wins, 70-62.
-Paul Payton, Wildcat 91.9 Sports Staff
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Women's Game #24: Colorado (12-11) @ Kansas State (16-7)
The Colorado Buffaloes go for a season split and their first road win as they travel to Manhattan to face the Wildcats. K-State comes off of two straight losses, including their first home setback of the season against Texas on Feb. 9, making them 11-1 in Bramlage. The Wildcats have won 5 of the last 6 meetings against CU, but the Buffaloes took away a 63-57 win in the last meeting in Manhattan. CU is 12-11 overall and ranks eighth in the Big 12 standings at 3-7, already matching their league wins from last year. K-State comes into the contest ranked fourth place in the Big 12 standings at 6-4, with a 16-7 overall record, already surpassing the 14 overall wins in the 2009-2010 season. The Wildcats look to earn the program’s 799th victory and will attempt to become the 13th team in NCAA’s women’s basketball history to capture 800 wins.
The Last Time Out
K-State @ Colorado on January 26, 2011 at Coors Event Center in Boulder, CO.
K-State fought for their 72-59 victory over CU the first time the two teams met up this season. Defeating the Buffaloes put the Wildcats in lead of the overall series at 34-33. K-State came out hot in the first with an early 12-0 run, keeping their lead all through the half. The Wildcats stayed on top for most of the game, but CU didn’t make it easy for them, tying the game with 10 minutes to go in the second half. Eight straight points down the stretch for K-State put the game out of reach. The Wildcats shot 48-percent in the contest and forced 17 Colorado turnovers, eight coming from steals. Both teams finished with 33 rebounds apiece. Brittney Chambers led a group of four Wildcats in double figures, with Jalana Childs adding 17, Taelor Karr with 13, and Kelsey hill with 12.
K-State 53 Iowa State 61 on February 13
This past Sunday the Wildcats tried to rally back in the second half to overcome an 11 point deficit at Iowa State, but were taken down 61-53. Iowa State was 21-of-26 from the free throw line compared to K-State’s 3-of-4. K-State cut down the Cyclones lead by two with 3:45 to play, but Iowa State’s 9-of-12 free throws ended it for the cats. Despite being sidelined for foul trouble, Jalana Childs pushed the Wildcats with 19 second-half points and career-high-tying 21 points for the game. Brittany Chambers helped to keep her team in the game scoring 15 first-half points and 19 overall. She also added four rebounds and three assists.
CU 44 Texas Tech 72 (Boulder, Co. 2/12/2011)
CU couldn’t handle the Lady Raiders and shamed the Buffs in a 72-44 victory. Colorado turned in a season low in points and a season high in turnovers with 44 and 28 respectively. Tech scored 21 points off their 19 first half turnovers. CU had a thin roster of eight players with the absence of senior guard Chelsea Dale. Britney Spears was the only player to reach double figures with 12 points. Tech shot 63.6 percent from the field in the first half and 75 percent beyond the arc.
Keys to Victory
K-State
Perimeter shooting: The cats presence beyond the arc of 5.7 three-point field goals made per game falls short of past seasons. CU’s defense is allowing just 28.4% from beyond the arc, but Brittany Chambers and Taelor Karr are big time 3-point line threats. If they get hot, it could be a long night for the Buffaloes.
Defensive Pressure: K-State needs to bring some tenacious defense to the court and put the pressure on Colorado to force turnovers like they did the first game.
Rebounding: Colorado’s rebounding could be a major factor in the game. They are currently averaging 39.9 rebounds per game while allowing just 34.4 per contest. This means the Wildcats need to make sure they match up with CU and eliminate second chance opportunities.
Colorado
Ball protection: Last match up against the cats they allowed for 17 team turnovers, eight of those via steals. They must be smart with the ball and limit the amount of mistakes or else they will create unearned offensive opportunities for K-State.
Spears and Jefferey: Brittany Spears and Chuck Jefferey have made Colorado the only school in the Big 12 with two players sporting seven or more double-doubles this season. They need to play to their potential and score and rebound at every given opportunity.
Rebounding: Colorado needs to keep up their rebounding and make sure they are consistent with it to stay in the game.
-Kylee Naccarato, Wildcat 91.9 Sports Staff
The Last Time Out
K-State @ Colorado on January 26, 2011 at Coors Event Center in Boulder, CO.
K-State fought for their 72-59 victory over CU the first time the two teams met up this season. Defeating the Buffaloes put the Wildcats in lead of the overall series at 34-33. K-State came out hot in the first with an early 12-0 run, keeping their lead all through the half. The Wildcats stayed on top for most of the game, but CU didn’t make it easy for them, tying the game with 10 minutes to go in the second half. Eight straight points down the stretch for K-State put the game out of reach. The Wildcats shot 48-percent in the contest and forced 17 Colorado turnovers, eight coming from steals. Both teams finished with 33 rebounds apiece. Brittney Chambers led a group of four Wildcats in double figures, with Jalana Childs adding 17, Taelor Karr with 13, and Kelsey hill with 12.
K-State 53 Iowa State 61 on February 13
This past Sunday the Wildcats tried to rally back in the second half to overcome an 11 point deficit at Iowa State, but were taken down 61-53. Iowa State was 21-of-26 from the free throw line compared to K-State’s 3-of-4. K-State cut down the Cyclones lead by two with 3:45 to play, but Iowa State’s 9-of-12 free throws ended it for the cats. Despite being sidelined for foul trouble, Jalana Childs pushed the Wildcats with 19 second-half points and career-high-tying 21 points for the game. Brittany Chambers helped to keep her team in the game scoring 15 first-half points and 19 overall. She also added four rebounds and three assists.
CU 44 Texas Tech 72 (Boulder, Co. 2/12/2011)
CU couldn’t handle the Lady Raiders and shamed the Buffs in a 72-44 victory. Colorado turned in a season low in points and a season high in turnovers with 44 and 28 respectively. Tech scored 21 points off their 19 first half turnovers. CU had a thin roster of eight players with the absence of senior guard Chelsea Dale. Britney Spears was the only player to reach double figures with 12 points. Tech shot 63.6 percent from the field in the first half and 75 percent beyond the arc.
Keys to Victory
K-State
Perimeter shooting: The cats presence beyond the arc of 5.7 three-point field goals made per game falls short of past seasons. CU’s defense is allowing just 28.4% from beyond the arc, but Brittany Chambers and Taelor Karr are big time 3-point line threats. If they get hot, it could be a long night for the Buffaloes.
Defensive Pressure: K-State needs to bring some tenacious defense to the court and put the pressure on Colorado to force turnovers like they did the first game.
Rebounding: Colorado’s rebounding could be a major factor in the game. They are currently averaging 39.9 rebounds per game while allowing just 34.4 per contest. This means the Wildcats need to make sure they match up with CU and eliminate second chance opportunities.
Colorado
Ball protection: Last match up against the cats they allowed for 17 team turnovers, eight of those via steals. They must be smart with the ball and limit the amount of mistakes or else they will create unearned offensive opportunities for K-State.
Spears and Jefferey: Brittany Spears and Chuck Jefferey have made Colorado the only school in the Big 12 with two players sporting seven or more double-doubles this season. They need to play to their potential and score and rebound at every given opportunity.
Rebounding: Colorado needs to keep up their rebounding and make sure they are consistent with it to stay in the game.
-Kylee Naccarato, Wildcat 91.9 Sports Staff
Monday, February 14, 2011
Men's Game #26: #2 Kansas (24-1) @ K-State (16-9) Preview
The Sunflower Showdown will take place once again, as the #2 ranked Kansas Jayhawks come to Manhattan searching for a regular season sweep of the Kansas State Wildcats. To this point in the season, KU and K-State are going in opposite directions. KU (24-1) is having one of their typical great seasons, only dropping one game thus far. The Jayhawks one and only setback came to the Texas Longhorns in the friendly confines of Allen Fieldhouse by a score of 74-63. The loss ended the Jayhawks then-NCAA best 69-game homecourt winning streak. On the other end, the Cats’ season to this point has been a disappointment. K-State came into the season ranked #3 in the nation in the pre-season polls and were also the pre-season pick to win the Big 12. With a 16-9 overall record and a 4-6 record in Big 12 Conference play, they are playing well-below expectations.
The Last Time Out…
K-State @ Kansas on January 29, 2011 at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kansas
The first time the two teams played, KU dominated from start to finish, winning 90-66 over the Cats. This was KU's 181st victory against the Cats in a rivalry that has been around since 1907. KU had dealt with the death of Thomas Robinson's mother throughout the week leading up to the game, but did not show any signs of fatigue on the court. The Jayhawks stormed out to a 15-2 lead to start the game and never looked back. Markieff Morris scored 20 points and grabbed 9 rebounds while Thomas Robinson scored 17 points and 9 rebounds. Jacob Pullen, one of the few bright spots in the game, scored 21 points while moving into second on the K-State all time scoring list. Since Big 12 play began, KU is 34-2 overall against K-State. Leading up to the second KU/K-State game this Monday, KU did not have a problem with their most recent opponent.
Kansas 89 Iowa State 66 (Lawrence, KS 2/12/2011)
This past Saturday, KU took care of business by beating Iowa State 89-66 at Allen Fieldhouse. Bill Self’s squad Jayhawks shot an impressive 52% from the floor and at one point, cruised out to a 33-12 lead that they never relinquished. Marcus Morris led the Jayhawks with 16 points and 11 rebounds while Tyshawn Taylor and Markieff Morris chipped in 14 points each. The Jayhawks also dominated the rebounding battle, grabbing 43 total rebounds to the Cyclones 31. KU improved to 24-1 overall, 9-1 in the Big 12 while Iowa State fell to 14-11 and 1-9 in the conference. The Jayhawks will be coming into Bramlage Coliseum on a high, having won six in a row by an average margin of 18.3 points per game.
Colorado 58 Kansas State 56 (Boulder, CO 2/12/2011)
K-State sophomore Rodney McGruder connected on a three-pointer as the final 1.1 seconds clicked off to give the Cats what looked like a 59-58 win over Colorado at the Coors Event Center. The officials reviewed the play to determine whether or not the ball had left McGruder’s hand before time expired. After approximately three minutes the officials ended up waving off the basket, allowing Colorado to escape with a 58-56 win. Junior forward Jamar Samuels led the Cats in scoring with 13 while Jacob Pullen contributed 12 points of his own. The Buffaloes were paced by senior guard Cory Higgins, who scored 17 points, while Levi Knutson chipped in 16. K-State fell to 16-9 on the season and 4-6 in the coneference. Colorado improved its overall record to 16-10 and 5-6 in the Big 12. This is the first time Colorado has swept K-State since the 2003-04 season.
Keys to Victory
K-State
Rebounding: If the Cats can get consistent rebounding, they'll be able to stay in the game and have a chance.
Post-play: The Cats' post-play has been very inconsistent all season. With the Morris Twins coming to town, Jamar Samuels, Curtis Kelly, and Jordan Henriquez-Roberts will each have to play at the top of their game and not let the Morris twins own the paint.
Shooting: The Cats need to score, and score efficiently in order to beat KU. The Jayhawks lead the nation with a 52.3 field goal percentage, and average 83.9 points per game. That means the Cats will not be able to afford any shooting droughts like they have had in previous games.
KU
Depth: The Jayhawks' bench needs to show up and play well to take care of the Cats. Travis Relaford, Mario Little, Elijah Johnson, and Jeff Withey all need to play well, especially with Josh Selby and Thomas Robinson not available due to injuries.
Perimeter shooting: Brady Morningstar and Tyrel Reed are big-time three-point threats for the Jayhawks and if they can get going, it will probably be a repeat of the other game this season in Lawrence.
The Morris twins: Marcus and Markieff Morris need to rebound and score when they have opportunities so they can wear down the thin K-State front-court and open up opportunities for KU's outside shooters.
Prediction: KU wins, 75-58.
-Paul Payton, Wildcat 91.9 Sports Staff
Monday, November 29, 2010
Wildcats survive Presbyterian upset bid
K-State 76 Presbyterian 67
On paper, it looked like K-State would have no trouble with the Blue Hose on Thursday night. Presbyterian had other ideas making the game close as it cut the lead to four with less than three minutes to play in the game. K-State's halftime lead of 44-30 had diminished before the Wildcats and their fans eyes.
Luckily for K-State, junior walk-on Victor Ojeleye quieted the Blue Hose run twice. He was able to put up four points and grab two rebounds in eight minutes. The crowd in attendance gave him a standing ovation once he exited the game for good.
Senior guard Jacob Pullen finished the game with a team high 15 points, while sophomore guard Rodney McGruder had 10. McGruder's three point baseline score put the game in the bag as the score was 74-65 with 51 seconds left. The Wildcats won the game 76-57 to go 3-0 on the season. The Blue Hose starting phenom in Al'Lonzo Coleman finished the game with a double-double adding 15 points and 14 boards. Senior forward Curtis Kelly was once again on the bench.
On paper, it looked like K-State would have no trouble with the Blue Hose on Thursday night. Presbyterian had other ideas making the game close as it cut the lead to four with less than three minutes to play in the game. K-State's halftime lead of 44-30 had diminished before the Wildcats and their fans eyes.
Luckily for K-State, junior walk-on Victor Ojeleye quieted the Blue Hose run twice. He was able to put up four points and grab two rebounds in eight minutes. The crowd in attendance gave him a standing ovation once he exited the game for good.
Senior guard Jacob Pullen finished the game with a team high 15 points, while sophomore guard Rodney McGruder had 10. McGruder's three point baseline score put the game in the bag as the score was 74-65 with 51 seconds left. The Wildcats won the game 76-57 to go 3-0 on the season. The Blue Hose starting phenom in Al'Lonzo Coleman finished the game with a double-double adding 15 points and 14 boards. Senior forward Curtis Kelly was once again on the bench.
Lady Cats handle Indiana State
K-State 64 Indiana State 48
Thanks to sophomore guard Brittany Chambers's 20 points in 35 minutes, K-State clobbered Indiana State 64-48 on Wednesday night. Both teams struggled mightily from the three-point line, but the difference was K-State's ability to shoot overall from the field. The Wildcats were 23 of 62 from the field, while Indiana State was 13 of 40.
K-State only led by three at the half 27-24, but added 37 points in the second half to put the game out of reach. Junior forward Branshea Brown was just short of a double-double. She scored nine points, while also tallying nine boards.
Shawnee Mission North graduate and freshman guard Brianna Kulas scored five points, but fouled out of the game while only playing 10 minutes. Brittany Schoen and Taylor Whitley of Indiana State each scored 12 points to lead their team respectively.
Thanks to sophomore guard Brittany Chambers's 20 points in 35 minutes, K-State clobbered Indiana State 64-48 on Wednesday night. Both teams struggled mightily from the three-point line, but the difference was K-State's ability to shoot overall from the field. The Wildcats were 23 of 62 from the field, while Indiana State was 13 of 40.
K-State only led by three at the half 27-24, but added 37 points in the second half to put the game out of reach. Junior forward Branshea Brown was just short of a double-double. She scored nine points, while also tallying nine boards.
Shawnee Mission North graduate and freshman guard Brianna Kulas scored five points, but fouled out of the game while only playing 10 minutes. Brittany Schoen and Taylor Whitley of Indiana State each scored 12 points to lead their team respectively.
No. 3 K-State rolls against the Hokies
11/16/2010 - K-State 73 Virginia Tech 57
In front of a sellout crowd at Bramlage Coliseum K-State stomped Virginia Tech 73-57. The game was also televised on ESPN 2 as a part of ESPN's 24 hours of basketball on Tuesday. The biggest question of the night was about the absence of senior forward Curtis Kelly.
Kelly sat out for the second straight game of the season and fourth overall. The senior was in street clothes and hasn't played a minute this season. Senior guard Jacob Pullen picked up two quick fouls in the first half, but a trio of sophomore guards in Martavious Irving, Nick Russell and Rodney McGruder stepped up in his place. Irving finished with nine points, Russell had five and McGruder contributed 13.
The Hokies Malcolm Delaney scored 22 points on six of 18 shooting. He also was eight for nine from the charity stripe, making him 19 for 20 in the team's first two games. The Wildcats led at the half 30-29, but were able to pull away when they were up 66-49 with less than five minutes to play.
- Tyler Scott, 91.9 Sports Staff
In front of a sellout crowd at Bramlage Coliseum K-State stomped Virginia Tech 73-57. The game was also televised on ESPN 2 as a part of ESPN's 24 hours of basketball on Tuesday. The biggest question of the night was about the absence of senior forward Curtis Kelly.
Kelly sat out for the second straight game of the season and fourth overall. The senior was in street clothes and hasn't played a minute this season. Senior guard Jacob Pullen picked up two quick fouls in the first half, but a trio of sophomore guards in Martavious Irving, Nick Russell and Rodney McGruder stepped up in his place. Irving finished with nine points, Russell had five and McGruder contributed 13.
The Hokies Malcolm Delaney scored 22 points on six of 18 shooting. He also was eight for nine from the charity stripe, making him 19 for 20 in the team's first two games. The Wildcats led at the half 30-29, but were able to pull away when they were up 66-49 with less than five minutes to play.
- Tyler Scott, 91.9 Sports Staff
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Game #6: K-State (4-1) @ Kansas (2-3) Preview
The battle for the governors cup will take place tomorrow night in Lawrence, KS, but that’s not the only thing at stake when Kansas State (4-1) takes on Kansas (2-3) in this in state rivalry. The main thing both teams are looking for is redemption from their previous outings. K-State is looking to move past their horrific beating at the hands of Nebraska on national television last Thursday. Before the game, the ‘Cats were garnering some votes in the top 25 and looking to steal the Big 12 North. They received one vote last week, and still hold an outside chance at the division but it would take a Corn Huskers miscue, which doesn’t seem likely. At least they lost to a top-10 team and surefire national title contender though. The Jayhawks are coming off a route by the Baylor Bears 2 weeks ago. KU has had a trying season this far with losses to Baylor, North Dakota State, and Southern Miss. They do own a victory over Georgia Tech which looked impressive at the time, as the Yellow Jackets were ranked 15th in the polls however they have since tailed off. In the game last year the Wildcats were able to win 17-10 behind on the back of halfback Daniel Thomas. Which leads us to the breakdown of this year’s game.
KSU Offense vs. KU Defense
K-State needs for their stud, Thomas, to revert back to his opening season form. That may be asking a lot of him as his opening season form was absurdly good, but they definitely need more production out of him, to lessen the load of QB Carson Coffman. Thomas has been held under 100 yards for 2 straight weeks, granted not many running backs can rush for 100 yards on the black shirts, especially with a mediocre passing game. Coffman has been hit-or-miss this year, but has had a tendency to come through in the clutch, engineering some spectacular 4th quarter drives. This could be the week that Thomas finally returns to form as he is facing a below average defense at stopping the run, as the ‘Hawks are ranked 95th and allowing 187 yards per game. Even so Thomas will continue seeing 8-man fronts until Coffman starts carving up the empty secondary. KU’s pass defense is allowing a modest 189 yards per game good for 40th in the nation. The D lost 8 starters off of last years team, including their whole front line and both safeties. Three of the starters were apart of the team that won the Orange Bowl. The Hawks have returned 2 freshman All-American from last year in LB Huldon Tharp and S Lubbock Smith, as well honorable mention All-Conference DE Jake Laptad. Major Edge: K-State
KSU Defense vs. KU Offense
Flashback to September 11th, as the Jayhawks were rushing the field and tearing down the goalposts, they thought they had found their savior. QB Jordan Webb was inserted after an ugly opening week loss to South Dakota State and if you asked fans in Lawrence he was some sort of mix between John Elway, Peyton Manning, and Joe Montana. Now Fast Forward to present day and those assumptions seem even more ridiculous than they did then (and they were pretty ridiculous then). Webb has at least given them the option of throwing the ball, and the team has put up some points, but they are still a sub .500 team. They have struggled all year to replace their core players from the Mangino era in Todd Reesing, Dezmund Briscoe, Kerry Meir, and Jake Sharpe. The Jayhawks offense is pathetic to say the least. They rank 74th in rushing and 84th in passing in the nation and are barely eclipsing 300 yards a game. On the other side of the ball the K-state Defense has been good or atrocious depending on which aspect you want to look at. The Rush Defense is believe it or not actually worse than KU’s ranking 116th in the nation allowing a meager 246 yards per game. However Webb will have his hands full trying to move the ball downfield on the KSU pass D, as they are allowing a stout 150 yards per game through the air and are ranked in the top 10. Despite the Jayhawks offensive woes one of the bright spots has been tailback James Sims who is averaging 4.9 yards a carry. Kansas will need for him to have a field day for them to have a chance in this game.
Edge: K-State
Special Teams
Last week the only bright spots you could find on the K-State team were the special teams players. Senior William Powell was electric returning the ball, almost to Nebraska territory every time he touched it averaging 31 yards a return. Punter Ryan Doerr pinned the Huskers inside the 20 3 times. The pair turned the field position battle in K-States favor throughout the night, but alas the ‘Cats couldn’t capitalize. Kicker Josh Cherry was perfect on the night hitting 2 field goals and 1 extra point. On the Jayhawks side kicker Jacob Branstetter has been anything but automatic, going 2 for 5 on the year, and already having missed and extra point. Punter Alonso Rojas is averaging a respectable 43.8 yards a boot but has already had 2 punts blocked, and Bill Snyder’s teams love to score non-offensive touchdowns. However returnman D.J. Beshears has been electric with the ball averaging 33.4 yards a return with a score.
Major Edge: K-State.
Coaching
We don’t need to spend too much time going over Coach Snyder’s accolades, as all KSU fans know them by heart. He engineered the “Miracle in Manhattan” and has led the team to 3 BCS bowls. He is a legend. On the flip side it’s harder to get a read on Turner Gill’s ability as a head coach. There is no doubting that he was truly one of the great players ever at the college level leading Nebraska to 3 Big Eight titles and 3 Major bowl games. But rarely do great players make great coaches. They struggle to adjust to the fact that not all players have the same work ethic they had. Gill started his career coaching at the University of Buffalo where his teams improved in his first 3 seasons going 2-10, 5-7, and 8-6. He led them to one conference championship and one bowl game, a loss. His high of coaching was when he led to the Bulls to a victory over then #12 Ball State in the conference Championship. He was then bypassed over the Auburn coaching job which many felt he deserved. But if you look at the teams records it’s hard to overlook the fact that he never established a conference championship caliber team year in and year out, despite playing in a below average conference with no true powerhouse. If Gill was as good of a coach as he was made out to be his teams would have done better than finishing 5th in his final year. It also hurts him that he is replacing Mark Mangino who actually restored some credibility to the KU football program with its 2007 Orange Bowl victory.
Edge: K-State
K-state pass defense will baffle Webb, and slow down the Kansas running attack enough. Thomas will gash the KU D, and Coffman will look better than he has all year as the Cats roll.
Prediction: K-State 34 KU 10
-- Josh Dockendorf, 91.9 Sports Staff
KSU Offense vs. KU Defense
K-State needs for their stud, Thomas, to revert back to his opening season form. That may be asking a lot of him as his opening season form was absurdly good, but they definitely need more production out of him, to lessen the load of QB Carson Coffman. Thomas has been held under 100 yards for 2 straight weeks, granted not many running backs can rush for 100 yards on the black shirts, especially with a mediocre passing game. Coffman has been hit-or-miss this year, but has had a tendency to come through in the clutch, engineering some spectacular 4th quarter drives. This could be the week that Thomas finally returns to form as he is facing a below average defense at stopping the run, as the ‘Hawks are ranked 95th and allowing 187 yards per game. Even so Thomas will continue seeing 8-man fronts until Coffman starts carving up the empty secondary. KU’s pass defense is allowing a modest 189 yards per game good for 40th in the nation. The D lost 8 starters off of last years team, including their whole front line and both safeties. Three of the starters were apart of the team that won the Orange Bowl. The Hawks have returned 2 freshman All-American from last year in LB Huldon Tharp and S Lubbock Smith, as well honorable mention All-Conference DE Jake Laptad. Major Edge: K-State
KSU Defense vs. KU Offense
Flashback to September 11th, as the Jayhawks were rushing the field and tearing down the goalposts, they thought they had found their savior. QB Jordan Webb was inserted after an ugly opening week loss to South Dakota State and if you asked fans in Lawrence he was some sort of mix between John Elway, Peyton Manning, and Joe Montana. Now Fast Forward to present day and those assumptions seem even more ridiculous than they did then (and they were pretty ridiculous then). Webb has at least given them the option of throwing the ball, and the team has put up some points, but they are still a sub .500 team. They have struggled all year to replace their core players from the Mangino era in Todd Reesing, Dezmund Briscoe, Kerry Meir, and Jake Sharpe. The Jayhawks offense is pathetic to say the least. They rank 74th in rushing and 84th in passing in the nation and are barely eclipsing 300 yards a game. On the other side of the ball the K-state Defense has been good or atrocious depending on which aspect you want to look at. The Rush Defense is believe it or not actually worse than KU’s ranking 116th in the nation allowing a meager 246 yards per game. However Webb will have his hands full trying to move the ball downfield on the KSU pass D, as they are allowing a stout 150 yards per game through the air and are ranked in the top 10. Despite the Jayhawks offensive woes one of the bright spots has been tailback James Sims who is averaging 4.9 yards a carry. Kansas will need for him to have a field day for them to have a chance in this game.
Edge: K-State
Special Teams
Last week the only bright spots you could find on the K-State team were the special teams players. Senior William Powell was electric returning the ball, almost to Nebraska territory every time he touched it averaging 31 yards a return. Punter Ryan Doerr pinned the Huskers inside the 20 3 times. The pair turned the field position battle in K-States favor throughout the night, but alas the ‘Cats couldn’t capitalize. Kicker Josh Cherry was perfect on the night hitting 2 field goals and 1 extra point. On the Jayhawks side kicker Jacob Branstetter has been anything but automatic, going 2 for 5 on the year, and already having missed and extra point. Punter Alonso Rojas is averaging a respectable 43.8 yards a boot but has already had 2 punts blocked, and Bill Snyder’s teams love to score non-offensive touchdowns. However returnman D.J. Beshears has been electric with the ball averaging 33.4 yards a return with a score.
Major Edge: K-State.
Coaching
We don’t need to spend too much time going over Coach Snyder’s accolades, as all KSU fans know them by heart. He engineered the “Miracle in Manhattan” and has led the team to 3 BCS bowls. He is a legend. On the flip side it’s harder to get a read on Turner Gill’s ability as a head coach. There is no doubting that he was truly one of the great players ever at the college level leading Nebraska to 3 Big Eight titles and 3 Major bowl games. But rarely do great players make great coaches. They struggle to adjust to the fact that not all players have the same work ethic they had. Gill started his career coaching at the University of Buffalo where his teams improved in his first 3 seasons going 2-10, 5-7, and 8-6. He led them to one conference championship and one bowl game, a loss. His high of coaching was when he led to the Bulls to a victory over then #12 Ball State in the conference Championship. He was then bypassed over the Auburn coaching job which many felt he deserved. But if you look at the teams records it’s hard to overlook the fact that he never established a conference championship caliber team year in and year out, despite playing in a below average conference with no true powerhouse. If Gill was as good of a coach as he was made out to be his teams would have done better than finishing 5th in his final year. It also hurts him that he is replacing Mark Mangino who actually restored some credibility to the KU football program with its 2007 Orange Bowl victory.
Edge: K-State
K-state pass defense will baffle Webb, and slow down the Kansas running attack enough. Thomas will gash the KU D, and Coffman will look better than he has all year as the Cats roll.
Prediction: K-State 34 KU 10
-- Josh Dockendorf, 91.9 Sports Staff
Monday, October 4, 2010
Big 12 Week 5 Preview
The Big 12 season is getting underway for most of the teams around the league. Teams like Kansas State, Iowa State, Texas, and Texas Tech have already gotten one league under there belts, heading into this weekend. Well now Texas A&M and Oklahoma State have joined them. Both teams headed into last nights game unbeaten, and the winner would hold a punchers chance at winning the Big 12 South. Oklahoma State is that team after narrowly pulling out a 38-35 victory on a last second field goal after intercepting a pass when Texas A&M themselves were trying to drive down for a last second field goal. The game was a turnover-palooza with Aggie quarterback Jerrod Johnson, accounting for 5 turnovers himself, and the Pokes themselves had three turnovers.
Tomorrow’s slate of big 12 games get kicked off at 11:00 when the rival Jayhawks travel down to Waco to take on the Baylor Bears and there stud quarterback, Robert Griffin III. Griffin is a freakish athlete who has won several sprinting events, and has brought hope to the Bear ever since he arrived on the scene and won the starting job his freshman year. Last year he suffered a season-ending injury early on in the year. He has continued to develop as a drop back passer as he has thrown for 971 yards with 8 touchdowns and only two picks. They are 3-1 on the year. Meanwhile the Jayhawks have had an up-and-down year so far. They suffered losses to North Dakota State, and Southern Miss. However they were able to pull of an upset against then ranked Georgia Tech, who has since dropped out of the polls. The Jayhawks have become at least respectable since inserting Joe Webb into the quarterback position, but are still in process of rebuilding under first year coach Turner Gill. They are currently 2-2 on the year.
The only big 12 team to play a non conference game this week is the Buffaloes from Colorado who take on the Georgia Bulldogs at home this weekend at six o’clock. The Bulldogs have suffered a disappointing season since starting of the year ranked. They are currently 1-3 on they year and 0-3 in SEC play. The Buffs will get there first taste of Big 12 action next week when they take on a talented Missouri team. As of right now they are 2-1. The only game they played against a BCS conference team was a 52-7 loss at the hands of future conference foe Cal. Cal is just a middle of the road team this year so don’t expect much from the Buffs.
The next matchup comes over in Ames where the Cyclones take on the Texas Tech Red Raiders. Both Teams are currently 0-1 in conference play with Iowa State losing to K-State and Tech lost to Texas. Some good news on the Cyclones front, it looks as if starting Quarterback Austen Arnaud will get the go this week despite being injured. Tech on the other hand just wants to keep improving under first year head coach Tommy Tubberville.
But no surprise the game of the week will like always be the Red River Rivalry which takes place in Dallas pitting the Texas Longhorns against the Oklahoma Sooners. The winner of this game has gone on to win four of the last six Big 12 titles with the loser winning the other two. In fact the last time that neither one of these teams one the Big 12 was back in ’03 when the ‘Cats were able to upset the then #1 Sooners behind Darren Sproles. The Last time the south wasn’t represented in this game by one of these teams was back in 1998 when Texas A&M had the honors and were able to throw a kink into the BCS by upsetting Kansas State when we were ranked number one at the time. This will be sophomore Longhorn quarterback Garret Gilbert’s first chance in this environment. Gilbert came into the national championship last year for the injured Colt McCoy and was able to show some flashes of brilliance, but this year has been a little different as he has not had a solid running game to lean on, as the ‘Horns are ranked 76th in the nation in rushing. They are coming off their first loss of the season a 34-12 drubbing at the hands of the UCA Bruins. The Sooners on the other hand just have one question, which team will show up? Will it be the team that played magnificently when they steamrolled over #17 Florida State, or will it be the team that has shown up the other 3 weeks who has allowed Utah State, Air Force, and Cincinnati to all come within a touchdown of them. If Boomer Sooner is rolling all cylinders behind QB Landry Jones, RB Demarco Murray, and WR Ryan Broyles, then the game should be over at halftime. But if they aren’t the Longhorns might possibly be able to sneak home with a victory.
Missouri, K-State, and Nebraska all have byes this week, with the ‘Cats being the only team who has already played a conference game. Next week the Tigers play Colorado, and on ESPN Thursday Night Football the Huskers and Wildcats will meet for the final time as conference foes, with Big 12 North title implications most certainly on the line.
-- Josh Dockendorf, 91.9 Sports Staff
Tomorrow’s slate of big 12 games get kicked off at 11:00 when the rival Jayhawks travel down to Waco to take on the Baylor Bears and there stud quarterback, Robert Griffin III. Griffin is a freakish athlete who has won several sprinting events, and has brought hope to the Bear ever since he arrived on the scene and won the starting job his freshman year. Last year he suffered a season-ending injury early on in the year. He has continued to develop as a drop back passer as he has thrown for 971 yards with 8 touchdowns and only two picks. They are 3-1 on the year. Meanwhile the Jayhawks have had an up-and-down year so far. They suffered losses to North Dakota State, and Southern Miss. However they were able to pull of an upset against then ranked Georgia Tech, who has since dropped out of the polls. The Jayhawks have become at least respectable since inserting Joe Webb into the quarterback position, but are still in process of rebuilding under first year coach Turner Gill. They are currently 2-2 on the year.
The only big 12 team to play a non conference game this week is the Buffaloes from Colorado who take on the Georgia Bulldogs at home this weekend at six o’clock. The Bulldogs have suffered a disappointing season since starting of the year ranked. They are currently 1-3 on they year and 0-3 in SEC play. The Buffs will get there first taste of Big 12 action next week when they take on a talented Missouri team. As of right now they are 2-1. The only game they played against a BCS conference team was a 52-7 loss at the hands of future conference foe Cal. Cal is just a middle of the road team this year so don’t expect much from the Buffs.
The next matchup comes over in Ames where the Cyclones take on the Texas Tech Red Raiders. Both Teams are currently 0-1 in conference play with Iowa State losing to K-State and Tech lost to Texas. Some good news on the Cyclones front, it looks as if starting Quarterback Austen Arnaud will get the go this week despite being injured. Tech on the other hand just wants to keep improving under first year head coach Tommy Tubberville.
But no surprise the game of the week will like always be the Red River Rivalry which takes place in Dallas pitting the Texas Longhorns against the Oklahoma Sooners. The winner of this game has gone on to win four of the last six Big 12 titles with the loser winning the other two. In fact the last time that neither one of these teams one the Big 12 was back in ’03 when the ‘Cats were able to upset the then #1 Sooners behind Darren Sproles. The Last time the south wasn’t represented in this game by one of these teams was back in 1998 when Texas A&M had the honors and were able to throw a kink into the BCS by upsetting Kansas State when we were ranked number one at the time. This will be sophomore Longhorn quarterback Garret Gilbert’s first chance in this environment. Gilbert came into the national championship last year for the injured Colt McCoy and was able to show some flashes of brilliance, but this year has been a little different as he has not had a solid running game to lean on, as the ‘Horns are ranked 76th in the nation in rushing. They are coming off their first loss of the season a 34-12 drubbing at the hands of the UCA Bruins. The Sooners on the other hand just have one question, which team will show up? Will it be the team that played magnificently when they steamrolled over #17 Florida State, or will it be the team that has shown up the other 3 weeks who has allowed Utah State, Air Force, and Cincinnati to all come within a touchdown of them. If Boomer Sooner is rolling all cylinders behind QB Landry Jones, RB Demarco Murray, and WR Ryan Broyles, then the game should be over at halftime. But if they aren’t the Longhorns might possibly be able to sneak home with a victory.
Missouri, K-State, and Nebraska all have byes this week, with the ‘Cats being the only team who has already played a conference game. Next week the Tigers play Colorado, and on ESPN Thursday Night Football the Huskers and Wildcats will meet for the final time as conference foes, with Big 12 North title implications most certainly on the line.
-- Josh Dockendorf, 91.9 Sports Staff
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
K-State UCF Game-Wrap
It may not have been very convincing, but its a win, and the Wildcats will take it. Kansas State improved to 4-0 on the season with a 17-13 victory over the University of Central Florida in a game that featured a 1 hour and 26 minute weather delay early in the first quarter. Unfortunately the lightning in the air did not translate to many sparks on the field for K-State who struggled offensively the entire game, amassing 2 yards of offense in the first quarter and outgained 170-43 at halftime. The Wildcats did not cross into Central Florida territory until their final drive of the third quarter.
Opportunely for Kansas State, quarterback Carson Coffman came through in the clutch leading them on a game winning touchdown drive capped off by his 7 yard scramble for the end zone with 24 seconds left. The drive started with 5 minutes and 14 seconds remaining after UCF took the lead with a field goal. Coffman began the drive with two incompletions leaving many Cats fans to undoubtedly assume his poor play would continue as he looked incompetent throughout the game up to that point. Coffman then called timeout and executed one of three third down conversions on the drive with an 18 yard strike to Andre McDonald. As K-State moved into field goal range Coffman took the conservative route, handing the ball off to Daniel Thomas 5 times and completing 2 passes before getting into the end zone.
Coffman finished the day with 189 yards passing completing 11 of 22 for 1 touchdown and 1 interception. His performance may have been enough to get by the Knights, a Conference USA opponent, but he will need a much more productive outing if the Cats hope to compete with the powerhouse Nebraska Cornhuskers who travel to Manhattan a week from Thursday for an ESPN primetime matchup. Running back Daniel Thomas will need to be a bigger factor against the Huskers as well after carrying the ball 22 times for a season-low 76 yards. The Wildcats finished the game with 272 yards of total offense, 11 first downs and 3 turnovers.
Fortunately for the Cats they were bailed out by a couple of timely interceptions and another impressive performance from their defense. Emmanuel Lamur picked off a pass in the red zone in the second quarter and Terrance Sweeney destroyed the Knights chances of an improbable comeback with an interception in the waning seconds of the fourth quarter. UCF dominated time-of-possession, controlling the ball for 36:35, but the K-State defense refused to budge, limiting the Knights to only two field goals following a first quarter touchdown run.
Kansas State has next weekend off before hosting the #6 ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers on Thursday October 7 at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
-- Ben Sojka, Wildcat 91.9 Sports Staff
Opportunely for Kansas State, quarterback Carson Coffman came through in the clutch leading them on a game winning touchdown drive capped off by his 7 yard scramble for the end zone with 24 seconds left. The drive started with 5 minutes and 14 seconds remaining after UCF took the lead with a field goal. Coffman began the drive with two incompletions leaving many Cats fans to undoubtedly assume his poor play would continue as he looked incompetent throughout the game up to that point. Coffman then called timeout and executed one of three third down conversions on the drive with an 18 yard strike to Andre McDonald. As K-State moved into field goal range Coffman took the conservative route, handing the ball off to Daniel Thomas 5 times and completing 2 passes before getting into the end zone.
Coffman finished the day with 189 yards passing completing 11 of 22 for 1 touchdown and 1 interception. His performance may have been enough to get by the Knights, a Conference USA opponent, but he will need a much more productive outing if the Cats hope to compete with the powerhouse Nebraska Cornhuskers who travel to Manhattan a week from Thursday for an ESPN primetime matchup. Running back Daniel Thomas will need to be a bigger factor against the Huskers as well after carrying the ball 22 times for a season-low 76 yards. The Wildcats finished the game with 272 yards of total offense, 11 first downs and 3 turnovers.
Fortunately for the Cats they were bailed out by a couple of timely interceptions and another impressive performance from their defense. Emmanuel Lamur picked off a pass in the red zone in the second quarter and Terrance Sweeney destroyed the Knights chances of an improbable comeback with an interception in the waning seconds of the fourth quarter. UCF dominated time-of-possession, controlling the ball for 36:35, but the K-State defense refused to budge, limiting the Knights to only two field goals following a first quarter touchdown run.
Kansas State has next weekend off before hosting the #6 ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers on Thursday October 7 at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
-- Ben Sojka, Wildcat 91.9 Sports Staff
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Big 12 Week 4 Preview
Big 12 Week 4 Preview
Miami-OH (2-1) at Missouri (3-0)
After a close win last week over San Diego State, the 24th ranked Mizzou Tigers will look to close out the preseason strong with a win. Miami (OH) boasts the fifth best run defense nationally, which could present a problem for a Missouri team that has struggled to establish a ground game. However, the Redhawks anemic offense ranks 109nationally. Look for Blaine Gabbert to have a big day and for Mizzou to win comfortably.
Pereira's Pick: Tigers 45 Redhawks 10
UCLA (1-2) at (7) Texas (3-0)
The Bruins notched their first victory of the season last week over 23rd ranked Houston. Despite opening the season 0-2 with losses to Kansas State and Stanford, UCLA looked inspired last Saturday. Texas hasn't looked impressive through the first three weeks but still stand at 3-0. Neither offense has looked strong this year, with both ranked in the bottom half of the nation. This being said, the Longhorn defense has been exceptional while the Bruin defense has given up an average of 26 points per game. Texas should win, but if Garret Gilbert turns the ball over more than two times UCLA could make this a game. All that said, Texas still prevails.
Pereira's Pick: Longhorns 31 Bruins 14
(8) Oklahoma (3-0) at Cincinnati (1-2)
Cincinnati has been less than impressive so far this season. Ever since head coach Brain Kelly left for Notre Dame, the Bearcats have not looked like the squad that captured the Big East championship last season. On the flip side, Oklahoma has been a bit of a question mark this season. The Sooners have two close wins against non-BCS opponents in Air Force, 27-24, and Utah State, 31-24. This could be an interesting game with Cincinnati playing in their own backyard. Despite the home field advantage, expect Landry Jones and Ryan Broyles to have big days and Oklahoma to roll.
Pereira's Pick: Sooners 42 Bearcats 20
New Mexico State (0-2) at Kansas (1-2)
The New Mexico State Aggies are off to a rough start, losing 41-21 San Diego State and 42-10 to UTEP. The Aggies are winners of just nine games in the past three years, with four of those victories coming against FCS opponents. Despite KU’s two early losses, 6-3 to North Dakota State and 31-16 to Southern Miss, the Jayhawks should win this game. However, it's very difficult to pin KU at this point in the season. If Gill loses this one then Jayhawk faithful will really be calling for his head.
Pereira's Pick: Jayhawks 31 Aggies 10
Northern Iowa (1-1) at Iowa State (1-2)
After dropping another heartbreaker to K-State at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, the Cyclones have a very favorable bounce back game against the an FCS foe in UNI. The Cyclones are talented and disciplined under Paul Rhoads. The Cyclones have a scary backfield with quarterback Austen Arnaud pairing up with runningback Alexander Robinson, the Big 12's 3rd leading rusher a year ago. The Cyclones handle business at Jack Trice Stadium.
Pereira's Pick: Cyclones 42 Panthers 17
Baylor (2-1) at Rice (1-2)
The Baylor Bears have one of the most dangerous weapons in all of college football, Robert Griffin. After returning from a 45-10 schlaking at the hands of TCU, the Bears should get back on track against a Rice team that gave the Longhorns a scare in the opening week. If Rice is going to have a shot they must shut down Griffin. Bears win and continue to fly under the radar.
Pereira's Pick: Bears 34 Owls 16
South Dakota State (0-2) at (6) Nebraska (3-0)
While I believe Nebraska is a bit overrated, they are still a good team and should win this one easily. Taylor Martinez, Roy Helu, and Niles Paul should have a hay day against a defense that has given up an average of 25 points a game to FCS opponents. This should and will be nothing but practice for the Huskers, who will more than likely go into their Thursday night tilt against K-State undefeated and possibly in the top 5 in the country.
Pereira's Pick: Huskers 56 Jackrabbits 6
-- Mike Pereira, 91.9 sports staff
Miami-OH (2-1) at Missouri (3-0)
After a close win last week over San Diego State, the 24th ranked Mizzou Tigers will look to close out the preseason strong with a win. Miami (OH) boasts the fifth best run defense nationally, which could present a problem for a Missouri team that has struggled to establish a ground game. However, the Redhawks anemic offense ranks 109nationally. Look for Blaine Gabbert to have a big day and for Mizzou to win comfortably.
Pereira's Pick: Tigers 45 Redhawks 10
UCLA (1-2) at (7) Texas (3-0)
The Bruins notched their first victory of the season last week over 23rd ranked Houston. Despite opening the season 0-2 with losses to Kansas State and Stanford, UCLA looked inspired last Saturday. Texas hasn't looked impressive through the first three weeks but still stand at 3-0. Neither offense has looked strong this year, with both ranked in the bottom half of the nation. This being said, the Longhorn defense has been exceptional while the Bruin defense has given up an average of 26 points per game. Texas should win, but if Garret Gilbert turns the ball over more than two times UCLA could make this a game. All that said, Texas still prevails.
Pereira's Pick: Longhorns 31 Bruins 14
(8) Oklahoma (3-0) at Cincinnati (1-2)
Cincinnati has been less than impressive so far this season. Ever since head coach Brain Kelly left for Notre Dame, the Bearcats have not looked like the squad that captured the Big East championship last season. On the flip side, Oklahoma has been a bit of a question mark this season. The Sooners have two close wins against non-BCS opponents in Air Force, 27-24, and Utah State, 31-24. This could be an interesting game with Cincinnati playing in their own backyard. Despite the home field advantage, expect Landry Jones and Ryan Broyles to have big days and Oklahoma to roll.
Pereira's Pick: Sooners 42 Bearcats 20
New Mexico State (0-2) at Kansas (1-2)
The New Mexico State Aggies are off to a rough start, losing 41-21 San Diego State and 42-10 to UTEP. The Aggies are winners of just nine games in the past three years, with four of those victories coming against FCS opponents. Despite KU’s two early losses, 6-3 to North Dakota State and 31-16 to Southern Miss, the Jayhawks should win this game. However, it's very difficult to pin KU at this point in the season. If Gill loses this one then Jayhawk faithful will really be calling for his head.
Pereira's Pick: Jayhawks 31 Aggies 10
Northern Iowa (1-1) at Iowa State (1-2)
After dropping another heartbreaker to K-State at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, the Cyclones have a very favorable bounce back game against the an FCS foe in UNI. The Cyclones are talented and disciplined under Paul Rhoads. The Cyclones have a scary backfield with quarterback Austen Arnaud pairing up with runningback Alexander Robinson, the Big 12's 3rd leading rusher a year ago. The Cyclones handle business at Jack Trice Stadium.
Pereira's Pick: Cyclones 42 Panthers 17
Baylor (2-1) at Rice (1-2)
The Baylor Bears have one of the most dangerous weapons in all of college football, Robert Griffin. After returning from a 45-10 schlaking at the hands of TCU, the Bears should get back on track against a Rice team that gave the Longhorns a scare in the opening week. If Rice is going to have a shot they must shut down Griffin. Bears win and continue to fly under the radar.
Pereira's Pick: Bears 34 Owls 16
South Dakota State (0-2) at (6) Nebraska (3-0)
While I believe Nebraska is a bit overrated, they are still a good team and should win this one easily. Taylor Martinez, Roy Helu, and Niles Paul should have a hay day against a defense that has given up an average of 25 points a game to FCS opponents. This should and will be nothing but practice for the Huskers, who will more than likely go into their Thursday night tilt against K-State undefeated and possibly in the top 5 in the country.
Pereira's Pick: Huskers 56 Jackrabbits 6
-- Mike Pereira, 91.9 sports staff
Iowa State Game-Wrap
Farmageddon II has come and gone, and not much changed. The Game itself was still a thriller, and the Wildcats were still able to hold on for the victory, even though it looked as if they might not be able to. Kansas State ended up winning the game 27-20 to maintain there perfect record on the year as well as open up conference play with a huge win.
The Wildcats entered the 4th quarter knotted up at 17 when they finally were able to pull away and maintain there lead for the rest of the game. That’s not to say they weren’t tested, their defense especially. The Kansas State D forced a fumble with less than 7 minutes to go and were ultimately able to seal the game off by making the Cyclones turn the ball over on downs at the Kansas state 34 with just 13 seconds left. The game was truly dominated by the Wildcats but the Cyclones were pesky throughout all 60 minutes and scratched and clawed their way to their final possession.
The Wildcats were led once again by senior running back, and Heisman candidate, Daniel Thomas. Thomas gained 181 yards on the ground on 34 carries raising his season average to a whopping 6.7 yards per carry. He also tallied 2 touchdowns on the day, none of which was bigger than his 2 yard run in the middle of the fourth quarter to give K-State the lead 24-20.
"I know one thing. He doesn't get weaker as the game goes on," Kansas State coach Bill Snyder said of Thomas.
The Wildcats leaned heavily on the ground game once again as they racked up 262 of their 366 total yards behind the power blocking of that big offensive line.
Carson Coffman did a decent job in his role of game manager completing 50% of his passes for 104 yards, although he did throw his first interception of the season. With KSU up 10-7 Coffman threw a pass right into the hands of linebacker A.J. Klein who returned in 69 yards for a score to put Iowa State right back into the game. It was the ‘Cats opening possession of the 2nd half, when they were looking to go for the kill.
The Cats look to take on Central Florida this Saturday at 11:00 here at Bill Family Snyder stadium. This is their last game before the big showdown between the top 2 teams in the Big 12 north face of in a Thursday nighter as K-state looks to get a get a little revenge the Cornhuskers of Nebraska, in a game that the winner will most certainly have the inside track to the Big 12 title game.
-- Josh Dockendorf, 91.9 sports staff
The Wildcats entered the 4th quarter knotted up at 17 when they finally were able to pull away and maintain there lead for the rest of the game. That’s not to say they weren’t tested, their defense especially. The Kansas State D forced a fumble with less than 7 minutes to go and were ultimately able to seal the game off by making the Cyclones turn the ball over on downs at the Kansas state 34 with just 13 seconds left. The game was truly dominated by the Wildcats but the Cyclones were pesky throughout all 60 minutes and scratched and clawed their way to their final possession.
The Wildcats were led once again by senior running back, and Heisman candidate, Daniel Thomas. Thomas gained 181 yards on the ground on 34 carries raising his season average to a whopping 6.7 yards per carry. He also tallied 2 touchdowns on the day, none of which was bigger than his 2 yard run in the middle of the fourth quarter to give K-State the lead 24-20.
"I know one thing. He doesn't get weaker as the game goes on," Kansas State coach Bill Snyder said of Thomas.
The Wildcats leaned heavily on the ground game once again as they racked up 262 of their 366 total yards behind the power blocking of that big offensive line.
Carson Coffman did a decent job in his role of game manager completing 50% of his passes for 104 yards, although he did throw his first interception of the season. With KSU up 10-7 Coffman threw a pass right into the hands of linebacker A.J. Klein who returned in 69 yards for a score to put Iowa State right back into the game. It was the ‘Cats opening possession of the 2nd half, when they were looking to go for the kill.
The Cats look to take on Central Florida this Saturday at 11:00 here at Bill Family Snyder stadium. This is their last game before the big showdown between the top 2 teams in the Big 12 north face of in a Thursday nighter as K-state looks to get a get a little revenge the Cornhuskers of Nebraska, in a game that the winner will most certainly have the inside track to the Big 12 title game.
-- Josh Dockendorf, 91.9 sports staff
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Iowa State v. K-State Preview for 9/18/10
The Kansas State Wildcats football team lead by legendary head coach Bill Snyder will stroll into Arrowhead Stadium this Saturday looking to get another win notched on their purple belt. They will face an up and coming opponent in the Iowa State Cyclones who themselves will be looking to bounce back from year’s heartbreaking one-point loss to the cats. Arrowhead will be a mad house filled with purple and red come Saturday, and those attending should be in for quite a scrumptious treat of great football.
Last year’s tilt made headlines across the Midwest for the last minute heroics by Kansas State’s Emmanuel Lamur, who blocked an extra point with thirty two seconds left on the ticker to help secure a 24-23 Wildcat victory. The Wildcat offense had a new wrinkle to throw at the Cyclones with the debut of senior quarterback Grant Gregory. Cats’ fans were given an outstanding performance from Gregory as he put up some very impressive and unseen numbers as far as the previous four games had gone. Gregory threw 23 passes completing 16 of them for a total of 206 yards passing and two touchdowns and carried the ball 14 times gaining 29 yards and one touchdown. The Wildcats offense really began to come together during this match up, and they built from this game as the season progressed. A late game rollout by Gregory, which led to a 54-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Banks, was the winning play that helped propel K-State towards a Big 12 season opening win. The Cyclones, with Austen Arnaud at the helm then drove the field late in the fourth quarter and did end up scoring a touchdown with under a minute to go on the clock. After the 23-yard strike from Arnaud to Jake Williams cut the deficit to 24-23, the elusive Lamur blocked the PAT attempt to give his team the victory. As both teams prepare this week for the upcoming rubber match on Saturday, there will be obvious motivation for both sides as practices intensify late in the week. For the Cyclones, revenge will be the flame burning in their minds throughout the week. As for the wildcats, the thought of a good start to the big 12 season continuing the efforts for a successful future this season will be on the line come game day.
The Kansas State offense is a wrecking crew with aim to run down opposing defenses until they can bust through and slaughter their opponent. Daniel Thomas is the most obvious visual aide to this thesis. He is a big, fast, tough running back who can and will take down any opposing defense through fighting and grinding the entire game. This will be no different on Saturday. As we have seen thus far, DT has the ability to do whatever he wants against defenses even though many of those defenses are structuring their game plans around him. This will be an even bigger deal for the Cyclone defense after losing middle linebacker Matt Tao’fo’ou to a broken left leg during the first quarter of the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes last week. Daniel Thomas should have his way with this defense with the lass to Tao’fo’ou, but don’t be too surprised to see Snyder get a little airy on Saturday. The Cyclone secondary has been meager to say the least this year, and the tools necessary to have a very dangerous air attack are in place for the Cats. This could lead to many a hook-up from Coffman to his various wide out weapons. It will require that Coffman make quick and smart decisions when it comes to his reads, which has been a difficulty thus far for the senior captain. I think Coffman can become a successful passing quarterback and this could be the game for him to do so as he should have many opportunities to prove to Wildcat Nation just what he can really do with the multiple weapons he has at the wide receiver position.
Iowa State has found a saving grace for themselves within the last few years. The most evident model of this discovery is Ames native, senior quarterback Austen Arnaud. Arnaud is a quick and agile QB with quite an arm to back up his rushing abilities. The Cyclones offense will look to Arnaud to lead them to a much-needed big 12 season opener win. Arnaud will aim to lock up a win on Saturday with help from his teammate Alexander Robinson, who is the running back that holds down the Cyclone backfield. Robinson has played well the last two weeks, and could be a major factor for the Kansas State frontline. The Wildcats defense will look to improve on their efforts in the second half last week against the Missouri State Bears. Cruising into Kansas City this weekend with a very experienced and talented secondary as well as a hard-working veteran front seven, the wildcats will look to shut down the offensive attack of the Cyclones. Arnaud will be a very big impact on this game, and it will be very important for Alex Hrebec as well as Brandon Harold and the rest of the frontline defensive unit to get to him early and often to pin him into making difficult passes. Also, the wildcat defense will need to be ready to pick up the option and defend it until there are no more options for the Iowa State offense to make. The Cyclones are centered on a dual threat quarterback who can run and manage a very effective option offense. In regards to the option, it will be a very interesting thing to see whether or not the cats’ defense can respond well to such an offense. Nonetheless, the Wildcats defense will need to show up come Saturday in order to stop a very tough and relentless Cyclone offense.
Bill Snyder and staff will weigh heavily on strategy and game plan when it comes to the overall scheme of offense against Iowa State. It will be very important to come ready to go on Saturday because the Cyclones will be raring to get on the scoreboard first. I think that Snyder will need to make up his mind early, what type of game he would like to play. We have the best running back in the nation in my opinion, and we will obviously use him to his fullest potential. The question will be whether or not Snyder wants to take a shot with Coffman down the field a few times. The opportunity will present itself quite a few times throughout the game with the staggering rush game that we have in our front pocket, it will be interesting to see how Bill takes advantage of such opportunities as the game progresses. On the flipside of things, Iowa State head coach Paul Rhoads will come thoroughly prepared to try and stop the wildcats offensive prowess on the ground. Rhoads stated that this is the best running attack that the Cyclones will face all season, and he is ready to go at it head on. The Cyclone offense should show up, but Rhoads focus will be defensive aggression and shutting down Daniel Thomas.
I think that this game presents a great opportunity for both teams involved in the infamously coined “Farmageddon.” For the Cyclones, this game presents a possibility to win a marquee match up with a very good football team and start off their big 12 season 1-0. On the other hand, this game provides the wildcats with an opportunity to continue the success that they have achieved thus far, and also show the league and nation how much talent this team really has. This is really a great way for both teams to highlight their talents and prove to the doubtful that they can each be successful football teams this season. My prediction is that this will be a very hard fought game for sixty minutes, but I think that the Wildcats will pull away come the latter part of the fourth quarter. I would say that the Wildcats will win this game 24-14 and walk away with one interception. Carson Coffman will have a breakout game and throw for over 200 yards, while Daniel Thomas will continue to wreak havoc on the Iowa State defense to run for over 100 yards. The game should be a very fun one due to Kansas State painting Kansas City purple the whole weekend. I would encourage all Wildcat fans to keep the purple on all weekend and show KC how much we love our Cats.
-- Jordan Spencer, 919 Sports Staff
Last year’s tilt made headlines across the Midwest for the last minute heroics by Kansas State’s Emmanuel Lamur, who blocked an extra point with thirty two seconds left on the ticker to help secure a 24-23 Wildcat victory. The Wildcat offense had a new wrinkle to throw at the Cyclones with the debut of senior quarterback Grant Gregory. Cats’ fans were given an outstanding performance from Gregory as he put up some very impressive and unseen numbers as far as the previous four games had gone. Gregory threw 23 passes completing 16 of them for a total of 206 yards passing and two touchdowns and carried the ball 14 times gaining 29 yards and one touchdown. The Wildcats offense really began to come together during this match up, and they built from this game as the season progressed. A late game rollout by Gregory, which led to a 54-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Banks, was the winning play that helped propel K-State towards a Big 12 season opening win. The Cyclones, with Austen Arnaud at the helm then drove the field late in the fourth quarter and did end up scoring a touchdown with under a minute to go on the clock. After the 23-yard strike from Arnaud to Jake Williams cut the deficit to 24-23, the elusive Lamur blocked the PAT attempt to give his team the victory. As both teams prepare this week for the upcoming rubber match on Saturday, there will be obvious motivation for both sides as practices intensify late in the week. For the Cyclones, revenge will be the flame burning in their minds throughout the week. As for the wildcats, the thought of a good start to the big 12 season continuing the efforts for a successful future this season will be on the line come game day.
The Kansas State offense is a wrecking crew with aim to run down opposing defenses until they can bust through and slaughter their opponent. Daniel Thomas is the most obvious visual aide to this thesis. He is a big, fast, tough running back who can and will take down any opposing defense through fighting and grinding the entire game. This will be no different on Saturday. As we have seen thus far, DT has the ability to do whatever he wants against defenses even though many of those defenses are structuring their game plans around him. This will be an even bigger deal for the Cyclone defense after losing middle linebacker Matt Tao’fo’ou to a broken left leg during the first quarter of the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes last week. Daniel Thomas should have his way with this defense with the lass to Tao’fo’ou, but don’t be too surprised to see Snyder get a little airy on Saturday. The Cyclone secondary has been meager to say the least this year, and the tools necessary to have a very dangerous air attack are in place for the Cats. This could lead to many a hook-up from Coffman to his various wide out weapons. It will require that Coffman make quick and smart decisions when it comes to his reads, which has been a difficulty thus far for the senior captain. I think Coffman can become a successful passing quarterback and this could be the game for him to do so as he should have many opportunities to prove to Wildcat Nation just what he can really do with the multiple weapons he has at the wide receiver position.
Iowa State has found a saving grace for themselves within the last few years. The most evident model of this discovery is Ames native, senior quarterback Austen Arnaud. Arnaud is a quick and agile QB with quite an arm to back up his rushing abilities. The Cyclones offense will look to Arnaud to lead them to a much-needed big 12 season opener win. Arnaud will aim to lock up a win on Saturday with help from his teammate Alexander Robinson, who is the running back that holds down the Cyclone backfield. Robinson has played well the last two weeks, and could be a major factor for the Kansas State frontline. The Wildcats defense will look to improve on their efforts in the second half last week against the Missouri State Bears. Cruising into Kansas City this weekend with a very experienced and talented secondary as well as a hard-working veteran front seven, the wildcats will look to shut down the offensive attack of the Cyclones. Arnaud will be a very big impact on this game, and it will be very important for Alex Hrebec as well as Brandon Harold and the rest of the frontline defensive unit to get to him early and often to pin him into making difficult passes. Also, the wildcat defense will need to be ready to pick up the option and defend it until there are no more options for the Iowa State offense to make. The Cyclones are centered on a dual threat quarterback who can run and manage a very effective option offense. In regards to the option, it will be a very interesting thing to see whether or not the cats’ defense can respond well to such an offense. Nonetheless, the Wildcats defense will need to show up come Saturday in order to stop a very tough and relentless Cyclone offense.
Bill Snyder and staff will weigh heavily on strategy and game plan when it comes to the overall scheme of offense against Iowa State. It will be very important to come ready to go on Saturday because the Cyclones will be raring to get on the scoreboard first. I think that Snyder will need to make up his mind early, what type of game he would like to play. We have the best running back in the nation in my opinion, and we will obviously use him to his fullest potential. The question will be whether or not Snyder wants to take a shot with Coffman down the field a few times. The opportunity will present itself quite a few times throughout the game with the staggering rush game that we have in our front pocket, it will be interesting to see how Bill takes advantage of such opportunities as the game progresses. On the flipside of things, Iowa State head coach Paul Rhoads will come thoroughly prepared to try and stop the wildcats offensive prowess on the ground. Rhoads stated that this is the best running attack that the Cyclones will face all season, and he is ready to go at it head on. The Cyclone offense should show up, but Rhoads focus will be defensive aggression and shutting down Daniel Thomas.
I think that this game presents a great opportunity for both teams involved in the infamously coined “Farmageddon.” For the Cyclones, this game presents a possibility to win a marquee match up with a very good football team and start off their big 12 season 1-0. On the other hand, this game provides the wildcats with an opportunity to continue the success that they have achieved thus far, and also show the league and nation how much talent this team really has. This is really a great way for both teams to highlight their talents and prove to the doubtful that they can each be successful football teams this season. My prediction is that this will be a very hard fought game for sixty minutes, but I think that the Wildcats will pull away come the latter part of the fourth quarter. I would say that the Wildcats will win this game 24-14 and walk away with one interception. Carson Coffman will have a breakout game and throw for over 200 yards, while Daniel Thomas will continue to wreak havoc on the Iowa State defense to run for over 100 yards. The game should be a very fun one due to Kansas State painting Kansas City purple the whole weekend. I would encourage all Wildcat fans to keep the purple on all weekend and show KC how much we love our Cats.
-- Jordan Spencer, 919 Sports Staff
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
K-State Cruises Past Missouri State
MANHATTAN, Kan. - For one night Carson Coffman was the man. K-State's fifth year senior signal caller threw for a career high 280 yards and three touchdowns while connecting on 18 of 26 pass attempts to help the Wildcats roll to a 48-24 win over Missouri State on Saturday night.
“The numbers were good,” K-State head coach Bill Snyder said. “But there are a lot of things that go into playing well than just the numbers.”
K-State used an efficient first half effort to burst out to a 27-7 halftime lead and never looked back from there. Senior running back and heisman candidate Daniel Thomas chipped in his usual workman like effort with 21 carries for 137 yards, 101 of which came in the first half.
Missouri State pushed the K-State defense all game long behind a strong effort from senior quarterback Cody Kirby who tossed for 281 yards and 2 scores of his own. The Bears offense amassed 447 yards of total offense, a mere 63 less than the Wildcats total.
“I feel like we were a lot better mentality,” Kirby said. “We played a lot closer then the scoreboard indicated.”
Thomas got the scoring going on K-State's second possession when he scampered in from 45 yards out with 11:50 left in the first quarter. The Wildcats second score of the day would not come as easy. In a rare moment of trickery from Bill Snyder, K-State faked a field goal and holder Ryan Doerr made a successful option pitch to place kicker Anthony Cantele who took it in for a three yard touchdown run with 9:45 left before halftime. Moments later Carson Coffman hooked up with wideout Brodrick Smith for a 42-yard touchdown pass and the Wildcats had a 20-0 lead.
“Our goal was to come out and pass the ball a little bit,” Coffman said. “They stopped the run early, and I’m glad they gave me the opportunity to get out there and throw it.”
Next up for K-State is the big 12 opener this Saturday against Iowa State at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.
“The numbers were good,” K-State head coach Bill Snyder said. “But there are a lot of things that go into playing well than just the numbers.”
K-State used an efficient first half effort to burst out to a 27-7 halftime lead and never looked back from there. Senior running back and heisman candidate Daniel Thomas chipped in his usual workman like effort with 21 carries for 137 yards, 101 of which came in the first half.
Missouri State pushed the K-State defense all game long behind a strong effort from senior quarterback Cody Kirby who tossed for 281 yards and 2 scores of his own. The Bears offense amassed 447 yards of total offense, a mere 63 less than the Wildcats total.
“I feel like we were a lot better mentality,” Kirby said. “We played a lot closer then the scoreboard indicated.”
Thomas got the scoring going on K-State's second possession when he scampered in from 45 yards out with 11:50 left in the first quarter. The Wildcats second score of the day would not come as easy. In a rare moment of trickery from Bill Snyder, K-State faked a field goal and holder Ryan Doerr made a successful option pitch to place kicker Anthony Cantele who took it in for a three yard touchdown run with 9:45 left before halftime. Moments later Carson Coffman hooked up with wideout Brodrick Smith for a 42-yard touchdown pass and the Wildcats had a 20-0 lead.
“Our goal was to come out and pass the ball a little bit,” Coffman said. “They stopped the run early, and I’m glad they gave me the opportunity to get out there and throw it.”
Next up for K-State is the big 12 opener this Saturday against Iowa State at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.
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