The Kansas State Wildcats led early, but inability to make shots and to compete on the glass ultimately led to an 83-73 defeat at the hands of the No. 10 BYU Cougars Saturday at Bramlage Coliseum.
The loss
drops K-State to 9-5 on the season and 0-1 in conference play. The Cougars, meanwhile, notched their tenth consecutive victory, running their record to 13-1, 1-0 in the Big 12.
Led by guard pressure early, the Cats forced BYU in to uncharacteristic turnovers, converting three layups in the first four-plus minutes. Two made three-point buckets by Abdi Bashir Jr. added to the early onslaught, as K-State led 12-7. But the Wildcats did not make another deep attempt until a crazy, off-balance heave by Bashir somehow dropped through with 2:57 remaining in the game. That shot brought the Cats within 9, 78-69. A nifty assist by Bashir to a McGriff dunk on the next possession reduced the deficit to 7, but K-State could draw no closer.
For the game, the Wildcats made 3 of 21 outside attempts. Bashir was 3-8. The rest of the roster: 0-13.
On the other end of the floor, the Cats continued a frustrating trend of losing shooters while they chased dribble penetration. The Cougars made them pay, nailing 7 of 18 deep attempts in the first half. They took a 19-18 lead seven minutes into the game and built it to five, 25-20 on on a tip-in by Keba Keita. The inability to clear defensive boards has been another recurring deficiency for K-State, and it featured heavily in the loss.
Though the Cats closed to within 25-24, BYU extended its lead to 45-35 before halftime.
K-State’s defensive effort improved after the break, as they held the Cougars to only 2 points through the first 4:40. Unfortunately, the Cats only managed to draw withing 47-41 before BYU found its footing again.
K-State never never trailed by more than 12, but never drew any closer, either.
Perhaps the most frustrating stat of the game: The Wildcats forced BYU, a team that entered committing only 10 turnovers per game, into 19 giveaways. The Cats converted to win the points-off-turnovers battled 17-7. Yet they still lost the game.
Why? Three-point shooting, as already chronicled, as well as weak rebounding. BYU out-boarded K-State 47-35 and held a 20-7 advantage in second-chance points. Keita, alone, had 16 rebounds, and most of his 11 points came via putbacks.
PJ Haggerty played well for K-State, scoring 24 on 8-16 shooting, tossing 6 assists, corralling 7 rebounds, and snagging 4 steals. Bashir added 16 points, 4 boards, and 2 assists. David Castillo scored 13 off the bench, and Khamari McGriff had 12 points, 8 rebounds, and an impressive block of a dunk attempt.
Those who tune in regularly probably notice that a key contributor’s name is missing. Nate Johnson struggled more than he has in any game since joining the Cats. He was held scoreless on 0-5 (0-3) shooting. He had 3 rebounds and an assist, but he also committed 4 of K-State’s 12 total turnovers.
Freshman phenom AJ Dybantza led BYU with 24 points, and three other Cougars also scored in double-figures.
Three in the Key
- Missed Opportunity. K-State showed it can play with the No. 10 team in the country, but lost because it could not make enough shots and clear the boards defensively. What could have been a signature win winds up—hopefully—being a teaching moment and confidence builder for future games.
- More from the Big Guys. This K-State lineup is guard-dominated, and success or failure rises on the consistency of Haggerty, Bashir, Castillo, and Johnson. But they need more help from their bigs. Though McGriff was productive in his 25 minutes, teams do not have to respect anyone on this roster as a serious threat to wreck them in the paint if they cheat off too much on the guards. The Wildcats were without Elias Rapieque, who suffered an injury in practice yesterday. His physicality might have made some difference, and maybe the rebounding woes would not have been as pronounced. Doran Buca has contributed some presence around the rim defensively. But teams with dominant bigs are a mismatch for K-State, and unless a couple of the Cats’ inside players can consistently burn opposing teams for cheating away from the basket, it will be hard for the guards to operate in the space they need to be effective.
- No Breaks from the Schedule. After hosting No. 10, the Wildcats next play on the road against No. 1 Arizona Wednesday evening at 8:00. The desert version of the Wildcats exhibit incredible balance, with seven players averaging at least 9 points a game, led by Freshman Koa Peat, who averages 14.2 and who will be a serious matchup challenge for K-State.
