From The Couch – Kansas Comes Back To Beat K-State Despite A Great Game From Nijel Pack/Jordan Willis Shines In NFL Playoffs
K-State played an almost flawless first half against the Kansas Jayhawks yesterday, leading 50-34 at halftime before going cold in the second half and allowing Kansas to come back and win 78-75 in Bramlage Coliseum. Considering the Wildcats sometimes struggle to score 50 points in a game, scoring 50 points in a half had Wildcat fans feeling pretty good at halftime. Nijel Pack was on fire, finishing the game with a career-high 35 points. Unfortunately, Bruce Weber’s Wildcats once again squandered a huge lead to lose a game. Here are some of the key notes and quotes from the game…
“Obviously it hurts. Our guys were ready to play. We played at the magical level. Nijel (Pack) had one of those magical games. Markquis (Nowell) was really, really effective.”…Bruce Weber, 1/22/2022
JM: If not for Nijel Pack, this game would have been much closer in the first half. He finished the game shooting 12 of 18 from the field, eight of 12 on three-pointers, scoring 35 points.
“We shot unbelievable in the first half but we guarded them pretty well and you hold them to 34 which gives you a chance. But in the second half, they just pounded us on the glass. I mean it’s pretty simple.”…Bruce Weber, 1/22/2022
JM: The Wildcats played excellent defense most of the game, but were outrebounded by Kansas 45-23. You can’t win many games getting outrebounded by a margin like that.
“We had some open looks.”…Bruce Weber, 1/22/2022
JM: K-State did have some open looks. None of those open looks was bigger than the one that Selton Miguel had with K-State up five points with 1:56 left in the game. As you can see in the screenshot above, Miguel not only was wide open in the corner, (he was so wide open that he actually paused to dribble the ball before shooting), but he had an open lane to the basket. I commented at the time that he should have driven the ball to the hoop to, at the very least, draw a foul. If he makes that shot, K-State would be ahead by eight points and likely wins the game. Instead, he missed and KU rebounded and went down and got fouled and made two free throws to cut the lead to three. I’m not blaming Miguel for the loss, but a play like this shows how little the margin of error is for a team like K-State.
“I think we’re a good team.”…Bruce Weber, 1/22/2022
JM: The players and coaches keep saying this after every loss. K-State is 10-8 overall and 2-5 in the Big 12 and still sits in last place in the league standings. What’s his definition of a “good team?”
“We came out in the second half and played around too much, we weren’t physical, we weren’t men in there like we were in the first half.”…Nijel Pack, 1/22/2022
JM: Why not?
“Our fans were great. They gave us the energy that we needed in the first half. We didn’t repay them with the W but we know it’s a long season. The fans bring just as much energy as we do. We try to match that or surpass that during the game. The signs were great, the support is great, it’s always great. We want you to keep coming, we want you all to keep believing in K-State, the culture and one day we’ll get it done. One day we will be very good and we won’t let you down.”…Markquis Nowell, 1/22/2022
JM: One day they will be very good? There they go again telling us how good they are or how good they can be. It’s great that he recognized the fan support, but I saw that the attendance was 9,737. I can’t believe the KU/K-State game wasn’t a sellout. It was the largest crowd of the year, but that’s also saying something. Fan interest just isn’t there like it used to be. This is something to watch as the season goes on. If fans aren’t going to games, this may be one factor in Gene Taylor deciding if Bruce Weber gets another year as head basketball coach.
“I thought about staying at home, which had been fine, but my dad told me before the OU game that he was upset
with me because I missed practices before the game. ‘You won’t have your team ready’. So after he passed yesterday morning early we decided it would be best if I came up here because that was what he would want me to do.”…Bill Self, 1/22/2022
JM: Bill Self lost his dad on Thursday. My condolences. I’m not a fan of Self or the Jayhawks, but this game must have been extra tough for him.
JM: After the KU/K-State game, it was time for some NFL football playoff action. Former K-State defensive end Jordan Willis blocked a key punt near the end of the game that the 49ers returned for a touchdown that tied the game. The 49ers went on to win on a last-second field goal.
JM: Willis got the game ball in the locker room after the game. This was a pretty cool moment.
K-State basketball returns to action Tuesday night against the Baylor Bears in Waco. The game will be broadcast on ESPN Plus.
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