Rapid Recap: Kansas State disappointed in themselves
LACK OF EFFORT
Kansas State head coach Jerome Tang made the theme of his postgame press conference very clear. His team did not play well due to a lack of effort on the floor. He believes the cause was early success in conference play. It has made them too satisfied.
Markquis Nowell and Nae’Qwan Tomlin agreed with their coach. They have to refocus on their goal of getting to the NCAA tournament.
K-State became complacent after starting 6-1 in the Big 12, and it has bit them in the butt by going 1-5 in the last six conference matchups. Tang has been honest with his team and told them they have to find a way to win at least two more games or they will miss out on their goal of playing on the big stage in March.
The loss to Oklahoma was likely the most disheartening from a fan’s perspective. It comes soon after losing to last place Texas Tech on Saturday, and it was one of the two worst defensive performances from Kansas State this season.
However, Tang doesn’t see it as a disheartening one for him and his team. He sees it as an opportunity to refocus and finish strong. Nowell even added that he thinks there could be a boost in the team morale from within, starting with him.
He suggested that K-State will get back to team-bonding activities on a more regular basis, similar to when they first all got to campus in the Summer and Fall. He plans to go bowling with his teammates and take them out to the movies more as the season moves forward.
DAVID N’GUESSAN LIMITED
David N’Guessan received the start as always on Tuesday, but he only played two minutes thanks to an illness according to Tang. N’Guessan has dealt with an injury ever since Big 12 play rolled around. He battled back from that, and now has to deal with yet another setback.
It hurts Kansas State since they only have one other reliable defender at the ‘5’.
Abayomi Iyiola has stepped up big but he’s alone. He hasn’t always been the most consistent, but he’s been good enough. Unfortunately, they lack the depth behind Iyiola, especially in terms of quality defenders.
That being said, it wasn’t all on the K-State frontcourt. The backcourt was very problematic on defense and led to countless open Oklahoma threes.
NAE’QWAN TOMLIN PROGRESSION
Although it is the worst two game stretch of basketball we have seen from the Wildcats, there is one positive to point out. Tomlin has put together two really solid games in a row. In Lubbock, he dealt with foul trouble yet still outperformed almost all of his Kansas State teammates.
In Norman he led the team with 17 points and 10 rebounds en route to a double-double.
Tomlin has been solid most of the season and has only stepped his play up when the competition stiffened. It is quite impressive to see the junior college product that is famous for not playing organized basketball until college, also be the one Wildcat that is breaking through the proverbial wall.
