Bring On The Cats - Kansas State Men's Basketball Game 15: OklahomaA Kansas State Wildcats Blog -- Carrying the Banner Highhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/47995/bringoncats_fave.png2016-01-10T14:57:39-06:00http://www.bringonthecats.com/rss/stream/105056332016-01-10T14:57:39-06:002016-01-10T14:57:39-06:00MBB: K-State/Oklahoma Visual Box Score
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<figcaption>Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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You know the story already: the Sooners dominated the opening minutes and held leads as large as 21 points in the opening period. The Cats scraped back to within single digits multiple times, but Oklahoma was able to keep them at arm's length for the remainder and finished with a comfortable 86-76 victory.
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Visual Box Scores for the game are below. I've made one minor tweak worth noting: below each plot you'll find buttons allowing you quickly select/deselect specific groups of players. If the plots don't load correctly, try the links <a href="https://plot.ly/~jeffp171/889/kansas-st-game-action/">here</a> and <a href="https://plot.ly/~jeffp171/891/oklahoma-game-action/">here</a>.
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Some things I saw:
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<ul>
<li> <span>Buddy Hield</span> didn't actually make <i>every</i> shot he took, just most of them. This might seem like a dumb point to you, but watching the game, it sure didn't seem that way to me. It's hard to win games when the opposing team's All-American is on fire.
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<li> Lots of missed shots at the rim. By my count, K-State missed 23(!) of its 39 shots of the dunk, layup, or tip-in variety. The OU front court was protecting the rim big time, coming away with 11 blocked shots.
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<li> Thank goodness for <span>Dean Wade</span> and Barry Brown. The shot chart looks especially ugly if you take those two out of the equation. Wade in particular was much more assertive in the second half than I can recall from the rest of the season. I hope that continues.
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What did you guys notice?
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For a full analysis of yesterday's happenings, go read <a href="http://www.bringonthecats.com/2016/1/10/10744580/k-state-hoops-recap-k-state-76-1-2-oklahoma-sooners-86">Eric's game recap</a>.
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https://www.bringonthecats.com/2016/1/10/10746016/visual-box-score-kansas-state-vs-oklahomajeffp1712016-01-10T10:19:36-06:002016-01-10T10:19:36-06:00K-State Hoops Recap - K-State 76, (1/2) Sooners 86
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<figcaption>In case there were any questions... | Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The Wildcats got punched in the mouth early. Really, really hard.</p> <p>Despite shooting above average from three and from the free throw line, the <a href="https://www.bringonthecats.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Kansas State Wildcats</a> got absolutely smoked out of the gym in the first four minutes and spend the next 36 playing catchup. While K-State battled back valiantly, the Cats dropped their third-straight conference game to the <a href="https://www.crimsonandcreammachine.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Oklahoma Sooners</a>, 86-76.</p>
<p>Any thoughts of a hangover from the Sooner's 3OT loss to Kansas on Monday were quickly squashed from the opening tip, as Oklahoma ran out to a 12-2 lead by the under-16 timeout on seven quick points by <span>Buddy Hield</span>, a putback dunk by <span>Khadeem Lattin</span>, and another three from <span>Jordan Woodard</span>. They would continue their barrage, stifling most K-State attacks at the rim or by creating turnovers, and pouring in shots from everywhere like they were uncontested layups against a porous Wildcat defense. By the under-12 timeout, the margin was 25-8; entirely too much cushion to give one of the best teams in the country.</p>
<p>Oklahoma would eventually stretch the first-half gap to 21 points at the 4:03 mark, but the Cats righted the ship late in the half and rallied back. With <span>Buddy Hield</span> on the bench with two fouls, and some misses (finally) on the part of the Sooners, K-State was able to get a unit of <span>Justin Edwards</span>, <span>Kamau Stokes</span>, <span>Barry Brown</span>, <span>Stephen Hurt</span> and DJ Johnson rolling a bit. Threes by the Big Fella, Microwave and Edwards, along with an emphatic dunk by DJ, were strung together to finish out the half on a 12-0 run and cut the lead to 9 at the break, 44-35.</p>
<p>Using a different second half lineup for the first time this year, K-State came back out with the five that finished the half. Oklahoma actually broke the scoring open on the second half due to a Bruce Weber technical, assessed for arguing with the officials; his first of the season. After that point, the Wildcats and Sooners threw punches back and forth, but Oklahoma had too much firepower. A fading three from Hield in the corner put Oklahoma up by 18 again with 12:09 remaining, but the Cats would strike back on the shoulders of <span>Dean Wade</span> and Barry Brown. Wade scored six straight, punctuated by a baseline drive and one-handed throwdown, and Brown hit a layup and a long three to help put together a 15-5 run, cutting the lead to 8 with 8:07 to go.</p>
<p>Another Oklahoma onslaught of Hield, Lattin and Woodard put the Sooners up by 16 again 1:19 to go, the final nail in the coffin. But again, K-State tried to throw haymakers right back, even up to the final whistle. A Stokes three, followed by a <span>Carlbe Ervin II</span> three, and an and-one conversion by Barry Brown helped the Cats cut the margin back to 8. With only 29 seconds left on the clock, a couple of late free throws by <span>Isaiah Cousins</span> sealed the deal for the final 10 point margin.</p>
<h4>Stats, STAT:</h4>
<p>20, +9.</p>
<p>K-State forced 20 turnovers from the Sooners, and finished the game with a +9 turnover margin. Against many opponents, that alone would probably tilt the game in our favor.</p>
<p>73.</p>
<p>K-State put up 73 shots, the most attempts (by a wide margin) this season. The Cats connected on 28, for a 38.4% average, below the season average of 42.2%.</p>
<p>30.</p>
<p>The Wildcat bench put up 36 points, outscoring Oklahoma's reserves by 30. This was a big reason K-State was able to battle back during periods in the game.</p>
<h4>Player Of The Game: Barry Brown</h4>
<p>The Microwave came in off the bench and did Barry Brown things all night, playing 30 minutes in the contest. Being key to several different K-State runs, Microwave was not bashful on either end of the floor. He'd finish with a team-high 19 points (8-16 FG, 2-6 3P, 1-2 FT), 8 rebounds, and 2 steals. This marks the third straight game, and fifth time this season, Barry has led the team in scoring.</p>
<h4>Tigger Of The Game: Dean Wade</h4>
<p><i>Note: Since HC Bruce Weber noted there are "a lot of Tiggers on this team," we're going to find that player that had an high-flying offensive play, stonewall defensive play, or a notable performance, and call them out here.</i></p>
<p>Dean's isolated baseline drive and poster one-hander gets the nod for Tigger play. Wade finished with 12 points (4-12 FG, 0-5 3P, 4-4 FT) and 4 boards. He needs to find that outside shot again soon; since the game against North Carolina, Dean has gone a combined 2-24 from beyond the arc.</p>
<h5>Other Notable Performances</h5>
<p><span>Stephen Hurt</span> plugged in when the team really had nothing going, stepping out and hitting a couple of big threes. The Big Fella finished with 11 points (4-12 FG, 3-7 3P) and 6 boards.</p>
<p><span>Justin Edwards</span> was able to contribute all over the floor while his shot wasn't falling. Only coming up with 5 points (1-7 FG, 1-3 3P, 2-4 FT), he added 5 points, 4 assists and 5 steals.</p>
<p>DJ Johnson provided a huge spark on the interior from the bench. He hit double figures for the second time this season with 10 (4-5 FG, 2-4 FT), snagged 4 boards, and showed some premise of rim protection with 2 blocks. His 64.3% from the floor on the season is #78 in the country.</p>
<p><span>Wesley Iwundu</span> was quiet save for a couple of instances. Tallying 7 points, he did manage to go 3-3 from the line (but 2-8 from the floor), and picked up 4 rebounds. Wes had one of his worse performances on defense this year, leading to only 18 minutes of court time.</p>
<p>Kam Stokes had a rough go of it from the floor, going 2-8 from the floor (1-3 3P) for 5 points, but added 3 assists and 3 steals.</p>
<p>National Player of the Year front-runner Buddy Hield amassed 31 points on a ridiculous 11-14 from the floor, 6-8 from three, and 4-4 from the line. He also picked up 8 boards, 5 assists, 2 blocks and 2 steals, but showed his one weakness in committing 6 turnovers (no one from K-State had more than two). <span>Jordan Woodard</span> added 19 points, <span>Ryan Spangler</span> did Spangler things with 14 points and 7 boards, and <span>Khadeem Lattin</span> finished with a double-double.</p>
<h4>Big Thoughts:</h4>
<h5>1. No quit.</h5>
<p>We played Charmin soft the first 10 minutes. Frankly, it was embarrassing. Because of that, this team was dead man walking by the under-12 timeout in the first half, being down 21 to one of the best teams in the country. Don't tell the team that, though. On the shoulders of essentially a bunch of freshmen and transfers, the Cats threw some heavyweight punches of their own to cut the lead back to single digits several times, including late in the game. Now, if they could just come out and play with that intensity from the tip...</p>
<h5>2. Outside shooting is flat out the reason we aren't winning games right now.</h5>
<p>Systematically, our offense just doesn't work. It's allowing players to settle for marginal shots, instead of working to find good ones.</p>
<p>We're shooting way too many threes for how bad we are at it. What to do? You can't just say, "you need to make more shots," and expect to magically happen. These guys can hit open threes - but we're taking a lot of suspect ones. Shots that are great ideas if they go in, but when they don't, they're crippling on efficiency.</p>
<h5>2. Need a win soon.</h5>
<p>You've got to think that starting the conference slate by losing three straight is a tough pill to swallow. Do these guys get angry? Do they sulk? Do they even have a conscience? We'll find out soon, but being in last place in the Big 12 standings (its early), a win would probably do wonders for the psyche of this group.</p>
<h4>Next Up:</h4>
<p>#EMAW returns home to the Octagon of Doom, to hopefully earn their first conference win against Texas Tech, on Tuesday, January 12 (700p CST).</p>
https://www.bringonthecats.com/2016/1/10/10744580/k-state-hoops-recap-k-state-76-1-2-oklahoma-sooners-86Eric Rubottom2016-01-09T14:30:01-06:002016-01-09T14:30:01-06:00K-State at Oklahoma: How to Watch & Open Thread
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<img alt="The early-season win, the only road win of the Wildcats' Big 12 season, sparked misplaced hope." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/dCf09zfjkiUtOWJARKNiLJRODZo=/0x483:1499x1482/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47738655/usa-today-8324418.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>The early-season win, the only road win of the Wildcats' Big 12 season, sparked misplaced hope. | Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>An 0-3 start looms. Can our scrappy young squad pull off a surprise?</p> <table class="schedule-table"><tbody> <tr><td colspan="5" class="day_break">Sat, Jan 9, 2016<br>Lloyd Noble Center (11,528)<br>Norman OK</td></tr> <tr></tr> <tr> <td>3:30 PM CT<br><img class="tv_logo" src="http://cdn3.sbnation.com/assets/3339553/espnews.png"> </td> <td><a href="http://www.bringonthecats.com/" target="_blank"><img class="teamlogo" src="http://cdn2.vox-cdn.com/uploads/blog/sbnu_logo_minimal/127/large_bringonthecats.com.minimal.png">Kansas State<br>(10-4, 0-2 Big 12)</a></td> <td>at</td> <td><a href="http://www.crimsonandcreammachine.com/" target="_blank"><img class="teamlogo" src="http://cdn0.vox-cdn.com/uploads/blog/sbnu_logo_minimal/140/large_crimsonandcreammachine.com.minimal.png"><strong>(2/1)</strong> Oklahoma<br>(12-1, 1-1 Big 12)</a></td> </tr> </tbody></table>
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<section class="s-intro"><p class="slate-intro">One thing we can almost guarantee: we won't enjoy this game as much as we enjoyed watching Oklahoma's last game, which may very well have been the greatest regular season college basketball game ever played (our feelings about their opponent notwithstanding and, in these terms, wholly irrelevant).</p> <p>That is, unless the Wildcats pull off an audacious upset.</p></section><link rel="stylesheet" href="http://cdn2.sbnation.com/assets/3706325/bloglinks.css">
<div class="blog-links-compact-container"> <h4> <span class="blog-links-star"><img src="http://cdn2.sbnation.com/assets/3608771/star.png"></span> BOOM THIS <span class="blog-links-star"><img src="http://cdn2.sbnation.com/assets/3608771/star.png"></span> </h4> <div class="blog-links-compact-link-container"><a href="http://www.crimsonandcreammachine.com?utm_source=sbnation&utm_medium=bloglinks&utm_campaign=blogs">Oklahoma Sooners blog Crimson And Cream Machine</a></div> </div>
<p><strong>The game</strong>: Kansas State visits the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.crimsonandcreammachine.com/">Oklahoma Sooners</a>. Oklahoma leads the series 105-97, largely due to a dominating 60-27 record in Norman. Bruce Weber is 5-1 against the Sooners and 6-1 against Lon Kruger; Kruger is 5-6 against K-State.</p>
<p><strong>Odds</strong>: Oklahoma is a 12.5 point favorite. With a total of 141, Vegas is expecting 77-65 or so.</p>
<p><strong>Tickets</strong>: Sorry, Oklahomans. It's sold out. The secondary market does have seats available, ranging from $12-99 and averaging about $30. Virtually everything below the average is in the upper tier, obviously.</p>
<p><strong>Television</strong>: ESPN News at 3:30 CT with Mark Neely and Jerod Ward.</p>
<p><strong>Radio</strong>: K-State Sports Network, with Wyatt Thompson and Stan Weber. Also available on satellite on Sirius 136/XM 199.</p>
<p><strong>Online</strong>: Video streaming via <a href="http://espn.go.com/watchespn/index/_/id/2711560/kansas-state-vs-2-oklahoma-m-basketball">WatchESPN</a>. Audio streaming and live stats at <a href="http://www.kstatesports.com/game-center/55d61f72e4b093168db2fbde/">Gamecenter</a>.</p>
https://www.bringonthecats.com/2016/1/9/9798330/kansas-state-at-oklahoma-game-time-tv-radio-streaming-odds-and-openJon Morse2016-01-09T10:10:30-06:002016-01-09T10:10:30-06:00MBB Preview - K-State at (1/2) Oklahoma Sooners
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<figcaption>The Cats need to be aggressive in putting the ball in the bucket today. | Brendan Maloney-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The Wildcats stop over in Norman, searching for a first Big 12 win.</p> <p>I am not quite sure whether to be excited for the game today, or start cringing now. The <a style="background-color: #ffffff;" href="https://www.bringonthecats.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Kansas State Wildcats</a> (10-4, 0-2 Big12, #51 kenpom ranking) wraps up a two-game road trip today, taking on the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.crimsonandcreammachine.com/">Oklahoma Sooners</a> and K-State notable alum Lon Kruger at the Lloyd Noble Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 330pm CST in Norman.</p>
<p><b style="font-size: 1.25em;">Know Your Opponent</b></p>
<p>Oklahoma (12-1, 1-1 Big12, #3 kenpom) has a national championship caliber team, and that's all that really needs to be said. Coming off their 3OT loss in Allen Fieldhouse on Monday (which was an amazing game, by the way), the Sooners will be looking to right the ship and re-establish their dominating performance. But, for analysis sake, we'll take a more in-depth look at our opponent.</p>
<p>You all know some of the big names. <span>Buddy Hield</span>, who eschewed the NBA for another shot at standing at the top of the NCAA podium. <span>Ryan Spangler</span>, who falls into the "wait, hasn't he been playing there for eight years now?" category. <span>Isaiah Cousins</span>, the steady-eddie four-year guard who can penetrate and dish, hit the outside shot, and play harassing defense. Well, they've added a couple of other pieces to supplement and shore up soft spots, and now really have no weaknesses.</p>
<p>Oklahoma's national rankings: #4 adjusted defense, #9 adjusted offense. #3 3PFG%. #4 eFG% defense. #7 in sending opponents to the line. If there's one thing Oklahoma doesn't excel at, it's creating turnovers on defense - surprisingly, they're #333 (of 351) in turning their opponents over, at only 14.9% of possessions.</p>
<p><b style="font-size: 1em; line-height: 12pt;"><i>Keep a close watch on:</i></b></p>
<p>The easy answer is <span>Buddy Hield</span>. You'll hear his name...a lot...and deservedly so. The senior guard is currently, in many opinions (including my own), the frontrunner for every Player of the Year accolade available. Kenpom has him ranked as the best player in the country by a wide margin. He's coming into the game 24.7ppg, 5.3rpg, and is on target for the gold-standard 50%/40%/90% season, averaging 49.5% from the floor, 49.4% from outside the arc, and 90.5% from the stripe. If he's got one negative mark, it's in turnovers - he's currently averaging just over 2.2 turnovers per game (still not terrible for how often the ball is in his hands), and has an assist to turnover ratio below 1.</p>
<p>Spangler (averaging a double-double), Cousins (13.3ppg, 5.0apg) and <span>Jordan Woodard</span> (13.9ppg, 53% 3PFG) are going to be mentioned frequently as well, but another player to keep an eye out for is <span>Khadeem Lattin</span>. The sophomore post is a perfect complement to <span>Ryan Spangler</span>. While Spangler is more of the scoring/rebounding post, Lattin provides rim protection with 19 blocked shots on the season, and serves as a true disruptor in the paint on the defensive end of the floor.</p>
<h5 style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; line-height: 12.0pt; mso-outline-level: 5;"><b><i>Offense/Defense Strategy:</i></b></h5>
<p>The Sooners run a solid motion offense, and consistently have three players on the floor that can legitimately hit the three. Additionally, most guards can create their own shot off the dribble, and Spangler can work the post to get shots off against more athletic players. They're comfortable getting out on the floor (#57 in tempo) as well as getting set up in the half-court. In other words, they're insanely difficult to stop. Defensively, it's going to take a team effort, and rotations are going to have to come early and help has to occur two- or three-rotations deep to slow Oklahoma down.</p>
<p>Defensively, they're not looking to force turnovers, opting more for forcing difficult shots and securing rebounds. They're top-100 in allowing offensive boards, nearly top-50 in blocked shot percentage, and top-50 in 3PFG% and 2PFG% defense. I would expect a mix of zone and man defenses from the Sooners throughout the game. For K-State, open shots are going to be difficult to come by, and are going to require a lot of ball movement and players ready to launch as soon as they get the ball.</p>
<h4 style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-line-height-alt: 12.0pt; mso-outline-level: 4;"><b>Probable Starters</b></h4>
<h5><i>Kansas State:</i></h5>
<h5 style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; line-height: 12.0pt;"></h5>
<p>F <span>Wesley Iwundu</span>, 6-7 210 Jr<br>F <span>Dean Wade</span>, 6-10 225 Fr<br>F <span>Stephen Hurt</span>, 6-11 265 Sr<br>G <span>Justin Edwards</span>, 6-4 200 Sr<br>G <span>Kamau Stokes</span>, 6-0 170 Fr</p>
<h5><i>Oklahoma Sooners:</i></h5>
<p>F Ryan Spangler, 6-8 234 Sr<br>F <span>Khadeem Lattin</span>, 6-9 208 So<br>G <span>Jordan Woodard</span>, 6-0 187 Jr<br>G <span>Isaiah Cousins</span>, 6-4 200 Sr<br>G Buddy Hield, 6-4 214 Sr</p>
<h4 style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-line-height-alt: 12.0pt; mso-outline-level: 4;"><b>3 Keys To The Game</b></h4>
<h5 style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; line-height: 12.0pt; mso-outline-level: 5;"><b><i>1. Ugly it up.</i></b></h5>
<p>It's a common theme throughout college basketball - an underdog can effectively shrink a talent gap by making the game essentially unwatchable. Get physical. Slow it down. If we can do this and stay out of foul trouble, it really mitigates the need for a couple players to get hot simultaneously. Statistically, this shouldn't be a game, and various outlets agree - kenpom gives us a 9% chance to win (predicting a 77-63 result), and Vegas has us ranging from a 12.5- to 15.5-point dog, concurring with the 78-63 score. While I actually think we can get into a running contest with these guys, taking their fluidity out of the game gives us a more plausible shot.</p>
<h5 style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; line-height: 12.0pt; mso-outline-level: 5;"><b><i>2. Rebounding, rebounding, rebounding. Seriously, rebounding.</i></b></h5>
<p>Both ends. These guys are good enough shooting the first time - the last thing we need is to be giving up offensive boards. On the other end, the more second chances we can get, the better things will look for the Cats. Getting point-blank second shots can lead to easy points and fouls on Oklahoma. I like our chances of having a chance at the upset if we win the glass on both ends.</p>
<h5 style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; line-height: 12.0pt; mso-outline-level: 5;"><b><i>3. Guard the three.</i></b></h5>
<p>Oklahoma is one of the best perimeter shooting teams in the country, but we're statistically the best three-point defenders in that same country (I think its the US, last time I checked). Let's go out and prove it, because these Sooners could run us out of the gym in a hurry if they get hot from the outside.</p>
<p><i>All stats by http://www.kenpom.com, or by the respective university's sports information.</i></p>
https://www.bringonthecats.com/2016/1/9/10740844/mens-hoops-preview-k-state-at-1-2-oklahoma-soonersEric Rubottom