No. 21 Kansas St. 94, Texas Tech 60
Kansas State studied video to prepare for its game against Texas Tech. It just wasn't film of the Red Raiders.
Instead, Wildcats coach Frank Martin showed his players game tape from victories over Gonzaga and Virginia Tech earlier this season.
''I have failed this team,'' Martin said. ''I've got to do a better job of making us see how well we can play.''
No. 21 Kansas State did just that Saturday, hammering Texas Tech 94-60 behind Jamar Samuels' 22 points and Jacob Pullen's 21. Rodney McGruder added 16 points and 15 rebounds for the Wildcats (13-5, 1-2 Big 12), and Curtis Kelly had 12.
John Roberson scored 19 for Texas Tech (8-10, 0-3) and Brad Reese added 11. The Red Raiders have lost their three Big 12 games by a combined 77 points, with two of those losses coming at home.
Samuels credited Friday's practice with a return of K-State's ''savage mentality.''
Pullen agreed.
''Just the energy we had, we used that during this game,'' Pullen said. ''We tried not to walk, not to go in slow motion like we've been.''
Instead, the Wildcats steamrolled the Red Raiders.
Pullen made two 3-pointers to ignite the fast start, and the Wildcats led 17-4 with 14:27 remaining in the half. Samuels had eight points during the spurt.
Kelly made two dunks during an 8-0 run that gave Kansas State a 27-9 lead in his first game after serving a six-game suspension for violating NCAA rules by taking improper benefits at a Manhattan department store. Samuels' 3-pointer with 8:34 to play in the first half stretched the lead to 32-11. The Red Raiders made only four of their first 17 shots, while the Wildcats started 14 of 22.
It didn't get much better for the Red Raiders. Pullen's layup capped a 7-0 run that made it 41-16, Texas Tech coach Pat Knight was called for a technical foul and K-State cruised to a 52-26 halftime lead.
''I didn't think we competed in the first half,'' Knight said. ''They jumped on us, we took bad shots, that was that.''
Texas Tech was outscored in the half by Samuels (18 points) and Pullen (16), and the Wildcats had 16 assists on their 19 first-half baskets.
''That's how we play,'' Martin said. ''If you've watched us play the last three years, we attack people, we share the ball and we run. We're going to get back to that.''
The Red Raiders never got back within 20. Pullen and Will Spradling hit consecutive 3-pointers to put the Wildcats ahead 60-31 with 16:44 remaining.
Two minutes later, McGruder's follow capped an 8-0 run that pushed the advantage to 68-35 with 13:14 to play.
''Every time we've been at a crossroad,'' Martin said, ''Rod has stepped up for us.''
K-State was able to substitute liberally after that, resting players for a quick turnaround before Monday afternoon's game at No. 15 Missouri.
Martin thought Kelly's 6-foot-8 presence inside made a huge difference for the Wildcats.
''You can see we didn't give up uncontested layups like we have been,'' he said.
K-State shot 53.1 percent from the floor and 59.1 percent from 3-point range.
The Wildcats played without junior center Freddy Asprilla, announcing before the game that he left the team to pursue what Martin called ''professional playing opportunities in his home country'' of Colombia. The 6-10 Asprilla, who started 13 games, averaged 4.9 points and 4.9 rebounds.