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Cats ride defense early in Big 12 season
Kansas State desperately needed to find a way to reassert its physical toughness.
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After getting dominated at Kansas in the Big 12 opener, the Wildcats were not exactly on the verge of collapse. However, they did want to avoid an 0-2 start like they suffered the previous season, when Kansas State underachieved as Big 12 favorites.
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"When you get embarrassed, one of two things happens to your team," Kansas State coach Frank Martin said. "You either come apart at the seams or the seams get a little tighter together."
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By tightening up, the Wildcats suffocated the Big 12's top-shooting team and earned a 75-59 win over Missouri. The Tigers, who entered the game as one of only four remaining unbeaten teams in Division I, also were shooting better than 50 percent on the season.
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Against the Wildcats, however, the Tigers' percentage dipped 19 points below their season average, and they didn't hit 40 points until less than nine minutes remained.
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"Our discipline defensively early in the game never let them get in a rhythm," Martin said.
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Defense is the one strength the Wildcats can turn into a constant. They cannot rely so much on their offense because no go-to scorer exists on the team and shooters are too prone to going too cold for too long from outside range.
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But with physicality underneath, Kansas State should still turn rebounds into points with a sturdy and deep front line. That group was outplayed at Kansas but recovered by establishing a 39-25 advantage on the glass against Missouri.
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"We did not play hard against Kansas," Martin said. "That's not who we are. We were out of character. We refocused and were kind of back in character (against Missouri)."
