Kansas State Wildcats Prepares To Take On The Troy Trojans

Kansas State Wildcats guard Shane Southwell (1)Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

THE VITALS

Who: Troy Trojans (4-3) vs. Kansas State Wildcats (6-3)

Where: Bramlage Coliseum; Manhattan, Kansas

When: 5 p.m., CST

TV: Fox Sports Net: Kansas City

Maybe part of the frustration for K-State fans is that they for the most do not know which Wildcat team will show up on the floor for each game. This is a young Kansas State basketball team with a lot of potential for the future.

K-State Head Coach Bruce Weber will need better consistent play all across the board if they want to make any post-season tournament. While the Wildcats had a big win against Ole Miss last week, they turned around and nearly got upset by South Dakota Tuesday night, escaping with 64-62 win.

Now, the Wildcats turn their attention to the Troy Trojans, who come in at 4-3 with no wins on the road. K-State can use a better performance from everyone on the team.

Things to Watch 4

Make Baskets

Other than Freshman guard Marcus Foster, K-State has struggled form the field, especially from beyond 3-point land so far early in the season, shooting just 27% from behind the arc. From the field, Kansas State is only hitting 40.8% of their shots overall.

Kansas State had to rely on Shane Southwell and Foster on Tuesday night as they combined for 35 points. If there was one player who seems ready to score in any situation, it would be Foster, who is averaging 14 points per game.

The Wildcats need more offense and improving the shooting percentages will naturally improve the point totals.

Stay On Point:

Will Spradling and company will need to keep and eye on Antoine Myers, the guard for the Trojans who put up 19 points against Alabama State. So far this season, guards have been able to score on the Cats. A good start on defense will be the key for K-State. If not, then it could be one of those games that is much closer than it should be at the end.

Control the Paint

With Thomas Gipson continuing to get back into form, the Wildcats need to attack the glass and be aggressive on both ends of the court. Gipson could be the second best player on floor after missing the first few games of the season. Gipson was very mad at himself after the South Dakota game because he did not play well defensively. That goes along with controlling the boards from the get go. As long as K-State does well in this category, then they should be on the winning side.

X-Factor

Shane Southwell is getting warmed up after a slow start to the season. His leadership is important, especially when the Cats needed something to sput them on late in games. Against South Dakota, Southwell had the answer. Shane had 17 points and 6 rebounds against the Coyotes. It will be important for him to bring some of that sense of urgency from the last game to this game against Troy. Hopefully that intensity can carry over to this game, and his teammates follow his lead..