K-State Basketball not off to great start in conference play

K-State @ Texas Tech (K-State lost 58-74)

Another game, another ranked opponent. Welcome to Big12 play.

I think it’s important to note the strength of schedule, however, i think it’s also important to not go to far in labeling this as an excuse. K-State has had time to build around three juniors and should be competitive after years of rebuilding.

The bad news is there was nothing competitive about this game. The win probability chart never dipped below 85.2% for Texas Tech and that’s probably a bit friendly for our beloved Cats. The margin of victory was only 16 in the end, but it was also 16 points by 10:25 remaining in the first half when the score was 20-4.

I suspect most fans at that point had shifted over to the Kansas City Chiefs playoff game. Frankly, I can’t blame them. It almost appeared like the Wildcats were ready to watch playoff football too.

Barry Brown had the most note-worthy game, going 6-12 shooting for 24 points, drawing 13 free throws. Dean Wade was finally stopped, not by Texas Tech, but by our friends the Big12 refs who managed to get one of the best players in the Big12 out of the game after only 24 minutes.

The biggest news though, is the injury to Kamau Stokes. A statement released on Sunday by K-State doesn’t exactly sound good.

Details are in short supply right now, but it sounds like it’s going to be at least a few games without Stokes. As I said against West Virginia, the Core Four needs to have three or four of them providing positive impacts.

An injury to one now reduces the opportunities. It could, potentially, be the blow that sinks the season. Hopefully, younger players like Cartier Diarra and Brian Patrick are ready to go.