Kansas State basketball coach Jerome Tang on Big 12 road challenges
Kansas State basketball coach Jerome Tang talks about the challenges of playing on the road in the Big 12.
K-State Athletics
Kansas State’s basketball team picked up a much-needed victory Monday in its Big 12 opener against Cincinnati.
The question now for the Wildcats, after pulling the 70-67 upset in front of a friendly home crowd at Bramlage Coliseum, is whether they can match that success on the road.
The Wildcats (7-5, 1-0 Big 12) will find out soon enough, starting at 3 p.m. Saturday, when they travel to Fort Worth, Texas, to take on TCU (7-5, 0-1) at Schollmaier Arena. It is the first half of a two-game road swing that finishes Tuesday night at Oklahoma State.
By hanging on to edge No. 17-ranked Cincinnati, the Wildcats not only ended a three-team losing streak but also advanced their NET (NCAA Evaluation Tool) rating from 122 to 108 after a Quad 1 win. The Bearcats currently are No. 28 in the NET, easily K-State’s most impressive victory.
Here are three things to know, plus a prediction, for Saturday’s game against TCU.
A golden road opportunity for the Wildcats
The road trip offers an opportunity for the Wildcats to build on their success in the Cincinnati game against two teams ranked near the bottom of the Big 12.
TCU, which opened conference play Monday with a 91-80 loss at Arizona, ranks 13th in the league with a No. 71 NET ranking, and Oklahoma State (8-4, 0-1) is the only team below K-State at No. 115 after falling at home to Houston, 60-47.
TCU is 0-3 against Quad 1 opponents and 1-1 vs. Quad 2, while Oklahoma State has lost all four Quad 1 (0-2) and Quad 2 (0-2) games. The Cincinnati victory evened K-State’s Quad 1 record at 1-1, while the Wildcats are 0-4 against Quad 2 teams.
A closer look at the TCU Horned Frogs
TCU will be no pushover at Schollmaier Arena, where the Horned Frogs are 7-0 this year, including their most impressive victory, a 76-72 decision against Xavier.
Much like Jerome Tang did at K-State, TCU coach Jamie Dixon completely rebuilt his roster from a year ago with junior center Ernest Udeh, a former Kansas transfer, the lone scholarship player returning.
The Horned Frogs have been hard hit by injuries, losing point guard and leading scorer Frankie Collins (11.2 points, 4.4 assists) for the season with a broken foot, while Wyoming transfer guard Brendan Wenzel (9.4 points) has missed the last three games with a high ankle sprain.
With Collins out, Old Dominion transfer guard Vasean Allette leads a balanced TCU attack with 10.7 points per game, followed by Green Bay transfer Noah Reynolds at 10.6 and former UNC Wilmington forward Trazerien White with 10.2, while Udeh adds 9.2 points and a team-high 8.6 rebounds.
Coleman Hawkins and Dug McDaniels lead the way for K-State
K-State got big games from super-senior forward Coleman Hawkins and junior point guard Dug McDaniel, its most high-profile newcomers, against Cincinnati.
Illinois transfer Hawkins had arguably his best game as a Wildcat with 20 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and four steals, while Michigan transfer McDaniel scored 17 points in his second start.
K-State also limited its mistakes with 11 turnovers to an uncharacteristic 15 for Cincinnati, resulting in a 15-8 advantage in points off turnovers and 11-9 in fast break points.
Kansas State basketball at TCU: Prediction
TCU 75, Kansas State 72: TCU certainly is beatable, especially if K-State can duplicate its Cincinnati performance. But the Wildcats struggled with consistency throughout the nonconference schedule and are 0-2 in true road games, while TCU is unbeaten at Schollmaier.
Give a slight edge to the Horned Frogs at home.
Arne Green is based in Salina and covers Kansas State University sports for the Gannett network. He can be reached at agreen@gannett.com or on Twitter at @arnegreen.
