K-State embarks on grueling week of Big 12 hoops with games at Iowa State, Houston
Big 12 schedule-makers didn’t do any favors for the Kansas State men’s basketball team this week.
After getting off to an impressive 4-1 start in conference play the Wildcats will now be tested like never before as they embark on a grueling road swing that features consecutive away games against No. 23 Iowa State and No. 4 Houston.
You won’t find a harder stretch of road games than this.
In fact, the games look so daunting as a combo that K-State coach Jerome Tang is doing everything he can to keep them separate in the minds of his players.
“We are trying to look at the first game,” Tang said. “Going to (Iowa State), you know they’ve got a great crowd and a really good team and just an unbelievable environment. It is as hard as it gets in our league. So we will focus on that one, and then when that’s done we will think about the next one.”
Winning either of the next two games would give a significant boost to K-State’s resume as it builds a case for an at-large berth into the NCAA Tournament.
But victories won’t be easy to come by.
First up is a trip to Hilton Coliseum on Wednesday against Iowa State, which has won all 11 of its home games this season. The Cyclones rank second nationally in defensive efficiency, according to college basketball statistician Bart Torvik, and they are projected to beat the Wildcats by 11.
The last two teams that played at Iowa State struggled mightily to score, as the Cyclones defeated Houston 57-53 and then Oklahoma State 66-42.
One thing that will make this a particularly difficult matchup for K-State: Nobody forces more turnovers than the Cyclones. They come up with a takeaway 26.7% of the time when they are on defense, which is bad news for a K-State offense that is turnover-prone and gives the ball away 21.1% of the time.
After that comes a road trip to Fertitta Center on Saturday against Houston, which owns a home record of 10-0 and is currently demolishing conference foes by an average of 24 points in its own building.
“We are going to have to shoot quick,” Tang said. “Get up the shot as soon as it’s open, because the deeper you get in the shot clock with those guys it’s like the vise grip just tightens and tightens and tightens. Me and the guys upstairs were just running through some numbers and their ability to turn teams over — they are not fun to play against.”
Crazy it sounds, a trip to Iowa State might only serve as a warmup for what K-State will encounter at Houston.
The Cougars are even harder to score against than the Cyclones. Houston is the nation’s best defensive team and undefeated at home with a perfect 10-0 mark.
The final scores from Houston’s first three Big 12 home games were nightmare fuel for the rest of the conference. The Cougars have gone 3-0 against league opponents at home, winning by an average margin of 24.
No team has scored more than 55 points at Houston all season, and the team that accomplished that feat (West Virginia) still lost by 34.
Houston is projected as a 17-point favorite against K-State.
The Wildcats entered this week in a tie for first place in the Big 12 standings along with Texas Tech. Their hot start will be put to the test over the next few days.
