Kansas State Wildcats are heading to the NCAA tournament for the first time in three years. They open the dance in Dayton against Wake Forest.
The roller coaster ride of college basketball season for coach Bruce Weber’s team will see them battle a tough opponent from the Atlantic Coast Conference. A record 9 ACC schools received invites to March Madness.
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The Wildcats played some good basketball in last week’s Big 12 tournament. Here are two things they must do to beat the Demon Deacons.
Defense wins championships
Kansas State is a good defensive team and that is critical this time of year.
They limit their opponents to an average of just 66 points a game and 44 percent shooting – 38 percent from beyond the arc.
The Wildcats are undefeated when holding an opponent to fewer than 65 points.
On the other hand, in the games the team lost they gave up an average of 77 points on 47 percent shooting.
Considering what we saw from the Wildcats in the Big 12 tournament, they should be more than ready to play defense against the Demon Deacons. The ‘Cats held a pair of the nation’s top teams Baylor to 64 points and West Virginia to 51. If they can do this, they can advance.
I’m not worried about the Wildcat defense.
Dean Wade must get involved and be aggressive.
The Sophomore big man’s performance has been up and down during the past few weeks.
He has shown flashes of brilliance. Remember his 20 points against the Jayhawks?
On the other hand, Wade was a no show in the Big 12 tourney game against Baylor. He had a couple of turnovers and no points or rebounds in the first half after spending a considerable amount of time on the bench.
Not much changed in the 2nd half. He did get one rebound but didn’t score.
In the tourney semifinal against West Virginia, Wade opened the second half with a layup. It was a good sign but he wilted down the stretch and simply avoiding shooting when he was wide open.
If Wade gets involved and the defense plays the way they did last week, the Wildcats can beat the Deacons.