The Kansas State Wildcats begin their Big 12 Tournament run at 6 p.m. against the BYU Cougars, but advancing won’t come easy. Even with BYU battling injuries, K-State still faces the challenge of slowing down one of the nation’s top players.
Kansas State must slow down AJ Dybantsa to keep Big 12 Tournament hopes alive.
The BYU roster is riddled with injuries, none bigger than Richie Saunders’ season-ending torn ACL, but that leaves another starter to step up – AJ Dybantsa. Dybantsa has been a consensus top-three pick in this season’s NBA draft, and it’s easy to see why.
He leads the nation in scoring at 24.7 points per game and has already posted a 43-point performance during conference play against Utah. It’s been over a month since Dybantsa last scored fewer than 20 points, and with Saunders out, that shows no sign of slowing.
Those numbers from a player of Dybantsa's caliber are hard to come by. Any lack of preparation, and this one starts to look less like an opening-round contest and more like a field day for the Cougars.
Wildcats bench production needs to step up, and fast.
There hasn’t been much conversation around the Wildcats’ bench production so far this season, and it’s easy to see why. It hasn’t been non-existent, but minimal at best.
K-State forward Andrej Kostic proves capable of knocking down the deep ball, but outside of that, C.J. Jones has lacked consistency and Elias Rapieque is slowly returning from injury. Throw in the absence of Dorin Buca, and it leaves the question of where the ‘big man’ points come from in the paint.
Only 14 points came off the bench for Kansas State last weekend against the Kansas Jayhawks, and in several recent games Andrej Kostic has been the lone bench scorer, with the Wildcats occasionally getting single-digit production from their reserves.
If that continues against the Cougars, it’s a recipe for disaster.
Minimizing late game lapses is a must for Kansas State
This isn’t January, and it’s certainly not February anymore – it’s March. The time of year when teams are expected to play their best basketball. For Kansas State, that means fewer turnovers, better control of fast-break opportunities and avoiding the impending late-game collapses that have defined the final few minutes.
No repeat of Oklahoma State, TCU, or even their last home game against West Virginia. Heck, maybe even take inspiration from the Wildcats’ women’s basketball team’s ability to piece together momentum.
Move things in that direction, and an opening round upset might just be in the cards.
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