MANHATTAN, Kan. _ Kansas State's 64-56 victory over Denver on Monday at Bramlage Coliseum came with a few warning signs that could lead to trouble for the Wildcats when they start playing stronger competition later this basketball season.
The biggest concern: outside shooting.
For the second straight game, K-State was far from impressive while trying to score from beyond the 3-point line. The Wildcats made 6 of 27 shots from distance, which led to a poor shooting effort overall (23 of 60 overall) and a lackluster victory.
The visiting Pioneers led at various times throughout the game and went into halftime down just 31-28.
Denver slowed K-State with a zone defense and made things much more interesting than expected until the Wildcats eventually wore them down.
But K-State's shooting struggles extended beyond the 3-point line. The Wildcats also had a hard time making shots without any defenders in their way, going 12 of 27 from the free-throw line.
Every Austin Trice trip to the charity stripe was an adventure, but normally solid shooters like Dean Wade struggled there, too.
Those misses meant K-State had to grind out a result before it embarks on its first road trip of the season at the Paradise Jam, which begins on Friday in the Virgin Islands. The Wildcats will take on Eastern Kentucky.
K-State did enough to win, but it wasn't pretty.
Barry Brown was the team's main source of offense, particularly in the second half. The senior guard scored a game-high 25 points and made several key baskets, including four 3-pointers, to keep the Pioneers at bay.
His biggest shot came in the final minutes. With K-State leading 56-53, he caught a pass on the base line, dribbled by a defender and drained a mid-range jumper to extend the lead.
Xavier Sneed and Wade were the only other K-State players to reach double figures.
Wade finished with 12 points and 16 rebounds, the most of any K-State player in six years.
Early on, it looked like Sneed was going to be a difference maker. He started off hot and scored seven of K-State's first nine points, but he couldn't sustain that pace and did little after halftime. But he did clinch the game with a late steal and dunk.
The junior wing was playing in his first game of the season after missing the opener against Kennesaw State, another unimpressive win.
No one else on the team scored more than five points.
That will need to change if K-State hopes to live up to its lofty preseason expectations.
