MANHATTAN, Kan. — If slapping the floor is a sign of defensive intensity, the Kansas State men's basketball team appeared to treat its game against Texas Tech like a Final Four matchup on Saturday at Bramlage Coliseum.
Davion Bradford crouched down and slammed his hands into the court on the Red Raiders' opening possession, and just about all of his teammates did the same as the game went on. Sometimes it was Nijel Pack or Mike McGuirl. Other times it was Antonio Gordon or Kaosi Ezeagu. It felt synchronized on a few occasions.
"That is what got our energy up," Pack said. "It's something Coach did in practice and we followed along with it in the game, and it made our defensive energy go up. I believe we played very hard today. I couldn't ask for anything more from our guys."
Indeed, the Wildcats brought new levels of passion and energy to the floor. It was easy to see and hear. That helped them play one of their better games against a heavily favored opponent. But it wasn't enough to snap a losing streak that now stands at 10, as Texas Tech pulled away in the second half for a 73-62 victory.
"We just have to be better," Pack said, "and finish games."
Still, this was a step in the right direction for K-State (5-15, 1-10 Big 12) after losing its previous four conference games by a combined total of 119 points. The Wildcats were competitive against the No. 13 Red Raiders (14-5, 6-4 Big 12) and challenged them for a full 40 minutes.
You could say K-State showed ideal fight on Saturday. The next step? Winning.
"We put every team on notice that we are the dark horse," Ezeagu said. "You can't just come into the game and expect to have 20. We are going to give you a hard game. That goes for everybody else we are going to play down the line. We are going to go all out and give our best."
K-State head coach Bruce Weber doesn't believe in moral victories, but even he said he was proud of the Wildcats after this one for showing fight and improving in many areas.
He challenged the Wildcats to play with maximum energy on defense by showing them clips of former K-State teams that locked down opponents behind Barry Brown. He also urged them to get into a strong defensive stance and to slap the floor at every opportunity.
"If they will come with that same energy and focus we will have a chance at some of these games down the stretch," Weber said. "They played with heart and some focus. I just wish we could have done it earlier."
It was most apparent this was going to be a close game at the 16:28 mark of the second half when McGuirl hit a fast-break layup to tie the score at 32-32.
The entire team was slapping the floor after that bucket. But the Red Raiders were quick to answer with a string of 3-pointers that gave them a 47-35 lead a few minutes later. Texas Tech players took advantage of K-State's intensity by drawing defenders around a big man in the paint and then kicking the ball out to an open shooter.
Matt McCLung led Texas Tech with a game-high 23 points, and Kevin McCullar added 15.
That seemed like all she wrote for K-State's upset chances, but the Wildcats did fight back to within six on several occasions. But the Wildcats were hurt by foul trouble. Both Ezeagu and Pack had to spend key minutes on the bench with four fouls.
Pack's fourth foul was particularly painful for the Wildcats, as he was called for a charge while draining a floater at the 6:41 mark that would have cut Texas Tech's lead down to seven. Instead, they trailed by nine and he was on his way to the bench.
Senior guard McGuirl and Pack both led K-State with 16 points apiece. Ezeagu had 10 off the bench.
They slapped the floor and did everything they could to try and help the Wildcats end their losing streak. But it wasn't quite enough.
Now, they must turn their focus to K-State's next game, against Texas on Tuesday. At least they have something to build off from this performance.
"This season has been tough for all of us," Ezeagu said. "We have all gone through (stuff) and fans don't really know. They still talk down to us on the internet. They don't know what we are going through, but we are going to put forth our best effort every time."
