MANHATTAN, Kan. — Even in a season filled with ugly performances from the Kansas State men’s basketball team, what transpired during a 69-47 loss against West Virginia on Saturday at Bramlage Coliseum might qualify as the most frustrating effort yet.
The Wildcats were plagued by turnovers and missed 3-pointers in a low-scoring game against a rusty opponent that hadn’t played in two weeks because of COVID-19 issues on its roster. Had they brought their “A” game, or maybe even their “B” game, the Wildcats (5-11, 1-7 Big 12) would have had a real shot at ending their losing streak against the No. 14 Mountaineers (10-4, 3-3 Big 12).
Instead, the Wildcats appeared hapless for long stretches and lost their sixth straight.
K-State was at its worst in the first half. The few fans that were in attendance for this one were shielding their eyes throughout the opening 20 minutes as the Wildcats bumbled their way to 17 points. They achieved that number while only attempting 18 shots and turning the ball over a whopping 18 times.
You read that right. The Wildcats finished the first half with more turnovers than points.
They ended the game with 28 turnovers, the most any K-State team has committed under coach Bruce Weber.
K-State appeared so lost on offense that it was hard to tell what Weber’s game plan was. Possessions that ended in anything other than a turnover felt like a success. West Virginia took advantage and led 21-4 before the Wildcats were able to hit the reset button and put forth a competitive effort.
All things considered, the Wildcats were fortunate to only trail 31-17 at halftime.
They regrouped in the locker room and pulled to within eight (36-28) at the 15:38 mark of the second half thanks to nine quick points from freshman guard Selton Miguel and a pair of free throws from senior guard Mike McGuirl. But the Wildcats couldn’t get any closer. Antonio Gordon missed a wide open 3-pointer on the next possession and the Mountaineers were able to stretch their lead back to double digits.
To their credit, K-State players never quit and later pulled within 10. But they couldn’t make enough clutch shots to actually put pressure on the Mountaineers. That was most evident from the 3-point line, where they made 3 of 15 shots.
Had even a few more open looks gone down, the game could have been legitimately close in the final moments.
But it’s hard for a team to stay close against a ranked foe when it turns the ball over at a high rate and struggles to make shots.
Miles McBride led West Virginia with a game-high 18 points. McGuirl led K-State with 15 points.
The Wildcats will try for a more competitive result when they take the court next against No. 2 Baylor on Wednesday at Ferrell Center.
