Wildcats have lost their balance

Here is the problem with being a one-man basketball team: The four other men. Kansas State lost a heart-wrenching game to Texas A&M on Friday night in the Big 12 tournament quarterfinals. It was the Wildcats’ sixth loss in nine games. After it ended, lots of people asked coach Frank Martin whether he was worried about missing the NCAA Tournament.

That was the wrong question.

He was not worried about that. He should not be worried about it either — Kansas State will be in the NCAA Tournament, you can take that to the bank. The Wildcats finished third in the Big 12 Conference — one of the top three conferences in America. They have good victories, a ruthless schedule, a good enough-RPI and, anyway, who would go in their place? Is there some bubbly team out there with a better resume? No. They’re in.

But that doesn’t change the fact that this team has taken a turn for the worse. There should be something else troubling Martin — his Wildcats lost 63-60 for the same reason they have been losing lots of games lately. They lost because players spent another game watching their star, Michael Beasley, do utterly amazing things.

Beasley’s performance was enough to get more NBA scouts drooling. It was enough to make Kansas coaches scouting the game drop their jaws.

It was not enough, again, to win.

On this night, Beasley scored 25 points, grabbed nine rebounds, blocked three shots, and he did it against a defense that swarmed him, and against Sprint Center rims that would not relent. He made 10 of 21 shots, but at least five shots rimmed in and out, including a last shot with about 8 seconds left that would have given Kansas State the lead. Yes, Beasley was his usual all-world self — by the way, it’s laughable for anyone to think that North Carolina’s Tyler Hansbrough is in this guy’s universe. Hansbrough’s a fine college player surrounded by a great team. Beasley is something different. Beasley is an NBA star playing college basketball. I have yet to meet anyone who coaches basketball who would even consider taking Hansbrough over Beasley.

But again … Beasley’s genius wasn’t enough. It’s the same sad song. Beasley scored 22 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in a loss at Texas Tech. He scored 44 points and grabbed 13 boards in a loss at Baylor. He scored 30 against Texas and 39 against Kansas. Both were losses. Second verse, same as the first.

Here’s the thing: Beasley, from day one, has been a one-man wrecking crew. But he has not always been a one-man show. When the Wildcats were playing their best basketball, they were getting good play out of other players. Kansas State destroyed Texas A&M the first time the teams played, and on that night Beasley scored only 21 (he’s the kind of player who can score “only” 21). The whole team stepped up — they shot 52 percent, they scored 24 points off turnovers, their guards utterly intimidated the Aggies guards.

“They’re not playing with the same confidence as they were when we played them the first time,” Texas A&M coach Mark Turgeon admitted. “They’re not quite the same animal.”

Yes, for about three weeks there, Kansas State was an animal, the Wildcats were playing about as well as any team in the country. Sure, Beasley was the star. But Bill Walker was sort of a co-star. And everyone on the team seemed to feel a part of things. They played tough defense. They moved the ball around. In the Wildcats’ win over Kansas, four players scored in double figures, Kansas State scored more points off turnovers. That was a true team.

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To reach Joe Posnanski, call 816-234-4361 or send e-mail to jposnanski@kcstar.com. For previous columns, go to KansasCity.com