MANHATTAN, Kan. -- The last two times Kansas State beat Kansas on the basketball court, it had an elite scorer to lean on.
In 2008, it was Michael Beasley. The current NBA forward hit the Jayhawks inside and out for 25 points, and the Wildcats celebrated their first win over KU at Bramlage Coliseum and first at home in 25 years.Last year, it was Jacob Pullens turn. The all-time leading scorer in program history lit up the Jayhawks for 38 points. The victory gave the Wildcats enough momentum to reel off a lengthy winning streak at the end of the regular season. K-State is hoping for a similar outcome when Kansas comes to Bramlage Coliseum for a nationally televised ESPN Big Monday game at 8 tonight, but the Wildcats may have to use a different method to get there.Unlike years past, there is no go-to scorer on this K-State team. Though junior forward Rodney McGruder has had his moments such as a 33-point effort against Texas, a 30-point night against Baylor and 28-point game against Long Beach State the Wildcats are at their best when everyone on their roster works together.We just need to be prepared to go as a team. Individuals dont win games, teams do, K-State basketball coach Frank Martin said. Weve got to play team basketball. Guys have to do their jobs, whether it be screening, rotating, whatever. Everyone has to be on board.At times, McGruder has received so much help from his teammates that he hasnt needed to carry the load on offense. He can influence games without scoring 20-plus points. But at other times he has reached the 30-point mark and K-State has still lost.A 75-64 defeat at Texas on Saturday showed both ends of the spectrum. In the first half, McGruder scored 11 points by making several shots from midrange and outside with the Wildcats moving the ball around and playing solid defense. Will Spradling also scored 11 points, Adrian Diaz added seven, and K-State took a 40-27 halftime lead.But in the second half, Texas started using double teams to defend McGruder. He seemed flustered by the extra attention, and no one was there to offer relief. He went scoreless in the second half, and K-State managed only 24 points as a team in the final 20 minutes. Not surprisingly, the Longhorns pulled away for the win.We didnt play like a team and we got beat, Martin said. We cant play KU that way.Martin points back to several examples of why it is important to have everyone involved, this year and beyond. Even when K-State had Bill Walker and Beasley on the same team, he remembers a game the Wildcats lost when they combined for more than 70 points.Mike scored 44 at Baylor, and we lost, Martin said. Not too many people have had better individual performances than that. Bill had a great game and had 31, but everyone else had four points. You cant win that way.Especially against an opponent like Kansas that has impressed Martin in terms of production against Big 12 competition.Offensively, right now, they are playing at an incredible rate, Martin said.After a short turnaround, K-States players will be ready to defend and make it as hard as possible for the Jayhawks to get easy points. They are in need of a resume-boosting win, and a strong and loud crowd at Bramlage Coliseum should help.A year ago, the Wildcats faced the same turnaround. Less than 48 hours after suffering a heartbreaking loss at Colorado, they returned home and played one of their best games of the season.Can they repeat history tonight? With or without an elite scorer, its time to find out.If you can find a way to get Jacob Pullen to line up and score 38, I would feel a lot better, Martin said. That turnaround feels a lot better when you have a guy who can do that. But our guys have been challenged. Weve played in hard games, weve played KU already. Weve played away from home, neutral sites Its late in the year. Youve learned the lessons you need to learn to prepare for this.Read more Kansas State University
Posted on Sun, Feb. 12, 2012 07:50 PM
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closeStars have come out vs. KU, but K-State wants team effort
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To reach Kellis Robinett, send email to krobinett@kcstar.com. Follow him at twitter.com/KellisRobinett.







