How Mike McGuirl became Kansas State's surprise NCAA Tournament star vs. Creighton

The crowd of reporters surrounding Mike McGuirl was so large after Kansas State’s 69-59 victory over Creighton in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday at Spectrum Center that Dean Wade offered to hoist late-arriving media on his shoulders for a clear view of the freshman guard.

And to think, McGuirl was completely ignored in a similar locker-room setting last week before the Big 12 Tournament.

Things can change that quickly in college basketball. One moment, you’re a seldom-used player wondering if you should have sat out the season with a redshirt. The next, you’re a hero.

“He was special,” K-State coach Bruce Weber said of McGuirl. “He had a shining moment. I hope it continues.”

McGuirl was the unexpected and unquestioned star of this game. With Wade, the team’s best player, limited to “emergency minutes” with a left foot injury, the Wildcats looked doomed against the high-scoring Bluejays. Instead, they won by double digits with McGuirl pouring in 17 points and making one big shot after the next.

His biggest two were jaw-droppers.

The first came on the final play of the first half. With time winding down and K-State struggling to get the ball across midcourt, McGuirl caught the ball well beyond the three-point line and sent it straight through the net to give the Wildcats a 32-26 lead.

Later, he dashed whatever comeback hopes Creighton had left by making a corner three while being fouled by former K-State guard Marcus Foster. He then made a free-throw to make it a four-point play and give the Wildcats a 57-46 lead with 7 minutes, 13 seconds remaining.

But he was good in all areas, needing only 22 minutes to fill up the stat sheet.

Not bad for a guy that missed the first 15 games with an ankle injury, planned to redshirt and then got buried on the bench after joining the rotation for a brief stretch of conference games.

“It’s a dream come true,” McGuirl said. “It’s something I have been thinking about all my life, and it’s happening now.”

Here’s the craziest part about all this: if not for Kansas guard Devonte Graham inadvertently poking K-State starter Barry Brown in the eye last week at the Big 12 Tournament, McGuirl would probably still be an unknown player at the end of the bench.

Weber turned to him in desperation during an 83-67 loss to the Jayhawks, and McGuirl took advantage. K-State coaches have liked McGuirl since they first spotted him playing high school basketball in Ellington, Conn. Weber even called him “the surprise of the summer” after a great run of practice before the season began. But he had never put it together in games until last week when he turned heads by racking up a respectable four points, four rebounds and four assists against KU.

He even impressed himself.

“You have no idea,” McGuirl said. “It really changed everything for me mentally. It was also the people around me helping my confidence. They boosted me up.”

McGruirl proved he deserved at least a small role in the rotation.

So Weber called on him again when the Wildcats need him in the NCAA Tournament, college basketball’s biggest stage.

“I couldn’t be more thrilled for him,” Weber said. “I was talking to him the other day and said, ‘This year, it hasn’t been pleasant for you. It sucks what happened from your injuries to thinking you are going to redshirt, but you showed the courage and desire to help the team.’”

He did more than help against Creighton. He was a leader.

“He has got a little bit of cockiness to him,” Weber said. “He’s not afraid. He will take it to the basket. You saw, he tried to go in there and dunk on some people. And he’s a good defender. Mike does a great job.”

His teammates weren’t surprised.

“You should see him in practice, man,” Wade said. “The kid plays just like that in practice all the time. I didn’t know it was going to be in the tournament that he would do this. That is the only thing that surprised me. I knew he was going to be a good player. My confidence in him is high … He kept his confidence and really lifted our team.”

It will be fascinating to see how McGuirl’s role changes if/when Wade returns to the rotation. But one thing is for sure: he deserves to keep playing.

“He’s a freshman,” K-State guard Kamau Stokes said, “but he doesn’t play like a freshman.”

He is more also than just the next man up. McGuirl offers the Wildcats much needed backcourt depth, an extra scoring punch and swagger.

K-State wouldn’t be headed to the Round of 32 for the first time in six years without him.

This story was originally published March 16, 2018 at 10:16 PM with the headline "How Mike McGuirl became Kansas State's surprise NCAA Tournament star vs. Creighton."