Three reasons why K-State hoops should improve this season (and one reason it may not)
Here’s the good news for Kansas State men’s basketball fans: The Wildcats should be much improved under Bruce Weber this season.
Here’s the bad news: That doesn’t necessarily mean a return trip to the NCAA Tournament, or even the NIT, is in the cards.
K-State has a long way to go before it can expect to reach the postseason. The Wildcats have been nationally irrelevant on the hardwood the past two seasons, posting win totals of 11 and then nine while finishing at or near the bottom of the Big 12 standings.
Even significant improvement could still result in a losing record this season.
Weber has never increased K-State’s season-by-season win total by more than four during his time in Manhattan. He will need to at least double that number for the Wildcats to have a shot at playing beyond the Big 12 Tournament.
Many think that type of improvement is out of reach, as K-State was picked to finish ninth in the Big 12 preseason poll. But there is hope the Wildcats could exceed expectations given the mix of talent and leadership that currently exists on their roster.
With that in mind, here are three reasons why K-State can feel optimistic about the upcoming season, which begins at 7 p.m. Wednesday against Florida A&M at Bramlage Coliseum, and one reason why they may remain cautious.
The transfer portal was good to the Wildcats
Weber and his coaching staff hit the transfer portal hard during the offseason, and that decision seems to have paid off.
The Wildcats added three impact transfers during the spring, and now Ismael Massoud, Markquis Nowell and Mark Smith are all key members of the rotation.
Massoud, a sophomore forward from Wake Forest, plays like a poor man’s Dean Wade. He is 6-foot-9 and capable of making shots from the outside, but he also has experience fighting for rebounds and making difficult buckets in the paint. He is far and away the most versatile big man Weber has landed since Wade was on campus.
His presence on the roster will provide K-State with roster flexibility, which is something it lacked a year ago. Weber can go with a big lineup that features Massoud at power forward and Davion Bradford at center. Or he can stick with the four-guard lineup that worked well near the end of the last season.
Nowell provides much-needed guard depth. The 5-foot-8 junior from Arkansas-Little Rock can shoot from NBA range and plays at warp speed. He will need to learn to slow down a bit and play within Weber’s system if he hopes to crack the starting lineup. But his energy and ability to create his own shot will add a fun change of pace to K-State’s lineup. He can also create something out of nothing when the shot clock is winding down.
Finally, Smith might be the most important addition of all. He led K-State in scoring during a closed scrimmage against Oregon and then had a team-high 13 rebounds during an exhibition against Pittsburg State.
The 6-foot-4 senior transfer from Missouri seems like an ideal Swiss army-knife player for K-State.
Adding those three players significantly raised the ceiling for this roster.
Experience at every position
K-State was one of the youngest teams in all of college basketball season.
Nijel Pack, Selton Miguel and Davion Bradford all started as freshmen. The Wildcats’ other main contributors were mostly sophomores. Outside of Mike McGuirl, there wasn’t much experience on the court or on the bench.
That will change this season.
Those freshmen are now sophomores. McGuirl is now a “super senior.” Massoud and Smith have both played in power conferences for other schools. Nowell was once an all-conference player in the Sun Belt.
K-State appeared to turn a corner late last season when its young players fully learned their roles and established a rhythm playing the same starting lineup. That allowed them to win four of their final six games and push eventual national champion Baylor in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament.
They appear to have built off that experience during the offseason and showed some chemistry during their exhibition win.
The last time Weber played three freshmen together was when Barry Brown, Kamau Stokes and Wade were on campus. They struggled that first year and only won 17 games together. But they were in the NCAA Tournament as sophomores. Perhaps a similar jump is possible for this group.
Fewer scoring droughts
The Wildcats averaged just 61.8 points per game last season. That was the product of an offense that only had two reliable scorers — Miguel and Pack.
K-State relied on them to each play more than 33 minutes per game and attempt more than 260 shots. Its offense revolved around them.
The Wildcats should enjoy more balance this season. Massoud, Nowell and Smith are all capable scorers. Sophomore Luke Kasubke and Miguel have improved their offensive touch, as well.
For that reason, Weber has preached the importance of efficiency throughout preseason practices. He wants Miguel and Pack to make more baskets this season while attempting fewer shots.
Getting good shots will be a priority for everyone within the offense this season, and that should lead to some faster-paced games and more points for the Wildcats.
Reason for concern
K-State is far from the only team in the Big 12 that upgraded its talent level through the transfer portal.
Kansas and Texas added several heralded transfers at the top of the conference. Oklahoma and TCU found their own diamonds in the rough closer to K-State’s position in the league standings.
If every team in the Big 12 improved during the offseason, that will make K-State’s climb even harder.
It is also worth wondering if K-State lost part of what it helped it play well near the end of last season in the form of defense. The Wildcats suffocated opponents with defensive pressure in their final few games. Can they re-create those performances without DaJuan Gordon?
On paper, it seems like K-State has upgraded enough on offense to withstand a slight downgrade on the defensive end. But it’s worth monitoring as a season that could go in many different directions is set to begin.
This story was originally published November 9, 2021 at 12:43 PM with the headline "Three reasons why K-State hoops should improve this season (and one reason it may not)."