Do Kansas Jayhawks, K-State Wildcats enter Sunflower Showdown as ‘desperate’ teams?
Alabama transfer Rylan Griffen, who is about to play in his first Kansas-Kansas State men’s basketball rivalry game, expects to see a highly motivated Wildcats team on Saturday.
The Sunflower State showdown tips off at noon Central Time inside Allen Fieldhouse.
“This is one of the type games where K-State … (I’m) not sure if they are going to make the tournament or not, but if they don’t, this is the type of game they are going to talk about at the (KSU postseason) banquet if they beat us at our place. So we cant allow that to happen,” said Griffen, a 6-foot-6 junior guard from Dallas.
Kansas (12-4, 3-2 Big 12) is coming off a 74-57 loss to Iowa State on Wednesday in Ames, Iowa. K-State (7-9, 1-4), which lost 61-57 to Texas Tech on Tuesday in Manhattan, is riding a four-game losing streak.
“We know this is a season-defining type game for them,” Griffen said. “Their season is going to be pretty much predicated on the two times we play them.”
Griffen could enter the starting lineup Saturday following Friday’s news that KJ Adams will miss the game with a separated shoulder.
“We’ve got to make sure we don’t let them have a great banquet,” Griffen said.
On Friday, at a news conference held in advance of the KU-KSU game, Griffen said he respected a KSU guard group that includes Villanova transfer Brendan Hausen, Michigan transfer Dug McDaniel and Cal State Fullerton transfer Max Jones.
“I think they’ve got great guards that could really do damage. They’ve got some guards who can really get hot. They got some guys who can score in bunches. They can score 10 straight points,” Griffen said.
Of the Cats possibly being a “desperate” team at this point because of record, Griffen said: “Yes I’m pretty sure every team ... they’re going to be desperate because they’re under .500.
“But we’re going to be desperate, too, because we’re in the middle of the pack of the Big 12 rankings (standings) right now, so we can’t have any room for error right now either. ... It is going be two desperate teams playing and we’re going to be on our home floor, so we have to be even more desperate than them.”
Griffen, who averages 6.9 points per game, is eager to experience the intensity of a KU-KSU game.
“I just heard it is a big-time rivalry. It’s like all the fans and both schools really care about this game and just both teams most of the time play their hearts out to try to win this game,” he said. “So it’s one of the best rivalries in college basketball still and that’s what I’m looking forward to.”
The Jayhawks enter the game tied for fourth in the league standings at 3-2. KU at this early juncture is two games behind several 5-0 teams: Houston, Iowa State and Arizona.
Of the Big 12 race, KU coach Bill Self said: “I don’t know that it’s way too early for us to say that we better take advantage of our opportunities. I don’t think it’s way too early for that, but we’ve got a hard schedule. Our schedule’s a little different than most on who we play twice and that stuff (KU plays Iowa State and Houston twice), so we’ve got to take advantage of every opportunity, certainly at home.”
He, too, was asked if K-State enters as a “desperate” squad.
“Well, they are playing Kansas. We’re playing K-State, so I think whoever would be playing in this game should feel a sense of that. We should certainly feel it, too,” Self said.
If the Jayhawks defeat the Wildcats in the first of this season’s two games between the rivals — the rematch is Feb. 8 in Manhattan — they’ll do so without regular starter Adams, who’s been averaging 8.2 points and 4.6 rebounds per game.
Adams, known as one of KU’s team leaders, likely will take an active role from the bench.
“I haven’t talked to him about what his role is going to be as an assistant coach yet,” Self said. “We just found this out yesterday. But he’s played so well the last four games. He’s been without question our best and most consistent performer.
“So I think that it’s a blow, but it’s also a great opportunity about rotation and getting new guys opportunity and tinkering. Well, hopefully somebody can develop through this, as well.”
Saturday’s game will be televised nationally on CBS.
