Streaky Kansas State is desperate to begin a run of a different kind when the Wildcats host Mississippi Valley State Monday night in Manhattan, Kan.
Following five straight wins to open the season, Kansas State officially has hit the skids, dropping four games in a row. The last two, an 82-66 shocker to Bowling Green and a 78-67 defensive throttling from Seton Hall, have come on the Wildcats’ home court.
Head coach Jerome Tang pointed to myriad issues in the latest setback.
“(Seton Hall) scored 22 to our seven on points off turnovers. That’s a 15-point difference,” Tang said. “And then we missed 20 free throws. So that wasn’t a lack of care, a lack of effort. There’s a lack of execution. So, we’ll get back to it and continue to get better.”
Lead guard PJ Haggerty saw his scoring average dip from an NCAA-leading 25.1 points per game to 23.6 after a miserable shooting performance that left him with 11 points. He went 3 of 12 from the field against Seton Hall after hitting 6 of 19 against Bowling Green.
“Teams are guarding him differently, and then he has to learn how to attack how they’re guarding him,” Tang said. “And that means getting his other teammates more involved at times, and so it’s a growing and a learning process for him, but he’ll get there.”
Road-weary Mississippi Valley State (1-8) would presume to offer some relief for the Wildcats. The Delta Devils’ latest performance in a 66-52 road loss to Louisiana-Monroe featured familiar-looking poor shooting from 3-point range, as they made just 3 of 17 (17.6%).
Second-leading scorer Daniel Mayfield (14.2 ppg) paced his squad with 15 points in the loss, Mississippi Valley State’s seventh in a row.
The Delta Devils have played just one home game this season, which resulted in their only win. They’ll get a little relief with a home game against Tarleton State on Dec. 16 before their nonconference concludes with a three-game gantlet at Florida State, West Virginia and Oklahoma.
“This is going to challenge our team,” fourth-year coach George Ivory acknowledged in the preseason.
–Field Level Media
