MANHATTAN, Kan. — Kansas State has proven that it can compete with most of the men’s basketball teams in the Big 12.
But the Wildcats remain light years behind Baylor.
The No. 10 Bears were once again too strong for the Wildcats during a 75-60 victory on Wednesday at Bramlage Coliseum. That result continued a streak of lopsided wins in this series for Scott Drew’s team. Baylor has now beaten K-State seven straight times by an average of 21 points.
For a while, it seemed like things might change. K-State led by as many as seven in the early going and matched Baylor 34-34 at halftime. With Nijel Pack keeping his hot streak alive with 31 points and Mark Smith adding 17 points, the Wildcats gave the defending national champions all they could handle.
Eventually, though, Baylor used its size, athleticism and depth to pull away. Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua led the way for the Bears with 21 points.
Here are some key takeaways from the game:
Nijel Pack shines in another loss
Earlier this season, Pack delivered the best game of his college career by scoring 35 points against Kansas.
On Wednesday, the sophomore guard came close to matching that performance by erupting for 31 points against Baylor.
What do both of those games have in common? They were both home losses for the Wildcats.
That has made it difficult for Pack to celebrate, or even appreciate, his best individual outings of the year. He is a team-first player and refuses to thump his chest after the Wildcats lose. He would rather score 10 points and win than score 30 points and lose.
But he had nothing to be ashamed of after both games. The Wildcats would have upset the Jayhawks had he made one more shot. And they may have beaten the Bears had he received a little more help from his supporting cast. Problem is, Smith was the only other K-State player who finished in double figures. Heck, he was the only other K-State player who did much of anything on the offensive end.
Pack scored 31 points. Smith had 17 points. Everyone else on the team combined for 12 points.
K-State’s third-leading scorer was Luke Kasubke, who came off the bench to score X points. Normal contributors Markquis Nowell and Mike McGuirl struggled all night.
That isn’t nearly enough to win games against ranked teams, no matter how well Pack shoots the ball.
Foul trouble dooms K-State
It would be interesting to know how much differently this game might have gone had McGuirl and Nowell avoided early fouls.
Nowell, the team’s point guard, was relegated to the bench for all but 10 minutes of the first half after picking up two quick fouls. Then he picked up two more less than three minutes into the second half.
His decision to drive at the basket immediately after picking up his third foul was highly questionable and led to a game-changing charge that sent him back to the bench until Baylor had clinched the game.
McGuirl also got two fouls in the first half and was quickly whistled for a third in the second half.
Baylor showed off its depth after two of K-State’s starting guards went to the bench. The Wildcats couldn’t keep up.
Perhaps Weber could changed the script by playing Nowell more minutes in the first half. Then again, he played recklessly until he picked up foul No. 4. Maybe it wouldn’t have mattered. In any case, foul trouble was too much for K-State to overcome.
Bad news Bears
A victory in this game would have considerably boosted K-State’s hopes of reaching the NCAA Tournament. But the Wildcats can still reach the postseason even after this loss.
Let’s be honest, beating Baylor was always going to be a long shot. As noted above. the Bears are a horrible matchup for the Wildcats. They have too much size, too much athleticism and too much depth. They are skilled on both offense and defense. There’s a reason Weber calls them the most balanced team in the Big 12.
Baylor has routinely crushed K-State in recent years, and that didn’t change on Wednesday.
An opportunity missed? Sure. But the Wildcats can redeem themselves in their next two games. Up next is a road trip to struggling Iowa State on Saturday. Then it’s back home for a favorable matchup against West Virginia.
The Wildcats will have a chance in both of those games. A pair of wins will keep them on the bubble.
