Kansas State is back in the NCAA Tournament for the fourth straight season and fifth time in six years. Here are five things to know about the Wildcats:
1. Rodney McGruder leads the team in scoring. MCGRUDER! He averages 15.7 points per game, and 5.4 rebounds per game, and like the “McGruber” SNL skit, he can explode in a hurry.
2. They share the ball well. The Wildcats rank 13th in the nation in assists per game (16.0). Point guard Angel Rodriguez is quick and an excellent distributor on offense. K-State doesn’t score a ton of points (ranking 127th in the nation) but they do spread the wealth.
3. Bruce Weber has done a nice job replacing Frank Martin. Though he’s not the recruiter that Martin was, Weber is an excellent game coach and he proved that in leading Illinois to the national title game in 2005. K-State fans might miss Martin’s explosive temperament on the sidelines, but Weber has gotten the most out of this team. It will be interesting to see if he can recruit enough quality players to come to Manhattan, Kansas.
4. They struggled against elite teams this season. Despite the 27-7 record, Kansas State was hammered twice by Kansas and lost to the Jayhawks at home. They did handle Oklahoma State, beating the Cowboys twice, and they beat Florida in Kansas City. But the three losses to Kansas combined with a decisive loss to Gonzaga in Seattle aren’t encouraging signs for the NCAA Tournament.
5. They go eight-deep. Eight players average at least 13 minutes per game. The Wildcats will also rely on their guard play to get them through. As McGruder and Rodriguez go, so go the ‘Cats.
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