Kansas State Dominates Iowa State, Ends 15-Game Road Losing Streak
A six-game losing streak had many ready to write off Kansas State for the season.
Three dominant conference victories can definitely change a lot of minds. Here are the takeaways from the Wildcats' win over Iowa State Saturday afternoon:
1. Dug McDaniel was the difference-maker for the third consecutive game.
When Dug McDaniel transferred to Manhattan, KS, the Wildcats were expected to take a leap. It took some time, but now we may finally see the type of team play that was anticipated since the season started. McDaniel had his best performance as a Wildcat with 20 points on 47.1 percent shooting from the field. His ability to score and facilitate as the main guard helps the offensive flow and
2. Kansas State's free-throw shooting continues trending positively.
The Wildcats got to the free-throw line a lot Saturday afternoon, taking advantage every time. They shot 85.7 percent from the line, with guard Brendan Hausen hitting nine alone as a part of a 15-point performance. Kansas State fouled a lot late, with several players in foul trouble during the closing minutes. But even then, the Wildcats are slowly starting to diminish the free-throw disparity that plagued the team most of the season.
3. The Wildcats took advantage of the second-chance opportunities.
There was a time when Kansas State would get dominated on the offensive glass and could not get second chances at scoring. Like most negative connotations about this team, those days are seemingly over. The Wildcats had 21 second-chance points compared to Iowa State's six. The ability to keep possessions alive halted any momentum for the Cyclones and kept the offensive momentum in Kansas State's favor.
Jayden Armant is a graduate of the Howard University School of Communications and a contributor to Kansas State Wildcats on SI. He can be reached at jaydenshome14@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @jaydenarmant.
Jayden is a journalism school graduate of Howard University. He was the 2024 recipient of the Terez Paylor scholarship award. He previously worked at the Orlando Sentinel.