Takeaways From Kansas State’s Loss To TCU: Offensive Struggles Too Much To Overcome
The Kansas State Wildcats dropped their 12th consecutive road game with their loss to TCU Saturday night. Here are a few takeaways from the defeat:
1. Kansas State's first-half offensive woes continued the trend of one-half performances.
Even with the Wildcats trailing by three at halftime, the first 20 minutes was an offensive slugfest. Kansas State held firm on the glass, collecting 18 offensive rebounds to TCU's 10. David N'Guessan had eight on his own en route to a career-high rebounding performance.
However, the team couldn't knock down a shot from the arc outside Brendan Hausen. The team was seemingly just launching 3s with the hope that one would create an avalanche from long distance. Unfortunately, the team just couldn't hit from 3-point range all game. The team's inability to finish inside exemplified this lackluster offensive display. Players missed several layups or shots close to the rim.
2. Coleman Hawkins' playmaking should overshadow his fouls and turnovers.
Coleman Hawkins' 20-point display in the Cincinnati victory was admirable, but many fans wanted to see this as a trend, not an anomaly. Hawkins had another well-rounded performance with 11 points, six rebounds, and four assists. He drew double teams in the first half, opening lanes for others to score. He even had a potential game-winning block in the game's waning seconds. Hawkins did have a few careless turnovers and had to sit out with foul trouble. However, his facilitating and playmaking is what Kansas State needs to win in the Big 12.
3. Macaleab Rich was a silent hero for Kansas State.
Macaleab probably wasn't the player TCU was focused on Saturday night. But he certainly factored in. He immediately made an impact, putting up eight points off the bench to help Kansas State with its run in the second half that built their lead. His finishes at the rim provided better inside scoring to add another dimension to the offensive game plan.
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.