These Statistics Spell Out Kansas State's Slow Start
The Kansas State Wildcats men's basketball team sits last in the Big 12.
Three consecutive ugly losses have been highlighted by one-half performances, whether it be dismantling in the second half or having to overcome large deficits. But two glaring statistics illustrate the Wildcats' demise: rebounding and free-throw discrepancy.
Assistant coach Jareem Dowling spoke about the rebounding issues after the loss to St. John's early in the month.
"We gotta rebound the basketball," Dowling said on a Dec. 11 episode of the Every Pod A Wildcat podcast. "I mean, it's clear as day. Somebody who doesn't watch basketball can see that we're not doing well in that area. That's something that we gotta correct to get to where we wanna get to. I think individual guys have shown spurts in what they can really do, but we need more consistency as a group."
Weeks later, the team only continues to struggle collecting the boards. They rank last in the conference in team rebounds (35.5) and 13th in opposing rebounds (33.8). The team's inability to rebound gives opponents second-chance opportunities and quick transition points.
Meanwhile, the free-throw margin continues to hurt them. Star forward Coleman Hawkins is an illustration of this, as he is shooting a career-worst 50 percent from the line this season. On the other hand, opposing teams shoot a conference-leading 78 percent against Kansas State.
They need to fix these issues as they start their slate of Big 12 opponents. The Wildcats host the Cincinnati Bearcats (10-1) Monday night.
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.