Feast Week Mission Preview: Kansas State in the Barclays Center Classic
Posted by Justin Fedich on November 25th, 2016Kansas State is off to a strong start, going 4-0 with an average margin of victory of 21 points per contest. However, Bruce Weber’s team has neither faced a Power 5 opponent, nor played a game outside Manhattan yet. That changes tonight, when the Wildcats travel to Brooklyn for the Barclays Center Classic.
Catching Up: Kansas State’s undefeated record is in large part the result of a weak non-conference schedule. The four opponents the Wildcats have faced have combined to go 5-14 this season, with each one sitting below .500. Poor schedule notwithstanding, Weber has to be happy with a number of developments. Sophomore guard Barry Brown has made the biggest jump since last season, leading the Wildcats in scoring with 15.3 points per game. Brown was sixth on the team in scoring last year. The Wildcats have also enjoyed the return of versatile senior forward Wesley Iwundu, who is averaging 14 points, five rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. Sophomore Dean Wade has increased his scoring in each of the last three games, and totaled 13 points and nine rebounds in the most recent contest against Robert Morris. Kansas State will not be the most talented team in the Big 12 this season, but the fact that all five starters were on the Wildcats’ roster last season provides an unusual degree of continuity. Oh, and the other nice part of the weak early slate: Kansas State has been able to get its bench heavily involved. Against Robert Morris, 15 players saw action for the Wildcats.
Wesley Iwundu (25) And Barry Brown (5) Will Look To Help Kansas State Remain Perfect in Brooklyn (Photo: Wichita Eagle)
Opening Round Preview: While Boston College will be Kansas State’s first Power 5 opponent this season, the Eagles don’t exactly fall under the quality opponent category. BC began its season with a home loss to Nicholls State, which sits at 317 in the KenPom rankings. The Eagles, like Kansas State, has yet to leave its home court all season. But while the Wildcat starters are all returning players, Boston College starts two sophomores, two graduate transfers and a freshman. The Eagles’ lack of proven talent gives the Wildcats a great chance to move to 5-0. The Wildcats, who rank 30th in KenPom’s adjusted defensive efficiency rankings, should be able to bottle up the Eagles, whose are just 201st nationally in offensive efficiency. Still, this will be the toughest opponent the Wildcats have faced all season.
Potential Later Round Matchup: Maryland plays Richmond in the other half of the Barclays Center Classic bracket, and the Terrapins are the favorite to win that matchup. Kansas State’s non-conference schedule doesn’t set itself up for many quality wins this season, so a date with Maryland would provide a crucial opportunity. Although the Terrapins lost some talent from last year, they are easily the most proven unit in this field of four. If a Kansas State-Maryland matchup does materialize, the Wildcats will take solace in the fact that the Terrapins have failed to score more than 77 points in a game against a D-1 opponent this season. Bruce Weber’s team won’t shy away from a grind-it-out affair and might have enough offensive firepower to steal a win from the Terps.
Outlook: Although Kansas State hasn’t yet been tested, the Wildcats should be able to defeat BC in the first round. For the sake of building an impressive NCAA Tournament resume, Kansas State should then hope for a game against Maryland in the championship game. If Kansas State’s defense continues to be effective against underachieving offenses (or if Richmond can knock off Maryland), the Wildcats stand a chance of staying undefeated through their first trip of the season. Either way, an untested Kansas State team will finally be provided something of a measuring stick this weekend.
Justin Fedich is a sports journalism graduate of the University of Georgia. You can follow him on Twitter @jfedich.
