MANHATTAN, Kan. — West Virginia will battle Kansas State in a meeting of teams thought to be at the top of the Big 12 in October. But injuries have taken a toll on both teams and they are still looking for their first league win.
“We need a win bad for a lot of reasons,” WVU coach Bob Huggins said Tuesday.
The Mountaineers (8-6, 0-2 Big 12) have been close in losses to Texas Tech and Texas, and Huggins pointed out the lack of free throws (18-of-32) against the Red Raiders and how WVU was in a one-possession game against the Longhorns in the final 2 minutes.
TV: ESPNU, 7 p.m. BETTING LINE: K-State favored by 4 points.
“We played the hardest we played all year the last couple of games,” Huggins said. “We were right there. We just didn’t finish the way we needed to.”
An argument can be made that the Mountaineers are a few plays away from going for a 3-0 start, rather than going for their first league win. K-State (10-4, 0-2) has not been quite as close, losing to Texas, 67-47, in a game the Longhorns pulled away in the second half and also losing to Texas Tech, 63-57, in a game that was 34-19 at the half in Lubbock, Texas..
3 Questions
Who is available for WVU? Huggins said point guard Brandon Knapper made the trip, so the Mountaineers are expected to be at full strength minus center Sagaba Konate (knee). Knapper missed the Texas game Saturday with a one game suspension for “conduct unbecoming of a Mountaineer,” Huggins said. As for K-State, senior forward Dean Wade is out with a foot injury, which has been the source of the Wildcats’ scoring troubles.
What can we expect today? Likely a low-scoring defensive game, and not because of who is in or out, but because that has generally been the style of games these two teams play against each other, especially at Bramlage Coliseum. Both teams combined for 44 fouls when they played here last season. There were 49 fouls here in 2017, 53 fouls in a double-overtime game in 2016 and 54 fouls in the 2015 game. Plus, both teams are struggling offensively (K-State is averaging 52 points in conference play). So, both teams will likely look for a possession-by-possession type of game and work the shot clock.
Will Derek Culver continue his rapid emergence? If the game becomes a grind-it-out style of game, that would seem to suit Culver’s style of play. A slower-pace game means working the ball around and working it inside and that has been where Culver has thrived, because it allows him to be patient and make some plays in the post and he doesn’t have to be constantly running and trapping and trying to think at 100 mph. The slower style can also lead to foul trouble, because the Wildcats are going to work the ball inside on their possessions, too. So, if Culver, who is averaging 11.0 points and 7.3 rebounds over his first four games, can stay out of foul trouble — Huggins will likely keep starting Logan Routt at center to help in this area — this is a game where Culver will likely have an impact.
Wildcats had reached No. 12
Kansas State point guard Kamau Stokes is expected to play after missing a game with a foot injury.
The loss of Wade to a second foot injury this season has played a major role in the Wildcats’ winless start in conference play. Wade, who averaged 13.6 points and 7.8 rebounds this season before the second injury, isn’t expected to return until the second half of conference play.
West Virginia, too, has seen its rotation of players change on a game-by-game basis this season, with center Sagaba Konate’s right knee injury playing the largest role. Junior point guard Beetle Bolden has also been in and out with hand and elbow injuries and forward Derek Culver missed the team’s first 10 games after a suspension for a violation of team rules.
All of it thrown together has created this matchup of unexpected circumstances. The unexpected, Wade said, is what this group of seniors were thrown into four years ago.
“I don’t think either of us really knew what to think during our freshman year,” Wade said at Big 12 media day. “We all got thrown into the lineup and we had to play against guys who were better than us at that time. It was one growing experience after the other and you just hope it ends at some time, but you don’t know when.”
That was 2015-16, when the Wildcats were coming off a 15-17 season that not only saw losses pile up, but also one player after another transfer out of the program, including leading scorer Marcus Foster, who transferred to Creighton.
“They were happy for the opportunity to start and play,” Kansas State coach Bruce Weber said during Big 12 media day. “Now, when they got here, it was a whole other thing and the league was so tough. I still remember one of final games that first year was against Texas Tech and Barry hadn’t scored. I was like, ‘Come on Barry, I need something from you.’ He was so worn out. I think all of them were worn out. They learned from it and got motivation from it. We got into the NCAA tournament the next year and won a game and then we took that and went to the Elite Eight last year, so it’s been an incredible ride for them so far.”
Wade is the quiet assassin; the 6-foot-8 under-recruited forward who chose the Wildcats over Wichita State. He has knocked down 111 3-pointers over his career.
Before Wade’s injury, Kansas State had reached as high as No. 12 in the country this season. Since the injury, Kansas State has struggled offensively in conference losses to Texas Tech and Texas.
Huggins said backup point guard Brandon Knapper would make the trip to Kansas State after missing last week’s game against Texas for “conduct unbecoming of a Mountaineer.”