Four takeaways from Kansas State’s home basketball victory over Cleveland State

Kansas State’s 77-64 victory over Cleveland State on Saturday at Bramlage Coliseum was the type of early nonconference men’s basketball game that Jerome Tang likes to coach.

Why?

Because it wasn’t a masterpiece for the Wildcats.

K-State (2-0) was far from perfect in a low-scoring game against the Vikings (1-2). The Wildcats committed 19 turnovers and struggled to run away from Cleveland State despite shooting 58% from the field.

This game was filled with learning experiences for the Wildcats, but they still won by double digits. That could prove to be more beneficial for K-State as the season goes along than a 50-point beatdown would’ve been.

The Wildcats will try to build off this victory when they next take the court in another home game against LSU on Thursday.

Until then, here are some takeaways from Saturday’s action:

Brendan Hausen is fun to watch

K-State fans don’t have much history with Brendan Hausen, but that doesn’t seem to matter.

The 6-foot-4 guard from Amarillo, Texas has become a crowd favorite after playing in just two games at Bramlage Coliseum.

It’s easy to see why.

Hausen brings unmistakable levels of energy and aggressiveness when he is on the floor. He goes all out on defense and he shoots with the confidence of a NBA all-star on offense. There seems to be no outside shot that he is afraid to take. He made six of nine shots from 3-point range in this game.

The junior is on pace to lead the Wildcats in 3-pointers by a wide margin this season. He already has 10 in a K-State uniform.

He scored 17 points in the season opener against New Orleans and followed that up with 22 points against Cleveland State.

K-State fans roared after every bucket. That is unlikely to change.

Dug McDaniel gives K-State a boost off the bench

Tang has made it clear that CJ Jones is the “best” point guard on the K-State basketball roster. But that doesn’t mean he is the only good facilitator on the team.

Michigan transfer Dug McDaniel is capable of giving the Wildcats a boost off the bench, and that is exactly what he has done during his two games in purple.

McDaniel sent out eight assists against New Orleans. And he looked to get his teammates involved again against Cleveland State, as he finished with six points and four assists.

K-State players always have to be ready for a pass no matter where they are on the floor when McDaniel is running the show.

The best example of this came late in the first half when McDaniel sent a long pass up court to David Castillo in transition. Castillo flipped the ball back to Hausen, who pulled up for an open 3-pointer and swished the shot.

You didn’t see plays like that from K-State last season. They are now possible with McDaniel’s court vision.

K-State played strong on defense

The Wildcats made life miserable for the Vikings whenever they were trying to score.

K-State held Cleveland State to 64 points on 23-of-60 shooting. Nobody on the CSU roster had more than 10 points and the Vikings committed 20 turnovers.

Little came easily for Daniyal Robinson’s team against a bigger and more athletic opponent.

Neither of the teams that K-State has played this season have eclipsed 65 points. That is a good sign for things to come on defense for KSU.

Turnovers were a problem for the Wildcats

Tang flashed a huge smile when he realized that K-State only committed nine turnovers in the season opener.

The Wildcats were plagued by more than 500 giveaways last year, so taking better care of the ball was a major emphasis when Tang rebuilt this team via the transfer portal.

But Saturday’s game was a step in the wrong direction. The Wildcats committed 19 turnovers, which made it difficult for them to pull away and lead by a wide margin.