Three takeaways from K-State Wildcats’ deflating basketball loss at Kansas Jayhawks

Allen Fieldhouse remains a place of horrors for the Kansas State men’s basketball team.

The Wildcats haven’t won a road game against Kansas since 2006, and that didn’t change on Saturday when the Jayhawks defeated their rivals 84-74 in front of a sellout crowd.

The most frustrating thing about this defeat for K-State is that the Wildcats played well enough to win for much of the afternoon. But they fell behind 14-0 in the opening moments and were unable to cut the deficit closer than six the rest of the way.

Some will view their comeback attempt as a moral victory. Climbing out of an early hole and making Kansas sweat in the final minutes is not easy to do. K-State had a legitimate shot to win when it trailed 72-66 with 4 minutes, 1 second remaining. Others will simply view it as another defeat for the Wildcats (7-10, 1-5 Big 12), who have now lost five straight games.

Coleman Hawkins led K-State with 15 points. Eight different K-State players scored. It was a balanced effort from the Wildcats.

Hunter Dickinson (25 points) and Zeke Mayo (24 points) led the Jayhawks (13-4, 4-2 Big 12).

Next up for K-State is a road game against Baylor on Wednesday.

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

K-State lost this game in the first four minutes

Falling behind 14-0 at the start of a game is not ideal under any circumstances, but that kind of deficit can feel like doomsday against Kansas inside Allen Fieldhouse.

The Wildcats fell behind by that margin in the opening four minutes of this game and their chances of pulling off a road upset were over immediately.

Some will give Jerome Tang and K-State credit for fighting hard and staying competitive with Kansas the rest of the way. That’s fair. But the Wildcats were never able to truly make things interesting as they tried to climb out of an early hole.

Perhaps a different starting lineup could have helped?

Tang stuck with his standard starting five because of that group’s experience. He didn’t think his usual starters would crumble in this type of environment. But that was a concern for a freshman guard like David Castillo.

In the end, it didn’t matter.

The Wildcats weren’t ready to play. The Jayhawks were, with Zeke Mayo stringing together a few early 3-pointers.

Perhaps K-State can build off the way it played the rest of the way and use this experience to its advantage when it hosts KU later this season at Bramlage Coliseum. But this game was over quickly.

Jerome Tang found some success with small and big lineups

It was interesting that K-State some had some of its best moments against KU while using unconventional lineups.

The Wildcats fought back from their early 14-0 deficit with three point guards on the court at the same time. Tang tried a small lineup around Coleman Hawkins that featured Dug McDaniel, CJ Jones and David Castillo. That combination allowed K-State to space the floor and get the ball into the paint for good looks.

Later, Tang switched to a jumbo lineup that featured both Coleman Hawkins and Ugonna Onyenso. It seemed like the Jayhawks were caught off guard by the Kentucky transfer, because he got a few easy buckets on his way to nine points on four shots. He didn’t miss a single attempt.

That success prompted Tang to combine those lineups in the second half.

Max Jones and Brendan Hausen came off the floor to make way for three point guards and two bigs.

Eight different players scored at least six points for K-State.

Perhaps the Wildcats have more lineup versatility than previously thought.

The Wildcats need to heat up from 3-point range

K-State is capable of making shots from beyond the arc. Earlier this season, the Wildcats drained 21 in a single game against Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

But this team has a knack for going cold at inopportune times.

Their numbers have been at their worst on the road in conference play. K-State went 6-of-28 at TCU, then shot 3-of-14 at Oklahoma State. The Wildcats followed up both of those clunkers with just six 3-pointers on 26 attempts against the Jayhawks.

The 3-point line can be an equalizer in college basketball. For years, it has allowed teams to punch above their weight class and pull off upsets against superior teams.

K-State missed its first 12 shots from 3-point range in this game. That is no way to win a rivalry game on the road.

One could argue the Wildcats need to put more emphasis on their 2-pointers. That is their strength. But they can’t simply ignore the 3-point line. Bottom line: K-State needs to heat up from the perimeter as Big 12 play continues.