Kansas State head coach Jerome Tang believes his Wildcats have things figured out with Big 12 Conference play set to arrive at the start of the new year.
The Wildcats (7-4) will test his theory Saturday when they host South Dakota (7-6) in Manhattan, Kan. It is one of two nonconference games remaining before conference play begins.
Kansas State went through a four-game losing streak several weeks ago but has bounced back with consecutive wins. The Wildcats lost 78-67 to Seton Hall on Dec. 6 before notching victories over Mississippi Valley State and Creighton.
“The Sunday after (losing to) Seton Hall, their approach changed and that has really set the tone since,” Tang said. “We have amped it up a little bit. And the staff has figured some things out, too. We are on this journey together and I wouldn’t want to do it with anybody else.”
The Wildcats have averaged 86.4 points per game and have topped 90 points five times. Kansas State is shooting 48.4% from the field and 40.5% from the 3-point line.
In an impressive 83-76 road win over Creighton last Saturday, David Castillo scored 19 points and Abdi Bashir Jr. added 18.
PJ Haggerty, who was held to a season-low 10 points against Creighton, is second in the nation with 22.7 per game and adds 4.7 rebounds. He is hitting 49.7% of his shots from the field and 39.5% from the 3-point line.
Bashir is tied for sixth in the nation, heading into Friday’s play, with 3.73 made 3-pointers per game.
South Dakota has bounced back from a three-game losing streak to win two straight, including an 80-71 victory over NAIA school Dakota State on Wednesday when Isaac Bruns scored 23 points.
“The biggest thing is just to continue to play our young guys and give them the game experience that’s really valuable,” South Dakota coach Eric Peterson said. “I talked about the process, continuing to just worry about the process and not the outcome. And the outcome will honestly figure itself out.”
Bruns leads the Coyotes with 20.7 points per game, while averaging 21.6 points per game over the last 10 games.
Cameron Fens, South Dakota’s 7-foot center, is averaging 10.9 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.5 blocks.
