Film study: Jerome Tang’s Kansas State Wildcats

Big mad Jerome Tang brings his dudes who “do not deserve to wear this uniform” (and “there will be very few of them in it next year” – his words…not mine) to the Fertitta Center for what very well could be their Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre against the No. 3 Houston Cougars (22-2, 10-1 Big 12). The Tang Gang (10-14, 1-10) is coming off a 91-62 home loss to Cincinnati. Tang blasted his team’s effort in his post-game press conference. I would not be surprised at all to see a new starting lineup and maybe even practice jerseys being worn to prove a point to his players. Will they respond to his tough love or fold up and get blown out again?

The Wildcats are … led … guided … piloted by the very talented journeyman PJ Haggerty. The Crosby native will be my Head of the Snake as he is by far their most talented player. The Wildcats have a few pieces around him, but they seem to be a group of individuals at this point rather than a team.

If Houston plays to the standard, this will be a Saturday smackdown at the Fertitta Center. The arena will be packed for One Piece Day (I’m not familiar with this, but apparently it’s a very big deal). The Coogs need to be focused and get past the Wildcats before they begin the 8 Day War, beginning in Ames on Big Monday.

Kansas State Offensive Notes

• K-State actually does a pretty good job sharing the ball. The Cats are ranked #18 nationally and #2 in the Big 12 in assists per game with 18.
• Due to getting into the paint often, Kansas State gets many of its assists by kicking out to open shooters. KSU is top 5 in the Big 12 in three-pointers made, attempted, and percentage. It will be critical for the Coogs to defend the three-point line and not allow them to take wide-open threes.
• With Haggerty running the point, the Wildcats love to push the ball in transition. The Wildcats are ranked #30 in the nation in fast-break points and #3 in the conference. Transition defense is always a point of emphasis for Coach Sampson.
• K-State does not get a lot of scoring help off the bench, ranking #244 nationally in bench points per game at 19.
• As good as the Wildcats are at shooting the three-ball, they are equally bad at shooting free throws. KSU is ranked #342 nationally (out of 361) in free throws attempted and made. Haggerty is a foul merchant (he takes/makes 41% of their free throws), and will look to get Eman or whoever else is guarding him in foul trouble.
• Kansas State is a threat to turn the ball over. The Wildcats are ranked last in the Big 12 in turnovers per game with 13. Conversely, the Coogs are ranked #1 in the nation at only 8 turnovers per game.

Wildcats Defensive Notes

• Kansas State could not defend the lineup of Monceaux, Towns, Karen Sampson, the former GoCoogs intern, and me on defense. They are ranked #337 out of 361 teams nationally in scoring defense and 16th in the Big 12, giving up 81 points per game. The Coogs are ranked #1 in the Big 12, giving up only 61 points per game.
• Not only does Kansas State not defend, but they also do not rebound well, ranked 273rd nationally in rebounding margin. That is not a good recipe for success when playing Houston on the road.
• Kansas State plays man-to-man defense 94% of the time. They tend to hedge or use drop coverage against pick-and-roll. I’d expect a massive game from Kingston and Milos. I’d also look for the first touch of the game to go to Jojo, as KSU plays one-on-one in the post.
• The Wildcats will occasionally try a 2-3 zone, which would be a big mistake against a Kelvin Sampson offense, as he tends to carve up zone defenses. They ran it quite a bit against Cincinnati, who shot 50% and 57% from three.
• KSU will press at times; they have a man-to-man press and a 2-2-1 zone press. Neither is very effective.

K-State Personnel (*Indicates likely starters)

*#4 – PJ Haggerty – 6’4″ – JR – Guard – (TCU, Tulsa, Memphis) – 23ppg, 5rpg, 4apg.

• Timezone travel expert. On his 4th school, progressively getting further from Crosby.
• “Score first” three-level scoring point guard. Has 200 more shot attempts than his next-closest teammate;
• He’s searching to get fouled. He’s going to dribble into the defender, throw his head back, flail his arms when shooting in the paint, and do whatever it takes to trick the referee into calling a foul. He’s been doing it for years, and it’s not going to stop Saturday;
• UH must defend him with arms out and not reaching. Force him to make tough shots over extended arms;
• Has shot 111 more free throws than his next teammate.111!!! (113-159, 71%);
• Solid three-point shooter (33-90, 37%). Has attempted 331 more two-pointers;
• Deadly in the paint and does a nice job keeping his dribble, rather than picking it up and getting stuck. Loves going right and has a nice floater in the paint;
• He has 83 turnovers on the season. To compare, Kingston Flemings has the most on the Coogs with 44.

*#34 – Nate Johnson – 6’3″ – SR – Guard – (Akron) – 11ppg, 5rpg, 4apg.

• Pretty athletic three-level scoring guard;
• Solid three-point shooter (43-115, 37%);
• Leads the team in assists (4apg);
• Loves to drive to the rim going right;
• Nice mid-range jumper and step-back.

*#10 – David Castillo – 6’1″ – SO – Guard – 12ppg, 2rpg.

• Smaller shooting guard. Listed at 6’1″…I’d say closer to 5’10”;
• Nice three-point shooter (49-126: 39%). Don’t give him any wide-open looks!;
• Solid at getting to the rim, going left or right. Strong finisher in the paint for his size.

*#21 – Khamari McGriff – 6’9″ – SR – Wing – (UNC Wilmington) – 10ppg, 4rpg.

• Big/strong forward. Not a shooting threat;
• Pretty good finisher right around the basket. 74% shooter, but it’s all from 1′ from the rim. Can score with either hand in the paint;
• Does the dirty work. Solid rebounder and shot-blocker.

*#15 – Taj Manning – 6’7″ – RS JR – Wing – 3ppg, 5rpg.

• Tall/athletic forward;
• Not a good outside shooter (4-22, 18%);
• Gets most of his points cutting to the rim or off of offensive rebounds;
• Works hard on the glass on both ends of the court.

#6 – Marcus Johnson – 6’7″ – SR – Wing – (Wheeling, Bowling Green) – 3ppg, 1rpg.

• Played at the same high school as LeBron James (St Vincent-St. Mary);
• BIG body forward, but not very agile;
• Average outside shooter, yet 25 of his 28 shot attempts have been from beyond the arc (8-25, 32%).

#3 – C.J. Jones – 6’5″ – SR – Guard – (UIC) – 3ppg, 2rpg.

• Tall guard off the bench. Long wing-span;
• Shoots a lot of threes but doesn’t make many (10-45, 22%). Shoots a set-shot;
• Not terrible shooting off the bounce.

#22 – Dorin Buca – 7’2″ – JR – Center – (Several Italian Pro Teams) – 3ppg, 3rpg.

• BIG GUY off the bench. Wouldn’t shock me if he starts Saturday;
• Pretty solid around the basket;
• Works hard on the offensive glass. Gets the majority of his points on put-backs.

#1 – Abdi Bashir – 6’7″ – JR – Guard – (Monmouth) – 13ppg, 2rpg.

• OUT today accoring to the Big 12 injury report.
• Their best shooter, but hasn’t played since Oklahoma State on January 17;
• Will start if he plays;
• Outstanding three-point specialist (67-151, 44%); 151 of his 191 shot attempts have been from beyond the arc;
• Capable of making EXTREMELY tough threes off the bounce, including contested step-backs.

#47 – Andrej Kostic – 6’6″ – FR – Wing – (A couple of Serbian pro teams) – 13ppg, 2rpg.

• OUT today accoring to the Big 12 injury report.
• Nicknamed AK-47;
• Shooter off the bench, but hasn’t played since Iowa State on February 1;
• Most of his shots are three-pointers. He’s been average (16-48, 33%), but doesn’t need much space to get his shot off;
• Not overly athletic;

Wildcats Cheat Sheet

What I’ll Be Watching…

1. Defending Haggerty without fouling: PJ Haggerty has been getting to the free-throw line at a high clip for years. It will be important for Emanuel, Isiah, or whoever is guarding him to defend with high hands and not reach.
2. Coogs score 90+? I could see the Coogs cruising, especially since Tang Gang can’t defend the frat guys who play during halftime of UH games. I’ll be watching to see if Houston crosses the century mark in this one.
3. Defending the three-ball: Kansas State is one of the better three-point shooting teams in the Big 12, but I think the BLITZ will cause tons of turnovers. I’ll be watching how the Coogs recover when the Wildcats can get the ball out of the double-team.
4. Bench performance: It should be a game to shine in for Chase, Mercy, Isiah, Kalifa, Ramon, and Big Ced. I predict that at least one of them will have a career high in points.
5. Under 5 turnovers streak continue? I will be interested to see if the streak of under five turnovers continues! I could definitely see it happening! What an insane stat!