The Houston Cougars 11-3 (3-0) travel to the “Octagon of Doom” in Manhattan, Kansas, on Saturday to face the 7-7 (1-2) Kansas State Wildcats.

The Wildcats are one of the strangest teams I’ve scouted this season. They have an unbelievable amount of talent and paid a large amount of NIL to amass. But what do they have to show for it?

There were times against Oklahoma State (especially in the first half) when they seemed uninterested in playing the game. They lack an on-court leader, and I cannot figure out what their identity is. They don’t have a real culture, likely because they have added 10 new players this season through the transfer portal (Achor Achor recently left the team).

Building a new team every year and expecting immediate results is difficult. You have to get pieces that fit your puzzle. With that said…it would only take one BIG win to jumpstart their season, and Saturday is a prime opportunity. Kansas State has always been extremely tough to beat at home, and they will be desperate for a huge conference win.

Illinois transfer Coleman Hawkins will be my “Head of the Snake” for this game. I don’t always love his body language and attitude on the court, but he is an incredible athlete and game-changer when he wants to be. Hawkins is a legit NBA prospect as a 6’10” wing. He is a three-level scorer who chooses which way to score based on the match-up. Kelvin Sampson called him a “point forward’ this week on his media Zoom.

Coleman leads the team in assists, blocks, and steals, which is incredible for his size. The Coogs will look to frustrate him and not allow him to be the guy to beat them. When he is frustrated, he makes lazy fouls that send him to the bench. The outspoken point forward was rumored to have made $2M+ in his transfer to Kansas State, and I’m sure he will look to show that they made a smart financial decision by bringing him in.

This is a big game for both teams, and it is UH’s first big road test. This is only their second true road game of the season. The first one was at a half-empty arena in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Bramlage Coliseum will be extremely rowdy on Saturday. The students should be back on campus and ready to welcome the Coogs to the “Little Apple.”

It will be an opportunity for Kansas State to show that they are still competitive with the big boys of college basketball and to get a huge home win. They had a win last week against a solid Cincinnati squad, so they can beat good teams when they play with passion and as a team. If the Coogs continue to defend like they have in the Big 12, they should be a huge problem for the Wildcats in this one.

Side Note: It appears sickness has hit the Houston locker room, including head coach Kelvin Sampson, leading scorer LJ Cryer, Ced Lath, Kordel Jefferson, and even strength coach Alan Bishop. On Thursday, Sampson conducted his regular staff meeting, did his Zoom call with the media, then went home sick. He did not attend practice but flew with the team to Manhattan on Friday.

Kansas State National Rankings

• Net – #120; Houston Ranked #4
• Kenpom – #91; Houston Ranked #3
• AP Poll – NR; Houston Ranked #12
• Coaches Poll – NR; Houston Ranked #11

KSU Offensive Rankings (Top 50 in Nation)

• NONE…

Wildcats Defensive Rankings (Top 50 in Nation)

• NONE…

K-State Offense Notes

• The Wildcats run a lot of “5-Out” on offense. This spreads the floor and gives them room to drive to score or kick out for open shots. They run a lot of on-ball screens and hand-offs to get the ball handler downhill. It also provides them space to cut when their defenders are not paying attention.
• When they “go big” on offense, they put at least one post-player down low but usually send two to each block. The other three players are at the top of the key and on the wings. They look to attack downhill and dish to the open post player if the help-side defense steps up to stop the ball. If the post defender stays, the guard/wings will look to drive to score.

Wildcats Defense Notes

• Kansas State only played a basic half-court, man-to-man defense in the first half against Oklahoma State.
• The Wildcats opened the 2nd half in a 1-2-2 half court, zone defense. They started the 2nd half BIG with three guys 6’9″ or taller (Hawkins, David N’Guessan, and Ugonna Onyenso). The Coogs should attack the corners when they are in their zone.
• K-State ran some 1-3-1 HC zone defense in the 2nd half against OSU.
• Kansas State may try to run a 1-2-1-1 “Diamond”, full-court trap if they get desperate. They don’t like to press but will if they get down late.
• The Coogs should look to run in transition. The Wildcats lose their man sometimes in transition, and that could lead to early offense and wide-open looks for guys like Emanuel and LJ.
• Houston should play through the post early and often. Kansas State really struggles to defend the post. Give J’Wan the first touch of the game and get out of his way.

Kansas State Personnel Report (* Indicates Probable Starters)

*#0 – Dug McDaniel – 5’11” – JR – Guard – (Michigan) – 10ppg, 3rpg, 4apg.

• Small/quick point guard;
• Really good scorer in the paint and at the basket; Good finisher at the rim; Nice floater in the paint;
• Not a great outside shooter; 10/45 (22%);
• Good pick and roll passer;
• Plays out of control sometimes/makes bad passes; The Coogs pressure should give him problems;
• Coach Tang says that he and Dug “butt heads,” but he also had several issues at Michigan.

*#33 – Coleman Hawkins – 6’10” – SR – Wing – (Illinois) – 11ppg, 7rpg, 4apg, 2spg.

• Long/athletic/very talented forward/well paid;
• Head of the Snake;
• Three-level scorer;
• Solid outside shooter;
• Can play in the post when he has a mismatch;
• Really good passer; Leads the team in assists;
• Good defender when he wants to be; Leads the team in blocks and steals.

*#1 – David N’guessan – 6’9″ – SR – Wing – (Virginia Tech) – 13ppg, 8rpg, 1bpg.

• Long/very athletic forward;
• Nice little hook shot over his left shoulder; Really good around the basket;
• Improved at driving to score or pass;
• Solid rebounder on both ends; Good shot-blocker;
• He’s not very strong; The Coogs should look to back him down in the post.

*#11 – Brendan Hausen – 6’4″ – JR – Guard – (Villanova) – 12ppg, 2rpg, 40% 3FG%.

• Elite three-point shooter;
• Quick trigger; Can’t lose him on defense;
• Watch for him kicking his leg out on the three to draw a foul; It should technically be called an offensive foul.

*#2 – Max Jones – 6’4″ – SR – Guard – (Tampa/Cal State- Fullerton) – 9ppg, 4rpg, 2apg.

• LEFTY;
• Really good outside shooter.

#23 – Macaleab Rich – 6’7″ – SO – Wing – 6ppg, 2rpg.

• Big body forward;
• Really good when getting to the basket;
• Not a big fan of defense.

#34 – Ugonna Onyenso – 7’0″ – JR – Center – (Kentucky) – 4ppg, 3rpg.

• Extremely long center; Long wing-span;
• Really good shot blocker and rebounder;
• Not bad around the basket on offense; Solid on the roll in the P&R;
• He had been playing very limited minutes but played almost the entire second half against Oklahoma State.

#3 – C.J. Jones – 6’5″ – JR – Guard – (UIC) – 7ppg, 2rpg.

• Thin back-up guard;
• Solid at getting to the rim;
• Capable three-point shooter.

#10 – David Castillo – 6’1″ – FR – Guard – 3ppg, 1rpg, 1apg.

• Small back-up point guard;
• He seems to be “fake tough”; Castillo likes to stand over people when he fouls and act tough;
• He brings some sort of skill to their team, but I did not notice it in the games I watched, but he’s there for a reason.

#4 – Mobi Ikegwuruka – 6’6″ – SO – Guard – (Ellsworth CC) – 1ppg, 1rpg.

• LEFTY;
• Big-bodied guard;
• Not much of a threat on offense; Has attempted 5 (FIVE) total shots this year…3/4 from 2pt…0/0 from 3pt…0/1 from FT.

Keys to Victory

1. Feed the post. Kansas State struggles to guard the post. The Coogs should look to feed J’Wan on the first possession and continue to do so throughout the game. N’guessan is long and athletic but does not have the upper body strength to stop the UH big men from backing him down.
2. Limit Hawkins and McDaniel. The Coleman Hawkins and Dug McDaniel duo run the show for KSU. The Coogs should look to take away their strengths.
3. Run in transition offense. K-State struggles to find their men in transition defense. The Coogs are much improved in pushing the pace and should look for the kick-ahead pass to get Emanuel and LJ early and open three-point opportunities.
4. Be patient if they go zone. No need to make one side-to-side pass and shoot a quick three when they go into their zone defense. Try to get J’Wan the ball in the high post and allow him to decide if he wants to attack the rim or pass out to an open shooter. The Coogs are SO GOOD when they get paint touches.
5. Frustrate them early. The Wildcats are the kind of team that shut down when frustrated. Oklahoma State got the first-round knock-out on them. They gave up quickly and could never make it a close game. UH will be in for a great afternoon if they get in the Kansas State players’ heads quickly that they can’t compete with the Coogs.