Here’s five things about La Salle leading up to Friday’s game against Kansas State in the 2nd round of the NCAA Tournament:
1. They’re not intimidated.
La Salle isn’t worried about the quick turnaround after Wednesday night’s win, and they’re not worried about being tired.
“I think we started off proving people wrong, proving to people how good we really are,” Tyreek Duren said. “I think we have to take care of Kansas State next and show people what we can really do.”
2. They don’t have a center
The Explorers have played with two big men all year in 6-8 power forward Jerrell Wright (10.4 points, 6.8 rebounds) and 6-11 center Steve Zack (6.4 points, 6.4 rebounds). Zack was at the Sprint Center walking around on crutches after
spraining his left foot and will not play against the Wildcats.
3. Guard play is the key
La Salle has three guards that average over 10 points – Tyreek Duren (14.6), Ramon Galloway (17.1) and Tyrone Garland (13.3). That could create problems for Kansas State.
4. There’s some familiarity there … but not much
La Salle guard Sam Mills (7.9 points, 2.3 assists) was a teammate of Kansas State guard Martavious Irving at Fort Lauderdale’s Boyd Anderson High. Garland played against Kansas State when he was at Virginia Tech in 2010.
5. They’ve got history in KC
During Kansas State’s NCAA Tournament media session on Thursday at the Sprint Center, sophomore point guard Angel Rodriguez was asked about President Barack Obama picking Wisconsin to beat the Wildcats this weekend.
His response: “I feel bad for him. He’s going to mess up his bracket right away. I respect what he has to say. Whoever he picks to win, I respect it. But he already messed up the bracket.”
Update: Depending on where you look on the Internet for Obama’s bracket, you will find versions that have him picking La Salle over K-State and him picking K-State to make it to the round of 32. The latter is correct. ESPN apparently uploaded the wrong picks, but he chose the Wildcats to win a game on TV.
Greetings from the Sprint Center in Kansas City, where we’re a couple of hours away from open practices and interview sessions.
Here’s some quick links to K-State stories from our NCAA Tournament preview section that came out today and from La Salle’s win over Boise State last night in the First Four to earn the right to play the Wildcats on Friday in Kansas City.
-LaSalle beat Boise State and gets to return to Kansas City, site of their ’54 NCAA title.
-K-State beat writer Kellis Robinett with a must-read on KSU senior guard Rodney McGruder.
-Shane Southwell can open up K-State’s offense.
-Wildcats went from a desperate December to a merry March.
-Looking at the teams in K-State’s pod.
Here’s Twitter links to our Eagle crew in KC – @kellisrobinett @rickplumlee @travisheying @t_adame
Much more to come – will check back in later with some La Salle stuff after their interview session.
TA
Every time Kansas State qualified for the NCAA Tournament under former coach Frank Martin it won at least one game before heading home.
In 2008, the Wildcats beat No. 6 seed USC 80-67. In 2010, they made it to the Elite Eight. In 2011, they took down No. 12 seed Utah State 73-68. And last year they downed No. 9 seed Southern Mississippi 70-64.
High seed, low seed, toss-up game … K-State found a way to win every year.
No one hangs banners for making it to the round of 32, but there is something to be said for advancing that far four times in five years and three times in a row. Few teams have accomplished the same. K-State is one of eight programs that has played for a spot in the Sweet 16 in each of the past three seasons. The other seven: Kansas, Ohio State, Syracuse, Gonzaga, Kentucky, Wisconsin and Purdue.
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Kansas State is the 19th most valuable college basketball team in the country, according to Forbes.
The Wildcats cracked Forbes’ top-20 list of valuable college basketball teams on Tuesday at a value of $13.6 million.
K-State is new to the top 20 after bringing in $8.1 million in profit within the last year.
The Wildcats’ share of Big 12 distributions increased by more than $1 million last year that, along with increases to ticket sales and contributions, helped it usurp Pittsburgh for the No. 19 spot on our list.
Other notable teams on the list, which was topped by Louisville with a value of $38.5 million: No. 2 Kansas ($32.9 million), No. 4 Kentucky ($32.1 million), No. 7 Wisconsin ($19.8 million), No. 11 Duke ($17.1 million), No. 12 Texas ($16.8 million) and No. 17 Illinois ($14.1 million).
Analyzing the good and bad of Kansas State’s draw in the West Region of the NCAA Tournament:
Opening Game
THE GOOD: K-State will open the NCAA Tournament inside the friendly confines of Sprint Center against one of the worst at-large teams in the NCAA Tournament. Regardless of who wins between La Salle and Boise State, the Wildcats will have a big crowd advantage and be favored. Both teams like to push the issue on offense and are capable of scoring in the 80s, but they might not be at full strength after playing an intense game on Wednesday. The Wildcats should be at full strength after six days off. Plus, K-State players will get to watch La Salle and Boise State play this week and learn from the game while their opponents will only get one day to prepare for the Wildcats.
THE BAD: The Wildcats are one of four teams that don’t know who they will play in their first NCAA Tournament game. That makes the scouting process more difficult than usual. K-State coaches won’t be able to lock in on La Salle or Boise State until Thursday. La Salle or Boise State will have momentum on its side when it reaches Kansas City. Sometimes a victory in the play-in game can help a team relax and lead to success in the next round. Both La Salle and Boise State have proven they are capable of beating NCAA Tournament teams.
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The Sprint Center has been good to Kansas State this season.
K-State moved into the top 25 for the first time after beating Florida in Kansas City. Then it thumped Texas and Oklahoma State to advance to tonight’s championship game of the Big 12 Tournament. Now it is hoping to start the NCAA Tournament in Kansas City, too.
If all goes according to plan, the Wildcats will also be back at the Sprint Center next season for a nonconference game.
They are still working on a date and an opponent, but K-State athletic director John Currie said Saturday morning that the Wildcats intend on continuing their annual nonconference trip to Sprint Center for a neutral-court game next season. K-State has played an early game at Sprint Center for six straight seasons.
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The temperature has finally dropped below 70 degrees in Kansas City. The wind is blowing. We’ve got overcast skies. It’s the perfect day to head inside and watch Kansas State take on Kansas in the championship game of the Big 12 Tournament.
The Wildcats beat Oklahoma State 68-57 last night in the semifinals to advance to its first tournament final since 2010. The seniors on the roster played in that game, and still bring up the disappointment of losing. They will get the chance to come full circle tonight against Kansas, the team K-State split the regular season Big 12 crown with, at 5 p.m.
K-State’s younger players want to send them out with another trophy.
“That’s what we came here for,” said sophomore guard Angel Rodriguez. “What more could you ask for. It’s also great because of who we are going to play. It’s a great opportunity for both teams. We are both going to go out and play for it. Even though we both deserve the title, somehow, we want to prove we are the best team in the Big 12.”
“This is their last go-around,” added junior guard Shane Southwell. “I want to see Martavious Irving dancing at mid-court if we win.”
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Kansas State basketball players said all the politically correct things Thursday night when asked who they wanted to play in the semifinals of the Big 12 Tournament.
Whether it was Baylor or Oklahoma State, they said the challenge would be the same. The opponent didn’t matter.
Still, it was obvious the Wildcats were eager for a rematch with Oklahoma State.
“We just lost to those guys,” senior guard Martavious Irving said. “So why not play them again?”
The Cowboys ended K-State’s hopes of winning an outright Big 12 championship less than a week ago in Stillwater. It was a difficult loss for the Wildcats to take. Oklahoma State jumped out to a six-point lead at halftime, K-State rallied to take a nine-point lead in the second half and held a 61-57 lead with less than 5 minutes remaining, but Oklahoma State surged ahead late to win 76-70.
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