Kansas State basketball dials up effort to beat Iowa State in key hustle categories
MANHATTAN — Four days after calling his team out, Kansas State basketball coach Jerome Tang got the response he was looking for.
Just ask Iowa State coach TJ Otzelberger, whose No. 6-ranked Cyclones were on the receiving end of an inspired effort by the Wildcats on Saturday in an impressive 67-58 senior day victory at Bramlage Coliseum.
"They were more physical, they were the more aggressive team and they did a better job in some of the areas that we take pride in, in terms of rebounding and being physical," Otzelberger said after Iowa State came out on the short end of just about every statistical hustle category. "Credit to them for doing a better job today, and we've just got to be better.
"Credit goes to the K-State coaches and players. They did a great job."
It was a far cry from the Wildcats' performance on Tuesday in a blowout loss at Kansas, after which Tang publicly questioned their effort and desire.
Related: Kansas State basketball seniors hold out hope for NCAA bid ahead of final home game
"I was very clear after the last game that we didn't give an effort worthy of wearing the K-State uniform, and they didn't take offense to it," Tang said. "They embraced that we have higher expectations of ourselves, and they responded.
"And that's a really good Iowa State team, and hats off to TJ and those guys. It's always great to walk off that floor on your senior night with a win, and those guys remember that for the rest of their lives."
K-State overcame an early nine-point deficit to grab a 28-24 halftime advantage and then stretched it to 17 points early in the second before holding on.
With the victory, K-State finished the regular season at 18-13 with an 8-10 Big 12 record. In gaining the season split with Iowa State, the Wildcats also secured the No. 10 seed and a first-round bye in the Big 12 Tournament this week at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri.
The Wildcats will face the No. 7 seed at 6 p.m. Wednesday.
Related: Kansas State basketball falls to Kansas again in Allen Fieldhouse blowout
While the pregame and postgame ceremonies belonged to the seniors, it was juniors Arthur Kaluma and Cam Carter who helped get the Wildcats across the finish line against Iowa State. Kaluma scored 23 points on 8 of 12 shooting with a pair of 3-pointers and seven rebounds, while Carter broke out of a shooting slump with 21 points, plus five rebounds and three steals.
The Wildcats also got key contributions from seniors David N'Guessan, Tylor Perry and Will McNair. N'Guessan was a beast under the basket, finishing with a double-double of 11 points and a career-high 16 rebounds, while Perry made up for a poor shooting day with six assists and a critical 3-pointer that pushed K-State's lead back to 11 points with 2:12 left.
McNair had four points and a pair of rebounds in 21 1/2 minutes.
But it was the so-called hustle categories where the Wildcats stood out. They outscored Iowa State 20-11 off turnovers, 15-2 on fast breaks and held a 10-7 edge in second-chance points by grabbing 11 offensive rebounds.
Related: What TV channel is Kansas State women's basketball on for Big 12 Tournament quarterfinal?
That was not the case at Kansas, which was why Tang got on them.
"We felt like at KU they did everything better," Carter said of that 90-68 loss to the Jayhawks. "They were just the tougher team, and we really didn't deserve to win that game.
"We came out today and had better effort. We practiced that way preparing for this game, and it translated over to the game."
Nobody was happier than Tang after perusing the final statistics.
"It was really gratifying," he said. "I thought we won the 50-50 balls, too, and you don't have a chance of beating an Iowa State team that TJ coaches if you don't win the 50-50 balls and win the hustle stuff.
"And you can even win the hustle stuff and still not beat them; they're that good. And so, we had to do that to give ourselves even a chance to win."
Arne Green is based in Salina and covers Kansas State University sports for the Gannett network. He can be reached at agreen@gannett.com or on Twitter at @arnegreen.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas State basketball gives maximum effort in senior day upset win
