As promised this morning, we have Double T Nation's boxscore from last night's victory against Kansas State, 62-52.
Player | Min. | Reb. | Ast. | Pts. | Comment |
M. Prince | 13 | 4 | 3 | 2 | As usual, good hustle play; values each possession |
D. Suljagic | 24 | 5 | 3 | 5 | Battled defensively, Knight likes him because he doesn't make mistakes |
M. Zeno | 34 | 2 | 2 | 12 | Not his best game but still better than most; too many turnovers (6) |
J. Jackson | 40 | 7 | 3 | 23 | Led this team offensively; not his best game from the field (7-21) |
C. Burgess | 39 | 3 | 2 | 7 | Can be great going to the basket; Assists to turnovers this game, 3:3 |
D. White | 25 | 7 | 0 | 11 | Great 1st half; needs to be more consistent in overall play |
A. Voskuil | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | Minimal minutes |
J. Plefka | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | Minimal Minutes |
D. Dora | 11 | 3 | 2 | 2 | Was able to contribute while Suljagic was in foul trouble |
What Tech Did Right:
- An excellent job defensively. I know, Kansas State is not a talented offensive team, but any time you hold the opposition to 30% from the field, you're doing something right. The perimeter defense has really picked up over the last two games, evidenced by K-State's 2-15 from beyond the arc.
- Tech out rebounded the Wildcats by 6 which is such an improvement over prior performances.
- Zeno and Jackson were average. So why do you ask is this in the "What Tech Did Right" column? Well, Tech was able to win, on the road, in conference while Zeno and Jackson struggled. Whether it be that the defense stepped up, or Tech got contributions from the smaller players, or whatever, Tech won while those two struggled. Like I said previously, it would be nice to see consistent contributions from other folks, but I think that I'll have to resign myself to someone stepping up to help Jackson and Zeno.
- Decensae White is really starting to do a little something. He's been a real interesting player before last night, but last night he was able to finally put the ball in the basket. He also was agressive on the defensive end and on the offensive end he really battled for the ball (see his 4 offensive boards). Tech really needs someone to step up in the frontcourt. Once again, keep watching Decensae as he continues to handle the ball throughout the games. More than likely White will be a point forward in this system, but don't look for Knight to handle over those reins just yet.
What Tech Did Wrong:
- Too many offensive rebounds by Kansas State. If they could shoot worth a darn, last night's game would have been much closer. I know that Knight is telling his players every day that they have to block-out. Most of the teams that Tech will face will be bigger than them so Tech will have to fundamentally better.
- Too many turnovers. I know that 14 turnovers isn't a many, but there seemed to be numerous times where Tech was just careless with the ball (especially Zeno - 6 turnovers).
- I would like to see more easy buckets. I know that this was evident early in the season with Burgess at the point as he was able to take advantage of some lesser teams and fast break points, but given how difficult most half-court defenses are in the conference, it will be a real bonus if we can take advantage of some easy buckets.
Overall, I thought Tech played really well. It's not easy to win on the road in the Big 12. Up next, the dreaded and feared Baylor Bears.