Kansas State Men’s Basketball Might Have a Solution to Its Rebounding Problems

Kansas State coach Jerome Tang thinks he might have a solution to help end his team’s three-game Big 12 losing streak.

Better sooner than later, right? K-State (9-7, 0-3 Big 12) plays host to UCF on Wednesday night. The Knights (13-2, 2-1 Big 12) dropped this week from 25th in the AP Top 25 Poll to 34th, among “others receiving votes.”

After Saturday’s 87-84 loss to Arizona State, Tang suggested Khamari McGriff could help. McGriff, a 6-foot-9 senior forward from Tallahassee, Fla., averages 9.7 points per game, 4.4 rebounds and 1.2 blocks.

McGriff is strong and athletic, the kind of player who can aid the Wildcats where they need it: rebounding and an inside presence. McGriff’s problem is foul trouble: He averages only 19.4 minutes per game.

“I need to figure out how we keep Khamari McGriff out of foul trouble,” Tang said in a recent news conference.

“He only played 14 minutes [in a loss to Arizona State]. He was 4-of-7 from the field. If he played 28 minutes, now we have a double-figure scorer.”

Taking a beating on the boards

Kansas State faces a challenge Wednesday against UCF (7 p.m. CT, Peacock). The Knights (13-2, 2-1 Big 12) rank 18th in the nation in rebounds. They get to the glass.

Kansas State was hammered inside at Arizona State. K-State was outscored in the paint by a devastating amount, 50-28. ASU outrebounded the Wildcats, 48-34.

In K-State’s last three games, all Big 12 games, it was outrebounded by 12 (BYU), 23 (Arizona) and 14 (ASU). For the season, K-State ranks 139th in the nation in total rebounding.

Kansas State coach Jerome Tang is looking for more rebounding from his team, which plays host to UCF on Wednesday. | Scott Sewell-Imagn Images

Sounds like the perfect scenario for an experienced big man like McGriff.

“You want your guys to be competing at the highest level on every possession,” Tang said. “We don’t have a large enough margin for error to do that.

“Our margin for error is very small, and we need all of our guys playing well. We can’t have two guys play well one night and get goose eggs from other guys … Collectively, we have to do a better job.”

There aren’t many things more demoralizing to a team when it plays good defense and gets beat for an offensive rebound and put-back basket.

“We’re going to have to figure that out,” Tang said. “I thought we were in better position, and they [Arizona State] just wanted the ball more. Big fella [ASU’s Massamba Diop, 21 points, nine rebounds] had a couple where we had guys right underneath him.

“We’ve got to be more physical with our fouling. There’s a fine line and we got to get better at it.

“We have to collectively do a better job when the ball is in the air. For two seconds fight while the ball is in the air to win that fight and right now we’re not winning it."

Different games, different problems

Tang must feel like he’s playing whack-a-mole with his team.

Against No. 10 BYU, the Wildcats couldn’t shoot from distance on their home court, (14.3 percent) although that was their strength through most of the season.

The next game, at No. 1 Arizona, the distance shooting got slightly better (22.2 percent), but not close to being acceptable. The following game, at Arizona State, the distance shooting returned (41.9 percent) but the Wildcats got crushed inside.

“The chemistry off the court is not an issue,” Tang said. “It’s the chemistry on the court. They don’t always play like they really like each other.

“You see them off the court, and you’re like, ‘Man, those dudes love each other.’ So we need to bring that on the floor.

“They feel like they can make the play rather than us making the play. We have got to get that switched, because when we play for us and we’re getting assisted shots, we’re really good.”

What’s a coach to do?

Back to the drawing board

After K-State’s loss at ASU, Tang talked about his team’s compete level.

“You want your guys to be competing at the highest level on every possession,” Tang said. “We don’t have a large enough margin for error to do that.

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