Kansas State Dominated On The Boards In 30-Point Loss To Houston

The Wildcats are now 1-3 in the Big 12 after another underwhelming first-half performance against Houston.

Kansas State coach Jerome Tang during a men's BIG 12 basketball game between the Oklahoma State University Cowboys (OSU) and the Kansas State Wildcats at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, Okla., Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. Oklahoma State won 79-66, | BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Kansas State Wildcats dropped their third consecutive game in a blowout loss to the Houston Cougars Saturday night.

Here are a few takeaways from their fourth Big 12 matchup:

1. Kansas State was dominated on the offensive boards.

Kansas State's rebounding issues were temporarily improving despite its losses. That issue returned Saturday, as the Wildcats were outdone 44 to 20 on the boards. Cougars forwards Joseph Tuglar and Ja'Vier Francis combined for 11 offensive rebounds, leading to Houston's 20 second-chance points and halting Kansas State from getting in transition.

2. The slow starts are killing Kansas State.

To state the obvious, getting in early holes is not the key to victory. The one-half performances illustrate the Wildcats' slow start to the season, which continued against Houston. Kansas State went into the half down 22, with Brendan Hausen being the only Wildcat who produced early. The only difference is this game felt like an avalanche all night; the Wildcats didn't even have a comeback to reciprocate their sloppy first half.

3. Brendan Hausen woke up the 3-point shooting.

If Kansas State can walk away with one positive on the night, it's the improvement in the 3-point shooting. The Wildcats went cold from the arc for nearly the last month, with the exception of the Cincinnati victory. Hausen scored 15 points on 5-of-11 shooting from 3-point range, as the team shot 40 percent on the night. Had they defended the paint better, they could've reduced the deficit and kept the game close.

Jayden Armant is a graduate of the Howard University School of Communications and a contributor to Kansas State Wildcats on SI. He can be reached at jaydenshome14@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @jaydenarmant.