20 Thoughts: Kansas State

Photo Attribution: USATSI

BOX SCORE

Oklahoma State just didn’t have it tonight. Markel Brown got in foul trouble early and Phil Jurick was OSU’s second-leading scorer at halftime so…yeah. Kansas State is genuinely a really solid team and they deserved to win. I have thoughts (duh) but there really wasn’t much more to it than that. OSU just played poorly, sometimes that’s just the explanation.

On to those thoughts…

1. I thought Smart was going to put one in the pantheon tonight and really, it wasn’t for lack of trying, but it just wasn’t there. He was bottled up for most of the night and I felt like forced the issue a few times. Granted, if I had Kirby Gardner next to me and Le’Bryan staring into the crowd, I’d probably force the issue as well.

2. To everybody tweeting at me just pissed out of your minds at Travis Ford: what do you want him to do? What’s the strategy? What do you go to? Seriously, tell me in the comments. You can coach on this blog if you want…go coach.

3. Le’Bryan gonna Le’Bryan gonna Le’Bryan. You expect something different at this point? The thing that killed OSU tonight was Markel being completely taken out of the first half of the game. Kansas State played terribly and Markel is semi-secretly the glue that holds this O-State squad together. With him out for 17 minutes there was no flow at all. Nothing ever got going.

4. Kansas State was pretty outstanding on defense tonight. Yes, OSU shot terribly but credit them for locking down Smart (6-17) and never letting Forte/Nash/Brown get going (combined 7-25).

Speaking of Forte and Nash, what’s the deal with everybody just destroying Nash every time he doesn’t put up 20 and 10 and letting Forte have a free pass for going 51-157 from the field (32%) in January/February/March because “he’s a good kid” and “he really works hard.” I’m tired of nobody ever talking about this, it’s completely ridiculous.

5. Holly Rowe’s Big 12 trophy story was unbelievable. It almost spanned two media timeouts! I only caught “Kansas State left the trophy in Stillwater and somebody from Joe’s went to get it.” I have no idea what else she said, all I know is that it wouldn’t end.

6. Would you trust Kirby Gardner to take out your trash? Check yes or no.

7. You know what hasn’t happened all year? Hitting a trailer for a three on a fast break or open court drive. Everybody we have — Smart, Williams, Markel, Le’Bryan (God help his dribbling on fast breaks) — puts their head and goes straight to the rim. We’d score six more points a game if we ever kicked to the wide open guy standing on the three point line.

8. Nope. Block.

Absolutely a charge! @Big12Refs @KingNash02 #okstate pic.twitter.com/UnTI5UN2Ws

— Jonathan Gobbo (@JonGobbo) March 16, 2013

9. Jordan Henriquez runs like a too-tall middle school girl going through adolescence  I don’t say that to be mean to Henriquez or too-tall middle school girls — it’s just the best comparison I could think of.

10. Will Brian Williams ever dunk with one hand again? I wouldn’t.

11. I thought Desmond was a little….um…..excessive tonight on Twitter, but I liked this one.

Not a good second half start!!! Offense seems stagnant and slow. Eddie Sutton rule: Pass it or Shoot it, DON'T hold it!!!

— D.Mason (@dmasonart) March 16, 2013

12. Markel’s second foul in the first half was unbelievable. Nobody blew a whistle until after the ball went out of bounds — which I thought was…um…the whistle for the ball going out of bounds. Nope, foul on you, two-two!

13. This was…I don’t know what this lineup was, but it wasn’t good.

Murphy-Gardner-Forte-Jurick-Williams is just a dream five for #okstate.

— Pistols Firing (@pistolsguys) March 16, 2013

14. GIFs: mad Bruce Weber | Markel block charge block charge block charge

15. Re: Smart — I’ll throw in a couple hundy for this.

I'll pay good money for someone to "lose" that NBA evaluation paperwork.

— ????????? (@PCPokefan) March 16, 2013

16. I’m never terrified of K-State like I am of Baylor/Kansas/Iowa State. I don’t know why this is since they rarely lose games (their second worst loss of the year is to OSU) but they just don’t do much for me. This probably means they’re going to the Final Four so adjust your brackets accordingly.

17. On the over-and-back call — I know it didn’t matter at all but I don’t think it was the horrendous call I originally thought it was. I didn’t know this but apparently the over-and-back rule includes a clause that states that even if you’re in the air and you catch the ball coming across half court, you’re still liable for the call.

It’s weird, I know, you can read more here. I still don’t think it was over and back, but not the egregiousness I originally thought. (thanks to @shuttrking for pointing it out)

18. I love Sager minutes, they’re just the best. That Gatorade towel full of human defecation a student manager is cleaning tonight was courtesy of Sager when Ford called his name to go in at the beginning of the first half and stuck him on McGruder.

There was another moment in the first half when Gipson went out to screen Sager and he looked up and just didn’t even bother — just moved on to doing something else. Maybe he didn’t even see him. It was great.

19. Brent was staring down the OSU pom squad all night — forgive him.

@pistolsguy Did Mussberger really just ask if this was Smart's last game in an OSU uniform?

— Shaun Bishop (@rookosu) March 16, 2013

20. We get to watch the first selection show on Sunday instead of the second. That feels good.

I’m taking off tomorrow — back on Sunday. Bloggers gotta rest for the tourney too.