This Isn’t Rocket Science: Why K-State Struggled with 3-Pointers Against BYU
A Strategic Defensive Approach
When BYU basketball coach Kevin Young was asked to explain how his team managed to contain Kansas State’s offense during an 83-73 victory on Saturday at Bramlage Coliseum, he smiled and offered a simple yet insightful response.
“This isn’t rocket science,” he said.
In Young’s view, the No. 10 Cougars (13-1) only needed to focus on two key objectives when the Wildcats (9-5) had possession of the ball on the opening day of Big 12 action.
The first was to limit K-State’s leading scorer, PJ Haggerty. The second was to force K-State shooters away from the 3-point line.
BYU didn’t succeed in stopping Haggerty, as the Memphis transfer scored 24 points along with seven rebounds and six assists. However, the Cougars excelled in disrupting the Wildcats’ perimeter shooting. K-State has been one of the top 3-point shooting teams in the country this season, but they shot a season-low 3-of-21 from beyond the arc against BYU.
“Our guys did a good job of toeing the line with mixing up our coverages and not helping too much,” Young explained. “(Haggerty) did good. He’s a great player, and he did a good job of drawing fouls. But to only let one guy hit a 3, that is what impressed me. We had really good attention to detail.”
A Struggling Shooting Performance
Abdi Bashir was the only K-State player to make a 3-pointer against BYU. He went 3-of-8 from the perimeter, while the rest of his teammates combined to go 0-for-13. David Castillo missed all five of his attempts, and Nate Johnson missed all three of his.
The Wildcats are built to win from the 3-point line. They have made as many as 19 shots from beyond the arc in a game this season. Even after their struggles against BYU, they are shooting 38.5% from deep, which ranks 22nd nationally.
When they make a boatload of 3-pointers, they tend to win. When they go cold, they tend to lose.
This game followed that formula.
“We just missed shots,” Haggerty said. “It happens in games. I didn’t think we played our best.”
Coach’s Concerns and Team Reflections
K-State coach Jerome Tang was more concerned than his star player about the team’s performance.
Sure, it was a bad shooting day for the Wildcats. But it was forced upon them. He acknowledged BYU’s defensive efforts, which left K-State players hesitant to shoot even when they had open looks.
“I thought we turned down some,” Tang said. “There were probably four or five that we should have been ready to shoot that we weren’t ready to shoot. Some of that is a credit to their length and their closeouts. But some of it is – I don’t know why we didn’t take certain shots that we would have normally taken.”
At one point, Tang grew so frustrated with his team’s shot selection that he told his players, “we can’t make 3s if we don’t shoot them.”
Tang also pointed out that K-State attempting 21 shots from beyond the arc and 46 from within the arc was not a good ratio for this roster.
Looking Ahead
The Wildcats will need to find new ways to get open on the perimeter as Big 12 play continues. Their reliance on 3-point shooting has been a key factor in their success, but this game highlighted the importance of adaptability and consistency on both ends of the court.
As the season progresses, K-State will need to address these issues to maintain their competitive edge in one of the toughest conferences in college basketball.
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