Kansas State came out blazing against TCU, dominating in the first half with an 18-point lead.
And yet, here we are, talking about its ninth conference loss of the year. Even as the Wildcats bounced back and maintained their late lead, terrible turnovers and reckless fouls undid what should have been a surefire victory.
Here are the takeaways:
1. The personal fouls...
This is becoming a regular takeaway at this point. Whether it's the lack of size failing to match up or just defensive breakdowns, Kansas State has a fouling problem. The Wildcats gave TCU 36 free throw attempts, including the two go-ahead free throws that ultimately decided their fate. David Castillo and Taj Manning fouled out with five apiece, while Marcus Johnson had to be limited to four on the afternoon. The team had 23 personal fouls to the Horned Frogs' 10.
It doesn't matter that TCU only hit 61 percent at the line; when you give a team that many chances, they're bound to hit. It doesn't help that Kansas State only had eight free throw attempts. Getting to the line is a staple of PJ Haggerty's game, and he only had one attempt despite a 30-point performance. Speaking of which...
2. PJ Haggerty and Marcus Johnson deserve the game ball.
Haggerty, in spite of his poor late execution, was once again the sole offensive threat. He scored 30 points on 14-of-24 shooting, unleashing in the second half to help Kansas State maintain its late lead. It was just his fourth 30-point performance of the year.
Meanwhile, Johnson helped fuel a 3-point shooting performance that dominated in the first half. He finished with 15 points on 83.3 percent shooting from the arc, nearly unstoppable around the perimeter. You'd think that Khamari McGriff would be the star forward we'd highlight after finally returning to the lineup on Saturday. But instead, it was the former Bowling Green standout who had his first true breakout this season.
3. Kansas State just couldn't take advantage late.
This performance, even through the struggles, was exactly what fans would want to see from a struggling squad.
Anything. No matter how ugly the victory would've been, it would have revived just some type of faith or excitement to break the losing streak. Instead, Kansas State just fell apart. In a winnable game, star players dropped the ball and failed to bring it home. The Wildcats technically won the turnover battle, but their turnovers were much more detrimental and timely. They turned Xavier Edmonds over six times, but he scored a season-high 26 points in the process. This begs the question if Kansas State can even win another game this year.