Alas, Kansas State finally got a Big 12 victory.
It took everything from the star players and every second of the Tuesday night matchup. But the Wildcats are finally victorious in the conference after a nail-biting win over Utah. Even without Abdi Bashir Jr. and Khamari McGriff, the team did what they needed to win their first game since December.
Here are a few takeaways from the thriller:
1. David Castillo finally showed back up.
After a dominant season start, sophomore guard David Castillo has gone cold in Big 12 play. He finally got back to that star level against the Utes. Castillo neared his season high with 20 points on 6-of-9 shooting from 3-point range. His start took some production off the bench, but rounded out Nate Johnson and PJ Haggerty's big nights.
No Bashir, no problem. Castillo's high-scoring performance contributed to the team's 52 percent shooting from 3-point range. Games like these show why he is the Wildcats' biggest X-factor. Kansas State is now 6-1 when Castillo scores at least 15 points. Now, he just needs to find his footing for when all the stars play together, and he leads the second unit.
2. PJ Haggerty had himself a game.
Another slow start from PJ Haggerty raised concerns that he would have another underwhelming scoring performance.
He didn't falter. In fact, Haggerty had one of his best games of the season with 34 points, eight rebounds, and two steals. He took over in the final minutes, illustrating some of his early-season form by single-handedly dominating against the Utes. Haggerty did have a nearly disastrous late-game turnover and shot 25 percent from 3-point range. But you can't be too mad at a 30-point performance, especially with him scoring the last 11 points before Johnson's game-winning free throws.
3. The defense has to improve against the Big 12 slate.
Kansas State's bread-and-butter has been its offensive production.
The defense...is another story. Of course, missing forwards McGriff, Mobi Ikegwuruka, and Elias Rapieque detriments the frontcourt defense. But even then, giving up 80 points/game can't keep being the recipe for success in a conference as dominant as the Big 12. Unless the offense can sustain dropping 85-90 points every given night (which they can't), the team will have to lock down on defense at some point. Luckily, they were playing another relatively lackluster Utah defense. However, against teams like Iowa State, Houston, and Kansas, the Wildcats must be much better.