Running Diary: McGuirl leads K-State to 69-59 win over Creighton

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CHARLOTTE - The KSO Running Diary returns, as I'll chronicle the entire day up to and through Kansas State's NCAA Tournament contest with Creighton. Even though I'm out east, I'll use central time for these updates to hopefully make it less confusing.

Let's get started!

7:29 a.m.: I'll start today's Running Diary with a (sad) prediction. It's my guess that Dean Wade will not play this evening when the Wildcats take on Creighton. I'm not "reporting" that, this is just a dude speculating and talking from his gut. I just don't see him going this evening.

If that's the case, what would fascinate me would be who K-State goes with in his place. Against Kansas they went with Kam Stokes, who struggled once again. I do think he would be the most likely option - Bruce Weber talked about him finally getting a chance to string some practices together - but it's not a sure thing.

The other real option is Amaad Wainright, and that's the direction I'd go. Wainright played 35 minutes against Kansas and didn't turn it over once while going 4-of-5 from the floor. Creighton goes so small you could even play Wainright at the four, if you wanted, and leave Xavier Sneed at the three.

A wild card would be to go with Mike McGuirl, who's a better defender than either Stokes or Wainright and simply slide Cartier Diarra, Barry Brown and Xavier Sneed each down a spot.

Maybe (hopefully) I'm just getting ahead of myself and we'll see Wade after all.

7:44 a.m.: On a lighter note, yesterday was a lot of fun for myself and Grant Flanders. We recorded an edition of The KSO Show from inside the Spectrum Center in four segments, one of which included an interview with CBS/Turner announcer Bill Raftery.

He was incredibly kind and patient with us. I kind of rushed through the interview to be respectful of his time, only to realize at the end he would have been happy to talk for 30 minutes had I tried. He was sitting by Tracy Wolfson, tonight's sideline reporter, with play-by-play guy Jim Nantz sitting a little way down the line. Wolfson got very excited when she realized I had a different pronunciation of Diarra than they had been using. She went so far as to yell at Nantz, "You need to come down here, we have a couple of people who know what they're talking about with this stuff!"

He already knew the correct pronunciation of Diarra, for the record. He also took the time to introduce himself to Flando and talk for a second.

I get that we're journalists and not supposed to be star-struck or impressed by these kind of people. Whatevs. We're also people who can admit when we think it's cool to see somebody and are impressed by how they act when they don't "big-time" you. That group was as down to earth as anybody ever could have hoped for and was super impressive.

My seat tonight on press row is actually right by that group, Wolfson specifically. Maybe they'll ask me to report...

8:00 a.m.: Oh yeah, Flando put a heck of a lot of work in making this video last night. It may be his best one yet. Please give 'er a watch :)

8:09 a.m.: J-Mart has gone on record with his prediction for tonight (see tweet below). On The KSO Show I ultimately settled on Creighton 77-71, while Flando has K-State 75-74. I think, for the record, every time Flando and I have disagreed on a game this year he's been right. So, there's that.

8:53 a.m.: Just 'cause...

9:17 a.m.: I would expect K-State to wear black uniforms tonight against Creighton. Willie may have given it away a little bit yesterday at the open practice, as he was wearing black. The Wildcats would love to wear the two-toned lavender uniforms, but the NCAA has some issues with those. Because, you know, they're a problem somehow.

10:28 a.m.: Seeing lots of purple around the Spectrum Center this morning, but when you get close enough to look it's all Lipscomb supporters. Fans of the university located in Nashville, roughly a six-hour drive to Charlotte, are here to see their bunch take on No. 2 seed North Carolina at 1:45 this afternoon. Will be interested to see how much purple shows up for the second session this evening.

10:36 a.m.: Did you miss Flando's photo gallery from yesterday? You ever want to see a picture of Wildcat assistant Chester Frazier throwing down a dunk in practice? If your answer is yes to any of these questions, click the gallery below.

10:41 a.m.: This tweet from J-Mart made me chuckle. The whole time I was talking with Bill Raftery I was trying to think of funny ways to get him to say, "Man to man!" I had settled on asking him, "So, if you had a beef with somebody and needed to handle it, what's the best way to handle that conversation?"

Didn't have the courage, though.

12:42 p.m.: Flando and I have arrived for a full day at the Spectrum Center. Fortunately my seat tonight is by Tracy Wolfson and the CBS/Turner crew, which puts me right by the K-State bench. Should have some interesting nuggets to share.

1:37 p.m.: No "official" update on Dean Wade's status, but there's an awful lot of chatter out there suggesting my gut feeling/prediction from this morning may end up being accurate.

It's interesting to me, however, that the line has still moved in K-State's favor (from +2 to a pick 'em at some places) despite the general reporting that Wade either will not play or be limited.

Cue the "somebody knows something I don't know..." line of thinking.

1:44 p.m.: Dean Wade had high praise for this group yesterday...

Oh, and black uniforms for sure.

2:10 p.m.: Remember what I said a minute ago about the betting line being interesting?

Yeah, scratch that. They've figured it out.

K-State has now moved, rapidly, to a 2.5 point underdog in tonight's game against Creighton.

2:19 p.m.: Okay, knowing what we think we know, let's revise three keys for K-State to win this game tonight against Creighton:

1. Win the battle of the boards.

Could arguably K-State's biggest weakness turn into a strength at the most important time of the year? It's possible. Creighton will play small and not attack the offensive glass. Guys like Amaad Wainright and Xavier Sneed could potentially have big games on the boards to both end Creighton possessions and give the Wildcats second chances on the offensive end.

2. Mak attack, part II?

Mawien was HUGE without Wade against Kansas, putting in 29 points and coming off as impossible to guard in the paint. Creighton isn't a particularly salty interior defensive bunch, and if not doubled I imagine Toby Hegner will struggle to handle the 6-foot-9 sophomore in the post if he's able to establish good position in the paint.

3. MAKE SHOTS.

Hey, it't not a "three keys," type segment without stating the obvious. But it's going to be absolutely vital tonight. Creighton is going to score a lot of points, most likely, and the Wildcats are going to have to keep pace. If Mawien gets going, Creighton will either double him or go zone. Brown will draw the attention of defensive stopper Khyri Thomas all night long and even more focus when he drives to the hoop. These factors are going to leave Wildcat shooters open. Can they knock them down? Doing so - or not - will almost certainly be the difference in this one.

3:08 p.m.: In case you missed it early in Study Hall or on The Foundation, a great look at tonight's match-up from the ever-so-talented ksu_FAN:

5:30 p.m.: A uniform swerve?!? Willie now has purple on.

4:44 p.m.: Waited two hours outside of the K-State locker room to ensure I wouldn't miss Bruce Weber entering the arena and K-State's locker room. Asked him for an update on Dean Wade. He paused for a second, kind of smiled and said "He'll be limited."

Didn't press him further, he was in a hurry.

4:51 (Grant Flanders): I was able to exchange quick pleasantries with GA Shane Southwell and Coach Weber while walking back from the restroom. Oh, I also said a brief word to Tracey Wolfson and she responded to me by name. Day made.

4:55 p.m.: Wade was with the first group of Wildcats to come and work out. There's no running or anything stressful going on right now, but he looks fine.

5:04 p.m.: Latest word on Wade is that he will be available to play tonight but will not start.

5:06 p.m.: Official starting lineup for K-State tonight is Cartier Diarra, Kam Stokes, Barry Brown, Makol Mawien and Xavier Sneed.

Tracy Wolfson (TNT/CBS) was told by K-State that Wade would be available for "emergency situations."

5:13 p.m.: Flanders has started up the photos. Check back on the gallery below every so often to see the latest shots here from Charlotte.

5:35 p.m.: Just more than 10 minutes before tip-off, crown is about as sparse as you could ever imagine seeing at a setting like this. Atmosphere doesn't figure to be a factor in this one for either team. Hard to judge which fanbase has more here, both are in the hundreds at best.

5:44 p.m.: Sorry if I've already written this - I can't remember at this point - but I've been so impressed with Wade's attitude throughout this whole thing. He's been playful and encouraging to his teammates throughout this and is doing the same though pregame. Not that there was any doubt prior, but absolutely a team player that Wade kid.

5:50 p.m.: I'm right behind Weber. After that first Sneed miss he yelled at his team, "That's a great pass! X, you'll make the next one!"

Stokes makes K-State's first basket, Wildcats up 2-0 with 18:30 left.

Stokes is hot, hits a three to put K-State up 5-0 early.

Now Stokes stutter steps and scores at the basket. Great start of a guy who's really been struggling; it's 7-0 K-State.

The Wildcats are ON FIRE. Stokes had a deep three go half-way down before bouncing out for his first miss, then Mawien comes down the next possession and hits an open three. Creighton's only make was on a very tough look over Mawien. Then Mawien comes down on the other end and hits a wide open three in rhythm to put the Wildcats up 10-2 with 15:44 left in the opening half.

K-State's bench is excited, as you might expect.

6:02 p.m.: Weber is very frustrated for how loose Diarra is being with the basketball, as he just turned the ball over to allow an easy run out for a Creighton layup. Think he was actually going to sub Stokes out before Diarra's turnover before chaning his mind and telling Wainright to go get Diarra instead. Wildcats still lead 15-9 with 11:27 left in the opening half, as Creighton is shooting just 28.6 percent from the field. Wildcat bench is very happy with the defense being played.

6:10 p.m.: After starting hot from deep K-State is now getting it done attacking the basket. Brown grabbed a rebound on his own miss the to get a two after Creighton had cut it to three, then Diarra gets a three-point play on a pretty finish to put K-State up 20-12. Mike McGuirl has entered the game for the first time. Don't expect Wade to play, he's down at the end of the bench past a manager and away from the rotation players.

6:20 p.m.: Wildcats had a chance to move the lead to double digits with two Wainight free throws, but both were missed. Creighton answers with a nice pass from Thomas to Epperson inside to trim the deficit to just six points with seven minutes left in the first half.

K-State coaches have been very upset with the lack of ball movement on the last few half-court possessions, working on Diarra specifically to try and get him to keep it moving.

And, on another dead possession offensively Diarra bails the Wildcats out with a DEEP three at the end of the shot clock. He followed it up with a massive blocked shot that led to an ally-oop dunk on a lob from Stokes to Diarra.

Diarra may make mistakes, but when you get those types of plays you'll be content to live with them.

K-State leads 25-16 with 4:48 left in the first half.

The Wildcat defense has been absolutely smothering against one of the best offenses in college basketball. Creighton is still shooting just 28 percent from the floor and 16.7 percent from deep. Every pass is contested, and no looks are easy.

6:27 p.m.: Hegner has given K-State some trouble, as he grabbed an offensive board and got the put back to slice the deficit to seven points at the four-minute mark. Wildcat coaches unhappy with Mawien for allowing the second-chance points, screaming at him, "You've got to rebound 14!" as he came to the bench following a media timeout after a foul put Cartier Diarra at the line with 3:51 left in the first.

Diarra made just one of the attempts, leaving K-State 2-of-5 from the line early on. The Wildcats caught a break when Hegner missed an open three after Mawien over-helped on a drive.

Mawien just brought the ball down too low and held it during a Creighton triple team, allowing Thomas to strip him and go down the floor for another easy finish. McGuirl, who had missed a three on his first look, responded with a nice finish at the rim.

Again, K-State had a chance to push it to 10 at the foul line but saw Stokes miss the front end of a 1-and-1.

Creighton followed up with a three, making it just 28-23 in K-State's favor.

The free throw line is really hurting the Wildcats. K-State is just 2-of-6 from the stripe, really missing out on five of seven attempts if you count the second try Stokes couldn't earn.

This feels like a dangerous time for K-State, as they try to hang on to the edge they've held the entire first half in the last couple of minutes.

6:37 p.m.: Epperson was very fired up after throwing Stokes to the floor on that screen, calling out some words I can't type here on KSO. After watching the replay here on TNT's monitor I can see why he was a little upset, as Stokes was pushing him in the chest through the entire screen. The ref was shielded from it

Weber just asked his assistants, "How many free throws have we missed?!?" after Brown missed another. He did make the second, however.

And what a finish to the half for Mike McGuirl. After Ballock had hit a three with only seven second remaining the freshman point guard drained a 30-footer at the buzzer for the Wildcats to make it 32-26 in K-State's favor at halftime. That came after McGuirl nearly threw down a two-handed slam after driving baseline the prior possession.

Really, K-State's point guards were the story of the half. Each of them took turns making the difference.

Stokes early shot making was huge to get K-State going, especially with Wade seated on the bench and looking unlikely to play. The junior scored K-State's first seven points to give the Wildcats an early 7-0 lead they more or less held on to the entire half.

Diarra took over a little bit in the middle of the period with the giant three that beat the buzzer, as well as the previously mentioned block that led to an ally-oop that forced Creighton to call a timeout.

The final sequence starred McGuirl and his buzzer beater. All told, that trio combined for 19 points, five assists and just one turnover in the first half.

K-State's defense was tremendous in the first half, but you have to think at some point Creighton will start knocking down shots - even contested ones. They're too good of a shooting team to stay this cold no matter the defensive effort.

Expect a run from the Bluejays at some point in this second half. If K-State can handle it, the Wildcats will be able to advance to the Round of 32.

7:02 p.m.: Not a clean looking possession for K-State out of the half, ending with a turnover off Mawien's hands. Weber screamed at his team from the sidelines," Let's get a stop, positive energy!" twice. K-State did get a stop but couldn't extend the lead when Stokes missed a jumper off the inbounds with the shot clock winding down.

Diarra quickly picked up his third foul, putting Ballock at the line, who made both to make it just a four-point game. McGuirl replaced Diarra.

7:04 p.m.: Sneed FINALLY hit a three-pointer to put K-State up seven, followed by a Brown drive to the hoop that moved the lead bacak to 37-28 with 17 minutes left in the contest. Ballock answered with a three of his own to make it a six-point difference once again. Ballock scored again on a layup to cut it just to four before Stockard missed a dunk and Thomas got a run out, again, to make it 37-35 K-State.

Weber has called a timeout to try and settle his group down and talk through things.

Here's that Creighton run I talked about above. K-State still has a lead; how will the Wildcats respond?

7:11 p.m.: Creighton nearly came all the way back to tie, but Harrell missed an easy shot in the lane. K-State is struggling right now a little bit against Creighton's zone. They're getting looks - both open threes and at the basket - but the shots aren't falling and Stockard is having a hard time finishing inside. Weber's drawing up how he wants K-State to attack as I type this.

7:15 p.m.: Stokes gives K-State a much needed basket by finishing at the rim, snapping a 7-0 Creighton spurt. The Wildcats forced a turnover on the next possession to let McGuirl get out and get another two that got the lead back out to six.

In a scramble situation Mawien was called for his second foul as Thomas drove to the basket. K-State was very upset with the call, telling the officials the same play isn't being called on its end.

Thomas made one of two free throws, making it 41-36. Thomas then picked up his third foul when K-State regained possession, a development worth watching.

7:20 p.m.: If you don't think K-State's coaches work officials, I have a tale to tell you. Weber has been working one official in particular the last three trips down the floor about an illegal screen on Epperson, and he just got that call to give K-State possession back with 11:12 to play.

That came on the heels of a clutch basket from Brown, which gave K-State the 44-39 lead it currently holds.

7:25 p.m.: The turnover turned in to two points, as the Wildcats finally converted on a pair of free throws thanks to Brown. With 10:29 left in the game Foster got the two points back with his first basket of the night on a drive to the hoop, but Sneed answered right back with his second straight make from deep to make it 49-41 K-State with just less than 10 minutes to play.

Ballock had another open three, to which assistant Chester Frazier screamed an exasperated, "No!" It missed, leaving K-State's edge at nine points.

The nine turned into 10, as another Stokes hoop at the rim gave K-State its biggest lead of the night. Brown missed a shot at the hoop that would have truly created some separation, and Creighton kept itself within striking distance on a Hegner three-point play.

7:32 p.m.: So, uh, Mike McGuirl.

The freshman hit an 18-foot jumper late in the shot clock to push K-State's lead out to nine. Creighton answered, and then McGuirl hit another of many big shots by the Wildcat point guards.

McGuirl knocked down a three-pointer from the left corner while being fouled by Foster, extending K-State's lead to 56-46 with 7:13 left.

Flanders couldn't help but notice that McGuirl shot Foster a nice little glare after the whistle was blown. He made the free throw to complete the four-point play, leaving K-State up 11.

McGuirl also just threw a perfect entry pass over the top of a fronted Mawien, leading to another two free throw attempts after Hegner had scored for Creighton. Mawien calmly knocked down both.

7:40 p.m.: Great block by Brown on a potential layup by Ballock at the 4:30 mark of the game. The dead ball also gave K-State a chance to sub Sneed back into the game after a brief break. Sneed corralled the rebound on another Foster miss, but the Wildcats turned it over when they had a chance to extend the lead into the teens with four minutes left.

7:46 p.m.: Aaaaaaand McGuirl just delivered the dagger. Another three-pointer, this one from the right corner, with just more than three minutes left in the game.

K-State leads 62-48.

7:47 p.m.: At this point, it is what it is. K-State has dominated Creighton in this one. The Wildcats have smothered Creighton on the defensive end all night long, and on offense the Wildcats have got timely makes from McGuirl, Stokes, Brown and Diarra.

They've been the better team all night - without Dean Wade - and will be marching on.

7:52 p.m.: K-State is going to win, and you don't want to take away from the accomplishment, but the Wildcats are killing themselves at the line. Sneed just nearly air-balled the front end of a 1-and-1 attempt, allowing the Bluejays a chance to get down the court and score.

Sneed is about to head to the line now for another 1-and-1 attempt. K-State needs him to make the front end to ease any remaining nerves and keep the pressure on Creighton.

And to make me not look stupid for my previous entry, which I refuse to delete.

7:58 p.m.: A really cool moment in front of me, as Foster came over and embraced Bruce Weber. Awful, awful lot of class and maturity shown from Foster there. He had a rough game and his career is going to be over, and he thought to go over and do that with Weber. Probably a special moment for the Wildcat head coach, too.

Nothing but respect for Marcus Foster.

8:07 p.m.: Post-game press conference will start shortly. Weber, Brown and Stokes will be here. Players also available in the locker room. Flando is going to get reaction from the locker room, I'll be sharing thoughts from K-State here once they arrive.

8:10 p.m.: K-State has arrived and is speaking.

-Weber starts out by talking about working since losing to Cincinnati in the NCAAs last year.

-Moves on to talking about defensive effort and how impressive it is to hold Creighton to 59.

-Next topic he mentions is McGuirl stepping up and how special a night he had.

-Stokes was relieved to see those first shots fall for him, helped him calm down and play the rest of the game.

-Brown talked about how important prep was and memorizing Creighton's plays to have a chance to hold Foster down. Said he knew a lot of what was coming before it happened.

-Brown said team had their backs against the wall knowing Wade wouldn't play, credited McGuirl for stepping up and for the rest of the team playing like it could have been their last game.

-Stokes talked about how rewarding the win was before immediately mentioning that there was more work to do.

-Lots of questions about Wade and when K-State knew he wouldn't play, line continues to be "game-time decision."

-Brown talks about this win being for everybody involved with this program from Coach Weber all the way through the players and fans.

-Weber says he's always been in this for the kids. Says he just wanted Marcus Foster to be successful and that he's happy he got his head on straight on had a great career. Said he has a great family. Is proud for having recruited him and coached him and hopes he played a role in helping his improvement.

-Weber talks about K-State having dealt with injury adversity before. Says his team has been through it. Says the word he put on the board today was "persistence" and that there's nothing in the world more important than persistence. Talks about how the game against Kansas allowed guys like Wainright and McGuirl to gain a lot of confidence.

-Weber says the win isn't about him, it's about the players. Not worried about any pressure that's been relieved or thinking about that.

-Weber said Wade talked about pain and mobility being an issue before the game after working the last couple of days. He said they could have used him in an emergency situation, but he told his parents right before they drove over to the arena that he likely wasn't going to play.

-It will be a little more wait and see on Wade's status for Sunday. Will wait and see if it improves and he gets a shot. Wouldn't expect major minutes, but he'll give him a shot if he's good to go.

12:07 a.m.: What a night.

Flando and I decided to hang out and do our work from court-side instead of going back to the hotel to get a chance to watch Virginia up close before Sunday's game.

Instead, we watched history, in awe, as UMBC became the first ever No. 16 seed to knock off a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, handling Virginia 74-54.

We'll have so much more to come on K-State's win tonight and the battle with the Retrievers set for Sunday night. The Post Game from J-Mart is already live, our video is about to run and we'll have a new edition of The KSO Show up tomorrow. Plus, you'll see the Report Card on Saturday as well. Sunday will be full of pieces getting you ready for K-State's shot to make the Sweet 16. The Running Diary will be back Sunday, as well.

Appreciate you spending your time here at KSO; thank you so much.