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MARK SMITH WAS "INCREDIBLE"
Mark Smith didn't even go home for Christmas because his family was dealing with Covid-19 and he wanted to avoid that. He instead remained in Manhattan to work on his craft and it paid off to the tune of 25 points, 16 rebounds, 5 assists and zero turnovers.
Bruce Weber used the word "incredible" to describe Smith's performance. The last time that Kansas State had a player complete a 20-10 double-double feat was Dean Wade in 2017 when he racked up 25 points and 11 rebounds against Oral Roberts.
16 rebounds for a guard is phenomenal. Smith has proven to be the most capable rebounder all season for the Wildcats.
THE BIG SHOT
Ultimately, Smith's great efforts weren't enough to collect the road win in Norman. He was the only positive in the first half, as the rest of the team struggled to bounce back from Christmas break.
Nijel Pack and Ismael Massoud came alive in the second half. Those two and Smith combined for 38 of K-State's 47 second half points.
Before Oklahoma was able to ice the game at the free throw line, Pack attempted a deep, open triple with 22 seconds left, while down by two points. It wasn't a bad look, but there's an argument to be made that they could have found something closer to the rim.
However, Pack was who it was designed for, but they needed it to go in and it didn't.
OFFENSIVE REBOUNDING
Oklahoma's 13 offensive rebounds and 18 second chance points were brutal. It didn't matter whether K-State had two bigs or just one in the lineup. The Sooners just found a way to out-effort the Wildcats on loose balls, consistently.
Kansas State played small a majority of the second half. That really helped them get out of their offensive funk, but giving up seven second half offensive rebounds to Oklahoma proved to be costly.
It is something the coaching staff will have to monitor closely going forward. If Kaosi Ezeagu and Davion Bradford can't be more productive in league play, playing small may be worth the risk of losing the rebounding battles if it means every other area prospers.
BOTH TEAMS MISSED KEY PLAYERS
Oklahoma and K-State each were down a starter.
Markquis Nowell has been Kansas State's most consistent player, but health and safety protocols kept him from making the trip to Norman. Weber shared that he was feeling fine, though. They hope to have him back for the Texas game on Tuesday.
Tanner Groves is the leading scorer for the Sooners and could have been a matchup nightmare for the Wildcats had he played. His brother Jacob Groves and guard Bijan Cortes also both missed the game due to health and safety protocols.
However, the latter two only combine for 5.1 points per game. Their absences weren't as crucial.
Nowell and Groves left giant voids for their clubs. Both are very key to their team's success, and they especially were throughout the non-conference portion of the schedule.
Smith stepped up for K-State and both Elijah Harkless and Umoja Gibson came through for Oklahoma. Only three other Sooners scored.
The Wildcats just needed more from everyone else outside of Smith in the first half. But ultimately the slow start lingered and Kansas State will now have to regroup for another tough battle on Tuesday.
