GW isn't a top 10 team, but a solid one with a good chance to be in the NCAA tournament. They came in with a solid defense (.97 PPP - #57 kenpom, 46.4% eFG% - #88) and a pretty good offense (1.08 PPP - #94, 53.3% - #52, 41.5# 3PT%, #13). For several minutes it looked like it could be a serious battle as GW scored on 7 of their first 8 possession.
Then Jevon Thomas.
Thomas needs some polish in scoring and didn't have any steals, but his defense and passing ability was a key component for K-State to turn the game around and go on a 20-0 run. 6 assists with 0 turnovers and pressure defense that completely took GW out of their offense. He's going to have growing pains, but the hype for Jevon as a legitimate Big 12 point guard seems to be pretty accurate.
The other key going into Big 12 play is Southwell finding his shot. We'll see if it stays consistent, but he's finding different ways to score and hitting some 3s.
Foster isn't quite as hot as he was early, but you still look up and he has 15. Plus Gip still is scoring at an efficient rate. And the Cats are winning the obounding battle while forcing TOs in at a high rate.
Mix in some steady minutes from guys like Westicles, Will, Nino, Omari and DJamer and you've got potential for a solid league season, especially considering the disaster this team looked to be a month and a half ago. This team may still not be a NCAA tournament team, but I think they'll at least be on the bubble and with the solid core of freshman, the future of the program doesn't seem as bleak as many of us thought in November.
