Kansas State basketball guard Dug McDaniel embraces his new role as a defensive stopper

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From the time he entered Kansas State basketball’s starting lineup for the Big 12 opener on Dec. 30, Dug McDaniel has breathed new life into the Wildcat offense.

But just as important has been McDaniel’s emergence as a defensive stopper, even if it took a sharp nudge from Jerome Tang to get him there.

“I’m not sure what game it was, but me and coach Tang had a pretty intense meeting,” McDaniel said Tuesday night after the Wildcats beat No.13-ranked Arizona, 73-70, for their sixth straight victory. “He just basically told me how bad I was on defense, and that same day in practice I may have had about six, seven steals in a row, something like that.

“But after that conversation, I went back and reflected and realized my defense is not where it should be, and I just take pride in it now. That’s something I want to be known for when you speak about my game.”

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Kansas State guard Dug McDaniel (0) defends as Arizona’s Jaden Bradley (0) lunges for a loose ball Tuesday night at Bramlage Coliseum.

The Wildcats (13-11, 7-6 Big 12) will put their winning streak on the line at 8 p.m. Saturday when they take on Brigham Young (16-8, 7-6) at the Marriott Center in Provo, Utah.

McDaniel’s fingerprints are all over the streak for his work at both ends of the floor. In addition to his team-high 15.2 points and 6.7 assists over the six games, he has averaged 2.2 steals. He led the Wildcats with 24 points against Arizona and also had five steals, including one with three seconds left that helped secure the victory.

Tang credits McDaniel for embracing his role as an elite defender.

“I don’t think he realized how much he could impact the game without the ball in his hands, and all the other things that go into it,” Tang said. “Because people put so much weight on how many points or how many assists from the point guard position,…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/kansas-state-basketball-guard-dug-090132751.html

Author : The Topeka Capital-Journal

Publish date : 2025-02-15 09:01:00

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