OMAHA — Turns out, Michael Beasley and O.J. Mayo weren’t the only freshmen on the court.
Redshirt freshman Bill Walker scored 22 points, true freshmen Jacob Pullen and Ron Anderson also reached double figures, and Kansas State moved on in the NCAA Tournament, beating Mayo-led USC 80-67 in the opening round Thursday night.
“Everybody was so focused on the individual matchup,” Pullen said. “We just tried to make it into Kansas State winning the game. That’s what we were focused on.”
Beasley overcame early trouble to have another big game for the Wildcats (21-11), scoring 23 points and grabbing 11 rebounds for his 27th double-double. But it was Beasley’s supporting cast that made the difference.
Walker carried the load in the early going, scoring 17 points in the first half and hitting a dagger of a 3-pointer in the closing minutes. Pullen, a lightning-quick guard, scored 11 points and doled out five assists. Anderson, averaging only 3.1 points a game, scored 10 and grabbed eight rebounds to help the Wildcats dominate the boards.
And don’t forget yet another Kansas State freshman. Dominique Sutton stuck to Mayo like a nagging cold, helping limit USC’s freshman star to 6-of-16 shooting.
UNLV 71, Kent State 58
The Runnin’ Rebels (27-7) tied an NCAA Tournament record by holding Kent State to 10 points in the first half.
The Golden Flashes averaged a turnover a minute the better part of the first half, went almost eight minutes without a point and trailed 31-10 at halftime.
Wisconsin 71, Cal State Fullerton 56
The Badgers (29-4) blocked seven shots and outrebounded the Titans 50-27, and that was enough to overcome a career-high 31-point night by Fullerton’s Josh Akognon, whose five 3-pointers always seemed to come just when it looked as if the Badgers were about to pull away.
Kansas 85, Portland State 61
The Jayhawks (32-3) led all the way against the Vikings, who shot 38 percent (21-of-55) and turned the ball over 16 times.
The Associated Press
