The Kansas State basketball team has a calling card.
The Wildcats win NCAA Tournament games with defense.
Of all the wild and exciting developments to come out of their two victories at Spectrum Center this week, that is the most notable. They held high-scoring Creighton to a season-low 59 points on Friday and completely stymied Maryland-Baltimore County during a 50-43 victory on Sunday. Now they are headed to the Sweet 16.
Snark if you like about K-State having its hands full with a No. 16 seed, but the Retrievers aren't pushovers. They scored at will on Virginia, the nation's top defensive team during the regular season and then jumped out to a 7-0 lead over the Wildcats.