GAME 29
14/16 KANSAS STATE (21-7, 9-6 Big 12) at OKLAHOMA STATE (16-12, 7-8 Big 12)
Saturday, February 25, 2023 >> 1:05 p.m. CT >> Gallagher-Iba Arena (13,611) >> Stillwater, Okla.

TELEVISION
ESPNU / WatchESPN (link here)

  • Drew Carter (play-by-play)
  • Fran Fraschilla (analyst)
  • Kyle Binder (producer)

RADIO
K-State Sports Network
Flagships: // KMAN 1350 & WIBW 580
Satellite Radio: Sirius XM 85 or 200
Online: Varsity Network [free]/ www.kstatesports.com/watch [free]

  • Wyatt Thompson (play-by-play)
  • Stan Weber (analyst)

LIVE STATS
www.kstatesports.com
okstate.statbroadcast.com

COACHES
K-State: Jerome Tang [Charter Oak State College ’07]
Record at K-State: 21-7/1st Year
Career Record: 23-7/1st Year+
vs. Oklahoma State: 1-0 [1-0 at K-State]

Oklahoma State: Mike Boynton, Jr. [South Carolina ’03]
Record at OSU: 103-85/6th Year
Career Record: 103-85/6th Year
vs. K-State: 5-6 [5-6 at OSU]

SERIES HISTORY
Overall: K-State leads 84-58
Big 12 Era: Oklahoma State leads 23-18
In Stillwater: Oklahoma State leads 36-27
At Gallagher-Iba Arena: Oklahoma State leads 33-25
Active Streak: K-State, 1
Tang vs. Oklahoma State: 1-0 [1-0 at K-State]
Tang vs. Mike Boynton, Jr.: 1-0 [0-0 on the road]

PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP (Based off the last game)
14/16 Kansas State (21-7, 9-6 Big 12)
G: #1 Markquis Nowell
G: #5 Cam Carter
G: #13 Desi Sills
F: #11 Keyontae Johnson
F: #35 Nae’Qwan Tomlin

Oklahoma State (16-12, 7-8 Big 12)
G: #1 Bryce Thompson
G: #4 Woody Newton
G: #5 Caleb Asberry
G: #51 John-Michael Wright
F: #22 Kalib Boone

OPENING TIP
No. 14/16 K-State (21-7, 9-6 Big 12) continues its stretch run to the end of the regular season on Saturday afternoon, as the Wildcats travel to Stillwater, Okla., to take on Oklahoma State (16-12, 7-8 Big 12) at Gallagher-Iba Arena for a 1 p.m., CT tip on ESPNU. K-State used a 9-2 run to end the game to grind out a 65-57 win against one of the nation’s top interior defensive teams in the first meeting on Jan. 10 at home. Senior Markquis Nowell led 3 players in double figures with 20 points and a game-high 7 assists. The Wildcats have not swept the season series from the Cowboys since 2019, which is also the last time they won a game in Gallagher-Iba Arena.

KEY STORYLINES

  • K-State finished off a season sweep of No. 9/10 Baylor for the first time since 2019 with a dominant second-half performance in a 75-65 win at home on Tuesday. The Wildcats scored 44 points after halftime on 57.7 percent shooting with 22 coming in the paint, while holding the explosive Bears to just 31 points on 37 percent shooting. Senior Keyontae Johnson paced a balanced attack with a game-high 25 points, while fellow senior Markquis Nowell became the first Wildcat to post at least 10 assists and have 0 turnovers.
  • K-State was among 5 Big 12 teams to check into the top-16 seeds in the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee’s bracket preview on Feb. 18, as the Wildcats came in as a No. 3 seed. The Wildcats were joined by No. 1 seed Kansas, No. 2 seeds Baylor and Texas and fellow No. 3 seed Iowa State. No other league had more than 2 among the top-16 projections.
  • K-State earned its 31st 20-win season and first since 2018-19 in the win over No. 19/18 Iowa State Feb. 18. The 21-7 record ties 4 other teams for the fifth-best start by a Wildcat team in the past 50 seasons and is only surpassed by the 1972-73 (23-5), 2009-10 (24-4), 2012-13 (23-5) and 1976-77 (22-6) teams. Among the 15 wins in the last 21 outings is a 9-game streak from Dec. 3, 2022 to Jan. 10, 2023 and a tie for the most AP Top 25 wins (7) in school history.
  • K-State’s 21-7 start under head coach Jerome Tang ranks among the very best by all first-year Division I coaches, just ahead of Missouri’s Dennis Gates (20-8), Xavier’s Sean Miller (20-8) and Duke’s Jon Scheyer (20-8). He is the fourth K-State coach to win 20 games in his first season, joining Lon Kruger [1986-87], Bob Huggins [2006-07] and Frank Martin [2007-08].
  • Johnson (17.6 ppg.) and Nowell (16.8 ppg.) have been one of the most prolific tandems, as they combine to average 34.4 points per game on 45 percent (310-of-692) shooting. They were named to the Oscar Robertson Trophy, John R. Wooden Award and Naismith Trophy Watch Lists, while each were selected to their respective position award (Bob Cousy and Julius Irving) lists.
  • Nowell became the school’s single season assist leader vs. TCU on Feb. 7, breaking the 35-year-old mark of Steve Henson (186; 1987-88). He ranks second in both assists per game (7.6 apg.) and total assists (212). In the win over No. 9/10 Baylor, he became just the 12th Division I player since 1996-97 to post at least 10 assists with 0 turnovers vs. an AP Top 10 opponent.

NOTES ON OKLAHOMA STATE

  • Oklahoma State (16-12, 7-8 Big 12) enters Saturday on a 3-game losing streak after dropping back-to-back road tilts at TCU and West Virginia. The Cowboys had won 5 in a row prior to its recent skid, which included home wins over TCU and Texas Tech and a road victory at Iowa State, which is the Cyclones’ lone home loss.
  • Oklahoma State is averaging 69.6 points on 44.2 percent shooting, including 32.2 percent from 3-point range, with 36.2 rebounds, 12.8 assists, 5.9 steals and 5.0 blocks per game, while allowing just 66.3 points on 40.1 percent shooting, including 30.8 percent from 3-point range. The Cowboys are connecting on 70.3 percent from the free throw line.
  • Oklahoma State is one of the best defensive teams in the country, ranking 21st nationally in field goal percentage defense, 38th in 3-point field goal percentage defense and 16th in blocked shots/game.
  • Two players – juniors Kalib Boone (11.8 ppg.) and Bryce Thompson (11.8 ppg.) – are averaging double figures, while two others (John-Michael Wright (9.9 ppg.) and Caleb Asberry (8.5 ppg.) are averaging better than 8.5 points. Junior Moussa Cisse averages a team-best 8.1 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game. Cisse and Boone have a combined 82 blocked shots.
  • Oklahoma State is led by sixth-year head coach Mike Boynton, Jr., who has a 103-85 record. He is 5-6 all-time vs. K-State.

SERIES HISTORY

  • K-State holds an 84-58 lead in the all-time series which dates all the way back to 1922 and includes a 27-36 mark on the road. Oklahoma State has a 23-18 advantage in the Big 12 era, including 23-15 in the regular season.
  •  The Cowboys have won the last 3 games at Gallagher-Iba Arena against the Wildcats, all by 7 points or less, including an 82-79 overtime thriller last season. The last K-State win in Stillwater came on Feb. 2, 2019.

LAST 10 MEETINGS [5-5]
Date                    Rank     Result   Score                  Location
2/14/2018          —/—     W          82-72                  Stillwater
2/2/2019            —/—     W          75-57                  Stillwater
2/23/2019          23/—    W          85-46                  Manhattan
2/11/2020          —/—     L             59-64                  Manhattan
3/4/2020            —/—     L             63-69                  Stillwater
1/9/2021            —/rv     L             54-70                  Manhattan
2/13/2021          —/23    L             60-67                  Stillwater
2/2/2022            —/—     W          71-68                  Manhattan
2/19/2022          —/—     L             79-82 (OT)          Stillwater
1/10/2023          11/—    W          65-57                  Manhattan

LAST MEETING:
11/13 K-STATE 65, OKLAHOMA STATE 57 [Jan. 10, 2023]

  • Senior Markquis Nowell continued his impressive play with a team-high 20 points and game-high 7 assists, as No. 11/13 K-State won its first game as a ranked team in nearly 4 seasons with a gritty 65-57 win over Oklahoma State on Jan. 10 before a sold-out crowd of 11,000 at Bramlage Coliseum.
  • As expected, the Wildcats took the best shot of a long and athletic Oklahoma State team, which leads the Big 12 in scoring defense (61.5) and ranks third nationally in field goal percentage defense (36.4).
  • The Cowboys rode that elite defense to much as a 5-point lead in the first half, including 32-30 at halftime. However, the Wildcats scored 5 of the first 7 points out of halftime to take the lead for good on a trey by junior Ish Massoud at 35-34 and force a timeout by coach Mike Boynton, Jr., at the 17:17 mark.
  • K-State twice built a 10-point lead, including 51-41, with just over 10 minutes remaining to cap a 9-0 run and 56-46 after a layup by junior Nae’Qwan Tomlin with just over 7 minutes left. However, OSU make a furious comeback with 9 straight points to cut the deficit to 56-55 with 3:10 to play.
  • The Wildcats were able to make key plays down the stretch to end the game on a 9-2 run, which included a highlight alley-oop dunk by senior Keyontae Johnson from Nowell with 38 seconds left. This 9-2 ending included a pair of free throws from senior Abayomi Iyiola and Nowell, the dunk by Johnson and 3 free throws from reserve senior Desi Sills.
  • Nowell was joined in double figures by Johnson, who kept his double-digit scoring streak alive at 16 games with 12 points on 5-of-11 shooting to go with 6 rebounds and 2 assists, and Sills, who added 11 points on 3-of-8 field goals and 5-of-6 free throws to go with 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals.

LAST MEETING IN STILLWATER:
OKLAHOMA STATE 82, K-STATE 79 [OT] [Feb. 19, 2022]

  • Sophomore Avery Anderson III’s 3-pointer with 3.8 seconds proved to be difference in overtime, as Oklahoma State earned an 82-79 win over the K-State in the last meeting at Gallagher-Iba Arena on Feb. 19, 2022.
  • K-State scored 7 of the last 8 points to tie the game at 66-all with 1:05 left, but was unable to score on the last possession. In overtime, sophomore Nijel Pack was fouled on a 3-pointer and made all 3 free throws to tie the game at 79-all with 12 seconds left before Anderson’s game-winner.
  • Four Wildcats scored in double figures led by 16 points from Pack and Markquis Nowell, while Mark Smith had a double-double.

LAST TIME OUT: 14/16 K-STATE 75, 9/10 BAYLOR 65

  • No. 14/12 K-State rallied from a halftime deficit for the second consecutive game with a dominant second-half performance as the Wildcats tied the school-record for AP Top 25 wins with seven in a 75-65 win over No. 9/10 Baylor on Tuesday night before a sellout crowd of 11,000 at Bramlage Coliseum.
  • Down 34-31 at the break, K-State scored 44 points in the second half on 57.7 percent (15-of-26) shooting with 22 coming in the paint. For the game, the Wildcats connected on 48.3 percent (28-of-58) from the field, including 64.9 percent (24-of-37) inside the 3-point arc, and held a decisive 42-16 advantage in the paint. The team had a season-low 7 turnovers, while dishing out 20 assists on 28 made field goals with senior Markquis Nowell collecting a game-high 10 assists without a single turnover.
  • Senior Keyontae Johnson led three Wildcats in double figures with a game-high 25 points on 11-of-17 field goals, including 2-of-4 from beyond the arc. Overall, it was a balanced all-around night for K-State, as 7 of the 8 players who saw action had at least 2 made field goals. Joining Johnson in double figures was Nowell with 14 points to go with his game-high 10 assists and sophomore Cam Carter, who added 10 points to go with career-tying 8 rebounds. It was Nowell’s 14th career double-double, including sixth this season.
  • The Wildcats led by 10 points with just over 7 minutes to play in the first half before the Bears got hot from 3-point range to take a 34-26 lead with 1:32 left before halftime. Junior Nae’Qwan Tomlin was able to go on a 5-0 run to cut the deficit to 34-31 to give the squad some momentum heading into halftime.
  • A 3-pointer by Johnson tied the game at 34-all on the first possession of the second half, as K-State snatched the lead for good on back-to-back jump shots by their senior with 15:29 to play. The consecutive baskets started a 12-3 run by the Wildcats, which included points from junior David N’Guessan, Nowell and Carter, that extended the lead to 49-43 and forced Baylor head coach Scott Drew to call a timeout with 12:19 remaining.
  • K-State kept the pressure on out of the timeout, scoring 3 consecutive baskets all from different players to push the lead to 55-44 and force another Baylor timeout with just over 8 to play. The lead grew to as many as 14 points after 2 Nowell free throws at the 4:23 mark, as he finished off the Wildcats’ scoring from the line with 6 consecutive makes as part of a perfect 10-of-10 performance.
  • As impressive as the offense was in the second half, the defense was equally as impressive, as the Wildcats held the Big 12’s second-best scoring offense (78.5 ppg.) and the best in Big 12 play (77.4 ppg.) to 65 points on 40 percent shooting, including 39.3 percent from 3-point range. The Bears scored just 31 points after halftime on 37 percent shooting, including 33.3 percent from long range.
  • The win enabled K-State to sweep the season series for the first time since 2019, as the Wildcats evened the all-time series with the Bears at 25 wins each.

POSTGAME NEWS & NOTES

  • K-State earned its seventh AP Top 25 win, which ties the school-record set by the 2009-10 team… It is the third Top 10 win, including the second at home.
  • K-State moved to 15-1 at home, including 14-1 at Bramlage Coliseum… The 14 wins at Bramlage Coliseum are the most since winning 14 in 2017-18.
  • K-State scored 42 of its 75 points in the paint, which marked the 10th time (and 5th in Big 12 play) that the Wildcats have scored 40 or more paint points.
  • K-State had 20 assists on 28 field goals, as 4 players had at least 2 assists.
  • K-State had a season-low 7 turnovers, which were the fewest since having 5 at Ole Miss on Jan. 29, 2022.

TANG DEBUTS AS HEAD COACH

  • First-year head coach Jerome Tang enjoyed a successful a debut, as the Wildcats posted a 93-59 win against UTRGV on Nov. 7, becoming the 24th man and the first full-time black head coach in school history. He followed with his first road victory at Cal to start his tenure off with a 2-0 record. He is the sixth minority men’s head coach in K-State Athletics history, including the third in men’s basketball following interim head coach Darryl Winston (1984-85) and former full-time head coach Frank Martin (2007-12).
  • K-State’s 21-7 start under Jerome Tang is the second-best by a first-year coach in school history behind Zora G. Clevenger, who went 15-2 in 1916-17. The start is the best by any first-year coach in Division I, just ahead of Missouri’s Dennis Gates, Xavier’s Sean Miller and Duke’s Jon Scheyer, all at 20-8.
  • Tang was named one of 15 Watch List candidates for the 2023 Werner Ladder Naismith Coach of the Year Award on Feb. 17, along with fellow Big 12 coaches T.J. Otzelberger of Iowa State and Rodney Terry of Texas.
  • This is not Tang’s first time being a head coach, as he served as athletics director and head coach at Heritage Christian Academy in Cleveland, Texas from 1993-2003, leading the school to 5 TAPPS Division A State Championships.
  • In addition, Tang twice served as interim head coach in his 19 seasons as an assistant and associate head coach at Baylor, leading the Bears to 4-0 record. He helped Baylor to wins over Texas (86-79 in OT) and at Texas Tech (82-48) during the 2012-13 season, while he guided the squad to wins over Louisiana (112-82) and Washington (86-52) to open the 2020-21 season. Tang is only credited with the wins in 2013, moving his college head coaching record to 22-7.

A TEAM OF WINNERS

  • Head coach Jerome Tang has remarked on a number of occasions that he recruited a team ‘full of winners’ as exemplified by the number of championships that the collective group has won.
  • There are a combined 8 state championships among the 15 players on the roster, including 2 each won by seniors Desi Sills and Abayomi Iyiola and true freshmen Taj Manning. In addition, sophomore Jerrell Colbert and true freshman Dorian Finister also won state titles during their senior seasons.
  • In addition to the high school success, a number of players have been a part of winning college programs, including Sills and Iyiola being members of Arkansas’ Elite Eight team in 2021 and senior Keyontae Johnson (Florida) and junior David N’Guessan (Virginia Tech) being a part of 2 NCAA Tournaments.
  • This championship mentality stretches to the staff, as associate head coach Urlic Maligi has been part of 5 NCAA Tournament and 5 conference title teams in his career. Assistant coach Jareem Dowling has been involved with teams that have won 4 conference titles and earned 4 postseason trips, while assistant coach Rodney Perry is coming off a 2021-22 year in which he led Link Academy to a national runner-up finish at the GEICO National Tournament before helping MOKAN Elite to its third Nike Peach Jam title.

1700 WINS AND COUNTING

  • K-State’s overtime 96-87 win over Nevada in the semifinals of the Cayman Islands Classic represented the 1,700th win in school history. The Wildcats are the 43rd Division I team to eclipse 1,700 wins, including the sixth Big 12 school.
  • The Wildcats have a 1,716-1,220 (.586) all-time record as a program, which includes 31 NCAA Tournament appearances and 21 conference championships.

1,000-WIN CLUB

  • K-State is one of 11 Division I schools whose men’s and women’s basketball teams have both won more than 1,000 games. Joining K-State is this unique club is Baylor, Georgia, Maryland, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Stanford, Tennessee, Texas, UConn and Western Kentucky.

SUCCESS IN NON-CONFERENCE PLAY

  • With the 64-50 win over Florida in the final SEC/Big 12 Challenge on Jan. 28, K-State completed its non-conference schedule with a 12-1 mark, including a perfect 8-0 in home games (Nebraska was played at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City is considered a home game).
  • The 12-1 record is the best non-conference record since the Wildcats won a program-best 13 non-conference games in 2009-10. The teams also won 12 non-conference games in both 2008-09 (12-3) and 2010-11 (12-3). K-State had won just 19 non-conference games, including 16 at home, in the 3 seasons (2019-20 to 2021-22) before this season.
  • K-State has posted a 171-53 (.762) record in non-conference play since the 2006-07. During that span, the Wildcats have a 129-14 (.901) mark at home venues (includes games at Bramlage Coliseum, INTRUST Bank Arena in Wichita and the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City in non-conference play, including a 119-12 (.908) mark at Bramlage Coliseum.

SPECIAL PERFORMANCE

  • K-State enjoyed a special night on offense in its 116-103 win over No. 6/6 Texas, as the Wildcats not only broke the school record for points but also tied the Big 12 record in handing the Longhorns their first loss in the brand-new Moody Center before a sold-out crowd of 10,763 fans on Jan. 3.
  • The 116 points eclipsed the previous school-record mark of 115, which first came vs. Delaware State on Dec. 7, 1991, then again vs. Fresno State in the NIT on March 24, 1994. It was also the most-ever in a road game, surpassing the 108 at Iowa State on Jan. 29, 1975, while it was most in a conference game, topping the 114 scored vs. Nebraska at home on Jan. 10, 1987, and the most in a Big 12 game, surpassing the 111 vs. Missouri at home on Jan. 3, 1998.
  • According to ESPN Stats & Info, K-State’s 116 points in the win at No. 6/6 Texas marked the most by an unranked team in a win over a top-10 opponent since Missouri scored 119 against Iowa State in 1988.
  • All 5 starters scored in double figures, including a career-best 36 points from senior Markquis Nowell and a career-tying 28 by senior Keyontae Johnson. The 64 combined points tied for the fourth-most by a duo in school history and most since 2008, while it marked just the 16th time (including the second time this season) that tandem has each had at least 25 points in a game. Nowell’s 36 points are the seventh-most points by a Wildcat in a Big 12 game and the most since Barry Brown, Jr., scored 38 points vs. Oklahoma State on Jan. 10, 2018.
  • As a team, the Wildcats connected on 61 percent (36-of-59) from the field, including 56.5 percent (13-of-23) from 3-point range, and set a school-record by hitting on 93.9 percent (31-of-33) from the free throw line. It marked the first time the team has shot better than 60 percent against a Big 12 opponent since 2018, while the 13 treys tied for the sixth-most made in a conference game.

POTENT OFFENSIVE ATTACK

  • K-State is averaging 75.4 points this season on 45 percent (728-of-1617) shooting, including 33.6 percent (192-of-572) from 3-point range, while hitting on 75 percent (462-of-617) from the free throw line. The Wildcats are tops in the Big 12 in free throw percentage, second in assists (16.8 apg.), fifth in assist/ turnover ratio (1.20) and sixth in scoring offense.
  • The current scoring average (75.4 ppg.) is just outside the school’s top-10 but still the highest since the 2007-08 team averaged 78.0 points per game. The 45.0 field goal percentage is also just outside the top-10 in the shot clock era (1985-86) and the highest since 2017-18 (46.3 percent).
  • K-State has scored 80 or more points 9 times, including 5 games of 90 or more points highlighted by the school-record 116-point effort in the win at No. 6/6 Texas (1/3/23), which was the first 100-point game since 2011. It is the most games of 80 or more points since posting 11 in 2017-18 and most games of 90 or more points since also totaling 5 in 2009-10.
  • The 93 points vs. UTRGV (11/7/22) were the fourth-most in a season opener in the last 25 seasons and the most since scoring 98 vs. Southern Utah to open the 2014-15 season. The Wildcats also topped the 90-point barrier in a 96-87 overtime win over Nevada (11/22/22) at the Cayman Islands Classic, while the squad fell 2 points short of their first 100-point game since 2010-11, totaling 98 vs. UIW (12/11/22) behind a school-record first 7 double-digit scorers.
  • Twice this season the Wildcats have had 2 players (Markquis Nowell and Keyontae Johnson) score 25 or more points in the same game, which hadn’t happened since 2010. Nowell (29) and Johnson (28) combined for 57 points in the overtime win over Nevada (11/22/22) before they went for 64 in the win at No. 6/6 Texas (1/3/23), which ties for the fourth-most by a duo in school history and the most since Michael Beasley and Bill Walker at Baylor in 2008.
  • K-State has connected on better than 50 percent of its field goals in 7 games, including back-to-back vs. Rhode Island (11/21/22) and Nevada (11/22/22) and ACU (12/6/22) and UIW (12/11/22). The team hit on a season-best 60 percent (36-of-60) vs. Texas (1/3/23), which included a season-high 13 3-pointers, and a school-record performance from the free throw line of 93.9 percent (31-of-33).

DISHING THE ROCK

  • K-State ranks among the best in the country in sharing the basketball, as the Wildcats rank 11th nationally and second in the Big 12 with 16.8 assists per game. Among the 470 assists are 7 players with double-digit totals, including senior Markquis Nowell, who ranks second nationally in assists/game (7.6) and total assists (212). Nowell, who has double-digit assists in 7 games, became the school’s single-season assist leader with his 7 dimes in the win over TCU.
  • The Wildcats also rank in the top-10 with a 64.6 assist percentage according to KenPom, which calculates assists (470) to made field goals (728). Only Lafayette (69.6), Xavier (66.7), Arizona (66.6), Virginia (66.5), Tennessee (66.0) and Air Force (65.0) have a better percentage nationally.
  • Although Nowell gets all the attention for his playmaking ability, the rest of the team has shared the ball, as the Wildcats have had 3 or more players dish out at least 2 assists in 22 of 28 games. The team had 7 players with 2 or more assists vs. UTRGV (11/7/22), while 6 vs. Nebraska (12/17/22) and Baylor (1/3/23) and 5 vs. UIW (12/11/22), Texas (1/3/23), TCU (twice) and Texas Tech (1/21/23).

TEAM FULL OF SCORERS

  • K-State is one of just 15 schools to have at least four 1,000-point scorers on its roster, as Wildcats Tykei Greene (1,191 points), Keyontae Johnson (1,283 points), Markquis Nowell (1,779 points) and Desi Sills (1,341 points) have all reached the milestone in their Division I careers. Only Johnson, who did it against Radford (12/21/22), and Nowell have reached the mark while at K-State.
  • K-State has now six 1,000-point scorers if you count senior walk-on Nate Awbrey, who scored 1,032 points in his 4-year career at Manhattan Christian College, and junior Nae’Qwan Tomlin, who scored more than 1,000 points in his junior college career at Monroe (2019-20) and Chipola Colleges (2020-22).
  • Missouri has 6 1,000-point scorers followed by Notre Dame, Penn State, San Diego, UAB and Youngstown State with 5, while K-State joins 13 other schools (including Big 12 foes Iowa State and Texas) with 4 such scorers.

BENCH PRODUCTION

  • K-State is getting solid production from its bench through the first 28 games, as the Wildcats are averaging 18.0 points per game. The team has scored 20 or more bench points in 4 of the last 6 games, including 29 vs. TCU.
  • The Wildcats got 41 points from its bench in the opener vs. UTRGV (11/7/22) with 3 reserves (Abayomi Iyiola (12), Ismael Massoud (10) and Desi Sills (10) all posting double-digit points. As a group, the bench connected on 14-of-29 from the field, including a collective 11-of-17 effort by Iyiola, Massoud and Sills.
  • Senior Desi Sills has been particularly impactful from the bench, scoring in double figures 11 times, including a season-high 24 points in the win over No. 2/2 Kansas. He is fourth on the team in scoring in Big 12 play, averaging 8.1 points on 43.7 percent shooting. Junior Ismael Massoud has also proved to be a spark of the bench, posting 4 double-digit scoring games.

FORCING TURNOVERS

  • K-State’s defense has forced 425 turnovers through the first 28 games, which includes 215 steals, while averaging 16.7 points per game off those miscues.
  • The 15.2 turnovers forced per game ranks 39th nationally, while it places fourth in the Big 12 behind Iowa State, TCU and Texas. K-State ranks sixth in steals (7.7) and seventh in turnover margin (+1.2), while senior Markquis Nowell leads the Big 12 and places 17th nationally in steals (2.3 spg.).
  • K-State has scored 20 or more points off turnovers 6 times with a season-high 31 points off 26 UTRGV (11/7/22) turnovers in the season opener. The Wildcats scored 20+ points off miscues in back-to-back games vs. Kansas City (11/17/22; 26 points) and Rhode Island (11/21/22; 21 points) as well as ACU (12/6/22; 23 points), UIW (12/11/22; 28 points) and West Virginia (12/31/22; 22 points).

JOHNSON MAKES RETURN TO COURT

  • Junior Keyontae Johnson made his triumphant return to basketball court on Nov. 7 in the season opener with UTRGV after a 2-year absence after suffering a medical emergency against Florida State on Dec. 12, 2020. He finished the night with 13 points, 4 assists and 2 rebounds in a team-high 26 minutes.
  • Johnson was named the March Madness National Player of the Week and the Phillips 66 Big 12 Newcomer of the Week on Nov. 14, as he averaged 14.5 points on 47.6 percent (10-of-21) shooting, including 57.1 percent (4-of-7) from 3-point range, to go with 5.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists in the Wildcats’ first 2 wins.
  • Johnson helped the Wildcats win the Cayman Islands Classic and was named to the All-Tournament team, as he averaged a team-best 19.3 points on 53.6 percent (15-of-28) shooting, including 50 percent (4-of-8) from 3-point range, to go with a team-best 6.0 rebounds in 32.3 minutes per game.
  • Johnson earned Big 12 Newcomer of the Week honors for the second time this season on Dec. 19 after his impressive performance in K-State’s win over Nebraska, as he posted game-highs in both points (23) and rebounds (11) to go with his career-tying 4 steals. It was his seventh career double-double with at least 20 points and 10 rebounds, while it was his 11th career 20-point game.
  • Johnson was selected for the Newcomer award for the third time on Jan. 9 after posting consecutive 20-point games in wins at No. 6/6 Texas and No. 19/17 Baylor while adding a game-high 9 rebounds in each contest. He continued his impressive play with the game-winning dunk to cap a 24-point effort in the win over No. 2/2 Kansas before logging his third double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds vs. Texas Tech to earn Newcomer honors for fourth time on Jan. 23.
  • Johnson has scored in double figures in a team-best 27 games, leading the Wildcats and ranking second in the Big 12 in scoring (17.6 ppg.). He is second in the league in field goal percentage (51.9), while he is in the top-15 in 5 other categories. He is one of two Big 12 players (Kansas’ Jalen Wilson) rank in the league’s top-5 in scoring and rebounding in overall and conference-only games.

NOWELL STILL RUNNING THE SHOW

  • On a team with 13 new players and a new staff, fifth-year senior Markquis Nowell once again has demonstrated he is still the guy running the show for the Wildcats, as he leads in both assists (7.6 apg.) and steals (2.3 spg.) while averaging the second-most points (16.8 ppg.). He was named to the Oscar Robertson Trophy, John R. Wooden and Naismith Trophy Award Midseason Watch Lists and Bob Cousy Point Guard Award Top 10 List.
  • Nowell ranks second nationally in assists/game (7.6 apg.) and assists (212), while he is in the top-25 in five others, including 11th in free throws (147), 12th in steals (63), 17th in steals/game (2.3), 18th in free throw percentage and 24th in minutes/game (36.2). He is one of 3 Division I players with at least 1,500 points, 500 assists and 200 steals, while he is closing in on 1,800 career points. He also ranks first among all active Division I players in steals (255).
  • Nowell was recognized for his MVP performance in helping the Wildcats win the Cayman Islands Classic, as he was selected as the Phillips 66 Big 12 Player of the Week on Nov. 28. He averaged 18.7 points, 9.0 assists and 3.7 rebounds in 33.6 minutes per game. It was his first weekly honor in the Big 12 and his fourth overall after winning it 3 times in the Sun Belt.
  • In wins vs. Rhode Island and Nevada, Nowell became the first Wildcat to record double-digit assists in consecutive games, while he became the second player in school history and the first since 1989 to post a 25-point/10-assist game with his 29-point, 11-assist effort in the overtime win over the Wolf Pack.
  • Nowell was part of the first Wildcat duo since 2010 to each collect at least 25 points in a game, as he and fellow senior Keyontae Johnson combined for 57 points in the overtime win over Nevada. He capped the tournament with a game-high 18 points on 6-of-14 shooting in the title game win over LSU, as he helped the Wildcats rally from an 11-point second-half deficit.
  • Nowell enjoyed a special performance in the historic win at No. 6/6 Texas, scoring a career-best 36 points on 9-of-15 shooting, including 6-of-10 from 3-point range, to go with a perfect 12-of-12 effort from the free throw line. It was the seventh-most points by a Wildcat in a Big 12 game and the most since Barry Brown, Jr., scored 38 points vs. Oklahoma State on Jan. 10, 2018.
  • Nowell capped his impressive week with the school’s first 30-point, 10-assist game in the win at No. 19/17 Baylor, scoring 32 points while dishing a career-best 14 assists. He became the first Wildcat since Michael Beasley in 2008 with consecutive 30-point games, while his 14 assists tied the record for most in a conference game in school history. In addition to his second Big 12 Player of the Week on Jan. 9, he was named the NCAA March Madness, ESPN, Naismith Trophy and Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week.
  • Nowell nearly posted the school’s first triple-double in the win over Florida on Jan. 28, scoring 13 points on 4-of-9 field goals, including 2-of-4 from 3-point range, to go with a career-tying 9 rebounds and a game-high 8 assists.
  • The school’s single season assists leader (212) with his 7 assists in the win over TCU, Nowell continued his historic season in the win over No. 9/10 Baylor, becoming just the 12th player in Division I since 1996-97 to dish out at least 10 assists without a single turnover vs. an AP Top 10 opponent and the first to ever do it in a game at K-State.

AN INSTANT IMPACT

  • Junior transfer Nae’Qwan Tomlin has given K-State another scoring threat in the post, as the junior college All-American ranks third on the team in scoring (10.1 ppg.) while connecting 46.2 percent (108-of-234) from the field to go with 6.0 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 0.9 blocks in 27.6 minutes per game. He ranks in the Big 12’s top-10 in rebounding (eighth) and blocks (10th).
  • Tomlin was selected as the Big 12 co-Newcomer of the Week on Dec. 26 after his near double-double in the win over Radford on Dec. 21. He led four Wildcats in double figures with a season-high 26 points, as he hit on 11-of-18 field goals, which included 4 dunks, a 3-pointer and 3 free throws, to go with 9 rebounds.
  • Tomlin scored in double figures in 7 consecutive games from Dec. 3 to Jan. 3, in which, he averaged 14.9 points on 55.4 percent (41-of-74) shooting to go with 6.3 rebounds per game. The streak began with 14 points vs. Wichita State and was highlighted by a career-best 26 points vs. Radford.
  • Tomlin has grabbed 10 rebounds 3 times this season, while posting his first career double-double (15 points/10 rebounds) in the win over No. 2/2 Kansas. He added a second double-double with 17 points and a season-tying 10 boards at Oklahoma. He has scored in double figures in 6 games in Big 12 play.
  • Tomlin scored more than 1,000 points in his junior college career at both Monroe College (2019-20) and Chipola College (2020-21) while connecting on 54.2 percent from the field. He averaged a team-leading 13.8 points on 52.4 percent shooting with 5.9 rebounds during his All-American season at Chipola, as he guided the school to the semifinals of the NJCAA National Tournament.

STARTER OFF THE BENCH

  • Although senior Desi Sills has earned the start in each of the last 2 games, he has mostly been a spark off the bench for the Wildcats, as he is averaging 8.3 points on 43.5 percent (80-of-184) shooting with 3.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 29 minutes per game. He has scored in double figures 11 times, including a season-high 24 points in the win over No. 2/2 Kansas.
  • Sills scored in double figures in 2 of the first 3 games, while he was pivotal in the win over LSU in the Cayman Islands Classic Championship game with 16 points. He has scored in double figures in 3 of the last 5 games, including 11 vs. Texas, 14 in the win over TCU and 12 at Texas Tech.
  • Although Sills went scoreless in the win over Wichita State, he had the play of the game with his block of Shammah Scott’s breakaway layup with 1:42 to play with the Wildcats trailing 50-49.

UP NEXT: OKLAHOMA (13-15, 3-12 Big 12)  

  • K-State concludes its home season on Wednesday, March 1, as the Wildcats welcome Oklahoma (13-15, 3-12 Big 12) at 7 p.m., CT on Big 12 Now. The Sooners won the first meeting, 79-65, at home on Feb. 14.

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