GAME 14
KANSAS STATE (12-1, 1-0 Big 12) at 6/6 TEXAS (12-1, 1-0 Big 12)
Tuesday, January 3, 2023 >> 8:01 p.m. CT >> Moody Center (10,763) >> Austin, Texas

TELEVISION
Longhorn Network / WatchESPN (link here)

  • Lowell Galindo (play-by-play)
  • Lance Blanks (analyst)
  • Jacob Garza (producer)

RADIO
K-State Sports Network
Flagships: // KMAN 1350 & WIBW 580
Satellite Radio: Sirius XM 390/980
Online: Varsity Network [free]/ www.kstatesports.com/watch [free]

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

LIVE STATS
www.kstatesports.com
texas.statbroadcast.com

TICKETS
www.texassports.com/tickets

COACHES
K-State: Jerome Tang [Charter Oak State College ’07]
Record at K-State: 12-1/1st Year
Career Record: 14-1/1st Year+
vs. Texas: 1-0 [0-0 at K-State]

Texas: Rodney Terry [St. Edward’s ’90] Acting Head Coach
Record at Texas: 5-0/1st Year
Career Record: 168-156/11th Year
vs. K-State: 0-0 [0-0 at Texas]

SERIES HISTORY
Overall: K-State leads 23-21
Big 12 Era: Texas leads 21-18
In Austin: Texas leads 11-10
At Moody Center: First visit
Active Streak: K-State, 1
Tang vs. Texas: 1-0 [0-0 at K-State]
Tang vs. Rodney Terry: 0-0 [0-0 at home]

PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP (Based off the last game)
Kansas State (12-1)
G: #1 Markquis Nowell
G: #5 Cam Carter
F: #11 Keyontae Johnson
F: #35 Nae’Qwan Tomlin
C: #23 Abayomi Iyiola

Texas (12-1)
G: #4 Tyrese Hunter
G: #5 Marcus Carr
F: #0 Timmy Allen
F: #23 Dillon Mitchell
F: #32 Christian Bishop

OPENING TIP

  • Kansas State (12-1, 1-0 Big 12) begins a 2-game road trip through the state of Texas with a visit to the brand-new Moody Center for a matchup against No. 6/6 Texas (12-1, 1-0 Big 12) at 8 p.m., CT on Tuesday night. Both teams enter the contest on 6-game winning streaks, while the Longhorns are a perfect 9-0 in their new home. It will be the first of back-to-back games against top-20 opponents, as the Wildcats visit No. 19/16 Baylor at 5 p.m., CT on Saturday afternoon.

KEY STORYLINES

  • K-State is off its best start (12-1) since the 2016-17 season after opening Big 12 play with an 82-76 overtime win over No. 24/24 West Virginia on New Year’s Eve. It was just the second win in the last 5 Big 12 openers, including the first in a home conference opener since 2016. The team has now defeated at least one Top 25 opponent in each of the last 16 seasons. The win came on the heels of an 11-1 start to non-conference play, which was the best since 2011-12. The 11 non-conference wins are only eclipsed by the 13 in 2009-10 and 12 in 2008-09 and 2010-11.
  • K-State’s 12-1 start under head coach Jerome Tang is the best by a first-year coach in school history, surpassing the previous 11-2 starts by Zora G. Clevenger (1916-17) and Bruce Weber (2012-13). Tang’s 12-1 start ranks among the very best by all current first-year coaches in Division I, equaling the 12-1 starts by Missouri’s Dennis Gates and LSU’s Matt McMahon.
  • K-State has won 6 consecutive games since absorbing its first loss of the Jerome Tang era against Butler on Nov. 30 with victories over Wichita State (55-50), Abilene Christian (81-64), UIW (98-50), Nebraska (71-56), Radford (73-65) and No. 24/24 West Virginia (82-76). The Wildcats have averaged nearly 80 points per game (76.7 ppg.) during that 6-game winning streak on 47.5 percent (171-of-360) shooting with 4 players averaging in double figures.
  • Senior Markquis Nowell continued his impressive start to the season, turning in his fourth double-double of the season and a near triple-double in the win over the Mountaineers with a game-high 23 points, 10 assists and a career-tying 7 steals in 43 minutes. It was just the sixth game of at least 20 points and 10 assists in school history, including the second such game by Nowell this season after his 29-point, 11-assist performance against Nevada on Nov. 22.
  • Nowell continues to be one of the leaders nationally in assists. His 8.5 assists per game rank second nationally, while his 110 total assists place third. He is also 17th in assist/turnover ratio (3.14) with 110 assists to 35 turnovers. He is one of 2 active Division I player with at least 1,000 points, 500 assists and 200 steals, while his 223 career steals are first among active players.
  • The Wildcats have quite the dynamic 1-2-3 scoring punch with Nowell (14.4 ppg.), fellow senior Keyontae Johnson (17.7 ppg.) and junior Nae’Qwan Tomlin (11.6 ppg.) combining to average 43.7 points per game on 47.3 percent (193-of-408) shooting. They are the third-best scoring trio in the Big 12 after Kansas’ Jalen Wilson, Gradey Dick and Kevin McCullar (47.5 ppg.) and Baylor’s Adam Flagler, Keyonte George and L.J. Cryer (47.0 ppg.).

NOTES ON 6/6 TEXAS

  • No. 6/6 Texas (12-1, 1-0 Big 12) enters Tuesday’s game on a 6-game winning streak after posting a 70-69 win at Oklahoma in the Big 12 opener on Saturday. The Longhorns are a perfect 9-0 at home this season, including notable wins over top-25 foes Gonzaga (93-74), Creighton (72-67). The team’s lone setback came to Illinois (85-78) in overtime at the Jimmy V Classic.
  • Texas is averaging a Big 12-best 82.7 points on 49.5 percent shooting, including 33.8 percent from 3-point range, with 37.8 rebounds, 18.3 assists, 8.2 steals and 4.2 blocks per game, while allowing 62.7 points on 40.5 percent shooting, including 30.9 percent from 3-point range. The Longhorns are connecting on 71.1 percent from the free throw line.
  • Texas ranks among the top-25 nationally in 10 categories, including sixth in scoring margin (+20.0), 18th in scoring offense, 11th in assists and assist/turnover ratio (+1.58), 17th in field goal percentage, sixth in turnover margin (+6.2), 16th in turnovers forced (17.8).
  • Three players are averaging in double figures led by reigning Big 12 Player of the Week Marcus Carr, who is averaging 17.5 points on 46.3 percent shooting, including 45.5 percent from 3-point range. Carr has 35 of the Longhorns’ 99 made 3-pointers. He is joined in double figures by transfer Tyrese Hunter (10.8 ppg.) and fellow graduate Timmy Allen (10.1 ppg.). Allen leads the way in both rebounding (6.1 rpg.) and assists (4.2 apg.), while Carr has a team-best 26 steals.
  • Texas is led by acting head coach and associate head coach Rodney Terry, who has led the Longhorns to a perfect 5-0 mark since taking over for head coach Chris Beard, who is currently on administrative leave. Terry, who has had coaching stints at both Fresno State and UTEP, has a 168-156 mark in his 11th season as head coach.

SERIES HISTORY

  • K-State holds a 23-21 lead in the all-time series which dates to 1971, while Texas has a 21-18 advantage in the Big 12 era, including 20-17 in the regular season. The Longhorns own a narrow 11-10 lead at home with the Wildcats winning 4 of the last 6 matchups in Austin.
  • Last season, the teams each won on the others’ home court, as Texas posted a 70-57 victory at Bramlage Coliseum on Jan 4, 2022, before K-State held on a for a 66-65 win at the Erwin Center on Jan. 18, 2022.

LAST 10 MEETINGS [4-6]
Date                    Rank     Result   Score    Location
2/7/2018            —/—     W          67-64    Austin
2/21/2018          —/—     W          58-48    Manhattan
1/2/2019            —/—     L             47-67    Manhattan
2/12/2019          18/—    W          71-64    Austin
1/11/2020          —/—     L             50-64    Austin
2/22/2020          —/—     L             59-70    Manhattan
1/16/2021          —/4      L             67-82    Austin
2/9/2021            —/13    L             77-80    Manhattan
1/4/2022            —/14    L             57-70    Manhattan
1/18/2022          —23      W          66-65    Austin

LAST MEETING: K-STATE 66, 23/22 TEXAS 65

  • Sophomore Nijel Pack’s layup with 1:13 remaining proved to be the game-winner, as K-State held No. 23/22 Texas scoreless in the last 3:31 of the game en route to a posting a 66-65 win at the Erwin Center on Jan. 18.
  • K-State was led by fifth-year senior Mark Smith, who finished with a team-high 22 points on 9-of-14 field goals to go with a game-tying 8 rebounds. He was joined in double figures by Pack and fellow senior Mike McGuirl, who finished with 16 and 13 points, respectively.

LAST TIME OUT: K-STATE 82, 24/24 WEST VIRGINIA 76 [OT]

  • Senior Markquis Nowell scored 21 of his game-high 23 points in the second half and overtime to help K-State rally from a double-digit halftime deficit to hand No. 24/24 West Virginia an 82-76 loss in both teams’ Big 12 opener on New Year’s Eve before 8,199 fans at Bramlage Coliseum.
  • Nowell finished the night 3 steals shy of a triple-double, dishing out a game-high 10 assists to go with a career-tying 7 steals in 43 minutes of action. It was just the sixth 20-point/10-assist game in school history, including the second such game by Nowell after his 29-point, 11-assist performance vs. Nevada on Nov. 22. He now has 12 career double-doubles (points/assists), including a school-record 7 in his career at K-State and 4 this season.
  • Nowell was joined in double figures by senior Keyontae Johnson, who scored 18 points on 6-of-13 field goals and 6-of-9 free throws, as well as fellow senior Abayomi Iyiola and junior Nae’Qwan Tomlin, who added 14 and 11 points, respectively. Iyiola went 6-of-7 from the field to go with a pair of clutch free throws, along with a team-high 8 rebounds.
  • The victory was anything but easy, as the Mountaineers jumped out a 17-3 lead behind their stellar defense, which held the Wildcats without a field goal for nearly 6 minutes until a layup by Johnson with 14:04 to play before halftime. WVU led by 11 at the half, holding K-State to just 21 points on 29 percent (9-of-31) shooting, including misses on all 8 3-point attempts.
  • Nowell sparked the Wildcats to open the second half, scoring the team’s first 5 points, as they slowly started to chip away at the double-digit deficit. He tied it at 42-all on a free throw with just over 13 minutes to play before Johnson’s layup 13 seconds later gave them their first lead of the contest. Six different Wildcats scored in the 23-10 run out of halftime, including 11 from Nowell.
  • After WVU tied it at 44-all, K-State rattled off an 8-0 run, keyed by a 3-pointer from junior Ish Massoud, to take a 52-44 lead with 10:21 remaining. Just as the Wildcats had done to start the second half, the Mountaineers made their own comeback, using a 10-4 run to take a 63-62 lead on a layup by senior Tre Mitchell with 1:03 to play. A Johnson jumper and 2 free throws from Iyiola helped K-State take a 66-63 lead with 13 seconds before a wild sequence capped by a 3-pointer from Kedrian Johnson sent the game into overtime.
  • The Wildcats grabbed the momentum to start overtime, scoring 11 of the first 15 points to take a 77-70 lead with 1:24 to play. Although the Mountaineers got a 3-pointer from Mitchell on the next possession, Nowell answered with his own 3-point play with 53 seconds for an 80-73 advantage and they were able to salt the game away with 2 more Nowell free throws for the final margin.
  • K-State connected on 42 percent (29-of-69) from the field, including 49.1 percent (26-of-53) from inside the 3-point arc, but struggled from the line, making just 61.8 percent (21-of-34). After hitting on a season-low 29 percent (9-of-31) in the first half, the Wildcats shot a combined 52.6 percent (20-of-38) in the second half and overtime. The team also tallied 48 points in the paint, which marked the fourth time in 5 games with 40 or more paint points.

POSTGAME NEWS AND NOTES

  • After falling down 17-3, K-State outscored WVU, 79-59, in the final 37:25 of regulation and overtime, connecting on 48 percent from the field.
  • K-State tied a season-high by rallying from the 14-point first-half deficit, which marked the third time the team has rallied from double figures.
  • K-State forced WVU into 20 turnovers, converting those into 22 points… It marked the sixth time this season that the Wildcats have scored 20 or more points off turnovers… The team had a season-high 13 steals.

K-STATE WINS CAYMAN ISLANDS CLASSIC

  • K-State captured its 17th in-season tournament title, as the Wildcats knocked off Rhode Island (77-57), Nevada (96-87 in overtime) and LSU (61-59) to win the 2022 Cayman Islands Classic on Nov. 21-23. It was the team’s first tournament title since winning the 2018 Paradise Jam in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The 3 wins gave K-State its first 6-0 start since the 2018-19 season.
  • Senior Markquis Nowell was selected the Cayman Islands Classic MVP and to the all-tournament team, while fellow senior Keyontae Johnson was named to the all-tournament team. Nowell averaged 18.7 points and 9.0 assists in the 3-game tournament, while Johnson averaged a team-best 19.3 points on 53.6 percent shooting with 6.0 rebounds per game. For his effort, he was named the Phillips 66 Big 12 Player of the Week on Monday.
  • After breezing past Rhode Island, 77-57, in the first round, K-State had to fight through tight contests with Nevada in the semifinals and LSU in the finals to earn the title. After surrendering a 9-point lead to the Wolf Pack with 4:08 to play to trail 80-78 with 14 seconds left in regulation, Nowell drove the lane and was able to convert on a layup in traffic to force overtime with 3.5 seconds. The Wildcats were able to carry the momentum in the extra period, as they hit on 5 of 6 from the field and 6 of 10 free throw line to win 96-87.
  • The Wildcats then overcame an 11-point second-half deficit to the Tigers in the title game, using their defense to allow 18 points after halftime on 36.8 percent shooting while forcing 14 turnovers en route to a 61-59 victory.

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 12-1 start under head coach Jerome Tang is the best by a first-year coach in school history with Zora G. Clevenger (1916-17) and Bruce Weber (2012-13) each starting their tenures at 11-2. Tang’s start is among the best by all first-year head coaches in Division I, equaling the 12-1 starts by Missouri’s Dennis Gates and LSU’s Matt McMahon.
  • 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 14-1.

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.

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 1,707-1,214 (.586) all-time record as a program, which includes 31 NCAA Tournament appearances and 21 conference championships.

SUCCESS IN NON-CONFERENCE PLAY

  • K-State has posted a 170-53 (.762) record in non-conference play since the 2006-07 season. During that span, the Wildcats have a 128-14 (.901) mark at home venues (includes games played at Bramlage Coliseum, INTRUST Bank Arena in Wichita and the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City) in non-conference play, including a 118-12 (.908) mark at Bramlage Coliseum.
  • The Nebraska win on Dec. 17 also gave K-State double-digit non-conference victories for the first time since going 10-3 in 2018-19.  The Wildcats collected their 11th non-conference victory vs. Radford on Dec. 21, giving them their most since also winning 11 in 2017-18. The team earned 10 or more non-conference wins in 12 of 13 seasons from 2006-07 to 2018-19, but they had managed just a 19-16 record in non-conference action from 2019-22.
  • K-State’s current 11-1 non-conference mark is the best since opening the 2016-17 season with a similar 11-1 record. The Wildcats won a program-best 13 non-conference games in 2009-10, while they won 12 in 2008-09 and 2010-11.

POTENT OFFENSIVE ATTACK

  • K-State is averaging 75.6 points this season on 46.5 percent (356-of-765) shooting, including 33.2 percent (84-of-253) from 3-point range, while hitting on 70.3 percent (187-of-266) from the free throw line. Although the offensive rankings are modest in the Big 12 (sixth in field goal percentage and seventh in scoring offense), the Wildcats do lead the league in assists (18.5 apg.).
  • K-State has scored 80 or more points 5 times, including 3 games of 90 or more points for the first time since 2017-18. 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, which included two players (Markquis Nowell and Keyontae Johnson) scoring 25 or more points in the same game since 2010. The squad fell just 2 points short of their first 100-point game since 2010-11, totaling 98 points vs. UIW (12/11/22) behind a school-record first seven double-digit scorers.
  • K-State has connected on better than 50 percent of its field goals in 4 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 59.1 percent (39-of-66) vs. UIW, including 67.5 percent (27-of-40) inside the 3-point line.
  • A key to the K-State offense this season has been its ability to score in paint, as the Wildcats are averaging 38.2 points in the paint. The team has scored 30 or more points in the paint 10 times in 13 games, including 5 games of 40 or more points and one game of 50 points (a season-high 52 vs. ACU (12/6/22).

DISHING THE ROCK

  • K-State ranks among the best in the country in sharing the basketball, as the Wildcats rank ninth nationally and first in the Big 12 with 18.5 assists per game. Among the 240 assists are 6 players with double-digit totals, including senior Markquis Nowell, who ranks third nationally with 110 total assists. He is second nationally in assists/game at 8.5 per game.
  • The Wildcats also rank in the top-5 nationally with a 67.4 assist percentage according to KenPom, which calculates the number of assists (240) to made field goals (356). Only Lafayette (70.2), Tennessee (69.2), Xavier (68.8) and Virginia (67.9) have a better percentage nationally.
  • Although Nowell gets all the attention for his playmaking ability, the rest of the team has shown the ability to share the ball, as the Wildcats have had 3 or more players dish out at least 2 assists in 9 of 13 games this season. The team had 7 players with 2 or more assists in the opener vs. UTRGV (11/7/22), while 6 did it against Nebraska (12/17/22) and 5 vs. UIW (12/11/22).

TEAM FULL OF SCORERS

  • K-State is one of just 3 schools to have at least four 1,000-point scorers on its roster, as Wildcats Tykei Greene (1,159 points), Keyontae Johnson (1,019 points), Markquis Nowell (1,495 points) and Desi Sills (1,227 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).
  • UAB has five 1,000-point scorers followed by K-State and Notre Dame (4), while 10 others have 3 such scorers, including Drake, Gonzaga, Indiana, Iowa State, Ohio State, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Southern Utah, Texas and Virginia.

BENCH PRODUCTION

  • K-State is getting solid production from its bench through the first 13 games, as the Wildcats are averaging 17.9 points per game.
  • The Wildcats got 41 points from its bench in the opener vs. UTRGV (11/7/22) with 3 reserves (Abayomi Iyiola (12), Massoud (10) and 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 6 times, including 16 points in the win over LSU (11/23/22) at the Cayman Islands Classic Championship game and a season-high 17 points (all in second half) in the loss at Butler (11/30/22). He has also been among the team’s best playmakers, ranking second with 35 assists.

DEFENSE PERFORMING WELL

  • In a league known for its defensive prowess, K-State has started the season off well, allowing 62 points per game on 41.5 percent (287-of-692) shooting, including 30.5 percent (71-of-233) from 3-point range. The Wildcats rank 40th nationally, including fourth in the Big 12, in scoring defense, while they place in the top-30 in turnovers forced (28th/17.15) and turnover margin (30th/+3.8).
  • K-State has held 8 of 13 opponents to less than 60 points, including each of its first 4 games for the first time since 2019-20.

FORCING TURNOVERS

  • K-State’s defense has forced 223 turnovers through the first 13 games, which includes 108 steals, while averaging 19.7 points per game off those miscues. The team ranks 10th in non-steal turnover percentage (13.0) by KenPom.
  • The 17.2 turnovers forced per game ranks 28th nationally, while it places fifth in the Big 12 behind Iowa State, Texas, TCU and Texas Tech. K-State ranks fourth in turnover margin (+3.77) and sixth in steals (8.3), while senior Markquis Nowell places 21st nationally and second in the Big 12 in steals (2.38 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 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 continued his impressive play with a near double-double in the win at Cal, scoring a team-high 16 points while grabbing a game-high 9 rebounds to go with 2 steals, 1 assist and 1 block in a game-high 33 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 has scored in double figures in all 13 games, leading the Wildcats and ranking fourth in the Big 12 in scoring (17.7 ppg.). He leads the league in field goal percentage (56.9), while he is in the top-10 in 4 other categories, including fifth in minutes (31.9 mpg.), seventh in rebounding (6.8 rpg.) and defensive rebounds (4.54) and eighth in offensive rebounds (2.23).

NOWELL STILL RUNNING THE SHOW

  • On a team with 13 new players and a new coaching staff, fifth-year senior Markquis Nowell once again has demonstrated he is still the guy running the show for the Wildcats, as he leads the team in both assists (8.5 apg.) and steals (2.4 spg.) while averaging the second-most points (14.4 ppg.).
  • Nowell ranks second nationally in assists per game (8.5 apg.) and third in total assists (110), while he is 17th in assists/turnover ratio (3.14). He is one of 2 active Division I players (Tennessee State’s Junior Clay) with 1,000 points, 500 assists and 200 steals. He also ranks first among all active Division I players with 223 career steals. He is nearing 1,500 career points, just 5 points away.
  • 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 the 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 96-87 overtime win over the Wolf Pack. His 12 assists vs. the Rams tied for the fourth-most in school history and the most since Steve Henson collected 12 vs. OSU on Feb. 25, 1989.
  • 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 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 shook off a subpar shooting night to score the game’s last 6 points, including a pivotal 3-pointer with 54 seconds, to help lift K-State to a 55-50 win over in-state rival Wichita State for the second straight year. He had a strong all-around night, finishing with 11 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds and 3 steals.
  • Nowell matched his season-high (12) in assists in the win over ACU, while he earned his 12th career double-double, including his seventh as a Wildcat, with 23 points and 10 assists in the win over No. 24/24 West Virginia. It was just the sixth 20-point/10-assist double-double in school history, including the second such game by Nowell this season. It was his fifth double-digit assist game.

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 (11.6 ppg.) while connecting 46.7 percent (57-of-122) from the field to go with 5.8 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 1.1 blocks in 28.4 minutes per game. He ranks 19th in the Big 12 in scoring, 12th in rebounding, fifth in blocks and 15th in steals.
  • Tomlin was selected as the Big 12 co-Newcomer of the Week on Dec. 26 after his near double-double performance 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 all 3 free throws attempted, to go with a season-tying 9 rebounds in 33 minutes.
  • After scoring 11 points in the Big 12 opening win over No. 24/24 West Virginia, he has now scored in double figures in each of the last 6 games, which includes 14 points vs. Wichita State, 12 points vs. ACU, 15 points vs. UIW and Nebraska and 26 points vs. Radford. He is averaging 15.5 points on 58.9 percent (37-of-67) shooting during this 6-game stretch.
  • 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.

SILLS OFF THE BENCH

  • Senior Desi Sills has provided a spark for the Wildcats off the bench, as he is averaging 9.0 points on 45.5 percent (46-of-101) shooting with 3.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 27.8 minutes per game. He has scored in double figures in 6 of 13 games, including a season-high 17 points in the loss at Butler. He has at least 3 assists in 8 games, including a season-best 5 on two occasions.
  • Sills scored in double figures in 2 of the first 3 games, including 10 in his first game as a Wildcat vs. UTRGV. He scored 16 points vs. LSU in the championship game of the Cayman Islands Classic, hitting on 6-of-9 field goals, before his season-high 17 at Butler, which all came in the second half. He has 8 or more points in 4 of the last 5 games, including 14 vs. UIW.
  • Although Sills went scoreless in the win over Wichita State (12/6/22), 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.

THREE SET FOR REDSHIRT

  • Head coach Jerome Tang announced after the season opener with UTRGV (11/7/22) that he intends to redshirt sophomores Jerrell Colbert and Anthony Thomas and true freshman Taj Manning. Colbert (LSU) and Thomas (Tallahassee Community College) are both transfers with 3 years of eligibility remaining, while was Manning has the full 4 years of eligibility.

A QUICK LOOK AT K-STATE

  • K-State returns just 2 lettermen – senior Markquis Nowell and junior Ismael [Ish] Massoud – for head coach Jerome Tang‘s first season in 2022-23, as the Wildcats lost 10 lettermen (including 8 to transfer) following the 2021-22 season in which the team posted a 14-17 overall record, including a 6-12 mark in Big 12 play. Nowell and Massoud were both significant contributors a year ago, as the pair started in 21 and 18 games, respectively.
  • The biggest headliner from these returners would be Nowell, who earned All-Big 12 Honorable Mention and All-Defensive Team accolades in his first season with the Wildcats after transferring from Little Rock. He led the Big 12 in steals (2.2 spg.) and was second in assists (5.0 apg.), assist/turnover ratio (1.97) and free throw percentage (82.9), ninth in 3-point field goals/game (1.59) and 12th in scoring (12.4 ppg.). He was one of two Big 12 players (along with Baylor’s James Akinjo) to rank in the top-15 in scoring and top-5 in assists, steals and assist/turnover ratio. In addition to leading the team in assists and steals, he was second in double-doubles (3) and 3-point field goals (43), third in scoring, double-digit scoring games (19) and 20-point games (3).
  • K-State lost 10 lettermen from the 2021-22 season, including a pair of super seniors in Mike McGuirl and Mark Smith as well as eight to the transfer portal.
  • The Wildcats welcome 13 newcomers in 2022-23, including 7 Division I transfers (Cam Carter (Mississippi State), Jerrell Colbert (LSU), Tykei Greene (Manhattan/Stony Brook), Abayomi Iyiola (Stetson/ Arkansas/Hofstra), Keyontae Johnson (Florida), David N’Guessan (Virginia Tech), Desi Sills (Arkansas/Arkansas State), two community college transfers (Anthony Thomas and Nae’Qwan Tomlin) and three true freshmen.
  • The 7 Division I transfers have combined to play in nearly 500 games (491) with 287 starts, including four players (Greene, Johnson, Sills and Iyiola) who will be entering their fourth or fifth year of college. This quartet have accounted for 3,803 points and 776 rebounds in 403 games played with 283 starts. Greene (1,112) and Sills (1,110) are already 1,000-point scorers in college, while Tomlin had more than 1,000 points and 500 rebounds in junior college.

UP NEXT: AT 19/16 BAYLOR (10-3, 0-1 Big 12)

  • K-State concludes it weeklong road swing through the Lone Star State with a visit to No. 19 Baylor (10-3, 0-1 Big 12) on Saturday at 5 p.m., CT at the Ferrell Center. The game will air on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.

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