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+

1. 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

1. 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.