GAME 20

5/x KANSAS STATE (17-2, 6-1 Big 12) AT 12/xx IOWA STATE (14-4, 5-2 Big 12)

Tuesday, January 24, 2023 >> 8:05 p.m. CT >> Hilton Coliseum (14,384) >> Ames, Iowa

TELEVISION

ESPNU / WatchESPN (link here)

• Rich Hollenberg (play-by-play)
• Chris Spatola (analyst)
• Kevin Clark (producer)

RADIO

K-State Sports Network

Flagships: // KMAN 1350 & WIBW 580

Satellite Radio: Sirius XM 85 or 199

Online: Varsity Network [free] / www.kstatesports.com/watch [free]

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

LIVE STATS

www.kstatesports.com

isu.statbroadcast.com

TICKETS

www.cyclones.com

COACHES

K-State: Jerome Tang [Charter Oak State College ‘07]

Record at K-State: 17-2/1st Year

Career Record: 19-2/1st Year+

1. Iowa State: 0-0 [0-0 at K-State]

Iowa State: T.J. Otzelberger [UW-Whitewater ‘01]

Record at Iowa State: 36-17/2nd Year

Career Record: 135-80/7th Year

1. K-State: 1-1 [1-1 at Iowa State]

SERIES HISTORY

Overall: K-State leads 144-91

Big 12 Era: Iowa State leads 28-27

In Ames: K-State leads 54-51

At Hilton Coliseum: Iowa State leads 28-23

Active Streak: Iowa State, 1

Tang vs. Iowa State: 0-0 [0-0 at K-State]

Tang vs. T.J. Otzelberger: 0-0 [0-0 at home]

PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP (Based off the last game)

5/x Kansas State (16-2, 6-1 Big 12)

G: #1 Markquis Nowell

G: #5 Cam Carter

F: #11 Keyontae Johnson

F: #35 Nae’Qwan Tomlin

C: #23 Abayomi Iyiola

12/xx Iowa State (14-4, 5-2 Big 12)

G: #3 Tamin Lipsey

G: #2 Caleb Grill

G: #22 Gabe Kalscheur

F: #13 Jaren Holmes

F: #21 Osun Osunniyi

OPENING TIP

No. 5/x K-State (17-2, 6-1 Big 12) heads north for a Top 25 road matchup with No. 12/x Iowa State (14-4, 5-2 Big 12) before an expected sellout crowd at Hilton Coliseum on Tuesday night at 8 p.m., CT tip on ESPNU. The Wildcats have won 11 of their last 12 games, as they responded to their first Big 12 loss at No. 17/17 TCU on Jan. 14 with a pair of home wins last week, including 83-82 in overtime over No. 2/2 Kansas and 68-58 over Texas Tech. K-State, which jumped into the AP Top 5 for the first time in more than a decade (No. 5/Dec. 6, 2010) on Monday, will face a Top 25 Iowa State squad for just the fourth time (1957, 2014, 2019) in series history and the first time as Top 15 opponents.

KEY STORYLINES

• K-State once again showed its ability to win in multiple ways, using a late 14-2 run to pull away from Texas Tech, 68-58, on Saturday before a sold-out crowd at Bramlage Coliseum. The Wildcats broke a 50-all tie late in second half with 10 consecutive points over near 6-minute stretch then had senior Markquis Nowell seal it with 6 straight free throws. The Red Raiders were held to a season-low 32.4 percent (23-of-71) from the field, including 24.1 percent (7-of-29) from 3-point range, while made just 5 of 12 attempts from the free throw line.
• K-State is off to its best start (17-2) since also opening the 1961-62 season with a similar 17-2 mark, while the squad is 6-1 in Big 12 play for just the second time, including the first time since 2007-08. Among the 11 wins in the last 12 outings is a 9-game streak from Dec. 3, 2022 to Jan. 10, 2023, which was the longest by the Wildcats since a 10-game winning streak in 2013-14. The team has averaged 79.8 points per game in the last 12 games on 46.9 percent (335-of-715) shooting with 5 players averaging 8 or more points, including 3 in double figures.
• K-State’s 17-2 start under head coach Jerome Tang is the best by a first-year coach in school history, just ahead of the 15-2 record by Zora G. Clevenger (1916-17). Tang’s 17-2 start also ranks among the very best by all first-year coaches in Division I, ahead of Xavier’s Sean Miller (16-4) and Missouri’s Dennis Gates and Duke’s Jon Scheyer (14-5).
• Seniors Keyontae Johnson (18.5 ppg.) and Markquis Nowell (16.7 ppg.) have been one of the most prolific tandems in the country, as they combine to average 35.2 points per game on 48.1 percent (215-of-447) shooting, including 37.9 percent (66-of-174) from 3-point range, and 82 percent (173-of-211) from the free throw line. The tandem, who were named to the Oscar Robertson Trophy Midseason Watch List, made the game-winning play in the win over Kansas, as Nowell’s lob pass to Johnson for a dunk with 25 seconds left in overtime clinched the victory. Johnson was named Big 12 Newcomer of the Week for fourth time on Monday.
• Nowell continues to be one of the leaders nationally in assists. He ranks second nationally in assists per game (8.2 apg.) and third in assists (156), while he is 21st in assist/turnover ratio (2.79) with 156 assists to 56 turnovers. He is one of 2 active Division I player with at least 1,500 points, 500 assists and 200 steals, while his 236 career steals are first among active players.
• The Wildcats have quite the dynamic 1-2-3 scoring punch with Johnson (18.5 ppg.) and Nowell (16.7 ppg.) and junior Nae’Qwan Tomlin (10.7 ppg.) combining to average 45.9 points per game on 47.3 percent (294-of-621) shooting. They are the third-best scoring trio in the Big 12 after Baylor’s Adam Flagler, Keyonte George and L.J. Cryer (47.1 ppg.) and Kansas’ Jalen Wilson, Gradey Dick and K.J. Adams, Jr. (46.3 ppg.).

NOTES ON 12/xx IOWA STATE

• No. 12/xx Iowa State (14-4, 5-2 Big 12) has won 7 of its last 9 games with its 2 losses coming on the road by one possession at No. 2/2 Kansas (60-62) on Jan. 14 and at Oklahoma State (59-61) on Saturday. The Cyclones are a perfect 10-0 at Hilton Coliseum this season, winning those 10 games by an average of 24.4 points per game.
• Iowa State is averaging 70.6 points on 45.8 percent shooting, including 35.5 percent from 3-point range, with 33.7 rebounds, 15.6 assists, 9.8 steals and 3.1 blocks per game, while allowing a Big 12-best 58.6 points on 40.4 percent shooting, including 35.5 percent from 3-point range. The Cyclones are connecting on 66.9 percent from the free throw line.
• Iowa State is among the best defensive teams in the country, ranking in the top-10 in 4 categories, including fourth in turnover margin (+6.5), fifth in turnovers forced/game (18.9), eighth in scoring defense (58.6) and ninth in steals/game (9.8). They lead the Big 12 in all 4 categories, while they are second in field goal percentage defense (40.4).
• Three players (Jaren Holmes, Gabe Kalscheur and Caleb Grill) are averaging in double figures, while two others averaging better than 8 points per game. Holmes and Kalscheur are averaging 12.9 and 12.8 points per game, while Grill is averaging 10.3 points per outing. The trio have combined for 95 of the Cyclones’ 122 made 3-pointers. Tamin Lipsey leads the team in assists (4.8 apg.), while Aljaz Kunc is tops in rebounding (5.9 rpg.).
• Iowa State is led by second-year head coach T.J. Otzelberger, who has a 36-17 record. He guided the Cyclones to 22 wins and a Sweet 16 appearance in 2021-22. Overall, he is 135-80 in his seventh season as a head coach.

SERIES HISTORY

• K-State holds a 144-91 advantage in the all-time series with Iowa State, including a 54-51 mark in Ames. The Cyclones have a slight 28-27 edge in the Big 12 era, including a 16-10 mark at Hilton Coliseum that span.
• K-State has won 6 of the last 10 meetings in the series, including wins in Ames in 2020 and 2022. Last season, the teams each won on the other’s home court, as the Wildcats won 75-69 in overtime on Feb. 12 in Ames before the Cyclones earned a 74-73 win on Feb. 26 in Manhattan.

LAST 10 MEETINGS [6-4]

Date                    Rank     Result   Score                   Location

2/17/2018          —/—     W          78-66                   Manhattan

1/12/2019          —/20    W          58-57                   Ames

2/16/2019          18/23    L             64-78                   Manhattan

3/15/2019          15/—    L             59-63                   Kansas City

2/8/2020            —/—     L             63-73                   Ames

3/7/2020            —/—     W          79-63                   Manhattan

12/15/2020        —/—     W          74-65                   Ames

3/6/2021            —/—     W          61-56                   Manhattan

2/12/2022          —/—     W          75-69 [OT]          Ames

2/26/2022          —/—     L             73-74                   Manhattan

LAST MEETING: IOWA STATE 74, K-STATE 73

• K-State nearly rallied from a 15-point second-half deficit, closing to within 72-70 and possession with 16 seconds to play, but Iowa State was able to hold on in the final seconds to pick up a 74-73 victory in the last meeting between the schools on Feb. 26, 2022, at Bramlage Coliseum.
• Down 70-58 with 2:14 to play, K-State nearly made a remarkable rally behind their defensive pressure and clutch free throw shooting by Markquis Nowell, who converted on 10 consecutive attempts to close to within 72-70 with 49 seconds. However, ISU was able to force a turnover with 4 seconds.
• Sophomore Nijel Pack led three Wildcats in double digits with 32 points.

LAST TIME OUT: 13/15 K-STATE 68, TEXAS TECH 58

• No. 13/15 Kansas State used a 14-2 run late in the second half to break a 50-all tie and pull away from Texas Tech, 68-58, on Saturday afternoon before a sold-out crowd of 11,000 at Bramlage Coliseum.
• Senior Markquis Nowell led all scorers with a game-high 23 points to go with a season-high 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals, as K-State continued its strong start to the season. The Wildcats are off to their best start in more than 60 years, while they moved to 6-1 in Big 12 play for the first time since 2007-08.
• With the score knotted at 50-all, K-State took control of the game with its late 14-2 run. Senior Abayomi Iyiola started a run of 10 straight points with a free throw just after the third media timeout with 7:27 to play, which was followed by a 3-pointer from senior Keyontae Johnson, layups by senior Desi Sills and junior Ismael Massoud and a pair of free throws from Johnson that gave the Wildcats a 60-50 lead with just under 3 to play.
• Although Texas Tech broke the 10-0 run with a bucket from senior Fardaws Aimaq with under 2 minutes remaining, the Red Raiders could get no closer than the rest of the way, as Nowell sealed it with 6 consecutive free throws.
• Nowell was joined in double figures by Johnson, who pulled down his third double-double of the season with 15 points and a game-high 11 rebounds, and Massoud, who added 12 points on 5-of-6 field goals, including 2-of-3 from 3-point range. Iyiola added 7 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists.
• The Red Raiders (10-9, 0-7 Big 12), who entered the game 30th nationally in field goal percentage at 48.1 percent shooting, were held to a season-low 32.4 percent (23-of-71) shooting from the field, including 24.1 percent (7-of-29) from 3-point range, while they made just 5 of 12 free throw attempts. Freshman Pop Isaacs and senior De’Vion Harmon led the way with 13 points each.
• Texas Tech led 33-28 at the half on the strength of a 14-2 run, which was highlighted by a 3-pointer by Isaacs at the buzzer. The Raiders extended their lead to 45-37 with just over 13 minutes to play on a 10-2 run, but the Wildcats were able to answer with an 11-0 run to regain the lead at 48-45 near the midway point of the half before the game was tied up at 50 with 8:46 to play.
• After shooting just 34.6 percent (9-of-26) from the field in the first half, K-State connected on 52.4 percent (11-of-21) after halftime. For the game, the Wildcats shot 42.6 percent (20-of-47) from the field, including 32 percent (8-of-25) from 3-point range, while making 74.1 percent (20-of-27) from the free throw line. They had 15 assists to 20 made field goals.
• K-State wore its two-tone lavender uniforms in the contest, which harken back to the days of legendary coach Jack Hartman.

POSTGAME NEWS & NOTES

• K-State is now 11-0 in home games, including 10-0 at Bramlage Coliseum… It is the best start to a season since going 10-0 to open the 2016-17 season.
• K-State is now 26-21 all-time vs. Texas Tech, including 18-5 at home and 14-5 at Bramlage Coliseum… The Wildcats have now won 2 of the last 3 meetings with the Red Raiders, including the last 2 at home.
• K-State took advantage of its opportunities at the free throw line, knocking down 20 of 27 attempts, while Texas Tech made just 5 of 12 attempts.
• K-State connected on 8 3-pointers, including 4 players hitting on at least one.
• K-State got 16 points from its bench, including 12 from junior Ish Massoud.
• K-State is now 6-2 this season when trailing at the half.

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 17-2 start under Jerome Tang is the best by a first-year coach in school history, ahead of Zora G. Clevenger, who went 15-2 in 1916-17. The start is the best by any current first-year Division I coach, ahead of Xavier’s Sean Miller (16-4) and Missouri’s Dennis Gates and Duke’s Jon Scheyer (14-5).
• 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 19-2.

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.