GAME 16
11/13 KANSAS STATE (14-1, 3-0 Big 12) vs. OKLAHOMA STATE (9-6, 1-2 Big 12)
Tuesday, January 10, 2023 >> 6:01 p.m. CT >> Bramlage Coliseum (11,000) >> Manhattan, Kan.
TELEVISION
ESPNU / WatchESPN (link here)
- Chuckie Kempf (play-by-play)
- King McClure (analyst)
- Kevin Kremer (producer)
RADIO
K-State Sports Network
Flagships: // KMAN 1350 & WIBW 580
Satellite Radio: Sirius XM 375/375
Online: Varsity Network [free] / www.kstatesports.com/watch [free]
- Wyatt Thompson (play-by-play)
- Stan Weber (analyst)
LIVE STATS
TICKETS
(800) 221.CATS [2287]
Single Game: $10, $15, $25 (limited quantities)
COACHES
K-State: Jerome Tang [Charter Oak State College ‘07]
Record at K-State: 14-1/1st Year
Career Record: 16-1/1st Year+
- Oklahoma State: 0-0 [0-0 at K-State]
Oklahoma State: Mike Boynton, Jr. [South Carolina ‘03]
Record at OSU: 96-79/6th Year
Career Record: 96-79/6th Year
- K-State: 5-5 [5-5 at OSU]
SERIES HISTORY
Overall: K-State leads 83-58
Big 12 Era: Oklahoma State leads 23-17
In Manhattan: K-State leads 41-18
At Bramlage Coliseum: K-State leads 14-12
Active Streak: Oklahoma State, 1
Tang vs. Oklahoma State: 0-0 [0-0 at K-State]
Tang vs. Mike Boynton, Jr.: 0-0 [0-0 at home]
PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP (Based off the last game)
11/13 Kansas State (14-1, 3-0 Big 12)
G: #1 Markquis Nowell
G: #5 Cam Carter
F: #11 Keyontae Johnson
F: #35 Nae’Qwan Tomlin
C: #23 Abayomi Iyiola
Oklahoma State (9-6, 1-2 Big 12)
G: #0 Avery Anderson III
G: #51 John-Michael Wright
G: #1 Bryce Thompson
F: #22 Kalib Boone
F: #23 Tyreek Smith
OPENING TIP
No. 11/13 Kansas State (14-1, 3-0 Big 12) returns home to the friendly confines of Bramlage Coliseum on Tuesday night, as the Wildcats welcome Oklahoma State (9-6, 1-2 Big 12) for a 6 p.m., tip on ESPNU. It will be a clash of styles, as K-State ranks third in the Big 12 in scoring offense (79.73), while OSU has the league’s second-best scoring defense (61.53). The Wildcats jumped into the Top 25 in both major polls on Monday afternoon for the first time in nearly 4 seasons, making the largest jump from unranked to ranked since Michigan in 2020.
KEY STORYLINES
- K-State is off its best start (14-1) since the 1958-59 season after running its winning streak to 8 games with a 97-95 overtime win over No. 19/17 Baylor on Saturday. Seniors Markquis Nowell and Keyontae Johnson combined for 56 points, but it was junior Ish Massoud who proved to be the difference, as his 3-pointer with 32 seconds in overtime lifted the Wildcats to their first win over the Bears since 2019. After wins over No. 24/24 West Virginia and No. 6/6 Texas, it marked the first time in school history that K-State had won 3 straight games over Top 25 opponents, including their first back-to-back road Top 25 victories since 2019. For their efforts, the Wildcats were named the ESPN.com National Team of the Week.
- K-State’s 14-1 start under head coach Jerome Tang is the best by a first-year coach in school history, surpassing the previous 13-2 starts by Zora G. Clevenger (1916-17) and Bruce Weber (2012-13). Tang’s 14-1 start ranks as the best by all current first-year coaches in Division I, just ahead of the 13-2 start by Missouri’s Dennis Gates.
- K-State has won 8 consecutive games since absorbing its first loss of the Jerome Tang era against Butler on Nov. 30, which ties Kansas for the third-longest active streak among Power 6 conferences, trailing just UCLA (11), Providence (9) and Xavier (9). It is the 10th-longest overall streak in Division I with Charleston leading the way with 15 straight victories. The Wildcats have averaged 84.1 points per game during that 8-game winning streak on 49.8 percent (241-of-484) shooting with 4 players averaging in double figures.
- For the first time in school history K-State swept both Big 12 weekly Player of the Week honors, as Nowell was named the Player of the Week for the second time this season and Johnson earned the Newcomer of the Week nod for the third time. The tandem combined to score 120 points in the 2 wins on a collective 59.4 percent (38-of-64) shooting from the field, which is the most combined points by 2 players over a 2-game span in the last 50 seasons.
- Nowell continued his impressive week by posting the school’s first 30-point/10-assist game in the win over the Bears, scoring a game-high 32 points to go with a career-best 14 assists. He became the first Wildcat with back-to-back 30-point games since Michael Beasley did it in 4 consecutive games from Feb. 23-March 4, 2008. He continues to be one of the leaders nationally in assists. His 8.9 assists per game rank second nationally, while his 133 total assists place third.
- The Wildcats have quite the dynamic 1-2-3 scoring punch with Johnson (18.8 ppg.) and Nowell (17.0 ppg.) and junior Nae’Qwan Tomlin (11.4 ppg.) combining to average 47.2 points per game on 49 percent (239-of-488) shooting. They are the second-best scoring trio in the Big 12 after Baylor’s Adam Flagler, Keyonte George and L.J. Cryer (47.3 ppg.) and just ahead of Kansas’ Jalen Wilson, Gradey Dick and Kevin McCullar (46.1 ppg.).
NOTES ON OKLAHOMA STATE
- Oklahoma State (9-6, 1-2 Big 12) enters Tuesday’s game coming off a 56-46 loss to No. 6/6 Texas at home on Saturday afternoon. The Cowboys rallied from a deficit to tie the game at 44-all before the Longhorns ended the game on 12-2 run. OSU nearly knocked off Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse in the Big 12 opener, losing 69-67, before defeating West Virginia at home on Jan. 2.
- Oklahoma State is averaging 69.3 points on 44.4 percent shooting, including 33.3 percent from 3-point range, with 38.1 rebounds, 13.3 assists, 6.3 steals and 5.5 blocks per game, while allowing just 61.5 points on 36.4 percent shooting, including 28.4 percent from 3-point range. The Cowboys are connecting on 71.2 percent from the free throw line.
- Oklahoma State is one of the best defensive teams in the country, ranking third nationally in field goal percentage defense, 14th in 3-point field goal percentage defense, 17th in blocked shots/game and 28th in scoring defense. They are first in the Big 12 in field goal percentage defense, defensive rebounds/game (27.1) and blocked shots/game.
- Two players – junior Bryce Thompson (12.1 ppg.) and senior Avery Anderson III – each are averaging in double figures, while Thompson is tops in 3-point field goals (30) and Anderson paces the team in both assists (45) and steals (29). Junior Moussa Cisse averages a Big 12-best 9.9 rebounds.
- Oklahoma State is led by sixth-year head coach Mike Boynton, Jr., who has a 96-79 record. He is 5-5 all-time vs. K-State.
SERIES HISTORY
- K-State holds an 83-58 lead in the all-time series which dates all the way back to 1922 and includes an 41-18 mark at home. Oklahoma State has a 23-17 advantage in the Big 12 era, including 23-14 in the regular season.
- The teams have split the last 10 meetings, including last season, when each beat the other with 3-pointer near the end of the game. Sophomore Nijel Pack hit a 3-pointer with 2.2 seconds left in regulation to help K-State earn a 71-68 win at home on Feb. 2, while sophomore Avery Anderson III’s 3-pointer with 3.8 seconds in overtime lifted OSU to an 82-79 win at home.
LAST 10 MEETINGS [5-5]
Date Rank Result Score Location
1/10/2018 —/— W 86-82 Manhattan
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
LAST MEETING: OKLAHOMA STATE 82, K-STATE 79 [OT]
- Sophomore Avery Anderson III’s 3-pointer with 3.8 seconds proved to be difference in overtime, as Oklahoma State returned serve after losing a similar game at K-State earlier in the month with an 82-79 win over the Wildcats on Feb. 19, 2022 at Gallagher-Iba Arena.
- 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: K-STATE 97, 19/17 BAYLOR 95 [OT]
- On a night when Markquis Nowell and Keyontae Johnson combined for 56 points, it was reserve Ish Massoud who proved to be the difference in overtime, as his 3-pointer with 32 seconds lifted K-State to a thrilling 97-95 win over No. 19/17 Baylor on Saturday night before 9,211 fans at Ferrell Center.
- Baylor’s Adam Flagler turned the ball over with 5.3 seconds left and Nowell was fouled immediately, making the first free throw before missing the second – snapping a streak of 29 straight makes – to allow the Bears’ one more chance to either win it or force a second overtime, but junior Caleb Lohner’s 3-pointer was off the mark, setting off a wild celebration on the Wildcat bench.
- K-State, which is off to its best start to a season in more than 60 years (1958-59), collected its school-record third consecutive Top 25 victory, including its second in a row over a Top 20 on the road. Although the Wildcats have won as many as 4 straight games over Top 25 opponents, including as recently as the 2018-19 season, no team had ever done it in 3 straight games before Saturday.
- A game after combining for 64 points in the win over No. 6/6 Texas in Austin, the tandem of Nowell (32 points) and Johnson (24 points) collectively scored their 56 points on 19-of-35 field goals, including 6-of-11 from 3-point range.
- Nowell starred yet again, posting the first 30-point/10-assist game in school history, dishing out a career-best 14 assists to go with his 32 points. Johnson, who has now scored in double figures in all 15 games, had a near double-double with 24 points and a game-high 9 rebounds in a career-best 43 minutes.
- Massoud joined the tandem in double figures with a season-high 13 points on 3-of-4 field goals (all from 3) and a perfect 4-of-4 effort from the line.
- After scoring a career-best 36 points against the Longhorns, Nowell became the first Wildcat with consecutive 30-point games since Michael Beasley did it in 4 consecutive games from Feb. 23-March 4, 2008. Nowell’s 14 dimes tied the school record for assists in a conference game, while they tied for the second-most in school history and were the most by any Wildcat in the last 40 years.
- Nowell’s 30-point/10-assist game is just the second in Division I in the last 10 seasons, joining Oklahoma’s Trae Young who did it against TCU in 2017.
- After setting the school record for points in a 116-103 win over the Longhorns, the 213 points are the most combined points over a 2-game stretch in school history. The Wildcats posted a 50/40/80 line as a team, connecting on 53.1 percent (34-of-64) from the field, including 44 percent (11-of-25) from 3-point range, while hitting on 85.7 percent (18-of-21) from the free throw line.
- The game marked the return of Jerome Tang to the Ferrell Center, where he spent 19 seasons as an assistant coach (2003-17) and associate head coach (2017-22) for head coach Scott Drew. He was presented with his 2022 Big 12 Championship ring in pregame, along with a short tribute video.
POSTGAME NEWS & NOTES
- The 97 points tied for the ninth-most points in a road game, including the second-most in a Big 12 road game… The 213 points in the last 2 games are the most in a 2-game stretch in school history.
- The Wildcats made 11 made 3-pointers, including 5 players hitting on at least one trey… It marks the fifth time this season with double-digit 3-pointers.
- K-State had an assist on 24 of its 34 made field goals, including 6 players with 2 or more assists led by Markquis Nowell’s career-best 14 dimes.
- The win snapped a 7-game skid to Baylor and was the first since a 66-60 at home on March 2, 2019, and the first at the Ferrell Center since Feb. 9, 2019.
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 14-1 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 13-2. Tang’s start is among the best by all first-year head coaches in Division I, just ahead of the 13-2 start by Missouri’s Dennis Gates.
- 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 16-1.
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.
- 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 1,709-1,214 (.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.
