GAME PREVIEW // 12/11 K-State Welcomes 17/19 TCU Tuesday Night

By K-State Athletics Release February 6, 2023

GAME 24

12/11 KANSAS STATE (18-5, 6-4 Big 12) vs. 17/19 TCU (17-6, 6-4 Big 12)

Tuesday, February 7, 2023 >> 8:05 p.m. CT >> Bramlage Coliseum (11,000) >> Manhattan, Kan.

TELEVISION

ESPNU / WatchESPN (link here)

  • Rich Hollenberg (play-by-play)
  • Chris Spatola (analyst)
  • John Wheat (producer)

RADIO

K-State Sports Network

Flagships: // KMAN 1350 & WIBW 580

Satellite Radio: Sirius XM 84/84

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

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

LIVE STATS

www.kstatesports.com

kstate.statbroadcast.com

 

TICKETS

www.kstatesports.com/tickets

(800) 221.CATS

Less than 600 tickets remain

 

COACHES

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

Record at K-State: 18-5/1st Year

Career Record: 20-5/1st Year+

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

TCU: Jamie Dixon [TCU ‘87]

Record at TCU: 134-90/7th Year

Career Record: 462-213/21st Year

  1. K-State: 8-10 [7-10 at TCU]

SERIES HISTORY

Overall: K-State leads 20-11

Big 12 Era: K-State leads 17-9

In Manhattan: K-State leads 8-5

At Bramlage Coliseum: K-State leads 6-5

Active Streak: TCU, 1

Tang vs. TCU: 0-1 [0-1 at K-State]

Tang vs. Jamie Dixon: 0-1 [0-1 at home]

PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP (Based off the last game)

12/11 Kansas State (18-5, 6-4 Big 12)

G: #1 Markquis Nowell

G: #5 Cam Carter

F: #11 Keyontae Johnson

F: #35 Nae’Qwan Tomlin

F: #3 David N’Guessan

17/19 TCU (17-6, 6-4 Big 12)

G: #10 Damion Baugh

G: #13 Shahada Wells

F: #2 Emanuel Miller

F: #5 Chuck O’Bannon

F: #12 Xavier Cork

 

OPENING TIP

No. 12/11 K-State (18-5, 6-4 Big 12) plays its third consecutive Top 25 opponent on Tuesday night, as the Wildcats conclude their brief 2-game homestand with a visit from No. 17/19 TCU (17-6, 6-4 Big 12) to Bramlage Coliseum for an 8 p.m., CT tipoff on ESPNU. The teams will be playing for the second straight time as Top 25 foes after then No. 17/17 TCU handed then No. 11/13 K-State its worst loss of the season, 82-68, at home on Jan. 14. The Horned Frogs will be looking to sweep the season series for the second time, including the first time since 2020, while the Wildcats will be looking to snap a 3-game skid in the series at home.

KEY STORYLINES

  • K-State saw its 12-game homecourt winning streak come to an end, including an 11-game streak at Bramlage Coliseum, on Saturday afternoon, as No. 10/9 Texas rallied from an 11-point halftime deficit with a sensational second-half performance to post a 69-66 win. The Longhorns hit on 57.1 percent (16-of-28) after halftime with half (22) of their 44 points coming in the paint to hold off a late charge by the Wildcats. Turnovers continue to plague K-State, as the Wildcats suffered 19 turnovers with the Longhorns scoring 19 points off those miscues. The team has now lost 3 of their last 4 games, including consecutive games for the first time this season, albeit against Top 12 opponents (at No. 12/12 Iowa State, at No. 8/8 Kansas and No. 10/9 Texas).
  • K-State is still off to one of its best starts, as the current 18-5 record ties the 1979-80, 2012-13 and 2018-19 teams for the second-best in the past 50 seasons with only the 1972-73 and 2009-10 teams (at 19-4) having a better mark in that span. Among the 12 wins in the last 16 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, and a 4-0 start in Big 12 play.
  • K-State’s 18-5 start under head coach Jerome Tang is the second-best by a first-year coach in school history, just behind the 15-2 record by Zora G. Clevenger (1916-17). Tang’s 18-5 start also ranks among the very best by all first-year coaches in Division I, just behind Xavier’s Sean Miller (19-5) and ahead of Missouri’s Dennis Gates (17-6) and Seattle’s Chris Victor (16-8).
  • Seniors Keyontae Johnson (18.1 ppg.) and Markquis Nowell (16.8 ppg.) have been one of the most prolific tandems in the country, as they combine to average 34.9 points per game on 46.2 percent (258-of-559) shooting, including 37.8 percent (79-of-209) from 3-point range, and 81 percent (209-of-258) from the free throw line. They are the 26th-best Division I scoring duo, including fourth-best among major conferences. They were each named to the Oscar Robertson Trophy and Wooden Award Watch Lists and have combined to win 6 weekly Big 12 awards.
  • Nowell continues to be one of the leaders in assists. He ranks third in assists per game (7.8 apg.) and total assists (180). His 180 assists are second on the single-season list, 6 shy of Steve Henson’s record (186; 1987-88). He is one of 3 active Division I player with at least 1,500 points, 500 assists and 200 steals, while his 244 career steals are first among active Division I players.

NOTES ON 17/19 TCU

  • No. 17/19 TCU (17-6, 6-4 Big 12) enters Tuesday’s game with losses in 2 of its last 3 games, including a 79-73 setback at Oklahoma State on Saturday. The Horned Frogs have been without Preseason Big 12 Player of the Year Mike Miles, Jr., in that span.
  • TCU is averaging 77.3 points on 46.1 percent shooting, including 29.1 percent from 3-point range, with 36.5 rebounds, 16.2 assists, 8.7 steals and 4.9 blocks per game, while allowing 66 points on 41.6 percent shooting, including 29.9 percent from 3-point range. The Horned Frogs are connecting on 71.9 percent from the free throw line.
  • TCU still leads the nation in fastbreak points (20.7 ppg.), while ranking in the top-40 in 10 other categories, including 12th in turnover margin (+4.6), 19th in turnovers forced/game (16.4), 21st in assists/game (16.2), 23rd in scoring margin (+11.3) and 30th in steals/game (8.7).
  • Three players are averaging in double figures, as Miles ranks third in the Big 12 at 18.1 points per game on 53.2 percent shooting, while seniors Emanuel Miller and Damion Baugh are averaging 13.2 and 12.8 points per game. Sophomore Eddie Lampkin and Miller are averaging 6.5 and 6.4 rebounds per game, while Baugh has a team-leading 89 assists.
  • TCU is led by seventh-year head coach Jamie Dixon, who has a 134-90 record with 4 20-win seasons. Overall, he has a 462-213 record in his 20th season as a head coach. He is 8-10 all-time vs. K-State.

SERIES HISTORY

  • K-State holds a 20-11 lead in the all-time series with TCU, including a 17-9 mark in the Big 12 era. The Wildcats have an 8-5 record in games played in Manhattan but have lost 3 in a row to Horned Frogs.
  • K-State has a narrow 5-5 lead in the last 10 meetings with TCU, including a split of the home-and-home series in 2022. The Horned Frogs have won 4 of the last 6 in Manhattan, including 60-57 in 2022, with the last Wildcat win at home coming in a 65-55 victory on Jan. 19, 2019.

LAST 10 MEETINGS [5-5]

Date                    Rank     Result   Score                   Location

3/14/2019          15/—    W          70-61                   Kansas City

1/7/2020            —/—     L             57-59                   Manhattan

2/15/2020          —/—     L             57-68                   Fort Worth

3/11/2020          —/—     W          53-49                   Kansas City

1/2/2021            —/—     L             60-67                   Manhattan

2/20/2021          —/—     W          62-54                   Fort Worth

3/10/2021          —/—     W          71-50                   Kansas City

1/12/2022          —/—     L             57-60                   Manhattan

2/5/2022            —/—     W          75-63                   Fort Worth

1/14/2023          11/17    L             68-82                   Fort Worth

LAST MEETING: 17/17 TCU 82, 11/13 K-STATE 68

  • Full recap on page 23.

LAST MEETING IN MANHATTAN: TCU 60, K-STATE 57 [Jan. 12, 2022]

  • Junior Damion Baugh’s 3-pointer with 11 seconds remaining put the exclamation points on TCU’s 8-0 run to end the game, as the Horned Frogs earned a 60-57 come-from-behind victory in the last meeting at Bramlage Coliseum to post their third straight win in the arena on Jan. 12, 2022.
  • Trailing 57-52 after Markquis Nowell’s layup with 1:48 to play, TCU got a free throw from Baugh and a layup from junior Emanuel Miller before the Baugh 3-pointer. A pair of Mike Miles’ free throws finished off the scoring.
  • Nowell led 3 Wildcats in double figures with 18 points.

LAST TIME OUT: 10/9 TEXAS 69, 7/6 K-STATE 66

  • No. 10/9 Texas rallied from an 11-point halftime deficit with an impressive second-half effort, as the Longhorns handed No. 7/6 Kansas State its first home loss of the season with a 69-66 win on Saturday afternoon before a sold-out crowd of 11,000 at Bramlage Coliseum.
  • K-State had one last chance to send the game to overtime with 5 seconds left, but junior Ishmael Massoud’s 3-pointer was off the mark at the buzzer, as Texas (19-4, 8-2) extended its lead in the Big 12 standings. The Longhorns are now a game ahead of Iowa State (7-3) and two games of four others (6-4).
  • Senior Keyontae Johnson led three Wildcats in double figures with a game-high 16 points on 6-of-10 field goals, including 2-of-3 from 3-point range, in 24 minutes. Senior Desi Sills chipped in 11 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists, while senior Markquis Nowell added 10 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists.
  • Down by 14 points in the first half and 11 at halftime after shooting just 30.4 percent (7-of-23) from the field, including 11.1 percent (1-of-9) from 3-point range, the Longhorns came on fire to start the second half, using a 14-4 run to close the deficit to 40-39 just after the first media timeout.
  • K-State stayed ahead for the next few minutes before a layup by Christian Bishop and a 3-pointer from Sir’Jabari Parker gave Texas the lead for the first time at 51-48 with just over 10 minutes left. Twice, they built the lead to 6 points before K-State rallied to tie the game at 64-64 on a 12-6 spurt that included production from four players, including 4 points from Sills.
  • The teams traded the lead over the next few minutes, including a floater by Nowell for a 66-65 lead with just over a minute to play before a driving layup by Bishop and two free throws by Parker provided the final margin.
  • It was a balanced effort for Texas, as five players scored in double figures led by 14 points each from Bishp and Parker. Three others – Timmy Allen, Tyrese Hunter and Marcus Carr – each added 10 points. Parker had a double-double with a game-high 10 boards. Three Longhorns had 4 assists.
  • After shooting 30.4 percent in the first half, Texas responded by connecting on 57.1 percent (16-of-28) in the second half, including 42.9 percent (3-of-7) from 3-point range. The Longhorns finished at 45.1 percent (23-of-51) from the field, including 25 percent (4-of-16) from long range. They were stellar from the free throw line, knocking down 79.2 percent (19-of-24).
  • For the game, K-State hit on 44 percent (22-of-50) from the field, including 31.6 percent (6-of-19) from 3-point range, and made 80 percent (16-of-20) from the line. The Wildcats connected on 46.2 percent (12-of-26) in first half.
  • The game included 36 combined turnovers with each team scoring 19 points off those miscues, while the teams had 40 combined personal fouls.

POSTGAME NEWS & NOTES

  • K-State has lost consecutive games for the first time this season.
  • K-State still leads the series, 24-22, including 11-10 at home, however, Texas has now won 5 straight over the Wildcats at Bramlage Coliseum.
  • K-State sees it 12-game homecourt winning streak end, including 11 straight at Bramlage Coliseum… Texas handed K-State its first home loss after the ‘Cats gave the Longhorns their first home loss on Jan. 3.
  • K-State turned the ball over 19 times, which was the third highest this year and the second highest in a Big 12 game… Those turnovers let to 19 points.
  • K-State is now 11-2 this season when leading 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 18-5 start under Jerome Tang is the second-best by a first-year coach in school history, just behind Zora G. Clevenger, who went 15-2 in 1916-17. The start is the second-best by any current first-year coach, just behind Xavier’s Sean Miller (19-5) and ahead of Missouri’s Dennis Gates (17-6).
  • 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 20-5.