GAME 25
12/11 KANSAS STATE (19-5, 7-4 Big 12) at TEXAS TECH (12-12, 1-10 Big 12)
Saturday, February 11, 2023 >> 6:01 p.m. CT >> United Supermarkets Arena (15,098) >> Lubbock, Texas
TELEVISION
Big 12 Now / WatchESPN (link here)
- Ted Emrich (play-by-play)
- Lance Blanks (analyst)
- Bill Amin (producer)
RADIO
K-State Sports Network
Flagships: // KMAN 1350 & WIBW 580
Satellite Radio: Sirius XM 136 or 199
Online: Varsity Network [free] / www.kstatesports.com/watch [free]
- Wyatt Thompson (play-by-play)
- Stan Weber (analyst)
LIVE STATS
COACHES
K-State: Jerome Tang [Charter Oak State College ‘07]
Record at K-State: 19-5/1st Year
Career Record: 21-5/1st Year+
- Texas Tech: 2-0 [1-0 at K-State]
Texas Tech: Mark Adams [Texas Tech ‘79]
Record at Texas Tech: 39-22/2nd Year
Career Record: 593-266/25th Year
- K-State: 1-2 [1-2 at Texas Tech]
SERIES HISTORY
Overall: K-State leads 26-21
Big 12 Era: Texas Tech leads 20-19
In Lubbock: Texas Tech leads 15-7
At United Supermarkets Arena: Texas Tech leads 13-4
Active Streak: K-State, 1
Tang vs. Texas Tech: 2-0 [1-0 at K-State]
Tang vs. Mark Adams: 1-0 [0-0 on the road]
PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP (Based off the last game)
12/11 Kansas State (19-5, 7-4 Big 12)
G: #1 Markquis Nowell
G: #5 Cam Carter
F: #11 Keyontae Johnson
F: #35 Nae’Qwan Tomlin
F: #3 David N’Guessan
Texas Tech (12-12, 1-10 Big 12)
G: #1 Lamar Washington
G: #20 Jaylon Daniels
G: #23 De’Vion Harmon
G: #24 Kerwin Walton
F: #0 Kevin Obanor
OPENING TIP
No. 12/11 K-State (19-5, 7-4 Big 12) begins a stretch of consecutive road games on Saturday with a trip to Lubbock, Texas to take on Texas Tech (12-12, 1-10 Big 12) at 6 p.m., CT before an expected sellout crowd at United Supermarkets Arena. The Wildcats won the first meeting with the Red Raiders, 68-58, at home on Jan. 21, but face an 8-game losing streak in Lubbock. The last K-State win on the road in the series came in a 60-56 victory on Feb. 25, 2014.
KEY STORYLINES
- K-State got a much-needed victory on Tuesday night, as the Wildcats used a complete team effort with 5 players in double figures to snap a 2-game losing streak and a 3-game skid in Big 12 play with an 82-61 win over No. 17/19 TCU at Bramlage Coliseum. The win helped K-State to stay in the Big 12 race, just one game back of leader and No. 5/5 Texas in second place alongside No. 14/12 Baylor, No. 9/8 Kansas and No. 11/13 Iowa State (full recap can be found on page 3).
- K-State is still off to one of its best starts, as the current 19-5 record ties the 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 20-4) having a better mark in that span. Among the 13 wins in the last 17 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 19-5 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 19-5 start also ranks among the very best by all first-year coaches in Division I, tying Xavier’s Sean Miller (19-5) for the best mark with Missouri’s Dennis Gates (18-6) just behind. His next victory will make him just the fourth K-State head coach (Lon Kruger [1986-87], Bob Huggins [2006-07] and Frank Martin [2007-08]) to win 20 or more games in his first season.
- Seniors Keyontae Johnson (18.0 ppg.) and Markquis Nowell (16.9 ppg.) have been one of the most prolific tandems in the country, as they combine to average 34.9 points per game on 46 percent (269-of-584) shooting, including 38.5 percent (84-of-218) from 3-point range, and 80.5 percent (214-of-266) from the free throw line. They are the fourth-most prolific scoring duo among the power conferences, including the second-best in the Big 12. They were each 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) Top 10 lists.
- Nowell joined elite company in the win over TCU on Tuesday, as his 7 assists allowed him to pass Steve Henson (186; 1987-88) to become the school’s single-season leader. His current total of 187 assists ranks third nationally, while he is second in assists per game (7.8 apg.). He is one of 3 active Division I player with at least 1,500 points, 500 assists and 200 steals, while he recently became the 47th active Division I player to eclipse 1,700 career points. In addition, he has accumulated 246 career steals, which are first among active Division I players.
NOTES ON TEXAS TECH
- Texas Tech (12-12, 1-10 Big 12) enters Saturday’s game having lost back-to-back road games at Baylor and Oklahoma State. The Red Raiders, who have been without freshman Pop Isaacs and senior Fardaws Aimaq, nearly staged an incredible comeback against OSU. They rallied from a 14-point deficit to tie it at 68-all with 18 seconds before the Cowboys won it on a putback with 0.8 seconds left.
- Texas Tech is averaging 74 points on 46.2 percent shooting, including 34 percent from 3-point range, with 34.8 rebounds, 13.5 assists, 7.9 steals and 3.0 blocks per game, while allowing 68.5 points on 42.2 percent shooting, including 32.6 percent from 3-point range. The Red Raiders are connecting on 70.8 percent from the free throw line.
- Five players are averaging in double figures led All-Big 12 candidate Kevin Obanor, who is averaging 15.3 points on 49.8 percent shooting to go with 6.3 rebounds per game. Transfer De’Vion Harmon is averaging 13 points and a team-best 3.5 assists, while Isaacs and sophomore Jaylon Tyson are averaging 11.6 and 10.3 points per game, respectively. Aimaq, who was third in the nation in double-doubles (27) in 2021-22, is averaging 10.0 points and 6.7 rebounds in playing 3 games with 2 starts.
- Texas Tech is led by second-year head coach Mark Adams, who has a 39-22 record. He led his alma mater to 27 wins and a Sweet 16 appearance in 2021-22. Overall, he is 593-266 in his 25th season as a head coach.
SERIES HISTORY
- K-State holds a 26-21 advantage in the all-time series with Texas Tech, which includes a 7-15 mark in Lubbock. The Red Raiders have a slight 20-19 edge in the Big 12 era, but have won 8 of the last 11 meetings in the series.
- The team split their 2 meetings in 2022 with K-State snapping a 4-game losing streak in the series with a 62-51 win at home on Jan. 15, while Texas Tech posted a 73-68 win in the last meeting in Lubbock on Feb. 28. The last road win by K-State in the series came in a 60-56 victory on Feb. 25, 2014.
LAST 10 MEETINGS [3-7]
Date Rank Result Score Location
2/10/2018 —/7 L 47-66 Manhattan
1/5/2019 —/11 L 57-63 Lubbock
1/22/2019 —/14 W 58-45 Manhattan
1/14/2020 —/23 L 63-77 Manhattan
2/19/2020 —/— L 62-69 Lubbock
1/5/2021 —/18 L 71-82 Lubbock
2/6/2021 —/13 L 62-73 Manhattan
1/15/2022 —/19 W 62-51 Manhattan
2/28/2022 —/12 L 68-73 Lubbock
1/21/2023 —/— W 68-58 Manhattan
LAST MEETING: 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 Jan. 21 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.
LAST MEETING IN LUBBOCK: 12/12 TECH 73, K-STATE 68 [Feb. 28, 2022]
- A limited K-State team gave No. 12/12 Texas Tech everything it could have and more before falling, 73-68, in the final seconds before a sold-out at United Supermarket Arena in the last meeting between the schools.
- The Wildcats, who played without its second-leading scorer Markquis Nowell due to injury, battled back from an 8-point halftime deficit to take numerous leads in the second half. However, the veteran Red Raiders made key plays in the final stretch, including a pair of defensive stops and 2 free throws from seniors Adonis Arms and Davion Warren in last 47 seconds.
- Five Wildcats scored in double figures led by Mike McGuirl’s 18 points.
LAST TIME OUT: 12/11 K-STATE 82, 17/19 TCU 61
- Five Wildcats scored in double figures, including a game-high 18 points from senior Markquis Nowell, as No. 12/11 K-State snapped a 2-game losing streak with a near wire-to-wire 82-61 victory over No. 19/17 TCU on Tuesday before a crowd of 8,667 at Bramlage Coliseum.
- Nowell also dished out a game-high 7 assists, giving him 187 for the season, which broke the single-season school record of 186 set by Steve Henson in 1987-88. In addition, his 18 points helped him eclipse 1,700 in his college career, which spans 119 games at Little Rock and K-State.
- The win helped K-State keep pace in the Big 12 race, moving into a tie with No. 9/8 Kansas for third place, just one game back of No. 5/5 Texas and a half-game back of No. 11/13 Iowa State. The 19-5 start ties for the second-best in the last 50 seasons. The team also secured its fifth Top 25 win, which is the second-most in a single-season and most since posting 6 in 2014-15.
- The Wildcats had five or more players score in double figures for the fourth time this season and the second time in Big 12 play and the first since Texas on Jan. 3. Nowell was joined in double figures by seniors Keyontae Johnson and Desi Sills, who each scored 14 points, while senior reserve Tykei Greene nearly registered a double-double with season-highs in both points (13) and rebounds (9) to go with 10 points from junior David N’Guessan.
- Leading 36-30 at the half, K-State took control with an impressive second-half performance, as the Wildcats scored 46 points after halftime on 61.5 percent (16-of-26) shooting with 26 coming in the paint. Despite the offensive output, the game was still in the balance with under 5 minutes to play after TCU cut the deficit to 65-59 after a 6-0 run to force a timeout by head coach Jerome Tang.
- The timeout seemed to ignite K-State, as 2 free throws from sophomore Cam Carter started a streak of 15 consecutive points, as the Wildcats ended the game on a 17-2 run to snap a 3-game losing streak to the Horned Frogs at home and a 3-game skid in Big 12 play. Five players contributed to the run, including 5 points from Johnson, 4 from Greene and Nowell and 2 from Carter and Sills.
- The Wildcats frustrated the Horned Frogs into 19 turnovers, including 13 in the first half, converting those into 15 points, while holding the nation’s top-ranked fast-break team (20.7 ppg.) to just 10. After giving 20 second-chance points on 14 offensive rebounds in the first meeting on Jan. 14, they allowed just 3 second-chance points on 6 offensive rebounds in the rematch.
- For the game, K-State hit on 45.9 percent (28-of-61) from the field, including 36.8 percent (7-of-19) from 3-point range, while hitting on 82.6 percent (19-of-23) from the free throw line. Forty of the 82 points came in the paint, while the Wildcats had 19 assists on their 28 made field goals with 5 players dishing out at least 2 assists. It was the ninth game of 80 or more points this season, which is the most since posting 11 in 2017-18.
POSTGAME NEWS & NOTES
- K-State evens the season series with TCU, while snapping a 3-game losing streak to the Horned Frogs at home… The Wildcats now lead the series, 21-11, including 18-9 in the Big 12 era.
- K-State held a 40-28 edge in rebounding, including 13 offensive rebounds, which resulted in 11 second-chance points… The Wildcats are now 11-1 when winning the rebounding battle.
- K-State scored 40 of its 82 points in the paint, which marks the ninth game with at least 40 paint points and the first since the TCU game on Jan. 14.
- K-State got 29 points from its bench, which is the fourth-most this season.
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 19-5 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 ties for the best by any current first-year coach with Xavier’s Sean Miller (19-5) and just ahead of Missouri’s Dennis Gates (18-6).
- 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 21-5.
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.
