Game Preview // K-State Returns Home to Face Kansas City Thursday

GAME 3
KANSAS STATE (2-0) vs KANSAS CITY (1-3)
Thursday, November 17, 2022 >> 5:31 p.m. CT >> Bramlage Coliseum (11,000) >> Manhattan, Kan.

TELEVISION
Big 12 Now on ESPN+ / WatchESPN (link here)

• Ben Boyle (play-by-play)
• Stan Weber (analyst)
• Lina Sattarin (sideline reporter)

RADIO
K-State Sports Network
Flagships: // KMAN 1350 & WIBW 580
Satellite Radio: Sirius XM 384/SXM App 974
Online: Varsity Network [free]/ www.kstatesports.com/watch [free]

• Wyatt Thompson (play-by-play)
• Matt Walters (analyst)

LIVE STATS
www.kstatesports.com
kstate.statbroadcast.com

TICKETS
www.kstatesports.com/tickets
(800) 221.CATS [2287]
Single Game: $10, $15, $25

COACHES
K-State: Jerome Tang [Charter Oak State College ’07]
Record at K-State: 2-0/First Year
Career Record: 2-0/First Year
vs. Kansas City: 0-0 [0-0 at K-State]

Kansas City: Marvin Menzies [UCLA ’87]
Record at Kansas City: 1-3/1st Year
Career Record: 247-162/13th Year
vs. K-State: 0-0 [0-0 at Kansas City]

SERIES HISTORY
Overall: K-State leads 19-1
Current Streak: K-State, 5
In Manhattan: K-State leads 13-0
At Bramlage Coliseum: K-State leads 12-0
Last Meeting: W, 62-58 [11/30/2020 in Manhattan]
Tang vs. Menzies: 0-0 [0-0 on the road]

PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP (Based off the last game)
Kansas State (2-0)
G: #1 Markquis Nowell
G: #5 Cam Carter
F: #11 Keyontae Johnson
F: #35 Nae’Qwan Tomlin
C: #3 David N’Guessan

Kansas City (1-3)
G: #5 Shemarri Allen
G: #11 Anderson Kopp
G: #21 RayQuawndis Mitchell
F: #23 Allen Mukeba, Jr.
F: #32 Jeff Ngandu

K-STATE RETURNS HOME TO FACE KANSAS CITY THURSDAY

• Kansas State (2-0) returns home to Bramlage Coliseum on Thursday to play Kansas City (1-3) in the first game of a men’s and women’s doubleheader at 5:30 p.m. CT. The Wildcat women’s team will play host No. 4/6 Iowa (3-0) in the nightcap at 8 p.m., CT. This will be second doubleheader after the teams swept Central Arkansas and UTRGV on Nov. 7.
• This will be the 21st meeting between K-State and Kansas City and the first since 2020 with the Wildcats holding a 19-1 record, including a 12-0 mark at Bramlage Coliseum. The Wildcats have won the last 5 meetings. The game will also matchup two first-year head coaches in Kansas State’s Jerome Tang and Kansas City’s Marvin?Menzies.
• Thursday’s contest will be the last at home for 16 days, as K-State begin a road swing that includes 3 games in 3 days at the Cayman Islands Classic on Monday-Wednesday, Nov. 21-23 and a road trip to Butler on Wednesday, Nov. 30.

OPENING TIP

• K-State (2-0) continued its run of firsts under head coach?Jerome Tang with the inaugural road victory for the first-year head coach, as senior Markquis Nowell’s 4-point play with just over 5 minutes remaining helped lift the Wildcats to a 63-54 win over host California on Nov. 11. The Nowell corner 3-pointer and subsequent free throw helped ignite an 8-0 run that flipped a narrow 47-46 lead with 5:37 to play into a 55-46 advantage with 4:02 remaining.
• Nowell was nearly responsible for the entire 8-0 run, as he followed his 4-point play with a layup then had the steal and assist on a dunk by junior Nae’Qwan Tomlin that capped the run. He finished the night with 13 points to go with game-highs in assists (7) and steals (3) for the second straight game. He currently ranks second in the Big 12 in steals (3.50) and third in assists (7.00) and assist/turnover ratio (4.67) while he is 12th in scoring (13.5 ppg.).
• Cal made one last push to close the gap to 55-50 with just over 3 minutes to play, but K-State was able to respond with a 6-0 run (with points from Cam Carter, Keyontae Johnson and Tykei Greene) to push the lead back out to double figures (61-50) with 1:10 remaining. In all, the Wildcats used a 14-4 run over a more than 4-minute stretch to clinch the victory.
• Nowell’s clutch shot came with the momentum clearly on the side of the Golden Bears, who had used separate runs of 13-0 and 11-0 to nearly erase a 20-point deficit to just 47-46 with 5:37 to play.
• The Wildcats are now 2-0 to start a season for the 18th time in the last 20 seasons, including the second consecutive season. The road win at Cal was the second earliest in school history following a 60-56 overtime victory at UNLV?on Nov. 9, 2019, and helped to avenge the lone loss in the series to the Golden Bears in 2006. K-State is one of just three Big 12 schools (along with Oklahoma State at Oakland, West Virginia at Pitt) with a road win to start the 2022-23 season.
• K-State’s 2-0 start can be directly attributed to a strong start and an ability to force and convert on turnovers. The Wildcats are averaging 44 points in the first half on 46 percent (29-of-63) shooting, including 48.2 percent (13-of-27) from 3-point range, and 89.5 percent (17-of-19) from the free throw line. The 52 points vs. UTRGV were the most first-half points in a season opener since scoring 53 vs. South Dakota on Nov. 29, 1986, en route to posting the most points (93) in an opener since 2014. In addition, the team has forced 48 turnovers after 2 games, including 19 steals, while averaging 25 points per game off those miscues.
• Nowell’s spectacular play nearly overshadowed another tremendous effort by Johnson, who had a near double-double at Cal with a team-high 16 points and 9 rebounds in 33 minutes. For his efforts, Johnson was named the March Madness National Player of the Week and the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week on Monday after averaging 14.5 points on 47.6 percent (10-of-21) shooting, including 57.1 percent (4-of-7) from 3-point range, with 5.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.0 steals in the wins over UTRGV and Cal.
• Johnson is the first Wildcat to earn a weekly honor after the first week since Wes Iwundu shared Big 12 Player of the Week honors on Nov. 16, 2015. It was Johnson’s second career weekly accolade after earning SEC honors in 2019.

NOTES ON KANSAS CITY

• Kansas City (1-3) enters Thursday’s contest with a 1-3 record after earning its first win of the season Monday night by a score of 113-54 over Calvary. The ‘Roos shot 54.4 percent from the field, including 53.1 percent from 3-point range.
• Six players scored in double figures in the win over Calvary, including a double-double by sophomore Allen Mukeba, Jr., who tallied 14 points and 11 rebounds. Graduate transfer RayQuawndis Mitchell led all scorers with 18 points. Freshmen Tyler Andrews (16 points) and Emmanouil Dimou (13 points) combined for 8 of the ‘Roos 17 made 3-pointers.
• Kansas City opened the season with 3 consecutive losses, including a 59-56 setback to Lincoln at home on Nov. 7 before back-to-back losses on the road to LSU?(63-74) and Illinois (48-86) on Nov. 9 and Nov. 11.
• Kansas City was picked sixth in the preseason coaches’ poll for the Summit League with Oral Roberts set as the favorite. The Roos posted a 19-12 overall record, including an 11-7 mark in league play, in 2021-22.
• Kansas City is averaging 70 points on 40.4 percent shooting, including 28.2 percent from 3-point range, with 42.8 rebounds, 13.8 assists, 8.3 steals and 3.3 blocks per game, while allowing 68.3 points on 39.1 percent shooting, including 31.9 percent from 3-point range.
• Four ‘Roos are averaging in double figures led by senior Shemarri Allen (15.3 ppg.), who also paces the team in assists (3.0 apg.) and steals (3.0 spg.) and is second in rebounding (5.5 rpg.). Senior Anderson Kopp and Mitchell are averaging 13.0 and 12.8 points per game, while Mukeba is averaging a near double-double with 10.5 points and a team-high 7.8 rebounds per game.
• Head coach Marvin Menzies is in his first season at Kansas City after stints at both New Mexico State (2007-16) and UNLV (2016-19). He has a 247-162 record in his 13th season as a head coach. He led the Aggies to 198 wins with 6 trips to the postseason, including 5 NCAA?Tournament appearances.

SERIES?HISTORY

• K-State and Kansas City will meet for the 21st time on Thursday with the Wildcats holding a 19-1 advantage in those meetings, including a 13-0 mark at home. The team has won all 12 matchups at Bramlage Coliseum.
• The series dates all the way back to an 81-54 win by K-State on Dec. 2, 1987, at Ahearn Field House. The Wildcats won the first 14 meetings by an average of 13.7 points per game, including by 22.7 points per game at home.
• Kansas City snapped its 14-game losing streak in the series with a 93-52 win on Dec. 30, 2003, by a score of 93-52 at Municipal Auditorium. It remains the first and only win by the ‘Roos, who have lost the last 5 games in the series.
• This will be the first meeting since a 62-58 win by K-State on Nov. 30, 2020, at home, which was the closest such meeting at home.
• K-State is 57-3 all-time against current members of the Summit League, including a 50-0 mark in games played at home. This will be the first meeting with a Summit League foe since a 79-64 win over Omaha on Nov. 17, 2021.

LAST TIME OUT: K-STATE 63, CALIFORNIA 54

• Senior Markquis Nowell’s 4-point play with just over 5 minutes helped ignite an 8-0 run that lifted K-State to a 63-54 win over California on Nov. 11 before 3,607 fans at Haas Pavilion.
• Nowell hit a 3-pointer from the corner right in front of the Wildcat bench before being knocked to the ground. He calmly hit the free throw that gave K-State a 51-46 lead with 5:07 to play. Nowell, who finished with 13 points to go along with a game-high 7 assists and 3 steals, followed his 4-point with a layup then had the steal and assist on the dunk by junior Nae’Qwan Tomlin that capped the 8-0 run and gave K-State a 55-46 lead with 4:02 to play.
• The Golden Bears closed to within 55-50 after a 3-pointer from Devin Askew and a free throw by Joel Brown, but the Wildcats responded with 6 in a row, including a pair of free throws from sophomore Cam Carter to go along with a layup by senior Keyontae Johnson and a dunk by senior Tykei Greene, that pushed the lead back to double figures with just over a minute to play.
• Nowell’s clutch shot came with the momentum clearly on the side of the Golden Bears, who had used separate runs of 13-0 and 11-0 run to erase a 20-point deficit and cut the lead to 47-46 with 5:37 to play.
• In addition to Nowell’s spectacular night, Johnson had a near double-double with a team-high 16 points on 6-of-13 field goals to go with a game-high 9 rebounds and 2 steals in a team-high 33 minutes. He was joined in double figures by Tomlin, who added 11 points to go with 2 rebounds and 2 blocks.
• For the game, K-State connected on 36.8 percent (21-of-57), including 26.3 percent (5-of-19) from 3-point range, and hit on a season-high 88.9 percent (16-of-18) from the free throw line. They made just 33.3 percent (9-of-27) from the field in the second half, including 12.5 percent (1-of-8) from beyond the arc.
• K-State’s lull in the second half overshadowed a sensational start, in which, the Wildcats built as much as 17-point lead in the first half behind swarming defense (15 forced turnovers) and efficient offense. The lead grew to 20 points (42-22) in the early moments of the second half.
• Cal, which is coached by former K-State assistant Mark Fox, was led by a game-high 17 points by the Texas transfer Devin Askew.

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 head coaches are now 17-8 in their debuts, including 17-4 when opening at home. The last 5 Wildcat coaches (Jim Wooldridge, Bob Huggins, Frank Martin, Bruce Weber and Tang) have won their debut at home, while the last first-year head coach to lose his debut at home was Fritz Knorr in 1944.
• 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.

SUCCESS IN NON-CONFERENCE PLAY

• K-State has posted a 161-52 (.754) record in non-conference play since the 2006-07 season. After the win at Cal, the Wildcats have now played 28 true road non-conference games, registering a 15-13 record. The win also avenged its first and only loss to the Golden Bears – a 78-48 setback on Nov. 29, 2006.
• K-State has a 122-14 (.896) record at home venues (includes home games played at Bramlage Coliseum, INTRUST?Bank Arena in Wichita and the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City) in non-conference play dating to the 2006-07 season, including a 113-12 (.903) mark at Bramlage Coliseum. During that span, the Wildcats have posted 5 wins over Kansas City (2010, 2012, 2014, 2017, 2020).
• The Wildcats posted double-digit non-conference wins in 12 of 13 seasons from 2006-07 to 2018-19, but they have since managed just a 19-16 record in non-conference action in the last 3 seasons.
• K-State finished the 2021-22 non-conference season with an 8-5 record, including a 6-1 mark at Bramlage Coliseum. The Wildcats won their first 4 non-conference games (Florida A&M, Omaha, North?Dakota and UAlbany) before the setback against Marquette. They finished with wins over Green Bay and McNeese, while the final game vs. North Florida was cancelled.

STRONG STARTS

• One of the keys to K-State’s early success has been its strong starts, as the Wildcats are averaging 44 points on 46 percent (29-of-63) shooting from the field, including 48.2 percent (13-of-27) from 3-point range, while hitting on 89.5 percent (17-of-19) from the free throw line.
• K-State has out-scored its opponents, 88-47, in the first half, as its defense has been equally impressive in the opening half, allowing just 23.5 points on 32.6 percent (14-of-43) shooting, including 25 percent (4-of-16) from beyond the arc. The first 2 opponents have scored just 32 combined points off field goals with a combined 15 points coming from free throws.
• The Wildcats have forced 27 combined turnovers in the first half so far with more than a third of the total points (33 of 88) coming from offense generated by these turnovers. The team scored 18 first-half points off 12 UTRGV turnovers and had 15 such points off 15 Cal turnovers.
• The 52 points vs. UTRGV were the most first-half points in a season opener since scoring 53 vs. South Dakota on Nov. 29, 1986, as K-State’s 93 points were the most in an opener since scoring 98 vs. Southern Utah on Nov. 14, 2014. The point total was the fourth-most in an opener in the last 25 seasons.

FORCING TURNOVERS

• K-State’s defense has forced 48 turnovers through the first 2 games, which includes 19 steals, while averaging 25 points per game off those miscues.
• The 24.0 turnovers per game forced is tied with Iowa State for the most in the Big 12, while K-State ranks third in steals (9.50) and turnover margin (+9.50). Senior Markquis Nowell places second in steals per game (3.50), while sophomore Cam Carter is tied for seventh at 2.0 steals per game.
• It marks the first time since 2007-08 that the Wildcats have opened the year by forcing 20 or more turnovers from each of their first 2 opponents, while the 50 total points off turnovers is also the most since 2007-08. The 2007-08 team scored 71 points off 53 combined turnovers from their first 2 opponents.
• K-State scored 31 points off 26 UTRGV turnovers, while registering just 14 of its own. The Vaqueros were held to just 39.2 percent shooting.
• The Wildcats scored 19 points off 22 California turnovers, but did turn the ball over 15 times. The Golden Bears hit on 40.4 percent from the field.

BENCH PRODUCTION

• K-State is getting solid production from its bench through the first 2 games, as the Wildcats are averaging 29 points per game. Four reserves (Tykei Greene, Abayomi Iyiola, Desi Sills and Ish Massoud) are averaging better than 6.5 points per game on a collective 45.5 percent (20-of-44) shooting.
• The Wildcats got 41 points from its bench in the opener vs. UTRGV (11/7/22) with 3 reserves (Iyiola (12), Massoud (10) and Sills (10) all posting double-digit points. As a group, the bench connected on 14-of-29 from the field, including a collective 11-of-17 effort by Iyiola, Massoud and Sills.
• K-State got 17 points from its bench in the win at Cal (11/11/22), including 8 points in 20 minutes of action from Greene.

TEAM?FULL?OF SCORERS

• K-State is one of 13 schools to have at least three 1,000-point scorers on its roster, as Wildcats Tykei Greene (1,129 points), Markquis Nowell (1,335 points), Desi Sills (1,124 points) all have eclipsed the milestone in their careers at the Division I level. Only Nowell has reached the mark while at K-State.
• K-State has 4 1,000-point scorers if you count senior walk-on Nate Awbrey, who scored 1,032 points in his 4-year career at Manhattan Christian College, which plays in the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA).
• That total could increase this season, as two other Wildcats (Abayomi Iyiola and Keyontae Johnson) have more than 800 points in their career.
• UAB leads the country with five 1,000-point scorers followed by Notre Dame (4), while K-State is one of 11 other schools to have 3 such scorers, including Drake, Gonzaga, Indiana, Iowa State, Ohio State, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Southern Utah, Texas and Virginia.

JOHNSON MAKES RETURN TO COURT

• Junior Keyontae Johnson made his triumphant return to basketball court on Nov. 7 in the season opener with UTRGV after a 2-year absence after suffering a medical emergency against Florida State on Dec. 12, 2020. He finished the night with 13 points, 4 assists and 2 rebounds in a team-high 26 minutes.
• Johnson looked at his best during a key stretch in the first half, scoring his first points as a Wildcat on a 3-pointer at the 14-minute mark then following with a second triple less than a minute later. He finished the first half with a team-high 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting, including 3-of-4 from 3-point range, to go with 3 assists and 2 rebounds in 16 minutes of action.
• Johnson continued his impressive play with a near double-double in the win at Cal, scoring a team-high 16 points while grabbing a game-high 9 rebounds to go with 2 steals, 1 assist and 1 block in a game-high 33 minutes.
• For his efforts, Johnson was named the March Madness National Player of the Week and the Phillips 66 Big 12 Newcomer of the Week, as he averaged 14.5 points on 47.6 percent (10-of-21) shooting, including 57.1 percent (4-of-7) from 3-point range, to go with 5.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists in the Wildcats’ 2 wins.
• Johnson is the first Wildcat to earn a weekly honor after the first week of the season since Wes Iwundu shared Big 12 Player of the Week accolades on Nov. 16, 2015. It was Johnson’s second weekly award honor, as he was the SEC?Player of the Week on Nov. 25, 2019, while playing at Florida.

NOWELL STILL RUNNING THE SHOW

• On a team with 13 new players and a new coaching staff, fifth-year senior Markquis Nowell once again demonstrated he is still the guy running the show for the Wildcats, as he leads the team in both assists (7.0 apg.) and steals (3.5 spg.) while averaging the second-most points (13.5 ppg.).
• In the opener vs. UTRGV (11/7/22), Nowell poured in a team-tying 14 points on 3-of-5 field goals, including 3-of-3 from beyond the arc, to go with a team-high 7 assists (just 1 turnover and 4 steals). It marked the fourth time that he has led the Wildcats in all 3 categories, following games against North?Dakota (18 points, 5 assists and 5 steals), TCU (18 points, 4 assists and 7 steals) and at Oklahoma State (16 points, 5 assists and 3 steals) last season.
• Nowell continues his impressive play in the win at Cal (11/11/22), as his 4-point play late in the second half helped start an 8-0 run that lifted that Wildcats to victory. He was responsible for nearly all the points in the run, including a layup after his 4-point play and a steal and assist on a dunk to junior Nae’Qwan Tomlin. He finished the night with 13 points to go with game-highs in assists (7) and steals (3) in 33 minutes.
• Nowell ranks second in the Big 12 in steals and third in assists and assist/turnover ratio (4.67), while he is 12th in scoring (13.5 ppg.). He has already eclipsed 1,300 career points, which includes a stint at Little Rock, while he is close to milestones of 500 assists (needs 19) and 200 steals (needs 1).
• Nowell has now registered double figures in 67 career games, including 21 at K-State, while he has 48 games (14 at K-State) of at least 5 assists and 55 games (18 at K-State) of at least 2 steals.

AN INSTANT IMPACT

• Junior transfer Nae’Qwan?Tomlin has given K-State another scoring threat in the post, as the junior college All-American ranks third on the team in scoring (12.5 ppg.) while connecting 47.6 percent (10-of-21) from the field to go with 5.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in 22.8 minutes per game.
• Tomlin had a near double-double in his first career Division I game vs. UTRGV in the season opener, as he finished with a team-tying 14 points on 6-of-12 field goals to go with a game-high 8 rebounds in just 20 minutes.
• Tomlin continued his progression in the road win at Cal (11/11/22), scoring 11 points on 4-of-9 shooting with 2 rebounds, 2 blocks and 1 steal in just under 26 minutes of action.
• Tomlin scored more than 1,000 points in his junior college career at both Monroe College (2019-20) and Chipola College (2020-21) while connecting on 54.2 percent from the field. He averaged a team-leading 13.8 points on 52.4 percent shooting with 5.9 rebounds during his All-American season at Chipola, as he guided the school to the semifinals of the NJCAA National?Tournament.

THREE SET FOR REDSHIRT

• Head coach?Jerome Tang announced after the season opener with UTRGV (11/7/22) that he intends to redshirt sophomores Jerrell Colbert and Anthony?Thomas and true freshman Taj Manning. Colbert (LSU) and Thomas (Tallahassee Community College) are both transfers with 3 years of eligibility remaining, while was Manning has the full 4 years of eligibility.

A QUICK LOOK AT K-STATE

• K-State returns just 2 lettermen – senior Markquis Nowell and junior Ismael [Ish] Massoud – for head coach Jerome Tang‘s first season in 2022-23, as the Wildcats lost 10 lettermen (including 8 to transfer) following the 2021-22 season in which the team posted a 14-17 overall record, including a 6-12 mark in Big 12 play. Nowell and Massoud were both significant contributors a year ago, as the pair started in 21 and 18 games, respectively.
• The biggest headliner from these returners would be Nowell, who earned All-Big 12 Honorable Mention and All-Defensive Team accolades in his first season with the Wildcats after transferring from Little Rock. He led the Big 12 in steals (2.2 spg.) and was second in assists (5.0 apg.), assist/turnover ratio (1.97) and free throw percentage (82.9), ninth in 3-point field goals/game (1.59) and 12th in scoring (12.4 ppg.). He was one of two Big 12 players (along with Baylor’s James Akinjo) to rank in the top-15 in scoring and top-5 in assists, steals and assist/turnover ratio. In addition to leading the team in assists and steals, he was second in double-doubles (3) and 3-point field goals (43), third in scoring, double-digit scoring games (19) and 20-point games (3).
• K-State lost 10 lettermen from the 2021-22 season, including a pair of super seniors in Mike McGuirl and Mark Smith as well as eight to the transfer portal.
• The Wildcats welcome 13 newcomers in 2022-23, including 7 Division I transfers (Cam Carter (Mississippi State), Jerrell Colbert (LSU), Tykei Greene (Manhattan/Stony Brook), Abayomi Iyiola (Stetson/ Arkansas/Hofstra), Keyontae Johnson (Florida), David N’Guessan (Virginia Tech), Desi Sills (Arkansas/Arkansas State), two community college transfers (Anthony Thomas and Nae’Qwan Tomlin) and three true freshmen.
• The 7 Division I transfers have combined to play in nearly 500 games (491) with 287 starts, including four players (Greene, Johnson, Sills and Iyiola) who will be entering their fourth or fifth year of college. This quartet have accounted for 3,803 points and 776 rebounds in 403 games played with 283 starts. Greene (1,112) and Sills (1,110) are already 1,000-point scorers in college, while Tomlin had more than 1,000 points and 500 rebounds in junior college.

UP NEXT: CAYMAN ISLANDS CLASSIC

• K-State will play in its first in-season tournament starting next week, as the Wildcats travel to Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands to play 3 games in 3 days at the Cayman Island Classic on Monday-Wednesday, Nov. 21-23.
• K-State and Rhode Island (1-2) will meet for the first time in their respective histories in the final game of the first day of the tournament at 7:30 p.m., CT on Monday, Nov. 21. LSU (2-0) and Illinois State (2-1) will meet in the opener at 11 a.m., CT followed by Akron (2-1) and Western Kentucky (3-0) at 1:30 p.m., CT. Mountain West foe Nevada (3-0) and AAC member Tulane (2-0) will open the evening session at 5 p.m., CT followed by the Wildcats and Rams.
• The K-State/Rhode Island winner will advance to face the winner of the game between Nevada and Tulane on Tuesday, Nov. 22 at 7:30 p.m., CT, while the two remaining teams will play at 5 p.m., CT.