by Kevin Fielder • EMAWOnline – Managing Editor – @TheKevinFielder

K-STATE’S DEPTH CHART

WHAT CAN WE LEARN?

The post K-State’s depth chart offers glimpse into plan for bowl game appeared first on News Radio KMAN.

by Kevin Fielder • EMAWOnline – Managing Editor – @TheKevinFielder

Kansas State’s defensive line got a little bigger on Tuesday.

About 297 pounds bigger.

Junior college defensive tackle Malcolm Alcorn-Crowder announced his commitment to Kansas State.

The announcement comes a few weeks after Alcorn-Crowder earned the offer from the Wildcats.

The post Three-star JUCO DT Malcolm Alcorn-Crowder commits to K-State appeared first on News Radio KMAN.

by Kevin Fielder • EMAWOnline – Managing Editor – @TheKevinFielder

The post Three-star JUCO DB Dante Thomas commits to K-State appeared first on News Radio KMAN.

by Kevin Fielder • EMAWOnline – Managing Editor – @TheKevinFielder

As the Early Signing Period nears, Kansas State isn’t adding high school prospects to their roster. Instead, it’s the transfer portal that is seeing the action.

A day after adding defensive end Travis Bates, Ball State defensive back Jordan Riley announced his intentions to transfer to Kansas State.

The post Ball State DB Jordan Riley commits to K-State appeared first on News Radio KMAN.

by Mason Voth • EMAWOnline – Managing Editor – @TheRealMasonV

by Alec Busse • EMAWOnline – Lead Reporter – @Alec_Busse

by Mason Voth • EMAWOnline – Managing Editor – @TheRealMasonV

by Gabe Swartz • EMAWOnline – Staff Writer

LAWRENCE, Kan. — The halfway point of Big 12 play arrived Tuesday night for the Kansas State Wildcats as the clock expired at Allen Fieldhouse. Through nine games in America’s best conference, first-year head coach Jerome Tang’s group has played five road games and followed a familiar game script in each of them.

In a rematch with its in-state rival, Kansas State allowed Kansas to score 90 points in regulation, continuing a trend of high-scoring contests in road games during Big 12 play. Against Iowa State a week prior in Ames, the Wildcats were brutalized on the interior and Tang said they would have to re-consider how they wanted to guard post touches.

On Tuesday in Lawrence, Tang’s group was beaten from beyond the arc and in transition, where the Jayhawks offense scored 54 of its 90 points.

“Our guys followed our game plan,” said Tang, following the Wildcats’ third loss in conference play. “(Jalen) Wilson didn’t go for 38 this time and Gradey Dick didn’t get 20, but (Wilson) drilled a 3 in the corner when it was a 10-point game and Kevin McCullar drilled two 3s. Those guys made plays, so the credit goes to them.”

Tang’s sentiment was similar to that of senior forward Keyontae Johnson after last week’s loss to the Cyclones. On that night, when T.J. Otelberger’s group scored 80 points, Johnson said the Cyclones made tough shots when it mattered. In Lawrence, the Jayhawks jumped out to an early lead and had little game stress in the second half.

In five games on the road in Big 12 play, Kansas State is 2-3 under Tang and have lost their past three away from Manhattan. In each game, the Wildcats’ opponent has scored more than 80 points in regulation, averaging 90 points allowed per conference road game.

Two weeks after the Wildcats defeated the now eighth-ranked Jayhawks, their in-state foes shot better from 3-point range than inside the arc, handing them a 90-78 defeat that continued to muddy the top of the Big 12 standings.

In the first half, Kansas got off to a hot start, taking advantage of the track meet-type pace established by the Wildcats. Near the mid-way point of the first half, a technical foul was assessed to the Kansas State bench following a foul by junior forward Ish Massoud.

A fired up Tang said he was reacting to what he felt like was an uneven whistle early in the game, but the technical foul fueled a 16-6 Kansas run.

Dick and Wilson rained in 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions to give Kansas a 30-19 lead, prompting a Tang timeout. Out of the brief break, Kansas extended the lead when sophomore forward K.J. Adams caught a pass from junior guard Joseph Yesufu, spun and threw down a dunk in semi-transition with 8:59 to play in the first half.

It was the first of two avalanche-like runs from KU in the first half. After Kansas State answered the Kansas run with a 10-0 spurt of their own, the Jayhawk lead ballooned back to 45-32 when sophomore center Zach Clemence splashed in a 3-pointer from the left wing with 2:08 to go in the first half.

“I thought we got sped up and did some things that were uncharacteristic of us,” Tang said, “and that was because of their defense. We left our feet a lot to throw passes and we had 10 turnovers in the first half. We only had three in the second half. I thought we had a bunch of self-inflicted wounds.”

Kansas State’s loss to the Jayhawks was the third straight road loss for the Wildcats. In a league full of quality opponents known for quality defense, the Wildcats haven’t shown themselves to be capable of fielding one when they aren’t playing in Bramlage Coliseum.

The 88.2 points per game in conference road games is certainly a product of the tempo with which Kansas State plays. Overall, the Wildcats rank 74th in the nation in adjusted tempo per BartTorvik.com.

According to Torvik, in all Big 12 games nobody plays faster than the Wildcats. Pair playing at a quicker pace with a conference worst defensive efficiency in road games and over-and-over seemingly absurd shooting numbers from opponents have happened.

“They got out in transition and they got their crowd involved,” senior guard Markquis Nowell said after scoring 23 points. “They had a huge first half. I felt like we dug ourselves a little hole in the first half but my guys competed and played hard until the end, so I’m proud of them.”

On Tuesday night, the unexpected performance from the opponent came via the play of Kansas’ junior guard Dajuan Harris. While the Wildcats limited Wilson to 22 points after the All-American candidate entered the night averaging more than 28 per game in his last four, they allowed Harris to score a career-high 18 points.

Given a cushion to shoot from 3-point range, Harris shot 2-of-6 on wide open looks from deep, a percentage that Tang will live with given his defense’s other options. But Harris was 5-for-6 from inside the arc and was more efficient than Nowell was during a 5-for-18 shooting performance.

K-State returns to the comfort of home for its next two contests, meaning they won’t be as reliant on their stars to shine. But when they do go back on the road, they’ll need Nowell and Johnson to be more efficient than the 32.4 percent mark they combined for on 37 shots at Allen Fieldhouse. That was the recipe in the early conference wins in Austin and Waco. It hasn’t been the same in Fort Worth, Ames or Lawrence.

“I feel good about where we’re at,” Tang said. “I don’t think we’ve played our best basketball. And so I think we can keep getting better. I’m fired up.”

“We’re going to wash this thing and we’re going to focus on what’s next.”

by Alec Busse • EMAWOnline – Lead Reporter – @Alec_Busse

LAWRENCE, Kan — Kansas got revenge against Kansas State for their overtime loss two weeks ago with a 90-78 win at Allen Fieldhouse on Tuesday night behind impressive scoring performances from two stars.

Kansas State jumped out to a 9-6 first-half lead with Ish Massoud drilling a deep 2-point jumper. But Kansas responded when Jalen Wilson buried one of his three first-half 3-pointers at the other end to tie the game at nine.

The Jayhawks then opened up a 22-13 with Joseph Yesufu making a 3-pointer with 11:14 left in the first half. But Kansas State quickly responded with point guard Markquis Nowell making one of his two first-half 3-pointers to make it 22-16. Kansas then went on a mini 10-0 run,w which ended with Wilson making another perimeter jumper.

Kansas’ athletic big man KJ Adams had a dunk to make the score 32-19, causing the Allen Fieldhouse crowd to erupt. Keyontae Johnson responded in a big way for K-State by drilling a 3-pointer to make it a 10-point game with 8:48 left in the first half.

K-State shrunk KU’s once 13-point lead down to three points after Nowell made a pair of free throws making it 32-29 after a foul call on Ernest Udeh Jr with about 6:40 left in the first half.

Kansas went on a momentum-building run over the last five minutes that saw them increase a 37-32 lead after a Johnson 3-pointer to 49-37 at the break. Kansas benefited from a made 3-pointer by Zach Clemence, giving Kansas a 45-32 lead with 2:08 left in half.

Kansas State’s backup point guard Desi Sills converted on six free throws before the 15:30 mark of the second half to help the Wildcats shrink Kansas’ lead down to 54-48. But Kevin McCullar drilled a corner 3-pointer for the Jayhawks to give Kansas a 59-48 lead with just over 15:00 left in the game.

A Gradey Dick layup with about 11:00 left in the second half put KU ahead 70-54 and extended the Jayhawks to a 6-0 run. The made layup was Dick’s ninth point of the game But on the defensive side, Dick was tagged with his fourth personal foul of the game when he fouled David N’Guessan in the act of shooting.

Despite N’Guessan making a free throw, the Wildcats were in the midst of a 3:52 stretch without a field goal, which ended with Johnson hitting a fadeaway shot from just outside the paint to make it 73-59.

Kansas State had a stretch of just 1-for-8 shooting from the field in the second half, which helped Kansas take a 15-point lead with about 7:00 minutes left in the game.

STAR OF THE GAME

by Alec Busse • EMAWOnline – Lead Reporter – @Alec_Busse

Kansas State added Butler Junior College defensive lineman George Traglia to their 2023 recruiting class on Saturday.

Traglia announced his commitment to K-State on Twitter, saying that he “can’t wait to get to work.”

in two seasons at Butler, Traglia played in four games and recorded seven total tackles, including 0.5 tackles for loss. Standing at 6-foot-5, 250-pounds, Traglia is from Wichita, Kan., and played high school football at Kapuan Mt. Carmel.

Traglia received an “opportunity” from K-State’s defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman in mid-December. He took a visit to K-State on Dec. 11, 2022.

Kansas was also showing interest in the junior college defensive lineman.

by Alec Busse • EMAWOnline – Lead Reporter – @Alec_Busse

Kansas State improved their record to an impressive 17-2, 6-1 in Big 12 play on Sautrday, defeating Texas Tech at Bramlage Coliseum 68-58. With the loss, Tech falls to 10-9 on the season and 0-7 in Big 12 play.

K-State started the game with Markquis Nowell drilling an open 3-pointer in the corner to give the Wildcats a 3-0 lead early. But Texas Tech responded to take an 8-6 lead with Fardaws Aimaq scoring a couple of early buckets for Texas tech. But Ish Massoud quickly buried another 3-pointer to give K-State a 12-11 lead with about 14:40 left in the first half.

Texas Tech then went on a bit of a scoring drought making just 1-of-10 shots from the field, which helped K-State take a 19-13 lead when Nowell made his fourth 3-pointer of the first half.

But first-half foul trouble for Keyontae Johnson, Desi Sill and Nae’Qwan Tomlin helped Texas take a 33-28 lead to the half with the Wildcats not scoring a field goal in the final 4:30 of the first half. Tech’s Pop Issacs made a half-court buzzer-beater to give the Red Raiders a five-point lead at the break.

K-State tied the game at 35 early in the second half with Nowell splitting a pair of free throws after being fouled on a deep 2-point attempt by Aimaq. Tech struggled offensively early in the second half, experiencing a scoring drought of 2:20 before the first media timeout.

PLAYER OF THE GAME

UP NEXT

by Alec Busse • EMAWOnline – Lead Reporter – @Alec_Busse

Kansas State added their second commit in the 2024 class with the addition of three-star quarterback Blake Barnett from Erie (Colorado) High School.

“First and foremost, I want to thank god for the opportunity to play at the next level and for giving me this gift,” Barnett wrote on Twitter. “And thank you to everyone who’s been there with me through this journey and my family, my teammates and former teammates and coaches. With that being said, I’m beyond blessed and honored to say I’m committing to the University of Kansas State. Go Cats!”

Barnett commits to K-State over scholarship offers from Colorado, Colorado State, Oregon State and Washington. Illinois also showed interest in the pro-style quarterback, but the Illini did not offer the 6-foot-2, 210-pound prospect.

This past season, Barnett threw for 3,541 yards and 46 touchdown passes. In 2021, he completed 51 touchdown passes for more than 3,600 yards.

Barnett is the second prospect to commit to Kansas State in the 2024 class, joining Shawnee, Kan., offensive lineman Gus Hawkins.

by Gabe Swartz • EMAWOnline – Staff Writer

As Kansas State sat in a huddle and head coach Jerome Tang looked to his players, he had every intention of drawing up an offensive look with the goal of getting fifth-year guard Desi Sills a shot.

Sills was scoring at a pace unlike any other game he’s had in a Wildcat uniform, making his first five shots from the floor against the second-ranked Kansas Jayhawks. A 25-percent shooter from 3-point range, the Arkansas State transfer even knocked down his first two attempts from distance.

But the Jonesboro, Arkansas, native’s plans did not align with his head coach during a Wildcat huddle.

“‘Des, what do you want me to run for you?’” Tang said he asked his guard with a hot hand. “And he says, ‘nothing. I’m going to defend and rebound and do my thing and I’ll get mine, coach.’”

“He was saying run the same play for (senior forward) Keyontae (Johnson),” Tang said. “This dude just cares about winning.”

by Mason Voth • EMAWOnline – Managing Editor – @TheRealMasonV

by Gabe Swartz • EMAWOnline – Staff Writer

MANHATTAN — There have been 297 matchups in the basketball history of the Sunflower Showdown, but the last two looked like they were going to follow eerily similar scripts. Kansas State punched early, knocking the Jayhawks down with a 24-12 spurt to begin the game that prompted two quick timeouts from Kansas head coach Bill Self. KU punched late, reclaiming the lead for the first time in the second half at 58-57 with 8:40 to play.

Unlike last year’s matchup in Manhattan, the second-ranked Jayhawks were unable to convert on their final play in regulation, turning the ball over near mid-court to cause a frantic scene at the buzzer that included a missed layup from senior forward Keyontae Johnson.

In overtime, Kansas State put together a repeat of the closing minutes from a week prior, as senior guard Markquis Nowell found Johnson for an alley-oop slam that gave the Wildcats an 83-82 lead. It was a near carbon-copy of the game-sealing dunk he threw down to beat Oklahoma State a week prior.

The Wildcats were able to force a turnover on the defensive end, not allowing the Jayhawks to get a shot up before time expired.

Johnson’s dunk put the finishing touch on a 24-point performance that included eight rebounds and two assists for the former Florida star. On a night where Kansas forward Jalen Wilson scored 38 points and had a 3-pointer that would’ve given him 41 wiped away by a late shot-clock timeout, Johnson’s dunk was punctuated over the Kansas star to secure the first K-State win over the Jayhawks since 2019.

Early and often the Wildcats worked offensively and found one-on-one matchups that could be exploited to create driving lanes and open 3-pointers. Johnson cleared the floor out and drove for layups while drive and kick opportunities were available for Nowell.

For much of the first half, that recipe led to makes for the Wildcats, who made their first five attempts from distance and spurted their way to a 24-12 lead in the game’s first nine minutes. The lead for the Wildcats stretched to 33-19 with 8:17 to go in the first half, the largest lead the Wildcats would hold in the contest.

But as the defending national champions have done early in Big 12 play this year, Kansas responded with championship mettle. Senior guard Desi Sills led the way for Kansas State’s offensive surge, making his first five attempts from the floor and his first two attempts from distance.

As Kansas State’s shots stopped falling at the absurdly high clip they were, the early double-digit lead for the Wildcats slimmed.

With KU pulling to within a possession shortly before half, senior forward Keyontae Johnson worked his way into the lane and hit his signature mid-range jumper to give the Wildcats a 44-39 lead at the break.

Both teams shot above 50 percent from the floor in the first half, but that trend did not continue into the second half, as defensive fervor for both squads intensified. In the second half, the Jayhawks started off as cold as the temperatures outside the building, missing their first five attempts from distance before freshman guard Gradey Dick connected on a 3-pointer from the top of the 3-point arc.

The first Jayhawk lead since it was 6-4 early in the first half came at 58-57, and the teams exchanged baskets frequently down the stretch. With the game tied at 72, a pass from Kansas guard Dajuan Harris.

Kansas had three starters foul out of the contest in a game that saw 49 fouls called in 45 minutes of basketball.

With the win, Kansas State improved to 5-1 in Big 12 play, matching the Jayhawks for the best record in the conference. Next, Kansas State will play Texas Tech on Saturday at 1 p.m.

– TALK ABOUT IT IN THE CAT CAVE FORUM

– ENJOY EMAW ONLINE WITH A PREMIUM SUBSCRIPTION

– SUBSCRIBE TO THE EMAW ONLINE YOUTUBE CHANNEL

– FOLLOW EMAW ONLINE ON TWITTER: @EMAWonline, @TheRealMasonV, @alec_busse and @gabeswartz_

by Alec Busse • EMAWOnline – Lead Reporter – @Alec_Busse

by Mason Voth • EMAWOnline – Managing Editor – @TheRealMasonV

by Alec Busse • EMAWOnline – Lead Reporter – @Alec_Busse

Jerome Tang was listening to a sermon earlier this season during some of his free time, and he realized the theme was easily connectable to his coaching style at Kansas State. The speaker was telling a story about how a prophet needed to shoot his arrow in an effort to take down a bad king. Tang’s mind clicked and realized that his arrow was Markquis Nowell.

In his first season as a head coach after spending the previous 19 seasons working as an assistant on Scott Drew’s staff at Baylor, Tang is regularly learning about how to be a successful head coach – in his own way.

An area of mistake early in the season, Tang said, was that he was too focused on what other team’s strengths were and what his own players couldn’t do. He was too concentrated on things that the Wildcats’ opponents were better at than his own team. Then, he heard the sermon and realized his wrongdoing, and decided to change the way he approached coaching.

Shortly after hearing the sermon, Tang and Nowell had a meeting together in Tang’s office where the first-year head coach proceeded to apologize to Nowell, who is one of just two returning players from last season’s team that won just 14 total games.

“I apologized to him,” Tang said. “I said, ‘Bro you are my arrow and we are going to win this battle with you.’”

Since the meeting, Nowell has turned into one of college basketball’s best players. In K-State’s last five games – wins over Radford, West Virginia, Texas, Baylor and Oklahoma State – Nowell is averaging 24.2 points, 10.2 assists while shooting 51 percent from the field, 50 percent from 3-point range and 91 percent from the free throw line. He’s the only player in the last 25 seasons across all of Division I to have a five-game stretch with such numbers, according to ESPN Stats and Info.

“My confidence is high because of the work that I put in each and every day,” Nowell said after Tuesday’s 65-67 victory over Oklahoma State at Bramlage Coliseum.

And it’s clear that Nowell’s confidence is high from some of the shots he’s taken in recent games. He’s pulled up from well-beyond the 3-point arc for shots in each of K-State’s last three Big 12 games even with the shot clock still providing K-State enough time to get a higher percentage look. But he’s making them – in the last three games, he’s shooting a blistering 55.6 percent from 3-point range, making 15-of-27 from the perimeter.

“I work on those shots before practice, after practice,” Nowell said. “So in games it feels like practice. Coach always talks about taking practiced shots, so that’s what I try to do.”

The best example of Tang letting Nowell “shoot his arrow” is the ridiculous 3-pointer that he has launched in the last trio of games. Tang explained that he and Nowell have an agreement that if he makes the first one, Nowell is permitted to keep hurling them toward the rim. But if he misses, Nowell needs to be aware and make smarter decisions.

“I think he opened his heart to us and we opened our hearts to him,” Tang said. … “I remember last year being at Baylor watching him play, particularly the Texas Tech game, when Kevin McCullar tried to post him up and he beat Kevin one way and beat him the other way and stripped him – I remember telling everybody, ‘That’s the toughest little joker in the Big 12.’”

This season with Tang coaching the Wildcats’ point guard, he’s turned his toughness into incredibly impactful minutes. Nowell is eighth in Bart Torvik’s Player of the Year rankings as of Wednesday, which is the highest among any player in the Big 12 – and Nowell wasn’t even named to a preseason All-Big 12 team.

“I think he’s showing that with space, time, and other guys around him,” Tang said, “and confidence that he’s a high-level, maybe the best guard in America right now.”

Nowell’s play over the last five games doesn’t project to be sustainable – heck, no player in the last 25 years is playing at his level – but Tang thinks that he’s going to going to improve. The Wildcat head coach just had to let him shoot his arrows.

“He’s punching through paper ceilings,” Tang said. “Some people are saying because he’s 5’8 that this is his ceiling. He’s just kicking that thing open.”

by Mason Voth • EMAWOnline – Managing Editor – @TheRealMasonV

The build, strike that, elevation, has been happening all season for home crowds watching K-State basketball. It started with 6,800 fans showing up for a Tuesday exhibition game against Washburn. At least that was the official start to the season, it really started in March when Jerome Tang was hired to be the next basketball coach at Kansas State University.

“Kids want to play in front of great fans and that’s what attracted me to this place,” were the words of Tang when he was hired. “I was always blown away by the fans and the community and the energy.”

Tang’s passion and energy he brought to that day, paired with building a dynamite staff and roster with legitimate pieces that could compete now all helped lead to stronger attendance in the non-conference than what K-State had seen in a long time.

There were other highlights along the way that the fan support was coming back not just on social media, but also in person. An announced attendance of 8,957 when Wichita State came to town, as most of Wildcat Nation was celebrating a Big 12 Championship in football in Arlington, Texas.

Then near Christmas time, 13,000-plus filed into T-Mobile Center in Kansas City to watch the Wildcats face Nebraska, the Wildcats also had almost 7,000 fans show up for a 1:00 PM game on a Wednesday before Christmas break to see the Wildcats play Radford.

All great signs, but Bramlage Coliseum and fan engagement at home still weren’t at the level that Tang and his staff knew Bramlage Coliseum could be from his days on the bench at Baylor. They got dealt one more bad hand for their conference opener against West Virginia when K-Staters were in New Orleans watching the Wildcats play in the Allstate Sugar Bowl.

An overtime win against West Virginia and then a week on the road in Texas with road wins at No. 6 Texas and No. 19 Baylor shot the team to No. 11 in the polls. Coaches and former players took to social media to try and rally the fan base to show up in droves for Tuesday’s game against Oklahoma State. It worked, as the game sold out Monday evening and 11,000 crammed inside.

The buzz was different last night, with overflowing students and GA tickets on one side of the floor and a building that got loud. It was the largest non-Kansas crowd since K-State clinched the Big 12 Championship on the final day of the regular season against Oklahoma in 2019.

The bodies were there, but it was more than that last night against Oklahoma State. The intensity and the noise started to creep back to Octagon of Doom-like levels. There is not much doubt in my mind that it helped K-State secure a tight win over a conference foe last night.

Avery Anderson of Oklahoma State had to tell Cowboy coach Mike Boynton that he couldn’t hear him on the floor. The refs had to go to the monitor, even if they did nothing after Desi Sills got tangled up under the basket and the crowd gave a large reaction.

Then in crunch time, the Cowboys got complacent as the crowd fueled a K-State run and contributed to silly mistakes by the Cowboys. After the lob from Markquis Nowell to Keyontae Johnson to put K-State up five in the waning moments of the game, Oklahoma State’s John Michael Wright fumbled a standard inbound pass out of bounds, helping the Wildcats ice the game at the free throw line. A lack of focus and concentration, maybe created by the dazzling play from the two Wildcat stars but also occurring thanks to a raucous crowd that Bramlage Coliseum hadn’t seen in a long time.

The flashes were there, the quick moments that had you questioning if the Octagon of Doom was really back on Tuesday night. All of the elements are there, a great team with an engaging staff and players, big-time plays, and large swaths of riled-up fans. The Doom was not back on Tuesday, but it’s coming and Jerome Tang is the sole reason for that.

Kansas crowds always get mass turnouts and the energy and unbridled hate is always turned up high, but it’s going to be at levels not seen since the Frank Martin Era on Tuesday. A matchup that could feature the No. 1 team in the country against a Top 10 foe and a massive rivalry with a chance at first place in the Big 12 possibly on the line.

The Octagon of Doom is on the way, it arrives Tuesday and will be around for as long as Jerome Tang is.

by Gabe Swartz • EMAWOnline – Staff Writer

As the pass left senior guard

’s right hand, Jerome Tang thought to himself, “Oh crap.” The first-year Kansas State head coach thought his veteran guard’s lob to senior forward Keyontae Johnson would be too high to handle and was sailing out of bounds to give Oklahoma State the ball trailing by 3 in the final minute Tuesday night in Manhattan.

Johnson had other plans, skying for a one-handed alley-oop slam that gave the Wildcats a 62-57 advantage and put the final nail in Oklahoma State’s coffin. The dunk was so surprising that Tang admitted it drew an expletive from the normally church-mouthed man.

“He catches the thing outside the lane it looked like and then hammers it and I said ‘what the?’,” said Tang, implying an expletive uttered in the moment as the 11th-ranked Wildcats improved to 15-1 on the season with a 65-57 victory.

“I did, so I told the guys I did push-ups in the locker room,” Tang said. “But we say it all the time. Big-time players make big-time plays in big-time moments and those two dudes connecting on that, there’s no coaching to that. That’s players.”

It’s every bit as surprising that Kansas State has surpassed its season win total from last season before the second week of January as it is that Johnson was able to secure and finish the remarkable alley-oop. As one of only two remaining players from last year’s Kansas State squad that finished with a 14-17 record, Nowell shook his head when the record was mentioned Tuesday evening.

“It’s been a long time coming and we put in a lot of work over the summer,” Nowell said, emphasizing a get-to rather than got-to mentality that the program has embodied.

Tang’s group, led by Nowell, who once again was incredible in another K-State victory, hung on for an eight-point victory Tuesday night in a game in which the Wildcats shot 35.6 percent from the floor.

Over a four-game stretch to begin Big 12 play, Nowell is averaging more than 25 points and 10 assists per game while shooting above 50 percent from the floor and from beyond the 3-point arc. In the last decade, only Ja Morant, Trae Young and Denzel Valentine have achieved those numbers over a four-game span.

What has come to be expected with Nowell is the free-wheeling shot selection and jaw-dropping makes from distance. In the first half it came when the 5-foot-8 guard denied a ball screen from junior forward Nae’Qwan Tomlin and hit a step-back 3-pointer. In the second half, it came when Nowell pulled up in transition from just inside the Powercat logo and splashed a 3 home.

“We have this agreement that, you know, every day you’re supposed to take your vitamin. He gets one vitamin and I take one vitamin a game,” said Tang of Nowell, who moments after making one from an absurd distance to give the Wildcats a 54-44 advantage hoisted a heat check attempt that clanged off the back iron. “If it goes in it’s not a vitamin. If it’s a bad one, then I’ve had my vitamin for today and we go.”

Bramlage Coliseum was sold out Tuesday night for the first time under Tang and will be again for the next three games, the school has already announced. The Wildcats are ahead of schedule because of the play of Nowell and Johnson and the empowering belief that Tang’s staff has provided the roster with. A present and rowdy Kansas State fanbase is something that Tang said he remembered during his trips to Manhattan as part of the Baylor coaching staff.

When he was hired by Kansas State, Tang said he envisioned crowds like Tuesday night. But he knew that work had to be done to make them happen.

“I’ve been waiting for that,” Tang said. “The fans all around were terrific. When I thought of coming here and having the opportunity to coach here, that’s what I envisioned and I knew we had to do our part to put a product on the floor that would get our fans excited about sacrificing a two-hour drive or whatever they had to do to be here on a weekday.

“I’m thankful that we did that and then they responded.”

A team that defeated consecutive ranked opponents on the road in offensive shootouts came home and won a rock fight against the Big 12’s best defensive field goal percentage team and continued to keep pace with the rest of the league’s top programs. In the second half, Oklahoma State shot 22.9 percent from the floor and made two of its 14 3-point attempts. Cowboy guards

and John-Michael Wright combined to shoot a paltry 3 of 22 from the field.

The variety of winning ways the Wildcats have found vaulted Kansas State into the AP poll this week and should put them center stage for another ranked matchup next week.

And while it won’t be surprising that Bramlage Coliseum will be rocking for another home contest against a top-5 Kansas squad a week from Tuesday night, even Tang said the start to his first year in Manhattan has caught him a bit off guard.

“I think the whole thing is kind of surprising. When we got here we looked at the team and we said ‘how many wins do you think we’ve got with this team?’ and we didn’t see enough wins,” Tang admitted. “Because we wanted enough wins to go to the tournament. So then we started bringing guys in and as we started bringing guys in we started to say, ‘OK, how many wins do you see?”

With 10 non-conference wins as a goal for the team that Big 12 coaches picked to finish in 10th place, the Wildcats built a schedule that made that possible. And while Tang said that Nowell has smashed through supposed ceilings that people put on the diminutive guard, so too has this team.

“Never did we think that we’d be 15-1 right now,” Tang said, “but our approach is not as such to look at the whole season. We’re just on the next thing. We try not to look too far down the road, but looking back the whole thing is surprising. But I think you saw tonight — you saw the last couple of nights — we’ve got some dudes.”

by Mason Voth • EMAWOnline – Managing Editor – @TheRealMasonV

by Mason Voth • EMAWOnline – Managing Editor – @TheRealMasonV

K-STATE WINS WITHOUT A HEAVY OUTPUT FROM KEYONTAE JOHNSON

MARKQUIS NOWELL LEADS THE WAY IN THE BIG 12 POTY RACE

CATS IN THE TOP 25 IS NO JOKE

CONCERNS ABOUT SECOND CHANCE POINTS AND OPEN LOOKS

QUICK SHOUTOUTS

by Mason Voth • EMAWOnline – Managing Editor – @TheRealMasonV

After many years of waiting, former K-State quarterback, Micahel Bishop is headed to the College Football Hall of Fame.

On Monday the National Football Foundation announced their 2023 induction class, which in addition to Bishop includes names like Reggie Bush, Eric Berry, Tim Tebow, Jeremy Maclin and many others.

Playing for Bill Snyder at Kansas State in the 1997 and 1998 seasons saw Bishop become the model for the dual-threat quarterback. Bishop threw for 2,844 yards in his senior season at K-State, with a 23/5 touchdown to interception ratio. He also ran for 748 yards and 14 touchdowns that season, leading K-State within a game of playing for the BCS National Championship.

Bishop’s first two seasons were spent at Blinn Junior College before leading the Wildcats to national prominence. Bishop was runner-up for the Heisman Trophy and was a finalist for the Maxwell and Johnny Unitas Golden Arm awards. Bishop was drafted by the New England Patriots after his time at K-State, and eventually would win a CFL Grey Cup title with the Toronto Argonauts.

Bishop had already made it into the K-State Football Ring of Honor in 2015, as well as the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame in 2012. He now joins seven other Wildcats in the College Football Hall of Fame with Gary Spani, Mark Simoneau, Darren Sproles, Pappy Waldorf, Charles Bachman and Bill Snyder preceding his induction.

Only .02% of college football players all time are in the hall of fame.

by Alec Busse • EMAWOnline – Lead Reporter – @Alec_Busse

by Alec Busse • EMAWOnline – Lead Reporter – @Alec_Busse

WACO, Texas — Under the concrete steps that support thousands of plastic forest green seats in the brisk air of the filling the bearings of the Ferrell Center, Jerome Tang cried. He was back inside a place that was his home for 19 years – but on Saturday it was no longer his house.

For nearly two full decades, Jerome Tang served as Baylor head coach Scott Drew’s “right arm” until Tang, at the urging of Drew, accepted the head coaching position at Kansas State prior to the 2022-23 season.

On Saturday, for the first time since taking the job in Manhattan, Kan., Tang returned to Baylor – and the Ferrell Center – and coached his team to a 97-95 victory over No. 19 Baylor, helping the Wildcats improve to 3-0 in Big 12 play with all three wins coming against ranked opponents.

Coming back to Baylor wasn’t fun Tang. He didn’t enjoy the buildup, which featured a video on the jumbotron that Tang strategically didn’t watch – he didn’t want to cry again. As Tang looked away, 9,211 fans didn’t blink as they stood and smacked their hands together emitting a noise louder than two cymbals colliding.

“My hair was black,” Tang said of what he noticed in the video before he turned away. “Gosh, I was a young ‘fella.”

And Tang didn’t enjoy the aftermath, which featured an extended hug with Baylor assistant coach Jared Nuness, somebody he worked with for about 15 seasons in Waco. Nuness kept Tang up to date on all the “trends” and Tang helped Nuness grow as a “man, a husband and a father.”

“We have a special relationship,” Tang said. “Those guys that [Baylor] bench, those are some special dudes.”

All Tang could enjoy was the 45 minutes of basketball that K-State and Baylor played, and that’s because he no longer had to think about coaching against Drew, somebody he calls a “brother.”

“The game of basketball is fun,” Tang said. “Watching them compete and do it at a high level, that’s fun. But the before and after, somebody has to win and lose – it’s just not fun. I love Scott, and I never want to see him lose. It’s never a good Saturday when Scott losses.”

K-State’s overtime win likely will have the Wildcats ranked in the top 25 on Monday when the newest polls are released after winning games against then No. 24 West Virginia, at No. 6 Texas and now at Baylor. The Wildcats – despite returning just two players from last season and being picked to finish in last place in the Big 12 before the season – are now 14-1 on the season, it’s the best start in program history since 1958-59. K-State is 3-0 in Big 12 play for the first time in a decade, and the three wins vs. ranked rivals is a first in program history, too. When Tang was hired, he said that K-State was going to “accomplish great things” and that it was “not going to take long.”

“He’s done a remarkable job,” Drew, the 2021 national champion, said, “in a short of amount of time.”

Tang has done it on the backs of Markquis Nowell and Florida transfer Keyontae Johnson, who in the last two games have combined for 120 points, 22 rebounds and 31 assists. On Saturday, Nowell had a game-high 32 points and a program-record 14 assists in a conference game. He’s the first player in college basketball to record a 30-point and 10 assists double-double since Trae Young (Oklahoma 2017-18), and they are the only two players to record such marks in the last decade.

Drew, when asked if Nowell is the most improved player in the Big 12 joked, that there are not many players averaging 30 points and 10 assists per game in the Big 12. Tang, who coaches him every day, says that his staff has simply tried to give Nowell the track to chug along like a steam engine.

“All we’ve done as a staff is just put some tracks under him, so he can go wherever he wants to within the boundaries of the tracks,” Tang said. “For him to embrace that, and some see that as limitations, but it’s not. It allows you to propel your game further by taking some things away and adding some things.”

Whiles games are about players – not coaches – Nowell understood that Saturday’s game was a lot about the coaches and the history Tang and Drew shared for 19 seasons before Tang infiltrated Nowell’s life.

“It meant a lot,” Nowell said. “Coach Tang, he wanted to make sure that it wasn’t about him. It was about us. We talked about that during shooting around. He knew what it was going to be like coming back. But he just focused on the game plan – and that was to win. That is how the team handled it, and that’s how he handled it.”

Saturday wasn’t fun for Jerome Tang. He doesn’t like seeing Scott Drew and Baylor lose, and he was reminded of how much winning was done in his final years at Baylor when he was presented with his 2022 Big 12 Championship right prior to the game.

“That’s pretty special,’ he said, “it’s hard to win a Big 12 Championship – so I’m thankful for that.”

Tang cried on Saturday during his return to the Ferrell Center. It was “different, but not uncomfortable” for Tang on Saturday inside the Ferrell Center. A win may bring tears of joy to his eyes too.

– ENJOY EMAW ONLINE WITH A PREMIUM SUBSCRIPTION

– SUBSCRIBE TO THE EMAW ONLINE YOUTUBE CHANNEL

– FOLLOW EMAW ONLINE ON TWITTER: @EMAWonline, @TheRealMasonV, @alec_busse and @gabeswartz_

by Alec Busse • EMAWOnline – Lead Reporter – @Alec_Busse

by Alec Busse • EMAWOnline – Lead Reporter – @Alec_Busse

by Alec Busse • EMAWOnline – Lead Reporter – @Alec_Busse

In an early season game, Cam Carter buried a pair of 3-point attempts in the first half of a game that K-State would later go on to win. But first-year Kansas State coach Jerome Tang wasn’t happy with his players afterward.

Tang was upset that Carter’s teammates failed to recognize that he caught fire in the first half from beyond the 3-point line. They stopped passing him the ball in the second half, so Carter wasn’t able to continue his hot stroke.

In the end, it didn’t matter too much because K-State won the game and moved to their next opponent. But, it did serve as a learning opportunity for Tang’s team. The Wildcat coaching staff made the point that when a teammate is confident shooting the basketball, that they should be fed opportunities to let it fly.

Nearly two months later, K-State learned from its previous failure. In the first half of Tuesday’s game vs. No. 6 Texas, Carter scored 11 first-half points – nearly doubling his season average of about six points entering the contest. Part of his 11 first half points came when he drilled a pair of 3-point attempts to put K-State ahead 28-19 and later 49-31.

Carter finished the game with 17 points, the most he has scored in a game this season.

“No moment is too big for him,” Tang said. “So, he just plays. I think that is what happened against Texas. … I thought he just relaxed and hooped.”

Carter’s first season with Kansas State – he spent his freshman season with Mississippi State – has been inconsistent. There have been nights – like Texas and Kansas City – where he scored more than 15 points. There have also been nights – like West Virginia – when he goes scoreless and missed all eight of his shots. Mostly, though, Carter has been somewhere in the middle. In games vs. high major opponents this season, he is averaging about 5.8 points per game.

Carter’s roll this season at K-State is much larger than it was a year ago when he was in Starkville. While he did start four games last season for the Bulldogs, he played only 8.5 minutes per game and had less than 2.5 total shots per game.

“It has a lot to do with it,” Tang said of Carter’s inconsistent play at times this season. “I mean, maturity, right? I mean, if Cam was consistently giving us 17 points a night, we’d be talking about him going to the draft, right? He’s inconsistent because of experience.”

In an effort to find more consistent play, Carter is crediting his work ethic. But he’s also aware enough to recognize that most of his production isn’t coming off of shots that he created on his own. Instead, most of Carter’s scoring opportunities are catch-and-shoot attempts, an area that he ranks in the 71st percentile nationally.

“I can’t always create shots for myself – most of my shots are catch-and-shoot shots,” Carter said, “so I can’t score those points without my teammates getting me the ball.”

As Carter continues to gain more experience, K-State expects him to get better, and more consistent.

“The more experience he gets, the more consistent he’ll become,” Tang said. “That’s just the part of the process.”

by Alec Busse • EMAWOnline – Lead Reporter – @Alec_Busse

by Mason Voth • EMAWOnline – Managing Editor – @TheRealMasonV

Two days after ripping off over 100 rushing yards and a touchdown against No. 5 Alabama in the Allstate Sugar Bowl, K-State running back Deuce Vaughn has declared for the NFL Draft.

Forever a Wildcat!
Thank you @KStateFB pic.twitter.com/dWLWs1QDZd

— Deuce Vaughn (@C_Vaughn22) January 3, 2023

Vaughn had two seasons of eligibility remaining if he wanted them, after playing his freshman season in the COVID year of 2020.

As an undersized running back from Texas, Vaughn’s lone Power 5 offer out of high school was from Chris Klieman and the Wildcats. In ten games as a freshman, Vaughn ran for 642 yards and quickly claimed the starting job. He also rose to be one of the most entertaining players in college football just as fast.

In a full 12-game season in 2021, Vaughn ripped off almost 1,300 yards on the ground with 15 touchdowns. He also had the all-purpose ability, catching 116 passes for 1,280 yards and nine touchdowns in his career.

After his 2021 season ended, he received all-American honors, something he would duplicate after another great season in 2022. In what turned out to be Vaughn’s final season as a Wildcat, he ran for 1,558 yards and nine touchdowns, while also leading K-State to their first Big 12 Championship since 2012 and a berth in the Allstate Sugar Bowl against Alabama.

In the game against Alabama, Vaughn broke free for one of his most iconic runs as a Wildcat, going 88 yards away from the Alabama defense for a touchdown that gave K-State a 10-0 lead.

Vaughn finishes his career at K-State with 3,604 rushing yards, good for second in K-State history behind Darren Sproles. His 34 rushing touchdowns are fourth all-time at K-State.

After announcing his intentions to head for the NFL, Vaughn’s teammates and other members of K-State showed their support on Twitter.

@C_Vaughn22 you will be missed. Your impact on our program has been tremendous. We are fortunate to have you in our family. Thank you for everything. You are a class act. #GoCats https://t.co/HtQEdmv6gt

— Gene Taylor (@KSTATEADGT) January 3, 2023

Truly one of a kind. Be great brother https://t.co/OcgK0oyjUs

— Will Howard (@whoward_) January 3, 2023

Couldn’t be more proud of my brother. Unbelievable teammate and unbelievable person. Go be great 22. Love you brother @C_Vaughn22 https://t.co/alLmBSJWNY

— Cooper Beebe (@cooper_beebe) January 3, 2023

by Gabe Swartz • EMAWOnline – Staff Writer

Kansas State began Big 12 play on New Year’s Eve with the first league win in the Jerome Tang era, erasing an 11-point halftime deficit to defeat No. 24 West Virginia, 82-76, in overtime. Here are a half-dozen takeaways from Jerome Tang’s 12th win of the season.

1. Slow start from 3 erased by clutch second half makes

Kansas State was as ice cold as the weather last week shooting the ball from distance for the early portions of this game. The Wildcats missed their first nine attempts from beyond the arc before a few clutch makes helped aid a second half comeback for Tang’s squad.

In the second half, senior guard Markquis Nowell hit a crucial 3-pointer that cut the Kansas State deficit to within one possession with 14:26 to go in the half.

The second 3-pointer KSU made was from forward Ish Massoud, who contributed some important minutes in a game that senior forward Keyontae Johnson experienced some foul trouble in. It was followed moments later by a 3 from Desi Sills, which gave the Wildcats a 50-44 lead.

2. Bebe Iyiola steps up in N’Guessan’s absence

A rousing ovation was given to center Bebe Iyiola after he swished through consecutive free throws to give Kansas State a 3-point lead in the last minute of the game. While the free throws were immediately answered by a game-tying 3-pointer by West Virginia with 0.9 seconds left, they were a great example of his contributions in a game in which the Wildcats were without junior forward David N’Guessan.

When N’Guessan is in the Wildcat lineup he’s great at not forcing his shots and taking offense when it comes to him. On Saturday, Iyiola did just that, making six of his seven attempts from the floor to go along with the aforementioned free throws. His 14 points were the most for him in a Kansas State uniform.

3. Protecting home court

In the double round robin format that Big 12 conference play is, holding serve at home is the way to add to an NCAA Tournament resumé for a team like Kansas State. On a day where the football program drew tens of thousands down in New Orleans, a strong crowd assisted the Wildcats to a victory in their conference opener.

4. Turnover battle proves to be crucial

In a battle of teams that are superb at forcing opponents into turnovers, Kansas State was able to do so in a better fashion than West Virginia was. The Wildcats forced 20 turnovers, which helped them make up for a deficit at the free throw line and a 50-36 Mountaineer advantage in the rebounding department. It also fueled a few fast break moments for KSU, with one of the highlights coming in an alley-oop slam from junior forward Nae’Qwan Tomlin.

Kansas State entered the game as the 19th-best team in the nation at defensive turnover rate. Between that and avoiding turnovers with the great assist-to-turnover ratio for Nowell, the Wildcats know how to value the rock.

5. Nowell dominates the overtime period

Speaking of Nowell, the senior guard is one of the nation’s best passers. He entered Saturday’s game averaging 8.3 assists per game and showed that passing brilliance during the extra five minutes.

With the shot clock ticking down, he found Tykei Greene for a layup that gave Kansas State a 72-66 lead. After an empty offensive possession, Nowell found Tomlin for another alley-oop dunk to extend the Kansas State lead to 74-68.

On the defensive end, the man who has over 200 steals in his collegiate career was great in the closing stretch, grabbing two steals. He added a driving layup through contact and scored five points in the extra frame. Late in the game he keyed everything for Kansas State.

When all was said and done, Nowell finished with 23 points, 10 assists and 7 steals. He was every bit as good — if not better — than his statline.

6. Wildcats off to hottest start in recent memory

A victory over the Mountaineers improved Kansas State to 12-1, the best mark for the Wildcats to open the season since the 2009-10 season. Tang’s Wildcats were poised despite falling into an 17-3 deficit. KSU trailed by as much as 14 and were down by 11 at the break but fought back to tie the game in the middle of the second half.

Kansas State heads to Austin to take on No. 6 Texas Tuesday night at 8 p.m.

by Mason Voth • EMAWOnline – Managing Editor – @TheRealMasonV

by Gabe Swartz • EMAWOnline – Staff Writer

Non-conference play is in Kansas State’s rearview mirror and the Wildcats are set to begin play in the toughest basketball league in America. On Saturday, KSU takes on West Virginia at Bramlage Coliseum.

Before heading home for Christmas break, Kansas State – and specifically junior forward Nae’Qwan Tomlin – put on a dunking display that resulted in a feature on SportsCenter’s top plays segment. The Wildcats didn’t crush a Radford squad that hung around and wound up losing by eight points, but Tomlin starred with a season-high 26 points on 11 of 18 shooting from the floor.

Despite being 11-1, Kansas State is the lowest ranked Big 12 team in KenPom’s adjusted efficiency metric. Still, they are 52nd-ranked in that category which goes to show the strength of the league. Simply put, there are no bad losses on the horizon in league play given the strength of the Big 12, a conference that features the national champions in each of the last two seasons.

Head coach Jerome Tang’s group received five votes in the latest AP Poll, which essentially had the Wildcats as the 39th-ranked team. On Saturday, they’ll close out the calendar year with a visit from West Virginia.

No. 24 West Virginia (10-2) at Kansas State (11-1)

Date: Saturday, Dec. 31

Time: 6 p.m. CT

Location: Bramlage Coliseum

TV: ESPN+ / Big 12 Now

Radio: K-State Sports Network

Betting line: K-State -1, O/U 143

GAME NOTES

Kansas State’s 11-1 start is the school’s best since the Wildcats began the 2016-17 season with a 11-1 record. KSU still has a January non-conference matchup with Florida on its schedule, but the Wildcats have already surpassed their non-conference win total from each of the past three seasons.

K-State’s 11-1 start under head coach Jerome Tang is the best by a first-year coach in school history, surpassing the previous starts of 10-2 by College Football Hall of Famer Zora G. Clevenger (1916-17) and Bruce Weber (2012-13). Tang’s 11-1 start ranks among the very best by all current first-year head coaches in Division I, rivaling 12-1 starts by Missouri’s Dennis Gates and LSU’s Matt McMahon and an 11-2 start by Mississippi State’s Chris Jans.

K-State has won 5 consecutive games since absorbing its first loss of the Jerome Tang era against Butler on Nov. 30 with victories over Wichita State (55-50), Abilene Christian (81-64), Incaranate Word (98-50), Nebraska (71-56) and Radford (73-65). The Wildcats have been impressive on the defensive end in that 5-game winning streak, allowing 57 points on 39 percent shooting.

Nae’Qwan Tomlin (11.7 ppg.), Keyontae Johnson (17.7) and Markquis Nowell (13.7) give the Wildcats a dynamic 1-2-3 scoring punch, combining to average 43.1 points per game on 47.8 percent (177-of-370) shooting. They are the third-best scoring trio in the Big 12 after Kansas’ Jalen Wilson, Gradey Dick and Kevin McCullar (48.4 ppg.) and Baylor’s Adam Flagler, Keyonte George and L.J. Cryer (46.6 ppg.) and just ahead of the Texas Tech’s Kevin Obanor, Daniel Batcho and De’Vion Harmon (42.1 ppg.).

K-STATE PROJECTED STARTERS

Guard: Markquis Nowell ranks second nationally in assists per game with 8.3 per game. He is also 20th in Division 1 in assist/turnover ratio (3.12). He’s the active NCAA leader in steals and is one of two active players with 1,000 points, 500 assists and 200 steals.

Guard: Cam Carter

Wing: Keyontae Johnson leads the Wildcats in scoring. His 17.7 points per game is the highest single season average of his collegiate career.

Forward: David N’Guessan is shooting 67.9 percent from the floor, the highest field goal percentage for anyone on the Kansas State roster.

Forward: Nae’Qwan Tomlin was named the Big 12 co-Newcomer of the Week on Tuesday following his first career 20-point game when he scored 26 against Radford. He also tied his season high with nine rebounds and had two blocks, an assist and a steal.

K-STATE ROTATIONAL BENCH

Guard: Desi Sills

Guard: Tykei Greene

Center: Bebe Iyiola

Guard: Dorian Finister

Forward: Ish Massoud

WEST VIRGINIA PROJECTED STARTERS

Guard: Erik Stevenson is West Virginia’s leading scorer, averaging 14.5 points per game. Stevenson is in his first season at West Virginia and fourth different school in his five-year collegiate career. He began his collegiate career at Wichita State and played a year at Washington and South Carolina during the last two seasons. Stevenson has started all 12 games for the Mountaineers this season.

Guard: Kedrian Johnson is in his second season as a true rotational piece for the Mountaineers. He’s started 42 of WVU’s last 44 games. This season, he is shooting 29 percent from 3-point range, a slight improvement from his 24.3 percent shooting mark last season.

Forward: Emmitt Matthews left West Virginia for a year to play at Washington but returned for his fourth season as a Mountaineer and fifth in college this year. Matthews has the lowest usage rate of any WVU starter, but is great at avoiding turnovers, averaging just 0.8 per game while playing nearly 31 minutes per game.

Forward: Jimmy Bell starts for the Mountaineers but plays just 18.3 minutes per game. Against Power 6 opponents this season he’s scored in double figures just once in four such games, averaging six points per game against high-major competition.

Center: Tre Mitchell should be a familiar face to Kansas State fans. He played for the Texas Longhorns last season but left the program midway through the 2021-22 season. At West Virginia he’s started 10 of 12 games, averaging 12.8 points per game while shooting 54.3 percent from the floor.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

1. Know your scout. West Virginia is 29th in the nation in 3-point shooting percentage as a team, but there are significant gaps in their percentages among players in their rotation. Stevenson is one of the elite shooters in college basketball this season, shooting 46.6 percent from 3-point range. He looks for his 3-pointers in transition. Per College Basketball Analytics, Stevenson is seventh-best in the nation in fast break points per 40 minutes. While Wildcat defenders should close out hard to him, Matthews and Mitchell, soft close outs should be in store for Johnson and Iowa transfer Joe Toussaint.

2. Johnson vs. Matthews. Great wings can be found across the Big 12 and this New Year’s Eve matchup should be another example of that. The battle between the wings in this game with Kansas State senior forward Keyontae Johnson and West Virginia senior forward Emmitt Matthews will be key. Kansas State relies on Johnson’s scoring more than WVU relies upon Matthews, so the 6-foot-7 Mountaineer wing will be as important defensively as offensively.

3. Protect the ball. Both the Mountaineers and Wildcats are top-25 in the nation in defensive turnover rate. Kansas State’s defense turns opponents over on 24.4 percent of their possessions, slightly better than West Virginia’s 23.9 percent rate. Nowell’s proficiency with the assist-to-turnover ratio should be critical to Kansas State winning this battle.

Predictions:

Mason Voth’s Prediction: Well, I thought I was going to be different and take the Wildcats. But I log on and see that K-State is a Vegas favorite and Gabe has already taken them. I will go with the Cats, as they get their chance for the first ranked win of the Tang era. The crowd will probably still be buzzing from the excitement of a Sugar Bowl appearance and with New Year’s Eve on the horizon. Cats will have to frustrate Erik Stevenson and the returning Emmitt Matthews, but if that happens they win. Kansas State 73, West Virginia 72

Alec Busse’s Prediction: West Virginia has played a good group of high major opponents, like Purdue and Xavier. They have had varying levels of success and while K-State isn’t as tested as the Mountaineers, I think being at home the Wildcats are able to escape with a narrow victory. Kansas State 73, West Virginia 70

Gabe Swartz’s Prediction: Protecting home court during toss-up games such as this one will be the key to Kansas State maintaining its control of an NCAA Tournament bid throughout Big 12 play. Even without the normal Big 12 crowd on an oddly late New Year’s Eve tip-off, I think the Wildcats can win. Expect Cam Carter’s defense on Erik Stevenson to be a crucial factor. Kansas State 71, West Virginia 69

by Alec Busse • EMAWOnline – Lead Reporter – @Alec_Busse

NEW ORLEANS — Despite holding an early 10-0 lead over No. 5 Alabama, No. 9 K-State saw their lead disappear beginning in the second quarter as the Crimson Tide eventually pulled away to win the 2022 Sugar Bowl 45-20.

K-State started the game really well on each side of the ball. But a Will Howard interception on the first drive of the game on a pass intended for running back Deuce Vaughn brought the Bama offense on the field. But K-State’s defense forced a three-and-out on their first stand, and they didn’t allow a single yard on the drive.

When the Wildcat offense returned to the field, they executed a strong 11-play drive that conquered 38 yards of field possession. But the drive ended with Howard failing to complete a pass to Kade Warner on third and eight. Kicker Ty Zentner came on and drilled a 41-yard field goal to put the Wildcats ahead 3-0.

Alabama’s next drive could have ended in a touchdown, but star quarterback Bryce Young missed a wide-open Jermaine Burton streaking up the seam on the second play. Later, the Tide was forced to punt, which was downed at the Wildcat 12-yard line.

On the ensuing Wildcats possession, Vaughn bounced a run out to the right sideline and ran past the entire secondary on his way to an 88-yard touchdown run as the Wildcat faith roared to their feet with the Wildcats taking a 10-0 lead over the might Crimson Tide.

I had a pretty good angle of the Deuce Vaughn TD run. Love the camera stare and the hug with Chris Klieman at the end. pic.twitter.com/NJVtApSrzM

— Zach Martin (@ZachMartinTV) December 31, 2022

But K-State’s lead was short-lived as Nick Saban’s team started a 35-0 run beginning on their third offensive drive of the game when Young hit Isaiah Bond for a six-yard touchdown reception.

After a K-State three-and-out, the Wildcats first of the game, the Crimson Tide scored a second touchdown to take a 14-10 lead when Young found tight end Cameron Latu in the back of the end zone to put the Tide ahead 14-10.

K-State’s offense then conducted an impressive 18-play drive that conquered more than 70 yards and took 10:32 off the clock. The drive included a pair of conversions on fourth down with Howard completing passes to Malik Knowles and tight end Ben Sinnott. But on fourth and two from the two-yard line, Howard’s pass was out of reach from Sinnott who was open near the goal line.

Alabama then took over possession inside their own five. After a Jahmyr Gibbs two-yard carry, K-State’s Chris Klieman called a timeout in hopes of eventually getting the ball back before halftime. Alabama had a couple of successful rushes on the drive, but they moved it in large chunks when young found Burton for a 34-yard reception before hitting Latu on a crossing pattern that was downed at the 12-yard line. Burton then caught a TD pass in the end zone to give Alabama a 21-10 lead shortly before halftime.

Coming out of halftime, K-State tried a surprise onside kick — but Alabama recovered the kick and just three plays later found the end zone to take a 28-10 lead with Bama wide receiver Ja’Corey Brooks bringing in a beautifully thrown ball from Young in the back of the end zone.

BRYCE YOUNG pic.twitter.com/gl9twQCN8O

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 31, 2022

STAR OF THE GAME

by EMAW Online Publisher • EMAWOnline

EMAW Online Picks Standings

Staff	W-L	Last Week	GB
Mason	49-30-2	3-1	—
Alec	45-34-2	4-0	4
Gabe	45-34-2	2-2	4

Cheez-It Bowl: Oklahoma vs #13 Florida State -9.5, THU DEC 29th 4:30 PM ESPN

Mason: That seems like a lot of points and even though Oklahoma struggled this season, I think they have enough juice to keep it within the number. Plus, I think they have the motivation to avoid a losing season in year one under Brent Venables.

The Pick: Oklahoma +9.5

Alec: This bowl game feels really important for Oklahoma. While I was down on the Sooners for much of the season, they did have some positive momentum at the end of the season to clinch a bowl game. In an attempt to carry that momentum over to the offseason, I think the Sooners cover against a quality Seminole squad.

The Pick: Oklahoma +9.5

Gabe: The line for this game has continued to move in the direction of Florida State the closer and closer we get toward kickoff. Oklahoma, which ranks 108th in the nation in stopping the run should struggle mightily against Florida State and its ability to run the ball. The Seminoles were 12th among FBS programs in rushing yards per game. I expect a big game for Trey Benson and Treshaun Ward to go along with the legs of FSU quarterback Jordan Travis.

The Pick: Florida State -9.5

Valero Alamo Bowl: #20 Texas vs #12 Washington +3, THU DEC 29th 8:00 PM ESPN

Mason: Texas is without their top two running backs as

Bijan Robinson

and

Roschon Johnson

both opted out this week, they are also without

Demarvion Overshown

on defense. Not great and Texas has not looked its best when

Quinn Ewers 

is the sole focus of the offense. Washington meanwhile is going to want to go up and down the field and score and

Michael Penix Jr.

already knows he is coming back next season. I like the Huskies.

The Pick: Washington +3

Alec: Texas being down both Robinson and Johnson in the rushing game is obviously a reason to side with Washington. But I think Ewers has a positive game against a Husky defense that has struggled all season in the Pac-12. Can the Longhorn defense get enough stops for Texas to get a win?

The Pick: Washington +3

Gabe: Mason’s last point about Penix Jr. returning for next season is a great one. In the era of opt-outs and transfers before bowl games, having a great quarterback — and Penix is a great college quarterback — playing in a bowl game while knowing they are coming back to school is typically a recipe for success. I’ll take the Huskies.

The Pick: Washington +3

Allstate Sugar Bowl: #5 Alabama vs #9 K-State +6.5, SAT DEC 31st 11:00 AM ESPN

Mason: It’s just tough to see what is going to happen in this game with Bryce Young and Will Anderson, but Alabama should still have the depth to be able to compete if those guys play limited snaps. For example, they are replacing their starting left guard who transferred with an all-SEC Freshman Team selection. This also means if K-State wins, don’t let anyone tell you Alabama didn’t want to be there. I think this game plays out similarly to the Fiesta Bowl against Oregon. I hope I am wrong.

The Pick: Alabama -6.5

Alec: The care factor for Alabama seems to have increased monumentally with Young and Anderson playing in the Sugar Bowl. I struggle to see how the rest of the Crimson Tide aren’t motivated to play in the game on Saturday. While I do question how many snaps Bama’s two stars play, I do believe that Alabama has enough talent to win without their two biggest stars.

The Pick: Alabama -6.5

Gabe: Like Mason, I think this game could have some 2013 Fiesta Bowl vibes to it. But, if Kansas State can avoid getting knocked out early a la DeAnthony Thomas, the Wildcats can hang in this one. This Alabama team is not nearly as deep at the receiver position as we are accustomed to seeing and doesn’t have an Xavier Worthy type player who can just beat K-State defensive backs in every crucial spot in the way Texas did this year in Manhattan. Alabama is tied for eighth-worst among Division 1 programs. All of this is to say I think K-State can cover, even if they don’t win.

The Pick: Kansas State +6.5

Vrbo Fiesta Bowl: #3 TCU vs #2 Michigan -7.5, SAT DEC 31st 3:00 PM ESPN

Mason: One of my go-to rules is to take the team with the better quarterback, I think that is TCU in this matchup. Michigan has everything else that makes them so dangerous, but I am of the belief the Horned Frogs can at least keep it within a touchdown and will not be surprised if they steal a win.

The Pick: TCU +7.5

Alec: I think that if this game turns into a Big 12-style game, TCU is in a good position. But I know Michigan will control the line of scrimmage on each side of the ball, which is going to make this a game that Michigan is able to control. Michigan, though, hasn’t faced a running quarterback like Duggan this season, so if the Horned Frog Heisman finalist is able to cause havoc with his legs, look for TCU to capitalize on some broken plays.

The Pick: Michigan -7.5

Gabe: Nothing has frustrated me more this college football season than picking for or against TCU. Admittedly, I had them finishing in last place in the Big 12 heading into the season, a monumentally wrong belief. College Football Playoff Semifinals have an average margin of victory 19.9 points in the last 12 games and only one of those 12 was decided by less than 11 points. Still, I am going to talk myself into believing in the better quarterback and just pray that TCU can battle in the trenches to not get mauled in the run game defensively.

The Pick: TCU +7.5

Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl: #4 Ohio State vs #1 Georgia -6.5, SAT DEC 31st 7:00 PM ESPN

Mason: Not Ohio State.

The Pick: Georgia -6.5

Alec: I’ll provide more analysis than Mason, who is suddenly really lazy. Georgia is fairly similar to Michigan in terms of style of play, and that does not suggest that the Buckeye defense is going to get enough stops vs. a potent Dawg offense. For the Buckeyes to win, quarterback C.J. Stroud needs to play as he did in the Rose Bowl last season when he threw a career-high six touchdowns.

The Pick: Georgia -6.5

Gabe: Georgia doesn’t mess around in the big games. Each time the defending national champions have been matched up with another highly-ranked program they’ve typically responded with a thrashing. In the three biggest games of Georgia’s season, they beat Oregon by 46, Tennessee by 14 and LSU by 20. All three of those games they covered the spread, and still oddsmakers are keeping this one inside a touchdown. If Ohio State is going to keep this close they will have to be able to be hitting on all cylinders with their deep passing game. It’s far more complex than Tennessee’s, which struggled mightily against the Dawgs, giving OSU a slightly better chance for success, but not enough for me to pick them.

The Pick: Georgia -6.5

by Mason Voth • EMAWOnline – Managing Editor –@TheRealMasonV

by Alec Busse • EMAWOnline – Lead Reporter – @Alec_Busse

Two years ago, one of the most highly thought of quarterbacks and No. 2 overall prospects in the 2020 class was at the Maxwell Awards where he was set to be honored for his accomplishments while playing at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, Calif. Also at the Maxwell awards that night was a three-star prospect from Downingtown, Penn., with just five Power 5 scholarship offers to his name.

Two years later, Bryce Young – the former five-star prospect and potential No. 1 overall draft selection – and Will Howard – the backup turned starter in each of his first three seasons – are opposite each other in the 2022 Sugar Bowl at No. 5 Alabama and No. 9 K-State prepare to play for the first time in program history.

Young and Howard met that night two years ago as they each received recognition for their accomplishments as high school passers. Yet, their paths to the Sugar Bowl couldn’t be more contradictory.

As a freshman in 2020, Young served as the backup to Mac Jones, who helped lead the Crimson Tide to their sixth national title under head coach Nick Saban. Young played in nine games during his first college season and completed 13-of-22 passes for 156 yards and a touchdown. In 2021, as a sophomore, Young set Alabama records in passing yards (4,872) and touchdowns (47) as he won the Heisman, an SEC title and helped Alabama make it to Indianapolis for the College Football Playoff national championship.

This season, Young continued to cement himself as one of Alabama’s greatest quarterbacks ever as he became the first quarterback in Alabama’s storied history to throw for at least 3,000 yards in two seasons.

Howard, though, wasn’t as fortunate. He started the final seven games of the 2020 season as a true freshman and struggled – a lot. He completed just over 53.5 percent of his passes and had more interceptions (10) than touchdowns (8). In 2021, when he was expected to return to the backup of Skylar Thompson, Howard was forced to play in five games and, again, completed less than 55 percent of his passes. He had been written off by many K-State supporters, but Wildcat head coach Chris Klieman believed that his team had the “best backup” quarterback in the country in 2022.

When Nebraska transfer quarterback Adrian Martinez was removed from the TCU game because of a knee injury, Howard – who anticipated redshirting in 2022 – stepped in under the lights against the Horned Frogs and threw a pair of touchdown passes and rushed for another. The next week against another ranked opponent he had his best college game completing four touchdowns with just a tick under 300 passing yards in a 48-0 victory. Then, he returned to the bench against Texas when Martinez made his return in a game that K-State would lose at home.

Still looking to redshirt his junior season, Howard was, again, thrust into action at Baylor when Martinez, for the second time, left the game with a leg injury. Howard proceeded to complete three touchdown passes in a blowout win over Baylor.

The junior had taken control of the starting quarterback responsibility and three weeks later helped K-State win their first conference title in a decade when the Wildcats avenged their loss to TCU in the conference title game with Howard throwing two touchdown passes and 199 yards in the win.

“If you were to ask any Kansas State fan if Will Howard would be the quarterback in a Big 12 Championship game a couple of months ago, I think they would have told you that you’re crazy,” Howard said.

Prior to the 2022 season, both Young and Howard spent time in California where they trained for the upcoming season during spring break. While the two briefly interacted in 2020, they spent more time together – in a less formal setting – which allowed Howard to build a better bond with the future first-round selection.

“Everything about him, he seems like a good dude talking to him,” K-State’s quarterback said.

While practicing together, Howard took note of Young’s talent and ability as a passer. Months later when K-State was preparing to play Texas, the Wildcats watched film of the Longhorns’ game vs. Alabama in Week 2, a game in which Young led a game-winning drive on Alabama’s last possession.

“Some throws he’s making,” Howard said, “he’s a stud. It will be fun to play against a guy like him.”

Many expected Young – and Alabama edge rusher Will Anderson — to not play in the Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Eve. Instead, the expectation was that the two would choose to opt-out of the bowl game to stay healthy and prepare for the NFL Draft. But both made the decision to play, what is likely, their last game at Bama on Saturday.

“It’s kind of interesting that people opt out of playing for their team,” Saban said. “And the way you create value for yourself is to play football. That is the best way you can create value for the future. And when you do that against good competition, I think that creates value for your future.”

Two years ago, neither Young nor Howard had ever experienced much, if any, failure on a football field in their careers. Hence, why the two quarterbacks were together at the Maxwell Awards as high school standouts. But two years later, Young’s talent still hasn’t failed him.

Howard’s, though, failed for the first time in his life on the football field in 2020 and 2021. It let him gain a new perspective on the sport, and made him appreciate his triumphs even more in 2022.

“I knew I could do it,” Howard said. “I just knew I had to show it. Getting that opportunity this year, flipping the script, was huge and will be big for me going forward.”

by Alec Busse • EMAWOnline – Lead Reporter – @Alec_Busse

Since 2019 when Chris Klieman was hired as the head football coach at K-State, whenever his team practiced indoors because of uncomfortable weather they did with the sound of a decades-old furnace running and lights buzzing like a bumble bee around your ear in the spring.

No longer does Kansas State have to practice in an environment reminiscent of an old high school gymnasium in Small Town, USA. You know the sounds, the smell and the dingy feeling that wraps your body like a weighted blanket.

Before arriving in New Orleans on Monday for Saturday’s Sugar Bowl contest against Alabama at the Superdome, K-State’s indoor practices, instead, were in an atmosphere with quality natural light flowing through windows like water out of the Mississippi River and into the Gulf of Mexico, a silent heating system and a fresh turf field inside of the new indoor football facility that sits on the East side of Bill Snyder Family Stadium.

“It’s refreshing to be in there,” Klieman said. “I know the guys are excited about having a new environment. You can actually coach and talk in there without the lights being too loud.”

The new indoor practice facility isn’t completed yet. Construction crews are still stacking final pieces of limestone on the exterior and the turf field outside of the building still needs to be laid before K-State is able to practice on the surface in the coming months.

In total, the construction of the new facility was price tagged at about $32 million dollars, and it replaces the old indoor facility that opened in the 1990s when Bill Snyder was in the prime of his first tenure leading K-State football.

“It’s a game changer,” offensive lineman

said. “It’s huge for us being right across the way and having a nice new facility is big for recruiting, too.”

Previously, K-State’s players had to walk – often in bitter cold or stormy conditions — from the far North side of Bill Snyder Family Stadium where their locker room sits inside the Vanier Football Complex. Now, players have a much shorter hike from their locker room to the new facility, which sits adjacent to the Vainer Football Complex.

“I love it,” two-time All-American running back

said. “Compared to what we had to now, to have it right across from the Vanier Complex, it’s great. I just try to relish any time that I’m in there because it’s big time for us to have that type of facility.”

The new facility’s roof is 65 feet and the indoor field is 130 yards long, which allows for more space for practices. The higher ceiling also provides K-State with more ability to practice special teams and throwing situations, something Klieman has taken enjoyment with.

“We can actually throw the ball vertically and not stop practice in the middle of it,” Klieman said. “To have those two fields where we have the new indoor and the outdoor out there will be really refreshing to be able to air it out.”

“That place is unbelievable,” Huggins said. “We’ve been fortunate enough to get to go and practice in there the last few practices and I can’t believe it. From what we had been practicing in my whole career to that, it’s just a night and day difference. Those guys are fortunate to have that going forward.”

by Mason Voth • EMAWOnline – Managing Editor – @TheRealMasonV

The final touches are being put on the 2022 K-State football season, which will come to an end on Saturday in the Caesar’s Superdome against Alabama.

A season that saw an early season loss to Tulane and quarterback controversy also involved a 48-point blowout over a top ten team and a Big 12 Championship win in overtime against a team headed to the College Football Playoff.

Now the Wildcats get to face what could be their biggest test in program history, with Nick Saban and Alabama. The Crimson Tide finished a spot out of the playoff with a 10-2 record, with both losses coming on the final play to Tennessee and LSU.

Both teams have talent that could easily be selected in prime positions in the NFL Draft come April. K-State’s Deuce Vaughn, Felix Anudike-Uzomah and Cooper Beebe never seemed in doubt to play in the Allstate Sugar Bowl.

But for Saban, he had to stare at the possibility of being without his Heisman-winning quarterback Bryce Young and top defensive player Will Anderson. Those two are in New Orleans and didn’t opt out, but the verbiage Saban continues to use is “we’ve done everything that we could do as an institution to minimize the risk for them to play.”

Since the College Football Playoff era (2014) began, Saban has only missed the playoffs twice. In 2019 when his team beat Michigan in the Citrus Bowl and now 2022 as they prepare to face K-State. Saban is also 1-3 in Sugar Bowls since taking over as the head coach at Alabama.

For K-State, they are playing in its first major bowl game since the 2012 Fiesta Bowl loss to Oregon. Chris Klieman has been able to get the Wildcats to this spot in just four seasons, after taking over a 5-7 team and leaving his job at North Dakota State as a four-time national champion.

Klieman will have most of his roster available for this game, aside from season-ending injuries that took place during the season. Klieman said prior to leaving for New Orleans that they were hopeful they could get Adrian Martinez the chance to play, but that Will Howard is “the guy.”

One situation to monitor is that of Ekow Boye-Doe, who sustained an injury in the Big 12 Championship against TCU. He and Klieman both assume he will play, but it’s a question mark worth noting.

Kickoff is set for just after 11:00 AM on Saturday from New Orleans and will be televised on ESPN. Since Klieman came to Manhattan, K-State is 11-4 in games that kickoff before 1:00 PM, including the Big 12 Championship game.

by Alec Busse • EMAWOnline – Lead Reporter – @Alec_Busse

On Monday, K-State’s plane landed in New Orleans as preparations for the 2022 Sugar Bowl began on Monday afternoon with the team having their first workout since returning from a short Christmas break away with their families.

“Great to be in New Orleans,” K-State head coach Chris Klieman said. “Left some cold weather up in Manhattan, had some snow, and got everybody down here. We’re excited for our first workout this afternoon and great hospitality that’s already been given to us. Our kids are so thrilled for the opportunity play in the Allstate Sugar Bowl.”

This is the first time in K-State football history that the Wildcats have played in the Sugar Bowl. Saturday’s game against Alabama is the first time that the two programs will have ever played against each other.

“As coaches, we couldn’t be more thrilled to have the opportunity to play against a great team like Alabama. It’s going to be a great matchup on Saturday,” Klieman said. “We got a lot of work to do. We’ve given the guys a few days off over Christmas, so we’ve got some work to do this week in preparation.”

While K-State isn’t ready for Alabama yet, traveling to New Orleans on Monday provides the Wildcats an opportunity to have a typical game-week preparation. K-State is spending the entire week in New Orleans practicing before the Sugar Bowl on Saturday morning.

“It’s still going to be what we did every week so far,” K-State defensive end Felix Anudike-Uzomah said. “All of our weeks haven’t changed with our preparation, so we’re still going to get our work in and get the job done. Don’t get me wrong, it is New Orleans, but we have to focus on the task at hand, which is to try to beat Bama.”

K-State is viewing the opportunity of playing Alabama as a large one. The Crimson Tide have won six national titles since Nick Saban’s team beat Texas in 2010 to secure the Hall of Fame coach’s first title with Alabama. Saban’s most recent title came in 2021 when Alabama finished the season undefeated, despite playing only Power 5 opponents.

“It’s going to be a big challenge on both sides of the line of scrimmage,” Klieman said. “We have a lot of veteran guys on both sides of the line of scrimmage that know the fistfight that it’s going to be starting on Saturday at 11:00. And so that’s going to a big, big challenge for us.”

Added K-State offensive lineman Cooper Beebe: “For our team and our program, facing a team like Alabama, it’s huge for our program. It is a statement game for our program. Laying a team at the caliber of Alabama being at the top of college football would be huge for our program and give us a lot of credibility.”

Still, Klieman has urged his team to approach each game with a mindset of focusing on themselves and their aspirations instead of the team on the opposite sideline.

“We got to focus on us,” Klieman said. “That’s something we’ve talked about all season long, is focusing on us. It’s all about what Kansas State does. It’s about our preparation. It’s about us detailing our work. It’s about us making sure that we’re attacking the process on a daily basis to get to Saturday and play this game.”

Business trip with some partying

K-State is treating the Sugar Bowl like it’s a business trip, the Wildcats are traveling with the expectation of winning the game on Saturday. But part of playing in bowl games is being able to experience the host city, and few cities offer as many cultural attractions as New Orleans.

“They’ve got a number of things planned for our players, a few things planned for our staff and our wives,” Klieman said. “But we have our work that we’ve got to get done in the morning and afternoon, and then the evenings, we’ll get a chance to get away for a little bit and see New Orleans.”

Neither Beebe or Felix Anudike-Uzomah have been to New Orleans or been inside the Superdome before, but both are anticipatory of what the week ahead holds for them away from the football field.

“Just getting off the plane, it’s already an exciting feeling seeing what the town has to offer,” Beebe said.

“Bourbon Street is where to be. I haven’t heard much, but I’m excited to walk around in my free time and experience the whole thing.”

Anudike-Uzomah’s favorite food is seafood, so he’s excited to get a taste of famous New Orleans cuisine.

“Obviously, I’m going to try to have a little fun,” Anudike-Uzomah said.

K-State’s players were already welcomed to New Orleans with a band and dancers when they stepped off the airplane where Sugar Bowl-themed beaded necklaces were placed around their necks.

“Just seeing the energy and the vibe around the place was unbelievable,” Beebe said. “It wasn’t something I expected. I thought we would get off the plane and go straight to the busses. But it was super cool to see.”

by Mason Voth • EMAWOnline – Managing Editor – @TheRealMasonV

by Mason Voth • EMAWOnline – Managing Editor – @TheRealMasonV

Merry Christmas to all who celebrate, I hope Santa delivered your family as many great gifts as Gene Taylor has since he arrived in Manhattan.

Whenever a new hire is made at a place like K-State, questions come in large waves. Is the person a good fit? Could they be doing more now that they are here? Fire this guy, fire that girl, hire this person. A lot of demands come the way of the person in charge of guiding K-State Athletics, but Gene Taylor has done a great job.

Taylor has attacked every problem head-on and found a great solution to said problem. In many cases, he has done more than just address the issues, he has shot by that and delivered gifts to K-State.

The first gift that Taylor delivered to the supporters of K-State was relatability and likability, something that seemed to be missing from John Currie’s repertoire. It certainly helped that Taylor’s background was being deputy AD at Iowa and the head man at North Dakota State, two midwest schools that have achieved strong athletic success despite being in relatively small communities in the midwest.

And guess what? Fundraising hasn’t skipped a beat with Taylor, who has come through and delivered impressive remodels to Tointon Family Stadium, Bill Snyder Family Stadium, Bramlage Coliseum, and Buser Family Park. He also was able to initiate athletics-funded projects for a brand new indoor practice facility for the football team and a dedicated venue for K-State Volleyball.

Taylor also arrived in Manhattan with the growing chance that Bill Snyder’s second tenure at K-State would not end as graciously as his first. That was the case in Taylor’s first full year on the job after the Wildcats went 5-7 and blew a late lead in Ames to end the season. Recruiting had bottomed out in a big way for the Wildcats and it was time for a change, but how does one go about showing the door to a man who built the program?

Somehow Taylor had the answer, as he was able to make the departure as clean as possible, but also made a difficult decision that was needed. He then followed it up with a hire that at first many people were against. How could Chris Klieman work in the Big 12?

That question has been answered with a guy that knew from the get-go that “football is football,” as Klieman has compiled a 30-19 record at K-State and just four years in has won a Big 12 Championship and is getting ready for the Wildcats’ first appearance in the rebranded New Year’s Six bowl games.

Klieman also just signed the best recruiting class since 2004 for the Wildcats and has at least two players, that he recruited, that will be Ring of Honor players with Felix Anudike-Uzomah and Deuce Vaughn.

Then hit COVID, something that was unrelated to athletics but had a major impact in the finances and the way games got played. Taylor came through during that period, having such a well ran and well-stocked athletic department with money and personnel, that K-State came out of COVID in a much better spot than many others.

Another nod to Taylor’s department is that they never had to keep fans out of venues, even if it took reduced capacity.

While COVID was going on, K-State was in the middle of their second straight losing season on the basketball court with Bruce Weber. Weber got one more year, but as fan support continued to shrivel and excuses continued to grow for Weber, Taylor stepped in and sent Weber packing after his loss in the Big 12 Tournament to West Virginia.

It could be argued that the hire Taylor made after Weber, was more important than Klieman after Snyder. Fan support had not dried up in football and there are a lot of bright football minds out there. In basketball though, this program needed a serious shot in the arm, finding a coach that knew how to play the game of college basketball in 2022 but also had the energy to unite a fanbase again.

After some looking into Brad Underwood’s situation at Illinois, a move that would have likely done those things mentioned above, Taylor found the right man for the job.

Jerome Tang’s hiring as K-State’s newest basketball coach was another big move by Taylor. The hire brought in a man that had helped build Baylor from a train wreck to national champion. Tang also had the connections to get an elite staff assembled in Manhattan to not just recruit at a high level for the future, but also get a strong assortment of transfers in to replenish an empty roster that could compete in year one in the Big 12.

K-State Athletics continues to have a bright future because of all the individuals that lead each program at the university, and those that work under them. But the man who made it all happen is Gene Taylor and the gifts he delivered.

by Mason Voth • EMAWOnline – Managing Editor – @TheRealMasonV

1. “THE CHANT” AT NON-KANSAS GAMES

2. PRIMARY BASKETBALL UNIFORMS

3. WILDCAT MARCH

4. THE CAT TRAIN VIDEO

5. MATH FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TEACHERS

by Alec Busse • EMAWOnline – Lead Reporter – @Alec_Busse

Nae’Qwan Tomlin had the best game of his young career in the Wildcats’ final nonconference game of 2022, helping K-State secure its 11th win of the season by the score of 73-65.

The first half was tightly contested with neither team creating a lead of more than eight points. Radford started the game with a 2-0 lead after scoring on their first possession, but K-State quickly responded to take a 3-2 lead after Nae’Qwan Tomlin buried a corner 3-point attempt.

Radford, though, would respond to eventually take an 8-3 lead after a layup by Daquan Smith. K-State responded to eventually take a 20-15 lead when Desi Sills hit two consecutive 3-pointers for the Wildcats with about 10 minutes left in the first half. K-State then went about three minutes with just two points, which allowed Radford to retake the lead after Bryan Antoine hit a 3-pointer to put the Highlanders ahead by one.

In the final five minutes, Tomlin asserted himself for the Wildcats. He had a dunk and a layup in short order, but was also able to secure a defensive rebound and kept an offensive possession alive by tipping the basketball out to a waiting Markquis Nowell who would hit a 3-pointer with 2:49 left in the first half to put K-State ahead by six at 29-23.

Radford would close the half on a 5-0 run to make the halftime score 31-28, K-State. Kenyon Giles’ buried a 3-pointer while the K-State defense was caught scrambling in open space.

The second half of the game was tightly contested until the Wildcats went on an 8-0 run midway through the half to open up a 15-point lead. Keyontae Johnson, who struggled for much of the game, converted on a trio of buckets in the paint. Tomlin had a dunk in the midst of the run, too.

The Wildcats’ lead was stretched all the way to 15 points with about 4:15 left in the game, which is when Nowell threw a half-court lob to Johnson for a two-handed alley-oop jam. It was Nowell’s 10th assist of the game.

Nowell is one of the lead assist men in the country this season, and the double-digit assists against Radford is the fourth time this season that he has finished with at least 10 assists. Previously, he had 12 assists vs. Nevada, 11 assists vs. LSU and a dozen more vs. Abilene Christian on Dec. 6.

K-State faltered in the final minutes of the game, which allowed Radford to shrink the Wildcats’ double-digit lead down to six points by going on a 13-2 run that took more than 3:14 off the block.

K-State contributed to the Radford run by turning it over three times in a 1:30 minute span late in the game. Nowell contributed two of his season-high assists in the final minutes.

With the win, K-State continues the best start in program history.

PLAYER OF THE GAME

by Mason Voth • EMAWOnline – Managing Editor – @TheRealMasonV

by Mason Voth • EMAWOnline – Managing Editor – @TheRealMasonV

Putting this all in one spot to not clutter the home page and because they go hand in hand. Yesterday, Alec and I put together some thoughts on the class and then tonight Chris Klieman gave his thoughts.

by EMAW Online Publisher

6:04 AM – Joe Jackson RB – Davenport, FL – 3 Stars

6:06 AM – Devin Vass OL – Lakeland, FL – 3 Stars

6:52 AM – Jack Fabris SAF – Bogart, GA – 2 Stars

7:02 AM – Kameron Sallis DB – Kennedale, TX – 3 Stars

7:03 AM – Jayce Brown WR – Ft. Walton Beach, FL – 3 Stars

7:07 AM – Austin Romaine LB – Hillsboro, MO – 3 Stars

7:09 AM – Avery Johnson QB – Maize, KS – 4 Stars

Offers: K-State, Arizona, Arizona State, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Iowa State, Kansas, Memphis, Minnesota, Ole Miss, Missouri, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Oregon, Pittsburgh, TCU, Tennessee, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Washington, Washington State, Wisconsin

Breakdown: Avery Johnson finishes the 2023 class as the top player in the state of Kansas, which is the first time K-State has landed the in-state number one since 2004 when Nick Patton signed with the Wildcats. Overall, Johnson is the highest-ranked overall recruit since Lamark Brown in 2007.

Johnson has showcased his ability as a passer and a runner over the last three seasons as a starting quarterback for Maize. In 13 games this season, Johnson threw for 2,768 yards and 29 touchdowns with just three interceptions. On the ground, he averaged 8.3 yards per carry and totaled 817 yards with 15 touchdowns. And if that wasn’t enough evidence of the skillset he has, he also caught a 65-yard touchdown pass for the Eagles, who have finished as state runner-ups in 5A the last two seasons.

7:11 AM – Wesley Watson WR – College Station, TX – 3 Stars

Offers: K-State, Air Force, Arkansas State, Army, Buffalo, Colorado, Colorado State, Harvard, Houston, Incarnate Word, Louisiana, Navy, New Mexico State, North Texas, Northwestern State, Oklahoma State, Pennsylvania, Princeton, Rice, Sam Houston State, SMU, Texas State, Tulane, UTEP, Utah, Utah State, Yale, Texas Tech

Breakdown: Wesley Watson is a fairly late addition to the Wildcats 2023 recruiting class. He previously was committed to SMU and Colorado but decided to re-open his recruitment after the Buffalos fired head coach Karl Dorrell.

Watson committed to K-State on Nov. 1, shortly after taking an official visit to Manhattan saying, “The family atmosphere, being able to come in and everybody’s bought in. There are no self-prescribed guys in that locker room and they make you feel at home. My mom and brother love it, so that’s another reason why I decided to commit. I’m ready to be a Wildcat.”

Watson suffered a season-ending injury late in the season when he broke his fibula. He had nine touchdown catches in eight games this season and average nearly 22 yards per reception as a senior.

7:13 AM – Will Anciaux TE – Wichita, KS – 3 Stars

Offers: K-State, California, Iowa State, Kansas, Memphis, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska

Breakdown: Another one of the uber-talented 2023 recruits in the state of Kansas, Will Anciaux was one of the first to join the class all the way back in April. Anciaux has been all EMAW ever since, with he and his family being at almost every home game this season. Other P5 schools, including those inside the Big 12, got multiple visits out of Anciaux, but he stayed firm with his pledge to the Wildcats, despite Kansas and Iowa State’s efforts.

Anciaux wrapped up a successful high school career at Kapaun Mt. Carmel in Wichita, helping the Crusaders steal a share of the Greater Wichita Athletic League title in his junior season. The skill and size of Anciaux were showcased often despite playing in an offense that primarily focused on the run with Omari Elias, a junior. Kapaun only averaged a number slightly over 100 yards passing per game, yet Anciaux averaged close to 90 yards this season. Anciaux was also a force on the basketball court for Kapaun, helping lead them to a GWAL title last season and an appearance in the 5A state tournament as the No. 1 seed.

Playin Time ETA: When Anciaux shows up in Manhattan, he will be the tallest tight end on the roster at six-foot-six. He is about 15 pounds shy of the playing weight that the two main tight ends were at this season, with Ben Sinnott and Sammy Wheeler both being over 240 pounds. So putting on a little weight will be a key for Anciaux, but his skillset is going to give him a chance for an early impact at K-State. 2024 seems like the right time for him to crack the lineup as a serious contributor for the Wildcats.

7:16 AM – Donovan McIntosh CB – St. Louis, MO – 3 Stars

7:20 AM – Camden Beebe OL – Kansas City, KS – 3 Stars

Offers: K-State

Breakdown: Camden Beebe only recorded one scholarship offer coming out of Piper High School in Kansas City, Kan., but he did have interest from Iowa State, Kansas, Mizzou, Nebraska and TCU. He took a visit to Kansas in Oct. 2021 before committing to the Wildcats after three visits in 2021.

Beebe is the 12th-ranked player in Kansas and is the younger brother of current K-State star offensive guard Cooper Beebe. Camden is a 6-foot-3, 330-pound guard and projects as an interior offensive lineman despite playing some tackle in high school. But he did also play guard for Piper. He could potentially play center for the Wildcats if he’s able to master snapping the football.

A physical, hard-hitting prospect who has the ability to pull on rushing plays, Beebe does need to improve in a few areas. He’s a bit slow off the snap and he’s guilty of bending at the waist occasionally. However, putting him on the interior of the offensive line in college should help hide him from speedy edge rushers.

7:24 AM – Will Lee DB – St. Louis, MO – 3 Stars

Offers: K-State, UConn, East Carolina, Florida State, Hawaii, Iowa, Lousiana, Middle Tennessee State, Oregon State, UAB, UTSA

Breakdown: William Lee is one of the more recent additions to K-State’s 2023 recruiting class having committed the Cats in late November out of Iowa Western C.C., a junior college in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Lee is a three-star prospect who decided to go JUCO coming out of high school partly because of the pandemic affected his playing opportunities.

“When I was coming out of high school with all the COVID stuff going on, there was a lot of players that the schools I was looking at offers ended up getting pulled because players came back,” Lee said. “Iowa Western is a top JUCO every year, so I ended up going here and we have the best DB JUCO coach.”

At 6-foot-3 and close to 200 pounds, Lee has very impressive size as a cornerback. Lee was previously committed to Oregon State, but he backed off that commitment in early October. This past season at Iowa Western, Lee totaled 24 tackles in 10 games. He also had seven pass breakups in the year.

7:25 AM – Rex Van Wyhe LB – Rock Rapids, IA – 3 Stars

7:27 AM – Andre Davis WR- Stilwell, KS – 3 Stars

7:30 AM – Wesley Fair SAF – Wichita, KS – 3 Stars

7:32 AM – Kanijal Thomas CB – Del City, OK – 3 Stars

7:35 AM – Asher Tomaszewski DT – Chicago, IL – 3 Stars

Offers: K-State, Akron, Bowling Green, Buffalo, Central Michigan, Fordham, Holy Cross, Kent State, Miami-Ohio, Montana, Navy, New Mexico State, North Dakota State, Nothern Iowa, Ohio, Toledo, Western Michigan, Wyoming

Breakdown: Asher Tomaszewski is a 6-foot-4, 275-pound defensive tackle from Chicago’s Mt. Carmel, one Illinois’ better high school football programs. Tomaszewski is a three-star prospect and is ranked as the 33rd-ranked player in Illinois in his class, and he is the only interior defensive lineman in the Wildcats’ class.

Slightly undersized for a defensive tackle, Tomaszewski’s weight is something that is going to have to be increased to become a regular contributor for the Wildcats. But his 6-foot-4 frame should be able to carry more weight.

As a player, Tomaszewski displayed quality tackling abilities for Mt. Carmel in his career. He’s impressed with the ability to a breakdown into a quality tackling stance in front of ball carriers, and he uses quality fundamentals when bringing call carriers to the turf.

Playing Time ETA: It’s going to take time for Tomaszewski to add the necessary weight to contribute to the Wildcats. But because of his strong understanding of fundamentals, once the weight is added to his frame, Tomaszewski looks like he has the potential to be a solid run-stuffing defensive tackle for K-State. Look for him to get on the field beginning in 2024 as a rotational piece potentially.

8:00 AM – Collin Dunn LB – Tuscaloosa, AL – 3 Stars