Game Preview – K-State Hosts WVU in Big 12 Opener Saturday

GAME 13
KANSAS STATE (11-1) vs 24/24 WEST VIRGINIA (10-2)
Saturday, December 31, 2022 >> 6:01 p.m. CT >> Bramlage Coliseum (11,000) >> Manhattan, Kan.

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

• Ted Emrich (play-by-play)
• Bryndon Manzer (analyst)
• Kevin Kremer (producer)

RADIO
K-State Sports Network
Flagships: // KMAN 1350 & WIBW 580
Satellite Radio: Sirius XM 381/971
Online: Varsity Network [free]/ www.kstatesports.com/watch [free]

• Brian Smoller (play-by-play)
• Kamau Stokes (analyst)

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

TICKETS
www.kstatesports.com/tickets
(800) 221.CATS [2287]
Single Game: $15 (Four-Pack), $20, $30, $50, $150 options

COACHES
K-State: Jerome Tang [Charter Oak State College ’07]
Record at K-State: 11-1/1st Year
Career Record: 13-1/1st Year+
vs. West Virginia: 0-0 [0-0 at K-State]

West Virginia: Bob Huggins [West Virginia ’77]
Record at WVU: 336-190/16th Year
Career Record: 926-401/41st Year
vs. K-State: 15-8 [15-8 at WVU]

SERIES HISTORY
Overall: West Virginia leads 15-9
Big 12 Era: West Virginia leads 14-8
In Manhattan: K-State leads 6-4
At Bramlage Coliseum: K-State leads 6-4
Active Streak: WVU, 1
Tang vs. West Virginia: 0-0 [0-0 at K-State]
Tang vs. Bob Huggins: 0-0 [0-0 at home]

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

West Virginia (10-2)
G: #0 Kedrian Johnson
G: #2 Kobe Johnson
G: #10 Erik Stevenson
F: #3 Tre Mitchell
F: #15 Jimmy Bell, Jr.

OPENING TIP

• Kansas State (11-1) will conclude the 2022 portion of its schedule by hosting No. 24/24 West Virginia (10-2) in the Big 12 opener at 6 p.m., CT on New Year’s Eve at Bramlage Coliseum. The Wildcats, who are on a 5-game winning streak, will face their first ranked opponent of the season against a Mountaineer squad, which has won 4 in a row.
• K-State is 54-55 in conference openers, including 11-15 in the Big 12 era, while 6-10 vs. ranked conference foes in openers.

KEY STORYLINES

• K-State is off its best start (11-1) since opening the 2016-17 season with having recorded its best non-conference record since going 11-1 in 2011-12. The Wildcats have already surpassed their non-conference win total from each of the last 3 seasons, while the win over Radford on Dec. 21 gave them 11 victories in non-conference play for the first time since 2017-18. The 11 non-conference wins are only eclipsed by the 13 in 2009-10 and 12 in 2008-09 and 2010-11.
• 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), ACU (81-64), UIW (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 (105-of-269) shooting.
• Junior Nae’Qwan Tomin earned Big 12 co-Newcomer of the Week honors on Tuesday after his recording his first career 20-point game with a season-high 26 vs. Radford. Among his 11 field goals were 4 dunks, a 3-pointer and all 3 free throws attempted. He also tied a season-high with 9 rebounds to go with 2 blocks, 1 assist and 1 steal in 33 minutes. He has now scored in double figures in 5 consecutive games, where he is averaging 16.4 points per game.
• Tomlin (11.7 ppg.) gives the Wildcats a dynamic 1-2-3 scoring punch, as he, along with seniors Keyontae Johnson (17.7 ppg.) and Markquis Nowell (13.7 ppg.) combine 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.).
• Nowell continues to be one of the leaders nationally in assists. His 8.3 assists per game rank second nationally, while his 100 total assists place third. He is also 20th in assist/turnover ratio (3.12) with 100 assists to 32 turnovers. He is one of 2 active Division I player with at least 1,000 points, 500 assists and 200 steals, while his 216 career steals are first among active players.

NOTES ON 24/24 WEST VIRGINIA

• West Virginia (10-2) enters Saturday’s game on a 4-game winning streak after ending its December non-conference slate with a 75-64 win over Stony Brook. The Mountaineers have lost just 2 games all season, including to current No. 1 Purdue (80-68) at a neutral site and at No. 22 Xavier (84-74).
• WVU is averaging 81.3 points on 49.2 percent shooting, including 38.3 percent from 3-point range, with 34.5 rebounds, 15.1 assists, 7.7 steals and 2.6 blocks per game, while allowing 66.3 points on 42.3 percent shooting, including 32.5 percent from 3-point range. The Mountaineers are connecting on 73.9 percent from the free throw line.
• The Mountaineers rank among the top-40 nationally in 10 categories, including 30th in scoring offense, 25th in scoring margin (+15.1), 28th in field goal percentage and 33rd in 3-point field goal percentage.
• Four players are averaging in double figures led by graduate transfer Erik Stevenson, who is averaging 14.5 points on 52.5 percent shooting, including 46.6 percent from 3-point range. He is joined in double figures by fellow transfers Tre Mitchell (12.8 ppg.), Emmitt Matthew, Jr. (10.8 ppg.) and Joe Toussaint (10.8 ppg.). Senior Jimmy Bell, Jr. leads the way with 6.1 rebounds per game, while fellow senior Kedrian Johnson paces the squad in both assists (3.3 apg.) and steals (1.9 spg.).
• Head coach Bob Huggins is in his 16th season at his alma mater with a 336-190 record, which includes 10 NCAA?Tournament appearances and a trip to the 2010 Final Four. Inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 2022, he has a 926-401 record in his 41st season as a head coach, which ranks third on the all-time coaching list, just behind Mike Krzyzewski and Jim Boeheim.
• Among Huggins’ 5 head-coaching stops is a one-year stint at K-State from 2006-07, where he led the Wildcats to their first 20-win season since 1998-99, their highest win total (23) since 1987-88 and a trip to the NIT.

SERIES?HISTORY

• West Virginia leads the all-time series, 15-9, which includes a 14-8 mark in the Big 12 era. The Mountaineers are 4-6 in games played in Manhattan with their last win coming on Jan. 23, 2021, by a score of 69-47.
• Last season, the teams met 3 times with each winning on their home court, including 71-68 by WVU on Jan. 8, 2022, and 78-73 by K-State on Feb. 14, 2022, before the Mountaineers won the rubber match, 73-67, in the first round of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship on March 9, 2022.

LAST 10 MEETINGS [4-6]
Date                    Rank     Result   Score    Location
2/3/2018            —/15    L             51-89    Morgantown
1/9/2019            —/—     W          71-69    Manhattan
2/18/2019          23/—    W          65-51    Morgantown
1/18/2020          —/12    W          84-68    Manhattan
2/1/2020            —/12    L             57-66    Morgantown
1/23/2021          —/14    L             47-69    Manhattan
2/27/2021          —/10    L             43-65    Morgantown
1/8/2022            —/—     L             68-71    Morgantown
2/14/2022          —/—     W          78-73    Manhattan
3/9/2022            —/—     L             67-73    Kansas City

LAST MEETING: WEST VIRGINIA 73, K-STATE 67

• Senior Taz Sherman’s 3-pointer with 4:44 to play ignited an 8-0 run that carried No. 9 seed West Virginia to a 73-67 win over No. 8 seed K-State in the opening game of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship on March 9.
• Three Wildcats – Nijel Pack (18), Mark Smith (17) and Ish Massoud (13) – were responsible for 48 of the team’s 67 points.

LAST TIME OUT: K-STATE 73, RADFORD 65

• Junior Nae’Qwan Tomlin led four Wildcats in double figures with a season-high 26 points, as K-State concluded its December non-conference slate with a 73-65 win over Radford on Dec. 21 before 6,939 fans at Bramlage Coliseum.
• K-State (11-1) headed into its 10-game holiday break with a 5-game winning streak, as the Wildcats continued their best start to a season since 2016-17. The 11 non-conference wins are the most since 2017-18 and tied six other teams for the third-most in a single season since 2006-07.
• Tomlin, who has now scored in double figures in 5 consecutive games, earned his first 20-point game as a Wildcat by connecting on 11-of-18 field goals, which included 4 dunks, to go with a 3-pointer and all 3 free throws attempted. He also tied a season-high with 9 rebounds to go with 2 blocks, 1 assist and 1 steal.
• Tomlin was joined in double figures by senior Keyontae Johnson, who shook off a poor shooting night to post 16 points on 6-of-15 shooting, as well as seniors Markquis Nowell and Desi Sills, who each added 10 points. The team has now had at least four double-digit scorers in each of the last four games.
• On the strength of Tomlin’s play, K-State took control of the game with a 9-0 run late in the first half then held a double-digit lead for much of the second half before a scrappy Radford (6-7) created some anxious moments for the home team. The Highlanders used a 13-2 run to cut the deficit to 71-65 with less than a minute to play. However, the Wildcats were able to hold off any further rally with a big steal from Sills on a tie-up and a pair of free throws from Johnson.
• In addition to his scoring, Nowell also dished out a game-high 11 assists to record his 11th career double-double, including his sixth at K-State, and his third of the season. His 6 career double-doubles as a Wildcat extended his school record. He reached 100 assists in 12 games, which is the fastest in school history.
• Johnson also reached a milestone, as the first of his two free throws with 20 seconds remaining gave him 1,000 points for his career. He has now scored in double figures in all 12 games this season.
• For the game, K-State connected on 49.2 percent (29-of-59) from the field, including 57.1 percent (24-of-42) from inside the 3-point arc, and hit on 66.7 percent (10-of-15) from the free throw line. The team also tallied 46 points in the paint, which marked the third time in 4 games that they have posted 40 or more points in the paint.

POSTGAME NEWS AND NOTES

• With the win over Radford, K-State is now 128-14 in home venues in non-conference play since 2006-07, including 118-12 at Bramlage Coliseum… The Wildcats are now 7-0 in home games this season.
• The Wildcats hit on 57.1 percent (24-of-42) from inside the 3-point arc.
• K-State held the advantage on the glass, 41-27, including a season-tying 28 defensive rebounds… The 41 total rebounds are the most this season… Of its 13 offensive rebounds, the Wildcats scored 9 second-chance points.
• K-State had an assist on 20 of its 29 made field goals, including 4 players with 2 or more assists… The team now has 221 assists on 327 made field goals.
• K-State moved to 8-0 this season when leading at the half.

K-STATE WINS CAYMAN ISLANDS CLASSIC

• K-State captured its 17th in-season tournament title, as the Wildcats knocked off Rhode Island (77-57), Nevada (96-87 in overtime) and LSU (61-59) to win the 2022 Cayman Islands Classic on Nov. 21-23. It was the team’s first tournament title since winning the 2018 Paradise Jam in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The 3 wins gave K-State its first 6-0 start since the 2018-19 season.
• Senior Markquis Nowell was selected the Cayman Islands Classic MVP and to the all-tournament team, while fellow senior Keyontae Johnson was named to the all-tournament team. Nowell averaged 18.7 points and 9.0 assists in the 3-game tournament, while Johnson averaged a team-best 19.3 points on 53.6 percent shooting with 6.0 rebounds per game. For his effort, he was named the Phillips 66 Big 12 Player of the Week on Monday.
• After breezing past Rhode Island, 77-57, in the first round, K-State had to fight through tight contests with Nevada in the semifinals and LSU?in the finals to earn the title. After surrendering a 9-point lead to the Wolf Pack with 4:08 to play to trail 80-78 with 14 seconds left in regulation, Nowell drove the lane and was able to convert on a layup in traffic to force overtime with 3.5 seconds. The Wildcats were able to carry the momentum in the extra period, as they hit on 5 of 6 from the field and 6 of 10 free throw line to win 96-87.
• The Wildcats then overcame an 11-point second-half deficit to the Tigers in the title game, using their defense to allow 18 points after halftime on 36.8 percent shooting while forcing 14 turnovers en route to a 61-59 victory.

TANG DEBUTS AS HEAD COACH

• First-year head coach Jerome Tang enjoyed a successful a debut, as the Wildcats posted a 93-59 win against UTRGV on Nov. 7, becoming the 24th man and the first full-time black head coach in school history. He followed with his first road victory at Cal to start his tenure off with a 2-0 record. He is the sixth minority men’s head coach in K-State Athletics history, including the third in men’s basketball following interim head coach Darryl Winston (1984-85) and former full-time head coach Frank Martin (2007-12).
• K-State’s 11-1 start under head coach Jerome Tang is the best by a first-year coach in school history with Zora G. Clevenger (1916-17) and Bruce Weber (2012-13) each starting their tenures at 10-2. Tang’s start is among the best by all first-year head coaches in Division I, trailing just the 12-1 starts by Missouri’s Dennis Gates and LSU’s Matt McMahon.
• This is not Tang’s first time being a head coach, as he served as athletics director and head coach at Heritage Christian Academy in Cleveland, Texas from 1993-2003, leading the school to 5 TAPPS Division A State Championships.
• In addition, Tang twice served as interim head coach in his 19 seasons as an assistant and associate head coach at Baylor, leading the Bears to 4-0 record. He helped Baylor to wins over Texas (86-79 in OT) and at Texas Tech (82-48) during the 2012-13 season, while he guided the squad to wins over Louisiana (112-82) and Washington (86-52) to open the 2020-21 season. Tang is only credited with the wins in 2013, moving his college head coaching record to 13-1.

A TEAM OF WINNERS

• Head coach Jerome Tang has remarked on a number of occasions that he recruited a team ‘full of winners’ as exemplified by the number of championships that the collective group has won.
• There are a combined 8 state championships among the 15 players on the roster, including 2 each won by seniors Desi Sills and Abayomi Iyiola and true freshmen Taj Manning. In addition, sophomore Jerrell Colbert and true freshman Dorian?Finister also won state titles during their senior seasons.
• In addition to the high school success, a number of players have been a part of winning college programs, including Sills and Iyiola being members of Arkansas’ Elite Eight team in 2021 and senior Keyontae Johnson (Florida) and junior David N’Guessan (Virginia Tech) being a part of 2 NCAA Tournaments.

1700 WINS?AND?COUNTING

• K-State’s overtime 96-87 win over Nevada in the semifinals of the Cayman Islands Classic represented the 1,700th win in school history. The Wildcats are the 43rd Division I team to eclipse 1,700 wins, including the sixth Big 12 school.
• The Wildcats have a 1,706-1,214 (.586) all-time record as a program, which includes 31 NCAA Tournament appearances and 21 conference championships.

SUCCESS IN NON-CONFERENCE PLAY

• K-State has posted a 170-53 (.762) record in non-conference play since the 2006-07 season. During that span, the Wildcats have a 128-14 (.901) mark at home venues (includes games played at Bramlage Coliseum, INTRUST?Bank Arena in Wichita and the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City) in non-conference play, including a 118-12 (.908) mark at Bramlage Coliseum.
• The Nebraska win on Dec. 17 also gave K-State double-digit non-conference victories for the first time since going 10-3 in 2018-19.  The Wildcats collected their 11th non-conference victory vs. Radford on Dec. 21, giving them their most since also winning 11 in 2017-18. The team earned 10 or more non-conference wins in 12 of 13 seasons from 2006-07 to 2018-19, but they had managed just a 19-16 record in non-conference action from 2019-22.
• K-State’s current 11-1 non-conference mark is the best since opening the 2016-17 season with a similar 11-1 record. The Wildcats won a program-best 13 non-conference games in 2009-10, while they won 12 in 2008-09 and 2010-11.

POTENT OFFENSIVE ATTACK

• K-State is averaging 75.1 points this season on 47 percent (327-of-696) shooting, including 34.2 percent (81-of-237) from 3-point range, while hitting on 71.6 percent (166-of-232) from the free throw line. The Wildcats rank seventh in the Big 12 in both scoring offense and field goal percentage, while they are second in assists and fifth in free throw percentage.
• K-State has scored 80 or more points 4 times, including 3 games of 90 or more points for the first time since 2017-18. The 93 points vs. UTRGV (11/7/22) were the fourth-most in a season opener in the last 25 seasons and the most since scoring 98 vs. Southern Utah to open the 2014-15 season.
• The Wildcats also topped the 90-point barrier in a 96-87 overtime win over Nevada (11/22/22) at the Cayman Islands Classic, which included two players (Markquis Nowell and Keyontae Johnson) scoring 25 or more points in the same game since 2010. The squad fell just 2 points short of their first 100-point game since 2010-11, totaling 98 points vs. UIW (12/11/22) behind a school-record first seven double-digit scorers.
• K-State has connected on better than 50 percent of its field goals in 4 games, including back-to-back vs. Rhode Island (11/21/22) and Nevada (11/22/22) and ACU?(12/6/22) and UIW (12/11/22). The team hit on a season-best 59.1 percent (39-of-66) vs. UIW, including 67.5 percent (27-of-40) inside the 3-point line.
• A key to the K-State offense this season has been its ability to score in paint, as the Wildcats are averaging 37.3 points in the paint. The team has scored 30 or more points in the paint 9 times in 12 games, including 4 games of 40 or more points and one game of 50 points (a season-high 52 vs. ACU (12/6/22).

DISHING THE ROCK

• K-State ranks among the best in the country in sharing the basketball, as the Wildcats rank 12th nationally and second in the Big 12 with 18.4 assists per game. Among the 221 assists are 6 players with double-digit totals, including senior Markquis Nowell, who ranks third nationally with 100 total assists. He is second nationally in assists/game at 8.3 per game.
• The Wildcats also rank in the top-5 nationally with a 67.6 assist percentage according to KenPom, which calculates the number of assists (221) to made field goals (327). Only Tennessee (69.2), Lafayette (68.8) and Xavier (68.6) have a better percentage nationally.
• Although Nowell gets all the attention for his playmaking ability, the rest of the team has shown the ability to share the ball, as the Wildcats have had 3 or more players dish out at least 2 assists in 8 of 12 games this season. The team had 7 players with 2 or more assists in the opener vs. UTRGV (11/7/22), while 6 did it against Nebraska (12/17/22) and 5 vs. UIW (12/11/22).

TEAM?FULL?OF SCORERS

• K-State is one of just 3 schools to have at least four 1,000-point scorers on its roster, as Wildcats Tykei Greene (1,157 points), Keyontae Johnson (1,001 points), Markquis Nowell (1,472 points) and Desi Sills (1,218 points) have all reached the milestone in their Division I careers. Only Johnson, who did it against Radford (12/21/22), and Nowell have reached the mark while at K-State.
• K-State has now six 1,000-point scorers if you count senior walk-on Nate Awbrey, who scored 1,032 points in his 4-year career at Manhattan Christian College, and junior Nae’Qwan Tomlin, who scored more than 1,000 points in his junior college career at Monroe (2019-20) and Chipola Colleges (2020-22).
• UAB has five 1,000-point scorers followed by K-State and Notre Dame (4), while 10 others have 3 such scorers, including Drake, Gonzaga, Indiana, Iowa State, Ohio State, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Southern Utah, Texas and Virginia.

BENCH PRODUCTION

• K-State is getting solid production from its bench through the first 12 games, as the Wildcats are averaging 18 points per game. Three reserves (Desi Sills, Tykei Greene and Ish Massoud) are averaging better than 3.5 points per game.
• The Wildcats got 41 points from its bench in the opener vs. UTRGV (11/7/22) with 3 reserves (Abayomi Iyiola (12), Massoud (10) and Sills (10) all posting double-digit points. As a group, the bench connected on 14-of-29 from the field, including a collective 11-of-17 effort by Iyiola, Massoud and Sills.
• Senior Desi Sills has been particularly impactful from the bench, scoring in double figures 6 times in 12 games, including 16 points in the win over LSU (11/23/22) at the Cayman Islands Classic Championship game and a season-high 17 points (all in second half) in the loss at Butler (11/30/22). He has also been among the team’s best playmakers, ranking second with 33 assists.

DEFENSE PERFORMING WELL

• In a league known for its defensive prowess, K-State has started the season off well, allowing 60.8 points per game on 41.5 percent (261-of-629) shooting, including 31.2 percent (67-of-215) from 3-point range. The Wildcats rank 26th nationally, including third in the Big 12, in scoring defense, while they place in the top-50 in turnovers forced (33rd/16.92) and turnover margin (45th/+3.3).
• K-State has held 8 of 12 opponents to less than 60 points, including each of its first 4 games for the first time since 2019-20.

FORCING TURNOVERS

• K-State’s defense has forced 203 turnovers through the first 12 games, which includes 95 steals, while averaging 19.5 points per game off those miscues. The team ranks 10th in non-steal turnover percentage (13.0) by KenPom.
• The 16.9 turnovers forced per game ranks 33rd nationally, while it places fifth in the Big 12 behind Iowa State, Texas, TCU and Texas Tech. K-State ranks seventh in turnover margin (+3.33) and steals (7.92), while senior Markquis Nowell places fifth (2.00 spg.) in steals per game.
• The Wildcats opened the year by forcing 20 or more turnovers from each of their first 3 opponents, which hasn’t happened since at least 1995-96. The 2007-08 season was the last time that K-State has forced 20 or more turnovers from each of its first 2 opponents.
• K-State has scored 20 or more points off turnovers 5 times in 12 games with a season-high 31 points off 26 UTRGV (11/7/22) turnovers in the opener. The Wildcats scored 20+ points off miscues in back-to-back games vs. Kansas City (11/17/22; 26 points) and Rhode Island (11/21/22; 21 points) as well as vs. ACU (12/6/22; 23 points) and UIW (12/11/22; 28 points).

JOHNSON MAKES RETURN TO COURT

• Junior Keyontae Johnson made his triumphant return to basketball court on Nov. 7 in the season opener with UTRGV after a 2-year absence after suffering a medical emergency against Florida State on Dec. 12, 2020. He finished the night with 13 points, 4 assists and 2 rebounds in a team-high 26 minutes.
• Johnson continued his impressive play with a near double-double in the win at Cal, scoring a team-high 16 points while grabbing a game-high 9 rebounds to go with 2 steals, 1 assist and 1 block in a game-high 33 minutes.
• Johnson was named the March Madness National Player of the Week and the Phillips 66 Big 12 Newcomer of the Week on Nov. 14, as he averaged 14.5 points on 47.6 percent (10-of-21) shooting, including 57.1 percent (4-of-7) from 3-point range, to go with 5.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists in the Wildcats’ first 2 wins.
• Johnson helped the Wildcats win the Cayman Islands Classic and was named to the All-Tournament team, as he averaged a team-best 19.3 points on 53.6 percent (15-of-28) shooting, including 50 percent (4-of-8) from 3-point range, to go with a team-best 6.0 rebounds in 32.3 minutes per game.
• Johnson earned Big 12 Newcomer of the Week honors for the second time this season on Dec. 19 after his impressive performance in K-State’s win over Nebraska, as he posted game-highs in both points (23) and rebounds (11) to go with his career-tying 4 steals. It was his seventh career double-double with at least 20 points and 10 rebounds, while it was his 11th career 20-point game.
• Johnson has scored in double figures in all 12 games, leading the Wildcats and ranking fifth in the Big 12 in scoring (17.7 ppg.). He places second in field goal percentage (58.0), while he is in the top-10 in 4 other categories, including fifth in minutes (31.7 mpg.), sixth in defensive rebounds (4.67), seventh in rebounding (6.8 rpg.) and eighth in offensive rebounds (2.17).

NOWELL STILL RUNNING THE SHOW

• On a team with 13 new players and a new coaching staff, fifth-year senior Markquis Nowell once again has demonstrated he is still the guy running the show for the Wildcats, as he leads the team in both assists (8.3 apg.) and steals (2.0 spg.) while averaging the second-most points (13.7 ppg.).
• Nowell ranks second nationally in assists per game (8.3 apg.) and third in total assists (100), while he is 20th in assists/turnover ratio (3.12). He is one of 2 active Division I players (Tennessee State’s Junior Clay) with 1,000 points, 500 assists and 200 steals. He also ranks first among all active Division I?players with 216 career steals. He is nearing 1,500 career points, just 28 points away.
• Nowell was recognized for his MVP performance in helping the Wildcats win the Cayman Islands Classic, as he was selected as the Phillips 66 Big 12 Player of the Week on Nov. 28. He averaged 18.7 points on 45.2 percent (19-of-42) from the field, including 31.3 percent (5-of-16) from 3-point range, with 9.0 assists and 3.7 rebounds in 33.6 minutes per game. It was his first weekly honor in the Big 12 and his fourth overall after winning it 3 times in the Sun Belt.
• In the wins vs. Rhode Island and Nevada, Nowell became the first Wildcat to record double-digit assists in consecutive games, while he became the second player in school history and the first since 1989 to post a 25-point/10-assist game with his 29-point, 11-assist performance in the 96-87 overtime win over the Wolf Pack. His 12 assists vs. the Rams tied for the fourth-most in single game in school history and the most since Steve Henson collected 12 assists against Oklahoma State on Feb. 25, 1989.
• Nowell was part of the first Wildcat duo since 2010 to each collect at least 25 points in a game, as he and fellow senior Keyontae Johnson combined for 57 points in the win over Nevada. He capped the tournament with a game-high 18 points on 6-of-14 shooting in the title game win over LSU, as he helped the Wildcats rally from an 11-point second-half deficit.
• Nowell shook off a subpar shooting night to score the game’s last 6 points, including a pivotal 3-pointer with 54 seconds, to help lift K-State to a 55-50 win over in-state rival Wichita State for the second straight year. He had a strong all-around night, finishing with 11 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds and 3 steals.
• Nowell matched his season-high (12) in assists in the win over ACU, while he earned his 11th career double-double, including his sixth as a Wildcat, with 10 points and 11 assists vs. Radford. It was his fourth double-digit assist game.

AN INSTANT IMPACT

• Junior transfer Nae’Qwan?Tomlin has given K-State another scoring threat in the post, as the junior college All-American ranks third on the team in scoring (11.7 ppg.) while connecting 47.7 percent (53-of-111) from the field to go with 6.1 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 27.8 minutes per game. He ranks 20th in the Big 12 in scoring, 10th in rebounding and fourth in blocked shots.
• Tomlin was selected as the Big 12 co-Newcomer of the Week on Tuesday after his near double-double performance in the win over Radford on Dec. 21. He led four Wildcats in double figures with a season-high 26 points, as he hit on 11-of-18 field goals, which included 4 dunks, a 3-pointer and all 3 free throws attempted, to go with a season-tying 9 rebounds in 33 minutes.
• Tomlin’s performance vs. Radford highlighted an impressive stretch, as he has scored in double figures in each of the last 5 games, which includes 14 points vs. Wichita State (12/3/22), 12 points vs. ACU (12/6/22) and 15 points vs. UIW?(12/11/22) and Nebraska (12/17/22). He is averaging 16.4 points on 58.9 percent (33-of-56) shooting during this 5-game stretch.
• Tomlin scored more than 1,000 points in his junior college career at both Monroe College (2019-20) and Chipola College (2020-21) while connecting on 54.2 percent from the field. He averaged a team-leading 13.8 points on 52.4 percent shooting with 5.9 rebounds during his All-American season at Chipola, as he guided the school to the semifinals of the NJCAA National?Tournament.

SILLS OFF THE BENCH

• Senior Desi Sills has provided a spark for the Wildcats off the bench, as he is averaging 9.0 points on 45.7 percent (42-of-92) shooting with 3.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 27.4 minutes per game. He has scored in double figures in 6 of 12 games, including a season-high 17 points in the loss at Butler (11/30/22). He has at least 3 assists in 8 games, including a season-best 5 on two occasions.
• Sills scored in double figures in 2 of the first 3 games, including 10 in his first game as a Wildcat vs. UTRGV?(11/7/22). He scored 16 points vs. LSU?(11/23/22) in the championship game of the Cayman Islands Classic, hitting on 6-of-9 field goals, before his season-high 17 at Butler, which all came in the second half. He has 8 or more points in 3 of the last 4 games, including 14 vs. UIW (12/11/22).
• Although Sills went scoreless in the win over Wichita State (12/6/22), he had the play of the game with his block of Shammah Scott’s breakaway layup with 1:42 to play with the Wildcats trailing 50-49.

THREE SET FOR REDSHIRT

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

A QUICK LOOK AT K-STATE

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

UP NEXT: AT 6/6 TEXAS (11-1)

• K-State hits the road for a weeklong road swing through the Lone Star State beginning with a visit to No. 6/6 Texas (11-1) at the brand-new Moody Center on Tuesday night at 8 p.m., CT. The game will air on the Longhorn Network.