Game Preview // K-State Travels to Butler for Big East/Big 12 Battle

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GAME 7
KANSAS STATE at BUTLER
Wednesday, November 30, 2022 >> 5:31 p.m. CT >> Hinkle Fieldhouse (9,100) >> Indianapolis, Ind.

TELEVISION
FS1 / FOXSports.com (link here)

Alex Faust (play-by-play)
Casey Jacobsen (analyst)
Chirag Devaskar (producer)

RADIO
K-State Sports Network
Flagships: // KMAN 1350 & WIBW 580
Satellite Radio: SXM 385/975
Online: Varsity Network [free] / www.kstatesports.com/watch [free]

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

LIVE STATS
kstatesports.com
butler.statbroadcast.com

TICKETS
butlersports.com/sports/tickets
(317) 940.3647 (call/text)
Single Game: $28-$75

COACHES
K-State: Jerome Tang [Charter Oak State College '07]
Record at K-State: 6-0/First Year
Career Record: 8-0/First Year
vs. Butler: 0-0 [0-0 at K-State]

Butler: Thad Matta [Butler '90]
Record at Butler: 28-11/2nd Year [1st Year of 2nd stint]
Career Record: 443-157/18th Year
vs. K-State: 0-0 [0-0 at Butler]

SERIES HISTORY
Overall: Butler leads 1-0
Current Streak: K-State, 1
In Indianapolis: First meeting
At Hinkle Fieldhouse: First meeting
Last Meeting: L, 56-63 [3/27/2010 in Salt Lake City, Utah]
Tang vs. Matta: 0-0 [0-0 on the road]

PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP (Based off last game)
Kansas State (6-0)
G: #1 Markquis Nowell
G: #5 Cam Carter
F: #11 Keyontae Johnson
F: #35 Nae'Qwan Tomlin
C: #3 David N'Guessan

Butler (4-3)
G: #2 Eric Hunter, Jr.
G: #3 Chuck Harris
G: #13 Jayden Taylor
G/F: #41 Simas Lukosius
C: #15 Manny Bates

K-STATE TRAVELS TO BUTLER FOR BIG EAST/BIG 12 BATTLE

Kansas State (6-0) continues its road trip on Wednesday night, as the Wildcats make their first trip to historic Hinkle Fieldhouse to take on Butler (4-3) at 5:30 p.m., CT in one of 10 games in the BIG EAST/Big 12 Battle series. This will be just the second meeting between the schools and the first since they met in the 2010 NCAA West Regional Final in Salt Lake City when the Bulldogs posted a 63-56 victory en route to advancing to the NCAA Championship Game.
The champions of the 2022 Cayman Islands Classic, K-State carries a 6-game winning streak into Wednesday's contest, which is the longest such streak since also winning 6 in a row from Nov. 9-24, 2018. The team will attempt to finish off the month of November unbeaten for the seventh time since 1996 and the first time since the 2018-19 team went 6-0.
K-State has yet to win a game in the BIG EAST/Big 12 Battle, having lost home games to Marquette in 2019 and 2021.

OPENING TIP

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 named the Cayman Islands Classic Tournament MVP and to the all-tournament team, while fellow senior Keyontae Johnson was selected 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.
After breezing past Rhode Island 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 dominated the Pack by connecting on 83.3 percent (5-of-6) from the field and making 6 of their 10 free throws. The Wildcats then overcame an 11-point second-half deficit to the Tigers, using their defense to allow just 18 points after halftime on 36.8 percent shooting while forcing 14 turnovers.
K-State's 6-0 start under head coach Jerome Tang is the best by a first-year coach in school history since Hall of Fame coach Lon Kruger opened the 1986-87 with 6 straight wins. Tang is one of four first-year head coaches in Division I who are currently unbeaten, joining Missouri's Dennis Gates (7-0), Mississippi State's Chris Jans (7-0) and Maryland's Kevin Willard (6-0).
The Wildcats have quite the scoring duo in seniors Keyontae Johnson and Markquis Nowell, as they are averaging 33 points per game on 48 percent (60-of-125) shooting. They are currently the second-best scoring duo in the Big 12 after the tandem of Baylor's L.J. Cryer (17.7 ppg.) and Adam Flagler (17.0 ppg.), who are averaging 34.7 points per game. Johnson (28 points) and Nowell (29 points) joined an elite group in the overtime win over Nevada on Nov. 22, as they combined for 57 points and became just the 15th duo in school history and the first since 2010 to each top 25 points in a game.
Nowell was named the Phillips 66 Big 12 Player of the Week on Monday for his MVP performance at the Cayman Islands Classic. It was his fourth career weekly award after earning Sun Belt Player of the Week honors three times while playing at Little Rock during the 2019-20 season.
The Wildcats continues to use their defense to generate offense, forcing team's into an average of 19 turnovers per game while averaging 21.2 points off those miscues. The team has forced 20 or more turnovers in 3 games while also topping 20 or more points off turnovers in 3 contests.
The bench continues to play major role in the team's success, as the Wildcats are averaging 21.5 points from its reserves with 3 different players (Abayomi Iyiola [12], Tykei Greene [8] and Desi Sills [11]) leading the bench in scoring.

NOTES ON BUTLER

Butler (4-3) enters Wednesday's game after going 1-2 at the prestigious Battle 4 Atlantic Tournament Nov. 23-25 with a 75-70 win over BYU sandwiched between losses to a ranked Tennessee squad (45-71) and N.C. State (61-76). The Bulldogs are a perfect 3-0 at home with wins over New Orleans (89-53), Saint Francis (95-67) and The Citadel (89-42).
Butler was picked eighth in the preseason coaches poll for the BIG EAST with Creighton set as the favorite. The Bulldogs posted a 14-19 record, including an 6-14 mark in league play, in 2021-22 under former coach LaVall Jordan.
Butler is averaging 73.7 points on 48.9 percent shooting, including 34.4 percent from 3-point range, with 33.3 rebounds, 14.4 assists, 8.9 steals and 5.6 blocks per game, while allowing 63.9 points on 42.8 percent shooting, including 32 percent from 3-point range. The Bulldogs ranks 20th nationally in blocked shots, while they are averaging better than 90 points per game in their 3 home games this season on 60.1 percent (107-of-178) shooting.
Five Bulldog players are averaging in double figures led by Jayden Taylor's 16.4 points per game average. He is connecting on 50 percent from the field and 88.5 percent from the free throw line. Chuck Harris (13.3 ppg.) and Eric Hunter, Jr. (12.7 ppg.) also average double figures, while big man Manny Bates averages a near double-double with 11.4 points and a team-high 7.3 rebounds per game. Simas Lukosius has a team-best 3.3 assists per game.
Head coach Thad Matta is in his first season in his second stint at his alma mater with a 28-11 record. He has a 443-157 record in his 18th season as a head coach, which includes stints at Butler, Xavier and Ohio State. He led the Buckeyes to 9 NCAA Tournament appearances, including the Final Four in 2007 and 2012.

SERIES HISTORY

K-State and Butler will meet for just the second time in their histories on Wednesday night and the first time at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
The only other meeting in the series came in the 2010 NCAA Tournament when the Bulldogs defeated the Wildcats, 63-56, to secure a spot in the Final Four before eventually falling to Duke in the national championship game.
K-State and Butler were supposed to meet in the BIG EAST/Big 12 Battle in 2020-21 but the game was canceled due to COVID-19 protocols.

3/27/10 L, 56-63 Salt Lake City

LAST MEETING:
Butler 63, K-State 56 (in Salt Lake City, Utah, NCAA West Regional Final, March 27, 2010)

The stakes were a little higher for the first and only meeting between the teams, as Butler knocked off K-State, 63-56, to win the NCAA West Regional Final and advance to the 2010 Final Four.
Despite trailing almost the entire game, K-State rallied as Denis Clemente made a three-pointer with 4:49 left to cap an 8-0 run and give the Cats their only lead of the game, 52-51.
Butler's Gordon Hayward then got fouled going to the hole and made 2 free throws to take the lead back, and Matt Howard made one more free throw to make it 54-52. Clemente dribbled for a layup to tie the score at 54, but that was the last time the score would be tied.
Clemente led the Wildcats with 18 points in his final collegiate game, while Curtis Kelly and Jacob Pullen each had 14.

BIG EAST/BIG 12 BATTLE HISTORY

K-State is 0-2 all-time in the BIG EAST/Big 12 Battle, having lost home games to Marquette in 2019 and 2021.
The Wildcats lost to the Golden Eagles, 73-65, in the first such game in the BIG EAST/Big 12 Battle on Dec. 7, 2019, at Bramlage Coliseum, then after not playing in 2020-21, lost, 64-63, at home to the Eagles on Dec. 8, 2021.
K-State is 24-26 all-time against current members of the BIG EAST, including a 4-15 mark in road game. The 4 road wins against the league have come against Creighton (1969 and 1987) and Marquette (1984 and 1987). The last overall win against a BIG EAST team came against the Bluejays in the first round of the 2018 NCAA Tournament on March 16 in Charlotte, N.C.

TANG HAS HISTORY IN HINKLE

Although Wednesday's game will be the first for K-State in historic Hinkle Fieldhouse, head coach Jerome Tang has pleasant memories in his 2 previous visits to the arena while on staff at Baylor.
The first-year head coach was the associate head coach at Baylor in 2021 when the Bears won 2 games in Hinkle Fieldhouse during their epic run to the national championship, which was played all in the city of Indianapolis. The Bears knocked off Wisconsin in the second round, 76-63, on March 21 before defeating No. 18 Villanova, 62-51, on March 27 to advance to the Elite Eight.

LAST TIME OUT:
K-STATE 61, LSU 59

Senior Keyontae Johnson's jumper with 4.7 seconds helped lift K-State to a 61-59 win over LSU to capture the 2022 Cayman Islands Classic Championship on Nov. 23 before 2,400 fans at The John Gray Gym.
The in-season tournament title was the 17th in school history and the first since winning the 2018 Paradise Jam.
Johnson (16 points) and fellow seniors Markquis Nowell (18) and Desi Sills (16) combined for 50 of the 61 points, including 22 of their 28 second-half points, in which, the team rallied from an 11-point deficit with 17:27 to play.
Nowell was selected as the Cayman Islands Classic Tournament MVP, while Johnson was selected to the all-tournament team. Nowell averaged 18.7 points and 9.0 assists in the tournament, while Johnson averaged a team-best 19.3 points on 53.6 percent shooting with 6.0 rebounds per game.
K-State had to survive some nervous moments to earn the victory, as both teams called their full allotment of timeouts (2 each) before the last 4.7 seconds played out. LSU (5-1) was able to dribble up the court and seemingly tied the game at 61-all at the buzzer. However, the officials reviewed the play and waved the shot off after they discovered that the clock didn't start on time and the shot came after the game clock had expired.
It was a tale of two halves for the Tigers, who looked like the more rested team after playing in the early sessions in the first 2 days of the tournament and breezing past their first 2 opponents by 16 and 15 points, respectively.
LSU scored 41 points in the first half on 47.1 percent (16-of-34), including 50 percent (5-of-10) from 3-point range, with 3 turnovers, to build as much as a 12-point lead right before halftime. Things changed in the second half, as the Tigers managed just 18 points on 36.8 percent (7-of-19) shooting, including 11.1 percent (1-of-9) from long range, to go with 14 turnovers.
Nowell scored his game-high 18 points on 6-of-14 field goals, including 2-of-5 from 3-point range, and 4-of-4 free throws, to go with 4 assists in 33 minutes. Johnson, who played just 13 minutes in the second half due to foul trouble, scored his 16 points on 4-of-7 field goals and 7-of-8 free throws. Sills, who provided a spark off the bench, scored his season-high 16 points off 6-of-9 field goals and 3-of-3 free throws, to go with game-high 5 assists in 33 minutes.

TANG DEBUTS AS HEAD COACH

First-year head coach Jerome Tang enjoyed a successful a debut, as the Wildcats earned a 93-59 win against UTRGV on Nov. 7 to help Tang earn his first victory as the 24th head coach and the first full-time black head coach in school history. 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 6-0 start under head coach Jerome Tang is the best by a first-year coach in school history since Hall of Fame coach Lon Kruger opened the 1986-87 with 6 straight wins. Tang is one of four first-year head coaches in Division I who are currently unbeaten, joining Missouri's Dennis Gates (7-0), Mississippi State's Chris Jans (7-0) and Maryland's Kevin Willard (6-0).
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 credited with the wins in 2012, moving his college head coaching record to 8-0.

SUCCESS IN NON-CONFERENCE PLAY

K-State has posted a 165-52 (.760) record in non-conference play since the 2006-07 season. Wednesday's contest at Butler will be 29th true road non-conference game in the span with the Wildcats registering a 15-13 record. The team already has a road win after their 63-54 victory at California on Nov. 11.
K-State has a 123-14 (.898) record at home venues (includes home games played at Bramlage Coliseum, INTRUST Bank Arena in Wichita and the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City) in non-conference play dating to the 2006-07 season, including a 114-12 (.905) mark at Bramlage Coliseum.
The Wildcats posted double-digit non-conference wins in 12 of 13 seasons from 2006-07 to 2018-19, but they have since managed just a 27-17 record in non-conference action in the last 3 plus seasons (since 2019-20).
K-State finished the 2021-22 non-conference season with an 8-5 record, including a 6-1 mark at Bramlage Coliseum. The Wildcats won their first 4 non-conference games (Florida A&M, Omaha, North Dakota and UAlbany) before the setback against Marquette. They finished with wins over Green Bay and McNeese, while the final game vs. North Florida was cancelled.

STRONG STARTS

One of the keys to K-State's success so far has been its strong starts, as the Wildcats are averaging 40.3 points on 50 percent (84-of-168) shooting from the field, including 42.5 percent (31-of-73) from 3-point range, while hitting on 82.7 percent (43-of-52) from the free throw line.
K-State has out-scored its opponents, 242-178, in the first half, as its defense has been equally impressive in the opening half, allowing 29.7 points on 39.6 percent (63-of-159) shooting, including 31.4 percent (16-of-51) from beyond the arc. The first 6 opponents have scored 142 combined points (23.7 ppg.) off field goals with a combined 36 points coming from free throws.
The Wildcats have forced 52 combined turnovers in the first half so far with nearly a third of the total points (69 of 242) coming from offense generated by these turnovers. The team scored 18 first-half points off 12 UTRGV turnovers, had 15 such points off 15 Cal miscues and 17 points off 11 Kansas City turnovers.
The 52 points vs. UTRGV were the most first-half points in a season opener since scoring 53 vs. South Dakota on Nov. 29, 1986, as K-State's 93 points were the most in an opener since scoring 98 vs. Southern Utah on Nov. 14, 2014. The point total was the fourth-most in an opener in the last 25 seasons.

FORCING TURNOVERS

K-State's defense has forced 114 turnovers through the first 6 games, which includes 46 steals, while averaging 21.2 points per game off those miscues.
The 19.0 turnovers forced per game ranks 19th nationally, while it places third in the Big 12 behind Iowa State (21.0) and Texas (20.60). K-State ranks fifth in turnover margin (+3.00) and seventh in steals (7.7), while senior Markquis Nowell places fifth in the Big 12 in steals per game (2.00).
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 scored 20 or more points off turnovers in 3 of its first 4 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).

BENCH PRODUCTION

K-State is getting solid production from its bench through the first 6 games, as the Wildcats are averaging 21.5 points per game. Three reserves (Desi Sills, Tykei Greene and Ish Massoud) are averaging better than 4.6 points per game on a collective 45.2 percent (38-of-84) shooting.
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.
The veteran Sills has been particularly impactful from the bench, scoring in double figures 3 times in 6 games, including a season-high 16 points in the win over LSU (11/23/22) at the Cayman Islands Classic Championship game. He averaged 9.7 points on 54.5 percent shooting in the 3-game tournament.

TEAM FULL OF SCORERS

K-State is one of 13 schools to have at least three 1,000-point scorers on its roster, as Wildcats Tykei Greene (1,141 points), Markquis Nowell (1,400 points), Desi Sills (1,164 points) all have eclipsed the milestone in their careers at the Division I level. Only Nowell has reached the mark while at K-State.
K-State has 5 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 College (2019-20) and Chipola College (2020-22).
That total could increase this season, as two other Wildcats (Abayomi Iyiola and Keyontae Johnson) have more than 800 points in their career.
UAB leads the country with five 1,000-point scorers followed by Notre Dame (4), while K-State is one of 11 other schools to have 3 such scorers, including Drake, Gonzaga, Indiana, Iowa State, Ohio State, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Southern Utah, Texas and Virginia.

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 1,701-1,213 (.586) all-time record as a program, which includes 31 NCAA Tournament appearances and 21 conference championships.

MAKING THE MOST FROM THE LINE

K-State has been making the most of its opportunities from the free throw line, knocking down a Big 12-best 79.4 percent (104-of-131). The figure ranks 13th nationally, while the team is 25th in free throws made/game (17.3).
Three Wildcats rank in the Big 12's top-10, including seniors Keyontae Johnson (2nd; 88.2%, 30-of-34), Markquis Nowell (6th; 84.8%, 28-of-37) and junior Nae'Qwan Tomlin (7th; 83.3%, 15-of-18). In addition, a fourth Wildcat - senior Desi Sills (92.9% 13-of-14) - would be ranked if he met the minimum.
After hitting on 72.4 percent (21-of-29) in the opener vs. UTRGV (11/7/22), the Wildcats were even better from the free throw line in games vs. California (11/11/22) and Kansas City (11/17/22), combining to make 85.7 percent (30-of-35). Those numbers were equally as solid in crunch time, as the team went a combined 82.4 percent (14-of-17) in the second half when both the Golden Bears and Roos attempted to make comebacks.
The Wildcats connected on 79.1 percent (53-of-67) of their free throws in winning the Cayman Islands Classic, including near perfect performances by Johnson (24-of-27), Nowell (13-of-15) and Tomlin (8-of-9).

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.

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 (7.8 apg.) and steals (2.0 spg.) while averaging the second-most points (15.3 ppg.).
On Monday, 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. 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. It marked just the 15th time that two players scored 25 or more points in the same game and the first time since Jacob Pullen (28) and Denis Clemente (25) did it against Xavier on March 25, 2010.
Nowell capped the tournament with a game-high 18 points in the title game win over LSU, as he helped the Wildcats rally from an 11-point second-half deficit. He finished 6-of-14 from the field, including 2-of-5 from 3-point range, and 4-of-4 free throws, to go with 4 assists and 4 rebounds.
Nowell continues to approach a number of milestones in his career, as he has already eclipsed 1,400 points, 500 assists and 200 steals, which includes a stint at Little Rock. He is the only active Division I player to total more than 1,000 points, 500 assists and 200 steals.

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' 2 wins.
Johnson continued his stellar play in helping the Wildcats win the Cayman Islands Classic, 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.

THREE SET FOR REDSHIRT

Head coach Jerome Tang announced after Monday's game with UTRGV 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.

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 newcomes 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: WICHITA STATE (4-2)

K-State returns home on Saturday, Dec. 3 when the Wildcats play host to in-state rival Wichita State (4-2) at 8 p.m., CT on ESPNU. The Shockers have won 3 of their last 4 games, as they enter Tuesday's home game with Missouri.

Game Preview // K-State Travels to Butler for Big East/Big 12 Battle

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Players Mentioned

Nate Awbrey

Cam Carter

Jerrell Colbert

Tykei Greene

Abayomi Iyiola

Keyontae Johnson

Taj Manning

David N'Guessan

Markquis Nowell

Desi Sills

Anthony Thomas

Nae'Qwan Tomlin

Kansas State University Athletics

Game Preview // K-State Travels to Butler for Big East/Big 12 Battle

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Nate Awbrey

Cam Carter

Jerrell Colbert

Tykei Greene

Abayomi Iyiola

Keyontae Johnson

Taj Manning

David N'Guessan

Markquis Nowell

Desi Sills

Anthony Thomas

Nae'Qwan Tomlin

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