‘Crazy Faith’ Leads Cats to Regional Final
Mar 24, 2023 | Men's Basketball, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
Here we are in the innards of Madison Square Garden and Jerome Tang wears his purple "OUT THE MUD" T-shirt and wears a smile and talks about heroes and talks about dreamers and talks about doubters, and all the camera people and all the reporters eagerly hang on his every word, because this is all new, understand, that a first-year Division I head coach leads a team this far into March, and it is truly something to behold, particularly in New York, which can chew up a sports team and spit it out into Times Square.
Tang and Kansas State have hushed their critics, and Tang is holding court to talk a little bit about the Wildcats' exciting road to this point, as they've spent six months muscling their way past the doubters.
"Last round, we were the only higher-seeded team that was an underdog, and then this round we were the No. 1 team to get upset today," he says. "We love that. They can all pick against us next round."
How joyous it is to say "next round," really, because March, too, can spit you out, fast and without warning, and as madness turns into sudden sadness, and trips home become quiet as teams say goodbye to seasons, coaches, teammates, and family.
K-State, the team that everybody counted out, the squad picked 10th in the toughest conference in America, is one step away from playing in the Final Four.
"You have to really embrace it and take a moment, take moment and really soak this thing in," Tang says, "until we move to the next thing."
And the next thing is a date against No. 9-seed Florida Atlantic in the East Regional Final for the right to advance to Houston for the Final Four and a shot to play in the NCAA Championship.
At halftime of the East Regional Semifinal between No. 3-seed K-State and seventh-seed Michigan State, the Bee Gees' hit song, "Stayin' Alive" filled the warm air of the hallowed arena, which has been home to a multitude of memorable performances since it was built in 1968. No telling if it has housed a performance quite like the Wildcats' epic 98-93 overtime victory against the Spartans — an effort that brought down the house, as K-State fans turned the Garden into Bramlage Coliseum Northeast and they danced to "Sandstorm" and they chanted, "K-S-U! K-S-U!" and TV cameras caught every moment.
K-State's performance was so good that the Wildcats will be back for an encore on Saturday.
"We just want to keep it going," says senior Keyontae Johnson, who just scored a team-high 22 points.
"It's surreal," says junior Ismael Massoud, a Harlem native, who came off the bench to deliver 15 points, including four clutch 3-pointers.
Emotions drip from K-State senior point guard Markquis Nowell, a Harlem native, who sits on stage, underneath the lights, after setting a NCAA Tournament record with 19 assists in the world's most famous arena.
"I just wanted to do it for my teammates, man," Nowell says. "I just love being out there with these guys."
There are performances — and then there are performances. And it might take a little bit for the enormity of it all to fully sink in, but Nowell just staged one of the all-time great performances not only in K-State history but in the history of the NCAA Tournament, which began in 1939, and he did so despite suffering in the second half what appeared to be a right leg injury, which could stop some players, but not Nowell, who seemingly shined even brighter upon his return to the court moments later.
"This one was special in front of my hometown and the city that loves me," says Nowell, who added 20 points and five steals in 42 minutes. "I can't even put into words how blessed and grateful I am."
This game had 14 ties and 16 lead changes. It was Nowell, a third-team All-American and finalist for the Bob Cousy Award, given annually to the premier point guard in college basketball, who helped decide things down the stretch.
It was Nowell, who hit Johnson for an alley-oop reverse dunk that gave K-State a 94-92 lead with 52 seconds left in overtime, and it was Nowell, who found Massoud for a jump shot just outside of the paint for a 96-93 lead with 17 seconds to go. And finally, it was Nowell, who forced Michigan State senior Tyson Walker into a turnover, and Nowell collected the ball and made a driving layup just before the final buzzer to put the exclamation on one of the greatest games in K-State history.
It was incredible. And for the second time in as many games, Nowell's efforts became a social media sensation.
Until there was no more back and forth, and one team won and one team lost.
"I mean, it means I get to spend a few more days with our guys," Tang says. "It's a huge accomplishment. This thing is hard to do. The next thing is huge."
The next thing could end with a trip to Houston.
"We have great belief in each other that when everybody says we can't do it, we just keep believing in ourselves," Tang says. "Early on, people were calling it crazy. Now, everyone says, what great faith.
"We call it crazy faith."
K-State has now reached the Elite Eight 13 times. It has reached the Final Four four times. Its best finish came when it lost to Kentucky in the 1951 national championship game.
"We're going to win a national championship while we're here," Tang said a couple days ago when he boarded a flight to New York City.
Now the city that never sleeps has a team that folks can sleep on no longer.
The team that everybody counted out, the one from Manhattan, Kansas, is now the toast of Manhattan, New York.
Here we are in the innards of Madison Square Garden and Jerome Tang wears his purple "OUT THE MUD" T-shirt and wears a smile and talks about heroes and talks about dreamers and talks about doubters, and all the camera people and all the reporters eagerly hang on his every word, because this is all new, understand, that a first-year Division I head coach leads a team this far into March, and it is truly something to behold, particularly in New York, which can chew up a sports team and spit it out into Times Square.
Tang and Kansas State have hushed their critics, and Tang is holding court to talk a little bit about the Wildcats' exciting road to this point, as they've spent six months muscling their way past the doubters.
"Last round, we were the only higher-seeded team that was an underdog, and then this round we were the No. 1 team to get upset today," he says. "We love that. They can all pick against us next round."
How joyous it is to say "next round," really, because March, too, can spit you out, fast and without warning, and as madness turns into sudden sadness, and trips home become quiet as teams say goodbye to seasons, coaches, teammates, and family.
K-State, the team that everybody counted out, the squad picked 10th in the toughest conference in America, is one step away from playing in the Final Four.
"You have to really embrace it and take a moment, take moment and really soak this thing in," Tang says, "until we move to the next thing."
And the next thing is a date against No. 9-seed Florida Atlantic in the East Regional Final for the right to advance to Houston for the Final Four and a shot to play in the NCAA Championship.
At halftime of the East Regional Semifinal between No. 3-seed K-State and seventh-seed Michigan State, the Bee Gees' hit song, "Stayin' Alive" filled the warm air of the hallowed arena, which has been home to a multitude of memorable performances since it was built in 1968. No telling if it has housed a performance quite like the Wildcats' epic 98-93 overtime victory against the Spartans — an effort that brought down the house, as K-State fans turned the Garden into Bramlage Coliseum Northeast and they danced to "Sandstorm" and they chanted, "K-S-U! K-S-U!" and TV cameras caught every moment.
K-State's performance was so good that the Wildcats will be back for an encore on Saturday.
"We just want to keep it going," says senior Keyontae Johnson, who just scored a team-high 22 points.
"It's surreal," says junior Ismael Massoud, a Harlem native, who came off the bench to deliver 15 points, including four clutch 3-pointers.
Emotions drip from K-State senior point guard Markquis Nowell, a Harlem native, who sits on stage, underneath the lights, after setting a NCAA Tournament record with 19 assists in the world's most famous arena.
"I just wanted to do it for my teammates, man," Nowell says. "I just love being out there with these guys."
There are performances — and then there are performances. And it might take a little bit for the enormity of it all to fully sink in, but Nowell just staged one of the all-time great performances not only in K-State history but in the history of the NCAA Tournament, which began in 1939, and he did so despite suffering in the second half what appeared to be a right leg injury, which could stop some players, but not Nowell, who seemingly shined even brighter upon his return to the court moments later.
"This one was special in front of my hometown and the city that loves me," says Nowell, who added 20 points and five steals in 42 minutes. "I can't even put into words how blessed and grateful I am."
This game had 14 ties and 16 lead changes. It was Nowell, a third-team All-American and finalist for the Bob Cousy Award, given annually to the premier point guard in college basketball, who helped decide things down the stretch.
It was Nowell, who hit Johnson for an alley-oop reverse dunk that gave K-State a 94-92 lead with 52 seconds left in overtime, and it was Nowell, who found Massoud for a jump shot just outside of the paint for a 96-93 lead with 17 seconds to go. And finally, it was Nowell, who forced Michigan State senior Tyson Walker into a turnover, and Nowell collected the ball and made a driving layup just before the final buzzer to put the exclamation on one of the greatest games in K-State history.
It was incredible. And for the second time in as many games, Nowell's efforts became a social media sensation.
"It was like a Rocky fight tonight," Nowell says. "We were going back and forth, back and forth, and back and forth."Game recognizes game! 🤩@MrNewYorkCityy x @KStateMBB pic.twitter.com/7ZKa9RSsjh
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) March 24, 2023
Until there was no more back and forth, and one team won and one team lost.
"I mean, it means I get to spend a few more days with our guys," Tang says. "It's a huge accomplishment. This thing is hard to do. The next thing is huge."
The next thing could end with a trip to Houston.
"We have great belief in each other that when everybody says we can't do it, we just keep believing in ourselves," Tang says. "Early on, people were calling it crazy. Now, everyone says, what great faith.
"We call it crazy faith."
K-State has now reached the Elite Eight 13 times. It has reached the Final Four four times. Its best finish came when it lost to Kentucky in the 1951 national championship game.
"We're going to win a national championship while we're here," Tang said a couple days ago when he boarded a flight to New York City.
Now the city that never sleeps has a team that folks can sleep on no longer.
The team that everybody counted out, the one from Manhattan, Kansas, is now the toast of Manhattan, New York.
Players Mentioned
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