🏀 MBB: K-State to Host Nebraska in Wildcat Classic Saturday

KANSAS CITY, Mo.—Kansas State (9-1) renews its rivalry with former conference foe Nebraska (6-5), as the Wildcats play host to the Cornhuskers in the Wildcat Classic at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City.

OPENING TIP

It will be the second in a 3-game series between the schools after K-State earned a 67-58 win over Nebraska at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln on Dec. 19, 2021. The schools were to open the series at the T-Mobile Center in 2020, but it was pushed back due to the COVID-19 pandemic.. This will be the 23rd meeting in Kansas City with the Wildcats holding a 19-3 record, as all of those meetings came in the Big 6/7/8 Holiday and Postseason Tournaments.

KEY STORYLINES

K-State is off its best start since opening the 2011-12 season with a similar 9-1 record. The Wildcats have already surpassed their non-conference win total from each of the last 3 seasons, as they attempt to win 10 games in non-conference play for the first time since 2018-19.
K-State's 9-1 start under head coach Jerome Tang is the best by a first-year coach in school history, surpassing the previous start of 8-2 by Lon Kruger (1986-87), Tom Asbury (1994-95) and Bruce Weber (2012-13). His 9-1 start ranks among the very best by all first-year head coaches in all of Division I, only surpassed by the 10-0 start by Mississippi State's Chris Jans.
This will be the 11th Wildcat Classic at the T-Mobile Center but the first since Dec. 21, 2019, with K-State holding an 8-2 record in those previous matchups. A 66-63 loss to Saint Louis in that last matchup in 2019 snapped a 5-game winning streak, which included victories over No. 23 Alabama, No. 8 Florida, No. 21 Texas A&M, Washington State and Vanderbilt.
K-State has won 3 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) and UIW (98-50). The Wildcats have been impressive offensively in the last 2 games, averaging 89.5 points on 58.8 percent (70-of-119) shooting with 50 of those points coming in the paint.
The Wildcats have a dynamic scoring duo in seniors Keyontae Johnson and Markquis Nowell, as they are averaging 31.4 points per game on 48.8 percent (103-of-211) shooting. They are currently the third-best scoring duo in the Big 12 after the tandem of Kansas' Jalen Wilson and Gradey Dick (37.5 ppg.) and Baylor's L.J. Cryer and Adam Flagler (32.6 ppg.).
Johnson, who ranks second in the Big 12 in scoring at 17.3 points per game, is one of just 22 Division I players shooting 50 percent or better from the field (59.2), 45 percent or better from 3-point range (50.0) and 80 percent or better from the free throw line (80.0).
Nowell continues to be one of the nation's leaders in assists. His 8.2 assists per game rank second nationally, while his 82 total assists place third. He is also 18th in assist/turnover ratio (3.4) with 82 assists to 24 turnovers. He is the only active Division I player with at least 1,000 points, 500 assists and 200 steals, while his 212 career steals are second among active players.

NOTES ON NEBRASKA

Nebraska (6-5) enters Saturday's game on the heels of back-to-back losses to start Big Ten play against perhaps the league's 2 best teams with an 81-65 setback at No. 14/11 Indiana before dropping a heartbreaker in overtime at home to No. 4/4 Purdue.
Nebraska has faced one of the most challenging schedules in the country with top-40 metrics according to KenPom. In addition to its Big Ten start against Indiana and Purdue, the team has split road games at St. John's and Creighton on the road and went 1-2 at a neutral site vs. Oklahoma, Memphis and Florida State.
Nebraska is averaging 68.7 points on 44.8 percent shooting, including 31 percent from 3-point range, with 37.1 rebounds, 14.1 assists, 6.2 steals and 1.8 blocks per game, while allowing 65.5 points on 43 percent shooting, including 33.3 percent from 3-point range. The Cornhuskers are connecting on 64 percent from the free throw line.
Five players are averaging in double figures led by junior and Kansas City native Derrick Walker, who is averaging 15.3 points on 69.2 percent (45-of-65) shooting with a team-best 8.8 rebounds per game. Junior transfer Keisei Tominaga is providing a big lift off the bench at 11.5 points per game, including a team-best 20 made 3-pointers. Transfer Sam Griesel leads in assists (4.8 apg.) to go with 10.7 points and 5.8 rebounds per game.
Head coach Fred Hoiberg is in his fourth season at Nebraska with a 30-72 record. Prior to leaving for the Chicago Bulls, Hoiberg had a successful stint at Iowa State, leading his alma mater to a 115-56 record and 4 straight NCAA Tournament appearances from 2012-15.

SERIES HISTORY

K-State leads the series, 127-93, which includes a 69-35 mark in games played at home venues. This will be the 221st meeting between the former conference rivals, which ranks as the fourth-most played series in school history behind Kansas (297), Missouri (237) and Iowa State (235).
K-State holds a 19-3 mark in games played in Kansas City

LAST 10 MEETINGS [7-3]
Date                      Rank      Result   Score     Location
2/13/2007            —/—     L              63-74     Lincoln
2/6/2008              20/—     W            74-59     Manhattan
2/20/2008            24/—     L              64-71     Lincoln
1/17/2009            —/—     L              51-73     Lincoln
2/28/2009            —/—     W            77-72     Manhattan
2/2/2010              10/—     W            76-57     Lincoln
2/17/2010            7/—       W            91-87     Manhattan
2/2/2011              —/—     W            69-53     Manhattan
2/23/2011            —/—     W            61-57     Lincoln
12/19/2021         —/—     W            67-58     Lincoln

LAST MEETING: K-STATE 67, NEBRASKA 58

K-State turned to its reliable defense to grind out a road victory, as the Wildcats held Nebraska to more than 17 points under its average in a 67-58 win on Dec. 19, 2021, at Pinnacle Bank Arena in the schools' last meeting.
With their offense struggling with consistency, the Wildcats turned up their defensive effort in holding the Huskers to their second-fewest points of the season (58) and second-lowest field goal percentage (32.8). The Huskers, who started the game 5-of-10 from 3-point range, missed their final 18 attempts from long range, including all 11 in the second half.
Nijel Pack led the way offensively for the Wildcats with 15 points on 5-of-13 field goals to go with a career-high 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals, while fellow sophomore Ish Massoud added 10 points on 2-of-4 field goals and a perfect 5-of-5 effort from the free throw line.

LAST TIME OUT: K-STATE 98, UIW 50

K-State opened the second half with 23 consecutive points to blow open an already lopsided game, as the Wildcats capped an impressive offensive effort with a 98-50 win over UIW on Sunday before 7,042 fans at Bramlage Coliseum.
K-State collected its third 90-point scoring effort, narrowly missing the school's first 100-point game since 2010 in the last few minutes before opting to dribble out the ball in the closing seconds against an undermanned UIW. The Wildcats hit on a season-best 59.1 percent (39-of-66) from the field, including 68.8 percent (22-of-32) after halftime, and saw 7 players in double figures.
The 48-point margin of victory is the 10th largest in school history and the most since a 107-48 win over Gardner-Webb on Dec. 14, 2008.
K-State busted open a close contest with a 20-1 run midway through the first half before landing the knockout punch with a 23-0 start to the second half. Six Wildcats contributed in the first-half run, including 5 points each from senior Markquis Nowell and freshman Dorian Finister. The second-half run was much the same with seven players registering points, including 3-pointers from senior Keyontae Johnson and juniors Ish Massoud and Nae'Qwan Tomlin.
Johnson led all scorers with 18 points on 7-of-9 field goals, including 3-of-5 from 3-point range, to go with 5 assists, 4 rebounds and 3 steals in a season-low 24 minutes of action. The Wildcats' leading scorer (17.3 ppg.) has now scored in double figures in all 10 games this season. Tomlin had a near double-double with 15 points and a season-high 9 rebounds in 23 minutes, while junior reserve Desi Sills added 14 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds and 2 steals.
Sophomore Cam Carter, Finister and Nowell each added 10 points, as Nowell nearly notched another double-double with a game-high 8 assists to go with 5 rebounds. Finister saw his most action of the season in 22 minutes, recording his first career double-digit scoring game to go with 7 rebounds and 4 assists.
UIW, which has 9 true or redshirt freshmen on its 16-man roster, connected on 38 percent (19-of-50) from the field, including 50 percent (7-of-14) from 3-point range, and made just 5 of 8 attempts from the free throw line. Freshman Trey Miller led the Cardinals with 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting.

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 9-1 start under head coach Jerome Tang is the best by a first-year coach in school history with Lon Kruger, Tom Asbury and Bruce Weber all starting their tenures at 8-2. Tang was one of four first-year coaches in Division I who were unbeaten prior to the loss to Butler on Nov. 30, joining Missouri's Dennis Gates, MSU's Chris Jans and Maryland's Kevin Willard.
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 11-1.

SUCCESS IN NON-CONFERENCE PLAY

K-State has posted a 168-53 (.759) record in non-conference play since the 2006-07 season. During that span, the Wildcats have a 126-14 (.899) 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 117-12 (.905) mark at Bramlage Coliseum.
K-State has a 20-20 all-time record in the T-Mobile Center, including an 8-2 mark in the Wildcat Classic. The Wildcats have lost their last 4 games in the arena (counting the last 2 Big 12 Championships and the 2021 Hall of Fame Classic). Overall, the team is 10-6 in the T-Mobile Center in regular-season matchups.
The Wildcats need 1 more win to post double-digit non-conference wins for the first time since 2018-19. The team collected 10 or more non-conference wins in 12 of 13 seasons from 2006-07 to 2018-19, but they have since managed just a 30-18 record in non-conference action in the last 3+ seasons (since 2019-20).
K-State's current 9-1 non-conference mark is the best since opening the 2011-12 season with a similar 9-1 record. The Wildcats won a program-best 13 non-conference games in 2009-10, while they won 12 in 2008-09 and 2010-11.

IN NEED OF A STRONGER START

One of the keys to K-State's 6-0 start to the season had been its strong starts, as the Wildcats averaged 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.
Although K-State scored 45 points on 50 percent shooting in the first half of the UIW win, the team had gotten off to less than desirable starts in the 3 games prior. They scored just 25 points in the first half of the Butler loss before posting 29 against Wichita State and 35 against Abilene Christian. In those 3 games, the Wildcats averaged just 29.7 points on 42.4 percent shooting.
K-State had out-scored its opponents, 242-178, in the first half in the first 6 games, as its defense had allowed 29.7 points on 39.6 percent (63-of-159) shooting, including 31.4 percent (16-of-51) from beyond the arc. However, in that 3-game span, opponents averaged 34.3 points on 50 percent shooting.
The Wildcats have forced 78 combined turnovers in the first half so far with nearly a third of the total points (102 of 376) 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.

FORCING TURNOVERS

K-State's defense has forced 177 turnovers through the first 10 games, which includes 80 steals, while averaging 20.7 points per game off those miscues. The team ranks fourth in non-steal turnover percentage (14.0) by KenPom.
The 17.7 turnovers forced per game ranks 23rd nationally, while it places third in the Big 12 behind Iowa State and Texas. K-State ranks fifth in turnover margin (+4.0) and sixth in steals (8.0), while senior Markquis Nowell places sixth 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 has scored 20 or more points off turnovers 5 times in 10 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 10 games, as the Wildcats are averaging 19.2 points per game. Three reserves (Desi Sills, Tykei Greene and Ish Massoud) are averaging better than 4 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.
The veteran Sills has been particularly impactful from the bench, scoring in double figures 5 times in 10 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).

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 (1,155 points), Markquis Nowell (1,449 points), Desi Sills (1,203 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 [874] and Keyontae Johnson [962]) 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 1,704-1,214 (.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 72.2 percent (143-of-198). That percentage had been the best in the Big 12 until a recent slump dropped the Wildcats to third.
Two Wildcats rank in the Big 12's top-10, including seniors Markquis Nowell (6th; 83.7%, 41-of-49) and Keyontae Johnson (7th; 80%, 36-of-45). In addition, two others - junior Nae'Qwan Tomlin (75%, 21-of-28) and senior Desi Sills (72.7% 16-of-22) - would be ranked if they 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.

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 became just the ninth Wildcat to connect on 9 or more field goals without a miss in the loss at Butler (11/30/22), posting his first double-double as a Wildcat with a team-high 20 points to go with a game-high 12 rebounds. It was his 14th career double-double, including his 6th 20/10 double-double.
Johnson has scored in double figures in all 10 games this season, leading the Wildcats and ranking third in the Big 12 in scoring at 17.3 points per game. He leads the league in field goal percentage (59.2), while he is in the top-10 in 3 other categories, including seventh in both rebounding (6.4 rpg.) and free throw percentage (80.0) and ninth in minutes (31.1 mpg.).

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 (8.2 apg.) and steals (2.0 spg.) while averaging the second-most points (14.1 ppg.).
Nowell ranks second nationally in assists per game (8.2 apg.) and fourth in total assists (82), while he is 18th in assists/turnover ratio (3.36). He is the only active Division I player with 1,000 points, 500 assists and 200 steals. He ranks second behind Tennessee State's Junior Clay for most steals by an active Division I player with 212. He is also nearing 1,500 career points, just 51 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 in assists in the win over Abilene Christian, totaling his 10th career double-double, including his fifth as a Wildcat, with 15 points and 12 assists. He has double-digit assists in 3 games this year.

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 (9.9 ppg.) while connecting 43.4 percent (36-of-83) from the field to go with 5.7 rebounds and 1.0 blocks in 26.7 minutes per game.
Tomlin had a near double-double in his first career Division I game vs. UTRGV (11/7/22) in the opener, as he finished with a team-tying 14 points on 6-of-12 field goals to go with a game-high 8 rebounds in just 20 minutes.
Tomlin continued his progress in the road win at Cal (11/11/22), scoring 11 points on 4-of-9 shooting with 2 rebounds, 2 blocks and 1 steal in just under 26 minutes of action. Although he didn't register double figures for the first time this season, he had a solid stat line in the win over Kansas City (11/17/22) with 9 points, a team-tying 7 rebounds and 3 steals in 26 minutes.
Tomlin has double-digit scoring games in each of the last 3 games, including 14 points vs. Wichita State (12/3/22) with 6 rebounds, 2 blocks and 2 steals, 12 points vs. ACU (12/6/22) with 8 rebounds and 2 steals and a career-tying 15 points vs. UIW (12/11/22) to go with a season-high 9 rebounds.
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.
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 9.3 points on 46.8 percent (37-of-79) shooting with 3.0 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 26.8 minutes per game. He has scored in double figures in 5 of 10 games, including a season-high 17 points in the loss at Butler (11/30/22).
Sills has double-digit points 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.
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 withBaylor'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: RADFORD (6-5)

K-State wraps up its December non-conference schedule on Wednesday, Dec. 21 by hosting Radford (6-5) in the second game of a men's and women's doubleheader at 1:30 p.m., CT at Bramlage Coliseum.