Rapid Recap: Kansas State remains a tough out at home

KANSAS STATE SCHOOL RECORD

Kansas State reached a school record for wins vs an AP Top 25 opponent in the win over Baylor. It was their seventh against a ranked opponent, which ties the previous mark from 2010-2011. It was also the third time that K-State has defeated a Top 10 opponent this season, also tying the program’s best mark.

Jerome Tang shared that they are blessed with a great staff and team and it is not just him that is responsible. It is crazy for him to hear those numbers because of how long it took them to accumulate numbers like that at Baylor.

Yet, they’ve accomplished it instantly in Manhattan.

NOWELL’S NIGHT

Markquis Nowell did not have his best night shooting the ball. He was just 2 of 11 from the floor and missed all six of his three-point attempts. However, he made his presence felt early and often by passing it on Tuesday night against the Bears.

He finished with 10 assists for the game and didn’t give it away, either. In the two games against Baylor this season, the Kansas State senior guard has 24 assists with zero turnovers.

The game plan for K-State was for Nowell to distribute the ball to his teammates and be poised. They’ve been working on that for weeks. Baylor does over-play on defense, which led to a lot of backdoor cuts and backdoor lobs that haven’t been there for most of the last month.

They were the bulk of Nowell’s assists.

HOME COURT ADVANTAGE

Kansas State is building a great home court advantage in Bramlage Coliseum. They have only lost one game at home this season, and it was a game in which they were in total control during the first half versus Texas.

If not for one bad 20-minute frame in Manhattan, K-State would be unblemished in their own venue.

There’s no substitute for home court and especially in the Big 12. When teams have had back-to-back road games like Baylor just did, it is tough for them to win the second one. Tang noted that only Kansas State and Kansas have won back-to-back road games during conference play this season.

Both were much earlier in the year, too.

HIGH PRAISE FOR K-STATE

Scott Drew had nothing but praise for K-State.

The Baylor head coach called both Keyontae Johnson and Nowell first team All-Big 12 players. He joked about how the Bears ran four different defenses trying to stop the Kansas State duo, but the best defense against the pair is for them to just graduate college.

Like you would expect, Drew was also very complementary of Tang, his former pupil. He believes that the first year head coach should be National Coach of the Year for the job he has done in Manhattan, and not just because they are so close.