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Winners and Losers: Markquis Nowell making history at Kansas State

On3 imageby:Derek Young•01/08/23•

DerekYoungKSO

Markquis Nowell 2022
Markquis Nowell/Kansas State Athletics

WINNERS

1) CATS: Kansas State is tied atop the Big 12 in the basketball standings after reeling off three consecutive wins over West Virginia, Texas and Baylor. In fact, K-State nearly eclipsed 100 points in two of the contests and defeated the Longhorns and the Bears on the road.

2) CONOR RILEY: The good vibes continue. The Kansas State offensive line coach must have the respect of the room. Conor Riley is bringing back the beef. The entire starting offensive line will return to Manhattan for another season. That doesn’t even include key reserves like Andrew Leingang, Taylor Poitier and Carver Willis.

3.) SKILL POSITION RECRUITING: Thad Ward has already struck in the transfer portal for K-State and they soon hope the same for assistant Brian Anderson. Kansas State has already added Keagan Johnson at wideout and are making a big push for Florida State running back transfer Treshaun Ward.

4) NOWELL: Things that have never been done before at K-State are being churned out by guard Markquis Nowell. After scoring 36 points and rattling off nine assists in Austin, he turned in another 32 points in Waco to go along with 14 assists. It was the first 30-point, 10-assist game in school history and he is on pace to shatter the Kansas State single-season assist record and has the Big 12 single-season record in his sights.

5) DEUCE: We should also commend the career of Deuce Vaughn. I’m not sure one player meant more to a program than him the last three years at K-State. He has chosen to forego his remaining eligibility and declare for the NFL Draft.

LOSERS

1) BEARD: Soon after falling to Kansas State, head coach Chris Beard was fired by Texas stemming from his arrest just a few weeks ago that involved a felony assault charge. It was for cause and the Longhorns will not owe him any of his $21 million buyout.

2) TECH, WVU AND BAYLOR: The Big 12 is a bit upside down from what we witnessed the last couple seasons. While K-State sits at 3-0 in the conference along with Iowa State and Kansas, three teams still without a league win are Texas Tech, West Virginia and Baylor.

3) BIG TEN: They may have gotten two teams into the playoff, but neither Ohio State nor Michigan could advance to the title game.

4) ‘POKES: Some need to be careful counting out Mike Gundy and Oklahoma State. He has more lives than a cat and can typically always muster up something. An indication that it could be happening yet again is the success that they have had in landing players from the transfer portal thus far. But the amount of exits on offense are still a bit concerning, especially since they have yet to secure an answer at quarterback.

As a KSO subscriber, Kansas State fans can learn about the Wildcats’ transfer portal chase, discover what next year’s roster could look like and the remaining needs, how offseason workouts are progressing, basketball recruiting nuggets and follow along with us as K-State marches through the basketball season.

Jerome Tang and the Wildcats are 14-1 and 3-0 in the Big 12 with a big home bout looming on Tuesday versus Oklahoma State. There is not a better time to be a member of the site. If you’re not subscribed, remember that a subscription to K-StateOnline is still just $30 until football season.

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