Get to know the Kansas State Wildcats

After picking up the program’s first NCAA Tournament victory in four years on Friday night, the No. 6 Kentucky Wildcats advanced to the Round of 32 on Sunday. UK took down No. 11 Providence and former ‘Cat Bryce Hopkins in round one, winning 61-53 in a second-half defensive battle. Up next for Kentucky in the East Region is an opponent with the same mascot: the No. 3 Kansas State Wildcats.

Tipoff between both sets of Wildcats is set for Sunday at 2:40 p.m. on CBS. Kansas State initially opened as the favorite, but the money quickly went towards Kentucky, which is now considered a 2-point favorite with the total set at 145. ESPN’s Matchup Predictor favors Kentucky with a 60.1 percent chance at the win, while KenPom and BartTorvik both give Kansas State a 51 percent chance to make the Sweet 16.

Kentucky leads the all-time series 9-1, per BigBlueHistory.net. The last time these two programs met, it was actually in the Sweet 16 of the 2018 NCAA Tournament and ended up being the lone win for Kansas State. In that game, No. 9 Kansas State upset No. 5 Kentucky, 61-58. It has since become known as the game where PJ Washington went 8-20 from the free throw line, which caused UK to slip down the stretch. But prior to that, Kentucky had not lost to Kansas State, dating back to the very first matchup in 1940 when UK won 53-26. Kentucky also beat Kansas State in the 1951 national championship game, 68-58, which took place in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

So what do we know about this year’s Kansas State squad? Not too much, but we’re going to learn as much as we can right now. Let’s get to know the (other) Wildcats.

Head coach: Jerome Tang; 1st season (24-9)

After spending 20 seasons as an assistant at Baylor under head coach Scott Drew, Tang replaced the retired Bruce Weber as Kansas State’s 23rd head coach during the offseason. The 56-year-old native of Trinidad and Tobago was an integral part of the Baylor coaching staff that won the 2021 NCAA championship. After an unexpectedly impressive first season in Manhattan, Kansas that saw Wildcats go 11-7 in a deeply talented Big 12 Conference and earn a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament, Tang was recognized as the league’s Coach of the Year.

Tang oversaw a 15-1 start for Kansas State, which resulted in them peaking at No. 13 in the Week 10 AP Poll. The Big 12 had no gimme games though. At one point in conference play, Kansas State dropped five of seven contests from late January to mid-February. But the Wildcats recovered, winning four straight before falling to West Virginia in the regular season finale. Kansas State would even lose in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament to TCU, 80-67, but had an impressive enough resume to earn a No. 3 seed. Kansas State was actually one of just five teams that came into the NCAA Tournament on at least a two-game losing streak.

Keyontae Johnson is back and better than ever

You remember Keyontae Johnson, right? During his two seasons at Florida, he was one of the SEC’s best players, even making the All-SEC First Team in 2020. That was just his sophomore season, when he averaged 14.0 points and 7.1 rebounds per outing while shooting over 54 percent from the floor overall and showing plenty of improvement with his three-point jumper. At 6-foot-5, he plays bigger than he looks. He was expected to take another leap in year three with Florida; he was named the SEC Preseason Player of the Year.

But tragedy struck shortly into the season. During a game against Florida State on Dec. 12, 2020, Johnson collapsed on the floor and spent the next three days in a medically-induced coma. Thankfully, he woke up and was in stable condition, but he was diagnosed with a heart condition and understandably did not play the rest of the season and eventually sat out the entirety of the 2021-22 season, as well. Johnson would later put his name in the transfer portal, soon landing with Coach Tang and Kansas State.

After two years away from basketball, there were legitimate questions surrounding what he’d look like when he finally did step back on the hardwood. In hindsight, those questions were foolish. Johnson is playing the best ball of his life. He averaged 17.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game for Kansas State this season, shooting 51.9 percent from the floor while establishing himself as a capable outside shooter. Johnson was tabbed as the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year and also made the All-Big 12 First Team.

During Kansas State’s round one win (77-65) over Montana State, Johnson finished with 18 points, eight rebounds, and three assists on 8-15 shooting in 39 minutes played. He’s the Wildcats’ engine on offense and can make plays happen from all over the floor. But let’s also keep in mind that he’s never beaten Kentucky. Johnson played against UK four different times while at Florida, losing all of them. His best outing was a 19-point, nine-rebound performance in Feb. 2020.

Don’t forget about Markquis Nowell

He might be hard to see at just 5-foot-7, but Kansas State point guard Markquis Nowell is one of the best players in the entire country. Like Johnson, he was also tabbed to the All-Big 12 First Team after putting up averages of 16.8 points, 7.8 assists, and 2.4 steals per game for the Wildcats this season. Nowell spent his first three seasons of ball at Little Rock before transferring to Kansas State ahead of the 2021-22 season. Now in his second season with the ‘Cats, Nowell has solidified himself as an elite college point guard on both ends of the floor. He was also named to the Big 12 All-Defensive Team. Tyler Ulis vibes, anyone?

Against Montana State, Nowell was excellent, recording 17 points, a crazy 14 assists, six rebounds, and three steals in 37 minutes. He shot 7-12 from the floor and 3-6 from beyond the arc, but if there’s one thing about him, it’s that he’s not the best scorer inside the arc. On the season, Nowell is making just 38.3 percent of his overall shots. He can knock down three-pointers with ease, but if he’s tasked with getting to the rim, his lack of size can cause issues with his efficiency. In fact, Nowell’s 58.3 shooting percent against Montana State was his third-best figure of the entire season. He shot 35 percent or worse in 13 games this season.

Both Johnson and Nowell — Third-Team AP All-Americans — averaged north of 34 minutes per game throughout the year. Expect them to play upwards of 37 on Sunday. Slowing them down will be priorities one, two, and three for Kentucky head coach John Calipari.

How about the rest?

Coach Tang has plenty of depth at his disposal. He only ran with a seven-man rotation in the win over Montana State but can go deeper down the bench if necessary. Kansas State starts and ends with Johnson and Nowell, but there is much more to this team.

6-foot-1 Desi Sills is a fifth-year college player who knows how to score inside the arc. He came off the bench for nearly the entire season but has started the last six games, including three outings with at least 10 points. 6-foot-10 forward Nae’Qwan Tomlin controls the frontcourt with 9.1 points and 5.7 rebounds per outing during conference games this season after spending the previous three seasons in the JUCO ranks.

Tomlin is joined by 6-foot-8 senior Ismael Massoud and 6-foot-9 junior David N’Guessan in the frontcourt, who will both soak up about 15 minutes each off the bench. 6-foot-3 sophomore Camryn Carter, who played at Mississippi State last season, fills in as the fifth starter, but he only averaged 6.5 points per game this season and struggles to shoot efficiently. 6-foot-9 fifth-year redshirt senior Abayomi Iyiola can also step in to play 5-10 minutes.

All eight of Kansas State’s top rotational pieces previously transferred from another school, with five of them currently in their first season with the Wildcats. They’ve all seamlessly adapted to Coach Tang’s system. Unlike Providence, there is plenty of size on Kansas State, so don’t expect another 25 rebounds from Oscar Tshiebwe.

Kansas State is well-balanced, ranking among the nation’s top 50 in both offensive and defensive adjusted efficiency, per KenPom. Whereas Providence was all about offense, Kansas State prides itself on the other end of the floor. It should be a rather even matchup against Kentucky.