At Arkansas-Little Rock, Markquis Nowell had a lot of freedom to do what he wanted. He was their best player, and that gave him the opportunity to take any shot he wanted. He did so at an efficient rate, while also turning the ball over at a high clip.

He is surrounded by more talent at Kansas State than he saw at Little Rock, and because of that, his game has transformed. Nowell has become more of a floor general as opposed to a volume shooter.

On top of that, he has elevated his defensive game. He has always been a pesky on-ball defender, but he has improved his skill away from the ball and become more calculated on when to take the risk in attempting a steal.

Nowell has placed a lot of his focus on cleaning up both ends of the floor, but his three-point shooting efficiency is one thing that has dipped. He correlated that with the fact he is now exerting much more energy on defense, and that has affected his legs.

Wins are impossible in the tough Big 12 without playing well. That goes for everyone. And it includes Nowell's poor shooting, and he knows it. But he also wants to see the frontcourt find ways to contribute in games on a consistent basis.

If that happens, they can be a dangerous squad.

He still believes in the bigs because he's seen them work in practice. That still doesn't erase the fact that they've been the largest deficiency during games this season. They have to build confidence and believe in themselves, according to the transfer guard.

"If they can just translate what they are doing in practice, to the game, you'll see a totally different frontcourt."

Nowell gives them advice "to stay hungry, stay passionate and to let all the outside noise fuel you." He has seen the aggression and passion grow in them with each passing day, even if it hasn't surfaced on the court in Big 12 contests.

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Nowell has scored in double figures in all but three Big 12 contests (Texas Tech, Texas & Baylor). We asked him what those teams do to slow him down.

Though he didn't want to "discredit" those squads, he thought it was more about what he wasn't doing well rather than anything that they have set out to do against him. Nowell believes he has been thinking too much and getting in his own way.

With being surrounded by more capable teammates, embracing his newer responsibilities of feeding others and creating for them has taken himself out of rhythm a bit. Additionally, he's still watching a ton of film to aid in adjusting to Kansas State's style of offensive play.

"One of these days it is going to click," Nowell said. "And one of these days we're going to be very good and be one of the top teams."