Kansas State began Big 12 play on New Year’s Eve with the first league win in the Jerome Tang era, erasing an 11-point halftime deficit to defeat No. 24 West Virginia, 82-76, in overtime. Here are a half-dozen takeaways from Jerome Tang’s 12th win of the season.
1. Slow start from 3 erased by clutch second half makes
Kansas State was as ice cold as the weather last week shooting the ball from distance for the early portions of this game. The Wildcats missed their first nine attempts from beyond the arc before a few clutch makes helped aid a second half comeback for Tang’s squad.
In the second half, senior guard Markquis Nowell hit a crucial 3-pointer that cut the Kansas State deficit to within one possession with 14:26 to go in the half.
The second 3-pointer KSU made was from forward Ish Massoud, who contributed some important minutes in a game that senior forward Keyontae Johnson experienced some foul trouble in. It was followed moments later by a 3 from Desi Sills, which gave the Wildcats a 50-44 lead.
2. Bebe Iyiola steps up in N’Guessan’s absence
A rousing ovation was given to center Bebe Iyiola after he swished through consecutive free throws to give Kansas State a 3-point lead in the last minute of the game. While the free throws were immediately answered by a game-tying 3-pointer by West Virginia with 0.9 seconds left, they were a great example of his contributions in a game in which the Wildcats were without junior forward David N’Guessan.
When N’Guessan is in the Wildcat lineup he’s great at not forcing his shots and taking offense when it comes to him. On Saturday, Iyiola did just that, making six of his seven attempts from the floor to go along with the aforementioned free throws. His 14 points were the most for him in a Kansas State uniform.
3. Protecting home court
In the double round robin format that Big 12 conference play is, holding serve at home is the way to add to an NCAA Tournament resumé for a team like Kansas State. On a day where the football program drew tens of thousands down in New Orleans, a strong crowd assisted the Wildcats to a victory in their conference opener.
4. Turnover battle proves to be crucial
In a battle of teams that are superb at forcing opponents into turnovers, Kansas State was able to do so in a better fashion than West Virginia was. The Wildcats forced 20 turnovers, which helped them make up for a deficit at the free throw line and a 50-36 Mountaineer advantage in the rebounding department. It also fueled a few fast break moments for KSU, with one of the highlights coming in an alley-oop slam from junior forward Nae’Qwan Tomlin.
Kansas State entered the game as the 19th-best team in the nation at defensive turnover rate. Between that and avoiding turnovers with the great assist-to-turnover ratio for Nowell, the Wildcats know how to value the rock.
5. Nowell dominates the overtime period
Speaking of Nowell, the senior guard is one of the nation’s best passers. He entered Saturday’s game averaging 8.3 assists per game and showed that passing brilliance during the extra five minutes.
With the shot clock ticking down, he found Tykei Greene for a layup that gave Kansas State a 72-66 lead. After an empty offensive possession, Nowell found Tomlin for another alley-oop dunk to extend the Kansas State lead to 74-68.
On the defensive end, the man who has over 200 steals in his collegiate career was great in the closing stretch, grabbing two steals. He added a driving layup through contact and scored five points in the extra frame. Late in the game he keyed everything for Kansas State.
When all was said and done, Nowell finished with 23 points, 10 assists and 7 steals. He was every bit as good -- if not better -- than his statline.
6. Wildcats off to hottest start in recent memory
A victory over the Mountaineers improved Kansas State to 12-1, the best mark for the Wildcats to open the season since the 2009-10 season. Tang’s Wildcats were poised despite falling into an 17-3 deficit. KSU trailed by as much as 14 and were down by 11 at the break but fought back to tie the game in the middle of the second half.
Kansas State heads to Austin to take on No. 6 Texas Tuesday night at 8 p.m.
