Little Apple Times

Nearly one year to the day that Jerome Tang was formally introduced at Kansas State, the first-year men's basketball coach has the Wildcats in the Sweet 16.

Now No. 3 seed K-State, 25-9, will work to move one step closer to the NCAA Tournament's Final Four in Houston as the Wildcats prepare to face seventh-seed Michigan State, 21-12, in Thursday's East Regional Semifinal at 5:30 p.m. in Madison Square Garden.

"I want to thank the good Lord for this opportunity to be the head coach at Kansas State and to be with this group of young men. You play at Madison Square Garden, and it's a dream come true for kids and adults. It's just a blessing to be here and it's hard to do. I'm extremely thankful."

Tang, a finalist for the Naismith National Coach of the Year award, is the first K-State head coach to guide his team to the Sweet 16 in his first season. His 25 victories are the most by any first-year head coach on a team still alive in the tournament. Tang opened his introductory speech on March 24, 2022 by proclaiming, "It's a great day to be a Wildcat!" while announcing that he didn't arrive at K-State to "rebuild" the program but instead to "elevate" it. 

Mission accomplished.

Tang 23 SE

"Man, it's been a special year for us," K-State point guard Markquis Nowell said. "When we realized Coach Tang was going to be head coach, we believed in him from day one, and believed in his vision for us and the program, and to see that we're taking the floor in the Sweet 16, I mean, it's just a blessing." 

K-State comes off a 75-69 win over sixth-seeded Kentucky in the second-round game in Greensboro, North Carolina — a game that featured one of the best individual performances by a K-State player ever in a NCAA Tournament game, as Nowell went off for 27 points, nine assists and three steals, eliciting a strong national response and casting him into the national spotlight. It marked the most points by a K-State player in a NCAA Tournament game since 2012. 

Nowell is one of two players since 1990, along with Murray State's Ja Morant, to combine for 40 points and 20 assists before the Sweet 16. Nowell ranks top-20 nationally in seven categories, including second with 7.8 assists per game and third with 266 total assists, while he ranks first in the Big 12 in an astounding eight statistical categories. 

K-State's stay in New York City marks a homecoming for Nowell, a native of Harlem, while teammates Ismael Massoud (East Harlem), Nae'Qwan Tomlin (Harlem) and Tykei Greene (Queens) are also from the Big Apple. 

"Quis and Ish were our chief recruiters, and we were flipping over every rock, and watching every film, and talking to as many people as we could to assemble a team, and they did a great job of hosting guys," Tang said. "The other guys felt comfortable knowing that we had some New York guys. K-State has a history of having good players from New York. We've had multiple guys in the past. I'm thankful. I know that." 

Nowell and Johnson 23 SE

Graduate transfer Keyontae Johnson leads K-State with 17.5 points on 51.4% shooting, including 40.5% from 3-point range, and 7.0 rebounds. Nowell averages 17.1 points to go along with his staggering 7.8 assists. Tomlin averages 10.3 points on 50.5% shooting and 5.8 rebounds. 

"It's definitely a blessing to be here," Johnson said. "I played here my freshman year against West Virginia. It's always a good experience coming back and playing in an NBA arena knowing it's something we want to do." 

K-State has won six of its last eight and averages 75.5 points on 45.8% shooting, including 33.6% on 3-pointers, to go along with 35.1 rebounds, 16.8 assists, 7.8 steals and 2.8 blocks. The Wildcats allow 68.9 points on 42.0% shooting, including 42.0% on 3-pointers. 

Johnson 23 SE

Michigan State has won seven of its last 10, including wins over No. 10-seed USC (72-62) and second-seeded Marquette (69-60) to open the NCAA Tournament. The Spartans are making their 21st Sweet 16 appearance, including their 15th under Hall-of-Famer Tom Izzo. 

"When we have the opportunity to play (at Madison Square Garden), I always talk about it as a privilege," Izzo said. "We get to play in a lot of great places, but it's not just college basketball, either, as you know. It's basketball, period. It doesn't matter what it is. This place is known for it, and you know what, I'm not saying I've had a lot of great success here, so this will be a good weekend to change that."

Michigan State averages 70.2 points on 45.1% shooting, including 38.7% on 3-pointers, to go along with 35.6 rebounds, 14.5 assists, 4.8 steals and 2.9 blocks. The Spartans allow 67.0 points on 41.9% shooting, including 31.9% on 3-pointers. 

The Spartans rank No. 8 nationally in hitting 38.7% from behind the arc.

"This isn't the first time I've gone against a Michigan State team," Tang said. "One of the things that's super impressive is how quickly they get the ball out of the net and up the floor after the other team scores. Transition, we call the bookends, the moment they touch the ball and then the end of it, and how great they rebound. Those two things we have to be prepared for — stopping them in transition, getting back, building a wall, making them play in halfcourt, and then when they take a shot is corral the ball and limit their second-chance opportunity.

"They just play with Coach Izzo's toughness, that gritty toughness, and they'll fight you for every inch of the court, on every dribble and every pass, and they're really good players that do those things. That makes it really hard." 

All-Big Ten selection Tyson Walker averages 14.8 points on 46.2% shooting, including 40.7% on 3-pointers. Graduate Joey Hauser averages 14.3 points on 48.5% shooting, including a blistering 46.2% from behind the arc, and has a team-leading 7.1 rebounds. 

"Tyson is a very good defender," Izzo said. "He probably doesn't get as much credit as he did at Northeastern, where he was defensive player of the year, because he is a very good defender." 

Michigan State leads the all-time series against K-State at 5-2. This will be their first meeting in the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats seek their first win over the Spartans since December 1, 1962.

That could change Thursday on the hallowed court of Madison Square Garden. 

"It's going to be fun," Nowell said. "You hear all the stories of all the historic performances and the NBA players and the greats. I'm looking forward to this atmosphere and stepping on the court."

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