Get to Know: All Things Kansas State Ahead of NCAA Tournament Round of 32 Matchup vs. Kentucky

GREENSBORO, N.C. — Kentucky is one win away from a berth in the Sweet 16.

A gritty 61-53 victory over Providence advanced the Wildcats to the Round of 32 in the 2023 NCAA Tournament, ending a streak that amassed well over 1,000 days without a March Madness win for the Wildcats.

Now that the skid has been axed, it's on to a new foe that stands in the way of coach John Calipari's team. The No. 3-seeded Kansas State Wildcats will seek just their second-ever win over UK, as well as their second win in a row over the storied program. K-State defeated Montana State 77-65 in the Round of 64 on Friday.

The last time the two schools played was in the Sweet 16 of the 2018 NCAA Tournament, when K-State won a 61-59 battle that was decided at the free-throw line.

An opportunity to play inside Madison Square Garden in the second weekend of the Big Dance awaits. Here's what you need to know about the power-punching Cats out of Manhattan, Kansas.

The Basics

NET Ranking: 24th

Quad 1 Record: 9-8

Quad 2 Record: 4-1

Quad 3 Record: 3-0

Quad 4 Record: 7-0

Home Record: 16-1

Away Record: 4-7

Neutral Record: 3-1

KenPom Ranking: 22nd

Adjusted Offensive Efficiency: 50th (112.4)

Adjusted Defensive Efficiency: 19th (94.1)

Adjusted Tempo: 40th (70.2)

Strength of Schedule: 21st

Jerome Tang Excelling in First Year as Head Coach

Jerome Tang was in Waco, Texas for nearly two decades as an assistant at Baylor. He finally bit at an opportunity to leap to the head-coaching ranks after 19 seasons at and has not disappointed in the slightest.

Kansas State is 24-9, lost just one game at home this season and compiled an 11-7 record in the Big 12 — the pound-for-pound best conference in college basketball.

"Well, this whole year has been a dream come true for me from the moment I got the job, to putting the team together and, you know, just through the whole course of the season, the way our guys have embraced us as a staff and embraced each other and culminating in playing in the ultimate tournament," Tang said on Saturday.

Coming into a dog-eat-dog league can do things to a first-year head coach, but Tang has answered the bell in a big way.

“He has done a great job," UK coach John Calipari said of Tang. "I mean, defensively disruptive, scrappy, 50/50 balls, freedom offensively, space the court. You know, a bunch of really good players. He has done a great job."

Keyontae Johnson and Markquis Nowell

Kansas State starts and stops with an eye-popping one-two veteran punch of forward Keyontae Johnson and guard Markquis Nowell, both of whom were named Third-Team All-Americans by the Associated Press.

Johnson's 17.7 points and 7.1 rebounds-per-game both lead the team. Nowell pours in 16.8 PPG to go along with a whopping 7.8 assists-per-game, the second-best mark in the nation.

More on the former Florida Gator Johnson HERE.

"He has the ball a lot. That's one of my matchups. So I know he is a great player," UK point guard Cason Wallace said of Nowell. "He can shoot it well. He gets to the rack. He is good at facilitating. I have my hands full."

Nowell will let it fly from deep, as he's hit three or more 3-pointers in five of his last seven games.

Johnson hit eight shots for 18 points to go along with eight rebounds, while Nowell compiled an impressive 17-point, 14-assist double-double in K-State's win over Montana State.

"Johnson, the wing on the other team, is a really good wing. You know, he is aggressive. He gets downhill, and he is really strong," Chris Livingston said. "He also can play at the midrange area pretty well."

Other Notables

Junior forward Nae'Qwan Tomlin adds 10.2 PPG and 5.8 RPG, and also gave Kentucky some bulletin board material on Saturday when asked about UK's style of play:

"I don't think it will be something that will be much of a challenge besides Oscar (Tshiebwe), but, you know..."

Former Arkansas Razorback guard Desi Sills provides 8.7 PPG, 3.6 RPG and 2.4 APG. The stat-sheet stuffer nearly put together a triple-double on March 1 against Oklahoma, racking up 15 points, nine rebounds and eight assists.

Junior David N'Guessan (6.5 PPG, 3.7 RPG) will man the backup minutes in the paint, while 6-foot-3 sophomore Cam Carter (6.5 PPG, 2.9 RPG) is another guard to keep an eye on.

Kansas State shoots 34 percent from 3-point range and is a 75-percent free-throw shooting team. Nine players average more than 10 minutes-per-game,

Reliance on Defense = Advantage Kentucky

On paper, Kansas State presents a much different challenge than what Providence did on Friday night. The Friars were a high-motor offense. K-State is not.

What Tang's Cats can do, though, is guard the hell out of the basketball. The top-20 adjusted defensive efficiency actually spells well for Kentucky, though, as it has made a living on winning ugly games against other teams that aren't great at filling the cup.

Kentucky has wins over all the following which have a highly-rated AdjDE:

Tennessee x2 (2nd in AdjDE)
Mississippi State (6th)
Arkansas (16th)
Auburn (29th)
Florida x2 (30th)
Texas A&M (37th)

In Kansas State's last seven wins in the regular season, it has allowed an average of 59.7 PPG. Translation — Kentucky won't be able to get away with a 25-percent shooting half on Sunday.

Tipoff between the Wildcats and the Wildcats is set for 2:40 p.m. EST and will air on CBS.

The first win is out of the way for UK, but nerves were never there to begin with. More HERE.

Kentucky will play Kansas State in the Round of 32. More HERE.

Everything John Calipari said after Kentucky's win HERE.

How staying loose helped Kentucky get the NCAA Tournament monkey off its back HERE.

More on Kentucky-Providence HERE.

Want the latest on national football and basketball recruiting, including Cats targets? Head over to SI All-American for the latest news, blogs, and updates about the nation's best prospects.

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