Know Your Opponent: Scouting the Kansas State Wildcats
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The NCAA Tournament is down to 16 teams, and one of them is Michigan State. After beating USC and Marquette during the first weekend of the 2023 NCAA Tournament, the Spartans now battle Kansas State at the historic Madison Square Garden in New York City.
After a three-year hiatus, MSU is back in the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 2019 and looks to continue their run along the road to the Final Four. But first, the Spartans will have their hands full with Thursday night’s game against the Wildcats.
Here’s a closer look at Kansas State:
The No. 3 seed in the East region, the Wildcats have had a miracle season. Kansas State was picked to finish near the bottom of the Big 12 by preseason media predictions, but the Wildcats wound up finishing third in a deep and loaded conference.
In his first year, head coach Jerome Tang has turned their program around after flipping nearly the entire roster in the offseason. Tang earned Big 12 Coach of the Year and National Coach of the Year for his efforts.
Kansas State is led by point guard Markquis Nowell, who was a third team All-American, first team All-Conference and first team All-Defense selection in the Big-12. Standing only 5-foot-8, the transfer from Arkansas-Little Rock has been exceptional for the ‘Cats. Nowell makes up for his small stature with quickness and an ability to knock down any shot on the floor. He has the ability to elevate over taller players on shots and averages 17.1 points and 7.8 assists per game. Nowell is a complete, all-around player who will be priority No. 1 on Michigan State’s scouting report.
Nowell would be the leading scorer on a lot of other teams, but he isn’t the leading scorer for Kansas State. That distinction belongs to fellow guard Keyontae Johnson, who averages 17.5 points per game. Johnson transferred to KSU after not being cleared to play for medical reasons at Florida. He was Newcomer of the Year in the Big-12 and a third-team All-American. A physical guard who can make tough shots, Johnson also leads the team in rebounds.
For Michigan State it will be a tough task for guards Tyson Walker, AJ Hoggard, and Jaden Akins to not only slow Nowell and Johnson on the defensive end, but also find good shots offensively. Walker will likely guard Nowell, while Akins and Hoggard will switch between Johnson. Stopping Nowell and Johnson is a tall task, but the Spartans will at least need to slow them to have a shot at reaching the Elite Eight.
After Nowell and Johnson, there is a drop off in production for Kansas State, but center Nae’Qwan Tomlin has given the Wildcats quality minutes in the tournament.
While Michigan State has not rebounded as well as Izzo teams typically do, they could have an advantage over K-State in that department. In the Wildcats’ second reound game against Kentucky, they were out-rebounded 44 to 25 on the night. Despite that, Kansas State still managed to pull out a 75-69 victory. Tomlin doesn’t get many rebounds for a center, and the Spartans need to use that to their advantage and control the glass.
After beating Kentucky, Tang went viral on social media after mentioning that Kansas State “had more dudes than” Kentucky. The Wildcat “dudes” will be matched with a pretty good trio of MSU guards in New York. Nowell and Johnson may be the two best players on the floor, but the Spartans have the next four best. Walker, Akins, and Hoggard as well as Joey Houser are all playing at a high level. Kansas State doesn’t play more than two players off the bench, and struggle to get much of anything from their supporting players.
Michigan State is going to have its hands full on Thursday. In terms of size, the Spartans match up well, but the game will be won or lost on the Spartans ability to slow down Kansas State’s guard play. Izzo is 10-4 all-time in Sweet Sixteen games, and looks to take one step closer to his ninth Final Four tonight at Madison Square Garden.
