Why a new starting lineup from Jerome Tang could help Kansas State against Iowa State
THE DETAILS
When: 1 p.m. Saturday
Where: Bramlage Coliseum, Manhattan
TV: ESPN
Radio: KCSP (610 AM) in Kansas City, KKGQ (92.3 FM) in Wichita
Betting line: K-State by 1.5
Over/Under: 134
STARTING LINEUPS
P | No. | Iowa State | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
F | 5 | Aljaz Kunc | 6-8 | Sr. | 8.8 |
F | 21 | Osun Osunniyi | 6-10 | Sr. | 8.9 |
G | 3 | Tamin Lipsey | 6-1 | Fr. | 7.5 |
G | 13 | Jaren Holmes | 6-4 | Sr. | 13.6 |
G | 22 | Gabe Kalscheur | 6-4 | Sr. | 12.4 |
P | No. | Kansas State | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
F | 3 | David N’Guessan | 6-9 | Jr. | 6.7 |
F | 35 | Nae’Qwan Tomlin | 6-10 | Jr. | 10.4 |
F | 11 | Keyontae Johnson | 6-6 | Sr. | 17.5 |
G | 5 | Cam Carter | 6-3 | So. | 6.2 |
G | 1 | Markquis Nowell | 5-8 | Sr. | 16.8 |
About Iowa State (17-8, 8-5 Big 12):
The Cyclones have been slumping right along with the Wildcats of late. Iowa State got off to a 13-2 start but now sits at 17-8. It has lost four of its past six games. But Iowa State did bounce back into the win column earlier this week with a 70-59 home victory over TCU. The Cyclones are getting healthy with Aljaz Kunc back in the starting lineup, but Caleb Grill only played 12 minutes in his last game and was held scoreless as he continues to deal with a back issue.
Iowa State defeated K-State earlier this season 80-76 at Hilton Coliseum. The Cyclones haven’t been a strong team away from home this season, going 2-6 in true road games.
About Kansas State (19-7, 7-6 Big 12)
The Wildcats are coming off a 79-65 loss at Oklahoma that dropped them to 19-7 on the season. They have gone from the hottest team in the conference to one of the coldest over the past few weeks. Markquis Nowell and Keyontae Johnson are no longer producing at the elite levels they were at the start of Big 12 play. K-State’s offense has dipped right along with them. Three-pointers have been a problem, as the Wildcats have gone cold beyond the arc in recent weeks.
Jerome Tang is also looking for more from his role players. For example: Cam Carter and David N’Guessan haven’t scored in either of the past two games. K-State will hope to get a boost from its home crowd. The Wildcats have only lost at Bramlage once all season.
Prediction
Jerome Tang hasn’t tinkered with his starting lineup since David N’Guessan recovered from a foot injury last month.
Maybe it is time for that to change.
The Wildcats could use a spark coming off a discouraging stretch of losses. Why not switch things up and see if inserting a new player or two into the starting rotation will light a fire under the entire team?
Sophomore guard Cam Carter has been held scoreless in back-to-back games. N’Guessan also hasn’t scored in more than a week. Tang spoke about complacency possibly being an issue for K-State after its most recent loss against Oklahoma. One thing that might fix is that is by giving Desi Sills or Ismael Massoud an opportunity in the starting lineup.
All four of the players mentioned above have proven they can help the Wildcats win games. They just haven’t been doing it lately. Maybe a role reversal could help them get back on track.
Tang was unafraid to radically change the way he distributed minutes and roles early on this season. I won’t be surprised if he gets back to that for a key home game against Iowa State and uses the K-State players who are going to give the most effort against the Cyclones.
For that reason, and a few others, I think this is a good spot to back the Wildcats. They are desperate for a win, they have been strong at home all season and Iowa State typically struggles on the road.
If K-State simply gets back to playing with reckless abandon, as we saw at the start of the season, that should be enough for it to knock off the Cyclones.
Iowa State is a sensational team on defense. It forces turnovers on 26% of its opponents possessions and only allows teams to shoot 32.2% from three-point range. But it doesn’t do much of anything well on offense. It beat K-State earlier this season by aggressively scoring at the rim and grabbing a bunch of offensive rebounds. That formula can work at home, but it will be hard to duplicate that effort on the road without the benefit of a friendly whistle.
The Wildcats will be highly motivated to win this game, and I think they will find a way to do exactly that.
K-State 73, Iowa State 67
Last game prediction: K-State 72, Oklahoma 69. (Actual Score: Oklahoma 79, K-State 65)
Season record: 17-8.
Season record against the spread: 13-12.
This story was originally published February 17, 2023 at 11:44 AM with the headline "Why a new starting lineup from Jerome Tang could help Kansas State against Iowa State."