Three takeaways from Kansas State’s 73-68 road basketball victory over Oklahoma State
Kansas State’s 73-68 victory over Oklahoma State on Saturday at Gallagher-Iba Arena was a good reminder that not all wins are created equal.
This result was more meaningful than most to the Wildcats. That much was obvious by watching head coach Jerome Tang and players celebrate as they walked off the floor. Instead of matter-of-factly jogging to the visiting locker room, they danced on the court and pointed up at the vocal contingent of K-State fans who filled the upper deck.
“It’s a good win,” K-State point guard Markquis Nowell said after he scored 22 points and sent out eight assists. “We just want to continue to keep building on our momentum and keep stacking wins. We have a really good team and we showed it today.”
This victory was big for several reasons. For starters, it clinched a winning conference record for the Wildcats (22-7, 10-6 Big 12). Not many expected that when they were picked to finish last in the preseason Big 12 poll. This win also ended a five-game losing streak in road games for K-State. And it came against an Oklahoma State (16-13, 7-9 Big 12) that was desperate to bolster its NCAA Tournament resume.
Nowell led all scorers with 22 points, Keyontae Johnson added 17 and Desi Sills came through with 10.
The Cowboys couldn’t keep up.
Wins like this are hard to come by, but K-State got one and kept hope alive for climbing back into the conference championship mix if rival Kansas falters in its final few games.
“We have some tough dudes,” Tang said, “and they believe in each other and they’re willing to do all the little things to help you execute what you have to do down the stretch. I like winning on the road. That, to me, is the sign of a tough team.”
K-State will try to continue its winning ways when it plays host to Oklahoma in its next game on Wednesday.
Until then, here are some initial takeaways from the game:
Jerome Tang lit fire under Wildcats with a technical foul
Many were confused when Jerome Tang picked up a technical foul for arguing with the officials midway through the second half.
David N’Guessan had just made a driving layup that pulled K-State to within 53-49 of Oklahoma State. The Wildcats had scored four straight points. Momentum was on their side. Why, of all times, did Tang choose then and there to challenge the officiating?
Turns out, there was a method to his madness.
After seeing a number of physical calls (and no-calls) go against K-State, Tang decided enough was enough. He didn’t care if a technical foul sent Oklahoma State to the free-throw line. He had a point to make and a team to motivate.
His strategy worked. The Cowboys sank both free throws to pull ahead 55-49, but then the Wildcats responded with a 10-2 run to take the lead and they never gave it back. They finished the game on a 24-13 run.
“I was too demonstrative,” Tang said after the game. “But that was it. I didn’t say anything. I made sure to say that on the radio so my mom heard that. I didn’t say nothing that would have gotten me the technical. But I was demonstrative. I was demonstrative on purpose.”
Why?
There was no one call in particular. Tang simply thought a slow-drip of decisions from the officials were working against his team.
“I felt like there were some ticky-tack calls that went their way that resulted in and-ones,” Tang said, “and there were some physical plays that didn’t go our way. That didn’t result in what I wanted. But from that point on it was 24 to 13, so I believe that it inspired our guys to play a little bit harder, to fight a little harder. And I felt like it impacted the way the refs called the game.”
Indeed, K-State was the better team down the stretch, and Tang’s technical set the stage for the late run.
Road woes end for Wildcats
It has been virtually impossible to beat Kansas State at home this season, but the Wildcats have been far from invincible away from Bramlage Coliseum.
K-State had lost five straight road games entering Saturday’s action, including recent losses at Oklahoma and Texas Tech. The Wildcats were 3-6 overall in true away games. Not great.
But the Wildcats changed that narrative with a strong effort that made them look like road warriors at Gallagher-Iba Arena.
The most impressive part of the game was that K-State fell behind by as many as eight points and battled back for the win in the second half. The Wildcats had wilted in the clutch in past road games. Not here.
Everyone from Ismael Massoud to Nowell made important shots down the stretch.
K-State did benefit from some outside help on Saturday. A large contingent of purple-clad fans made the drive into town for this game and filled the upper deck with support of their team. Chants of “K-S-U” were so loud at the end of the game that Oklahoma State had to pump in music to drown them out.
“Them coming on the road like that was beautiful,” Nowell said. “They impacted the game with their energy.”
Tang and players celebrated the win by acknowledged the fans and pointing up at them on their way off the court. It was a happy moment for everyone involved.
Desi Sills makes up for sloppy turnover
One of the most memorable moments of Saturday’s game occurred late in the first half when Desi Sills tossed an ill-advised pass out of bounds without anyone else on the court in the neighborhood of the ball.
Sills was on the left wing when he sent a pass to the baseline expecting a teammate to be there for a mid-range jumper. But K-State’s offense had already rotated to the other side of the court, and Oklahoma State defenders followed them. The turnover made it look like Sills had tried to pass to a ghost.
It was the type of silly sequence you might see on featured on “SportsCenter” as a Not Top 10 Play.
Sills and Nowell later explained that it was a miscommunication, with Nowell accepting blame for the blunder. In any case, Sills put it behind him.
“It was kind of frustrating, because we don’t want to go over 11 turnovers in a game,” Sills said. “That was one of those turnovers that we didn’t need at the time. But Markquis always says, ‘Next play, just keep playing.’ That’s what I did.”
Oklahoma State used the miscue to surge ahead by as many as six points before halftime. But Sills made up for his mistake by scoring four points in the first half. His most important bucket came at the end of the half when he stole a pass at midcourt and took it the other way for a layup at the buzzer that trimmed Oklahoma State’s lead down to 35-33.
Sills also made a key layup in the closing moments on his way to 10 points. He more than redeemed himself.
Bad mistakes like that have hurt K-State in recent road games. Sills and the Wildcats battled back from this one.
This story was originally published February 25, 2023 at 3:35 PM with the headline "Three takeaways from Kansas State’s 73-68 road basketball victory over Oklahoma State."