What Jerome Tang and Kansas State Wildcats are saying ahead of NCAA Tournament
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Your guide to Selection Sunday
Follow The Star’s analysis and predictions as the 2023 NCAA Tournament bracket is revealed and KU, K-State and Mizzou are seeded for March Madness.
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Kansas State basketball players erupted with joy as they watched the NCAA Tournament selection show at a team party on Sunday inside Bramlage Coliseum.
Even though the Wildcats knew they were a lock for March Madness, it meant something to see their name flash across the screen on national TV as a No. 3 seed in the East Region.
“I grew up watching this tournament,” senior point guard Markquis Nowell said.
“In March Madness,” senior guard Desi Sills said, “anything can happen.”
“It means a lot knowing all the hard work we put in and where we started,” senior forward Keyontae Johnson said. “We all just stayed together and figured out how to get to the tournament. Being ranked this high is really a blessing. Now we have to finish it off and get a trophy.”
The journey begins at 8:40 p.m. on Friday against No. 14 seed Montana State on Friday in Greensboro, North Carolina.
K-State will have to travel a long distance for its opening round game. While that is definitely a bummer for fans who were hoping for nearby starting points in Denver or Des Moines, Iowa, the location is a bonus for some K-State players.
Greensboro Coliseum is close enough to Johnson’s hometown in Norfolk, Virginia, that he expects his entire family to be in attendance. If the Wildcats advance to the Sweet 16 they will get an opportunity to play inside Madison Square Garden, which would be a homecoming for New York natives Ismael Massoud and Nowell.
“That would be big time, man,” Nowell said. “I always dreamed of playing in Madison Square Garden as a kid. I looked up to Kemba Walker growing up and what he did in the Garden. But I can’t look too far ahead, because you get beat whenever that happens. I have to take it one game at a time.”
The first opponent is Montana State. After that, the Wildcats can advance to play the winner of No. 6 seed Kentucky and No. 11 Providence on Sunday. A pair of victories in Greensboro would likely set K-State up against No. 2 Marquette, No. 7 Michigan State or No. 10 USC in the Sweet 16.
No. 1 seed Purdue, No. 5 Duke and No. 4 Tennessee loom on the other side of the East Region.
For now, head coach Jerome Tang’s focus is solely on preparing for the Bobcats, who 25 games this season and earned a spot in the Big Dance by winning the Big Sky Tournament.
Rae’Qwan Battle is Montana State’s leading scorer at 17.3 points per game. He began his college career at Washington before transferring to the Bobcats.
“They are pretty athletic,” Tang said of Montana State. “They have got a couple of really good players. I remember they have a kid who caught a lob dunk to win their semifinal game (in the Big Sky Tournament). They are used to winning. It is hard to win 25 games and they won 25 games.”
Coach Danny Sprinkle led Montana State to 27 victories and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament last season, but Texas Tech blasted the Bobcats 97-62 in the first round.
Montana State enters the NCAA Tournament on an eight-game winning streak. K-State has lost its final two games.
K-State players don’t think momentum will be a problem, though.
“We had a fantastic practice today,” Sills said. “We all competed at a high level and got our swagger back after those two games that we lost on the road. We got back in the film room and then on the court. Now we’re playing with energy. We are playing together. I feel like we are going to take that into March Madness.”
This tournament will be a new experience for most of K-State’s players. But Johnson and Sills have reached the Big Dance before. So has Tang as an assistant coach with Baylor.
The hope is that those who have been there before can lead the rookies on the roster.
Few expected K-State to be in this position when the season began. Tang wanted to savor the accomplishment for at least a little bit after the selection show.
“I’m just happy for us,” Tang said. “I just want to take some time just to be excited about us and be thankful. And then we will flip the page.”
This story was originally published March 12, 2023 at 8:43 PM with the headline "What Jerome Tang and Kansas State Wildcats are saying ahead of NCAA Tournament."
