K-State Q&A: David N’Guessan, new basketball recruits, the Big 12 Tournament and more
The Kansas State Wildcats will honor four players on senior day this weekend when they host Iowa State in the final game of the regular season for both teams.
Any guesses on how many of them spent a full four years playing basketball in Manhattan?
If your answer was zero, you are correct.
Spencer Bain (one), Coleman Hawkins (one), Max Jones (one) and David N’Guessan (three) spent a combined six seasons with the Wildcats.
I am sharing those numbers at the top of this week’s mailbag to illustrate that senior day is no longer what it once was in college basketball. The days of K-State fans bidding farewell to the likes of Jacob Pullen, Rodney McGruder, Dean Wade, Will Spradling, Rolando Blackman, Cartier Martin and any other four-year player are a thing of the past.
To be fair, N’Guessan deserves a hero’s farewell from the Bramlage Coliseum crowd on Saturday. He transferred to K-State and gave the Wildcats three solid years of basketball. He was on the Elite Eight team in 2023 and is playing at a high level right now. Jones might also be back next season, because the time he spent playing in Division II may not count against his eligibility.
But no one will show up at the Octagon of Doom strictly to say goodbye to these seniors the way they used to with certain players.
I wonder if a group of one-year transfers may one day disappoint so badly that fans boo them on senior day.
Looking around the Big 12 even now, some fan bases would secretly rather say “good riddance” to their seniors than applaud them one last time.
In the old days, fans could connect with even the worst senior classes because they watched them develop over four years and respected the work they put in for their favorite school. I’m not so sure that’s the case anymore with players committing to schools for paychecks. Too bad, because senior day used to feel special in college basketball.
But I digress ...
It’s time for another K-State Q&A. Let’s dive into your questions. Thanks, as always, for providing them.
Please tell me David N’Guessan will be on the all-conference team! -@Car93657Larry via X.
I could see him being in the mix for third-team honors, especially if he closes out the regular season with another strong game against Iowa State. At worst, he should receive honorable mention.
Sadly, his numbers aren’t quite high enough to warrant anything more than that. K-State also hasn’t won enough games to help his cause.
N’Guessan is averaging 13.1 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. Those stats rank 19th and 9th in the conference, respectively.
He has been on fire lately, as he is averaging 15.3 points and 7.8 rebounds over the past nine games. But I still don’t think that will be enough for consideration on the first two teams.
My guess at the first team: LJ Cryer (Houston), Javon Small (West Virginia), JT Toppin (Texas Tech), Hunter Dickinson (Kansas), J’Wan Roberts (Houston).
And the second team: Tamin Lipsey (Iowa State), Caleb Love (Arizona), Norchad Omier (Baylor), Richie Saunders (BYU), Keyshawn Hall (UCF).
N’Guessan could be considered for the third team along with a host of other players.
I hope the Big 12 coaches show him some love, because he has been K-State’s MVP all season.
What are your expectations for the two high school basketball recruits that Jerome Tang landed this week? - Andrew B. via e-mail.
Neither one of them is going to come in and play like Michael Beasley as a freshman, but they could both develop into nice players for the Wildcats.
Exavier Wilson is a three-star guard from Columbia, Mo., who can score at all three levels. He doesn’t play against the strongest competition in his high school league, but he does suit up for Mokan Elite on the AAU circuit. And the Wildcats have had good luck with Mokan recruits before.
His highlight tape makes it look like he is a gifted scorer and an excellent defender.
Less is known about Ashton Magee, as he doesn’t even have a star rating at On3 or 247sports. But he is clearly an athlete. Based on his highlight tape, he could be the best dunker K-State has had since Cartier Diarra.
Tang likes to recruit athletes and teach them how to play basketball. That is easier than bringing in a basketball player and teaching him how to become an athlete. Magee falls in this category.
He looks like a project, but he could become a great player in time.
Neither of these players were highly recruited by other power-conference teams, so temper your expectations accordingly.
Still, it is refreshing to see Jerome Tang land a couple high school recruits. That needs to be more of an emphasis as he focuses less on expensive transfers.
Can we please get Kansas State off the “collision course with Houston” line at the Big 12 Tournament next week? -@DentistryUnder1 via X.
Avoiding Houston seems like Priority No. 1 for K-State if it hopes to make a deep run in Kansas City.
Jerome Tang has faced the Cougars twice with the Wildcats and both games were over before they started. Houston won 74-52 last season. Houston won 87-57 this season. They are the two most lopsided losses of his tenure with K-State.
If the Big 12 Tournament started today, K-State would be the No. 10 seed. It would open against No. 15 Arizona State with No. 7 Kansas and No. 2 Texas Tech waiting in the next rounds. That would be a decent draw. The Wildcats have already beaten Arizona State and KU this season. And they played Texas Tech tough at home.
K-State can play its way up to the No. 7 seed or down to the No. 11 seed on Saturday. Either of those would be preferable over No. 8 or No. 9, because No. 1 Houston will be waiting to play those teams in the quarterfinals.
What are the odds that K-State will play in the NIT or that new postseason tournament in Las Vegas? -@garrett_b_83 via X.
High.
I don’t know exactly how the College Basketball Crown tournament will work in Las Vegas, but two teams from the Big 12 are supposed to receive automatic berths. My guess is those will go to the top two teams in the final conference standings that aren’t selected for the NCAA Tournament.
Let’s assume eight Big 12 teams make it to March Madness. That would leave TCU and K-State as the next two teams.
Or maybe the tournament will go by NET ranking or KenPom? I have no idea.
The Wildcats could decline a trip to Las Vegas and let Cincinnati, UCF or Utah go instead. But Tang was more than happy to play in the NIT last year. My guess is K-State would accept an invite, even if players like N’Guessan and Hawkins chose to opt out.
You can also find K-State on some of the NIT projections.
This is something I will monitor over the next few weeks.
How far can the Cats get without Ayoka Lee in the Big 12 Tournament? And could she be the difference between a Sweet 16 appearance or an Elite 8? Does she have a chance to even play? -@ChadFullington via X.
I doubt the K-State women’s basketball team can advance beyond the semifinals of the Big 12 Tournament without star center Ayoka Lee.
The Wildcats will have their hands full with West Virginia in the quarterfinals on Friday. That will be a toss-up game. K-State lost its only meeting against West Virginia in the regular season 70-57. Maybe things will be closer at T-Mobile Center. All I know is Serena Sundell and the Cats will need to play very well to advance.
It’s hard for me to see K-State winning another game on top of that if TCU is waiting in the semifinals.
But a win over West Virginia might be enough for K-State to secure a top 16 seed (and games at Bramlage Coliseum) in the NCAA Tournament. That should be the most important goal for this team right now.
Lee is expected to play in the NCAA Tournament. But I don’t know if she will be at full strength. If she is 100%, this team has Sweet 16 potential. If she remains out or she plays hurt then their ceiling is much lower.
Here’s a fun question for your next mailbag with the Big 12 Tournament coming up: Which mascot would win a free-for-all skirmish in Kansas City? - Jeff M. via e-mail.
This is a great question to revisit now that Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah have joined the conference.
The Cowboys, Mountaineers and Red Raiders hold all the cards. Why? Because they have guns. It’s hard to imagine any other mascot in the conference overcoming that advantage.
But, if all the mascots were fighting in a cage match or some other small area, perhaps the other 13 creatures would stand a chance. The Knights and Sun Devils both carry weapons of their own that could cause serious damage in the right setting.
Other mascots could benefit from teams. BYU and Houston are both Cougars. Arizona and K-State are both Wildcats. Perhaps having allies could give them an advantage.
The Bears, Bearcats and Buffaloes are all ferocious animals. You can’t count them out.
Then there are the wild cards — Cyclones, Jayhawks and Utes. What exactly are they? Are the Cyclones birds or a tornado? Do the Jayhawks have any mythical powers? Is Utah’s mascot a macho bird or something else entirely?
The only thing I am sure of is that a Horned Frog would finish last, unless it has hypnotic powers like the Hypno Toad from Futurama. If that’s the case, then maybe it wins the entire brawl.
Bottom line: The Big 12 needs a mascot fight so we can settle this debate once and for all.
This story was originally published March 7, 2025 at 6:30 AM with the headline "K-State Q&A: David N’Guessan, new basketball recruits, the Big 12 Tournament and more."