The Kansas State Wildcats led early in the first half and never gave the lead back to TCU in a win over the Horned Frogs.
The Kansas State Wildcats defeated TCU, 82-61, to get revenge on the Frogs after TCU beat the Wildcats in Fort Worth in January.
The duo of Markquis Nowell and Keyontae Johnson starred again for Kansas State, with the two combining for 32 points on an 11-of-25 combined shooting mark, while Tykei Greene contributed 13 points.
On the other bench, Damion Baugh put up a quality performance for TCU. While he scored 12 points, he also added 5 boards and 5 assists.
For Kansas State, it’s another Quad 1 win in what’s been a great year for first-year coach Jerome Tang. For TCU, a road loss to the #12 team in the country isn’t the end of the world, even if they would’ve liked to sweep the season series.
Takeaway #1: Nowell on the mark
Star point guard Markquis Nowell was the MVP for Kansas State Tuesday night, with the aforementioned 17-point performance.
Standing at just 5-8, Nowell is still able to create space to score on the perimeter or drive the lane. He also contributed 7 assists.
Nowell has been invaluable to the Wildcats this year, and the fifth-year guard is averaging 16.8 PPG and 7.8 APG for the season. Besides statistical value, Nowell also provides a veteran presence for the team, using his COVID-19 year to play another season of college basketball, a trend that is propelling many teams across the country.
Takeaway #2: Frogs wild with the ball
TCU could not get out of their own way Tuesday night, committing 19 turnovers, 7 more than their season average of 11.9 TOPG.
Partly to blame for the mark was the Wildcats’ defense, which was stout all night, but the Horned Frogs needed to secure the ball on offense if they wanted to win the game.
Damion Baugh committed 5 turnovers, while Shahada Wells committed 3, and Emanuel Miller and Eddie Lampkin Jr. both had 2. Chuck O’Bannon was the only starter not to record a turnover in the game.
Takeaway #3: Sills silky off the bench
Desi Sills hasn’t started a game for the Wildcats this season, but he’s still making an impact on the court. He scored 14 points off the bench while grabbing 6 boards and dishing 3 assists as well.
Sills is averaging 28 MPG, so he’s getting plenty of action, but having a reliable contributor to come off the bench can work wonders for a team and get their starters a breather when they need them.
A transfer from Arkansas State, Sills is just one of several transfers that Jerome Tang brought in to strengthen the roster, a strategy that has paid dividends for Kansas State this year in Tang’s first season as coach.
Next game for the Kansas State Wildcats: @ Texas Tech (Feb. 11 – 7 p.m.)
Next game for the TCU Horned Frogs: #14 Baylor (Feb. 11 – 4 p.m.)