Kansas State Basketball: 3 takeaways from program-defining OT win over Kansas

1. Keyontae Johnson’s rightful national moment

It’s nearly two years since the former Florida Gator collapsed on the court and almost died from a cardiac arrest. A heart condition that developed not only ended his time in Florida but there was a good chance that no one would take the risk and clear him to play college basketball again. There were a few teams last offseason that went after Johnson in the portal, with Kansas State Basketball being one of them.

Coach Tang had dealt with a similar situation when he was an assistant at Baylor, who took on former Alabama commit, Jared Butler when it was discovered that he had a reported heart issue. It worked out for the Bears, with Butler leading them to a national title and for Coach Tang, the risk with Johnson has paid off in a major way.

Coming into the game, Johnson was averaging a career-high 18.4 ppg, 7.1 rpg, and 2.4 apg on 56% shooting from the field and 38% from three-point. He was a former SEC Preseason Player of the Year so the performances aren’t surprising but the Wildcats lucked on him this offseason and now they’re one of the top teams in the country.

Johnson tied for a team-high 24 points and eight rebounds in 34 minutes. He also did a solid job on Gradey Dick of Kansas, limiting him to 16 points on 4/13 shooting. If it wasn’t for his teammate, Johnson would be getting some more National attention for playing at an All-American level. If they keep winning, maybe Kansas State should have two players in the running.