Kansas State Basketball: 3 keys to beating Michigan State in Sweet 16 matchup
By Brian Emory
Let the seniors cook
The straw that stirs the drink for the Wildcats is a pair of two star seniors.
He may have been the tiniest player on the floor, but Markquis Nowell was also the best player on the floor in Kansas State’s Round of 32 victory over Kentucky. The senior five-foot-eight guard carried the Wildcats Sunday with 27 points and nine assists. Nowell averages 17.1 points and 7.8 assists per game, and so much of what the Wildcats do on offense is run through him.
Like many collegiate guards, Nowell’s shot can be streaky. The senior from Harlem shot 38.6% from the floor this season, and 35.1% from deep. If Nowell has a difficult time finding his form, especially from deep, the Wildcats will need others deeper into the rotation to pick up the slack.
Kansas State’s other star is former Florida Gator Keyontae Johnson. Johnson leads the Wildcats in scoring and rebounding and has scored in double-figures in every game except one this year.
There’s a real argument to be made that Kansas State has the two best players in this game, and these two need to play like it. Nowell and Johnson are both more than capable of exploding for 20+ point outings, but if either struggle to get going Kansas State’s path to victory gets significantly more daunting.