Five takeaways from Kansas State’s 69-53 basketball victory over the Kansas City Roos
The Kansas State men’s basketball team kept its undefeated season going with a 69-53 victory over the Kansas City Roos on Thursday at Bramlage Coliseum.
Keyontae Johnson led the way for the Wildcats (3-0) with a team-high 19 points, while Cam Carter added 16 and Desi Sills came off the bench to score 11.
K-State led by as many as 20 early in the second half before Kansas City pulled to within 10. The Wildcats made a late push to win comfortably. They will next be in action on Monday against Rhode Island at the Cayman Islands Classic.
Until then, here are some takeaways from the action against KC:
Cam Carter shows potential from three-point range
Perhaps the biggest criticism of K-State basketball in its first two games was the way the Wildcats shot from three-point range.
K-State started the season 17 of 46 (37%) from the outside and defeated both Texas-Rio Grande Valley and California with sheer athleticism, size and talent rather than a soft shooting touch from the outside. Only Keyontae Johnson and Markquis Nowell came in averaging two three-pointers per game.
Those numbers left much to be desired.
But the Wildcats looked like a much better shooting team against Kansas City ... at least for a half. Cam Carter was the main reason why.
Carter, a sophomore transfer from Mississippi State, made four three-pointers in the first half and finished with 16 points. Some of his shots came on designed plays that were intended to get him an open look from the outside, but he also created room for himself on other occasions and even drained a step-back three at one point.
“I couldn’t do anything without my team,” Carter said. “They got me going and I felt like I got them going. We were able to build momentum and get up by a lot.”
Johnson also helped out with two three-pointers while Nowell made one.
Problem was, K-State devolved back into its old habits in the second and couldn’t make anything from the outside. Tang said he was displeased that players stopped looking for Carter despite his hot start.
“I was very disappointed that he didn’t get another catch-and-shoot three attempt in the second half,” Tang said. “When you have a teammate who’s going like that, that’s got to be something that you’re actively seeking. Let’s keep him rolling. That is something that we’re going look at and address.”
K-State only finished 7 of 20 from the perimeter.
Keyontae Johnson starts hot
The allure of a new season seemed to wear off on the Wildcats at the start of this game.
Unlike previous nights, when K-State players treated opening tip like a do-or-die affair and brought NCAA Tournament energy to the floor, they came out flat against the Roos. Maybe that was to be expected. No team can bring maximum effort 30-plus times in a season.
Tang also said the Wildcats had been dealing with the flu, which left several players at less than 100%. Still, he was disappointed that K-State started the game so flat. In previous games, he said the Wildcats played with ideal effort for around 25 minutes. That number was closer to zero on Thursday.
In any case, the Wildcats needed someone to step up as the team got off to a mediocre start. Enter Johnson, who scored eight straight points that gave K-State an 8-2 lead in the early going.
He scored in a variety of ways, such as hitting a jumper, a three-pointer and turning a driving layup into a traditional three-point play.
Johnson, a senior Florida transfer, has delivered big plays and moments in all three of K-State’s games this season.
Wanting more from the five
Abayomi Iyiola started at center for K-State on Thursday, and David N’Guessan came off the bench whenever Iyiola needed a breather.
Neither accomplished much while they were on the floor.
Iyiola finished with zero points and three rebounds, while N’Guessan had three points and six rebounds.
Tang said he was not happy that both players settled for jumpers when layups and dunks were available.
K-State has gone back and forth between each player as a starting option, and that will probably continue. K-State needs more from the five spot.
No injury concerns for Desi Sills
Desi Sills, a senior transfer from Arkansas State, rolled his ankle in the first half of this game. The injury looked painful at the time, and he had to leave the floor with a lump. But the ailment turned out to be less than severe than some potentially feared.
The 6-foot-2 guard spent the next few minutes on a stationary bike behind the K-State bench and returned to action in the second half to make a few important baskets for the Wildcats.
Those big plays included six straight points after Kansas City pulled to within 10 points late. He also drew a key charging foul and sent out an assist to Johnson to help the Wildcats stretch their lead back to a comfortable amount. He later added two breakaway layups in transition. He was doing it all in the second half.
Sills said his ankle felt fine after the game was over.
Kansas City might be the best team K-State has played
Before you blindly assume that California was the toughest opponent on K-State’s early schedule, consider this: The Golden Bears are 0-3 with losses to UC-Davis and UC-San Diego.
Cal is dropping fast in Ken Pomeroy’s rating system and currently sits at 179. The KC Roos will likely climb above their current spot of 296 after putting up a competitive effort against the Wildcats. They are are certainly better than UTRGV.
Kansas City was able to slow this game down and play at its pace. Though it never made a true run at the Wildcats, like Cal was able to do in the second half last week, the Roos did make the Wildcats sweat for a few minutes. Furthermore, KC never let things get out of hand.
The Roos also played LSU close earlier this season. Marvin Menzies has assembled some talent on his roster with Shemarri Allen scoring 21 points and Anderson Kopp adding 13 on Thursday.
This story was originally published November 17, 2022 at 7:52 PM.