# 2022–23 Kansas State Wildcats men's basketball team

The 2022–23 Kansas State Wildcats men's basketball team represented Kansas State University in the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, their 120th basketball season. The Wildcats were led by first-year head coach Jerome Tang and played their home games in Bramlage Coliseum in Manhattan, Kansas as members of the Big 12 Conference. They finished the season 26–10, 11–7 in Big 12 play to finish in a tie for third place. They lost in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 tournament to TCU. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 3 seed in the East region. They defeated Montana State, Kentucky, and Michigan State to advance to the Elite Eight. There they lost to Florida Atlantic.

## Previous season

The Wildcats finished the 2021–22 season 14–17, 6–12 in Big 12 play to finish ninth place. They lost to West Virginia in the first round of the Big 12 tournament.
On March 10, 2022, head coach Bruce Weber announced he was stepping down as head coach. On March 21, the school named longtime Baylor assistant Jerome Tang the team's new head coach.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Mike McGuirl | 00 | G | 6'3" | 200 | GS Senior | Ellington, CT | Graduated |
| Maximus Edwards | 2 | G | 6'5" | 220 | Freshman | Stratford, CT | Transferred to George Washington |
| Selton Miguel | 3 | G/F | 6'4" | 210 | Sophomore | Luanda, Angola | Transferred to South Florida |
| Seryee Lewis | 4 | F | 6'9" | 230 | Sophomore | Chicago, IL | Transferred to Rice |
| Carlton Linguard Jr. | 12 | F | 7'0" | 220 | Junior | San Antonio, TX | Transferred to UTSA |
| Mark Smith | 13 | G | 6'4" | 225 | GS Senior | Edwardsville, IL | Graduated/signed to play professional in Germany with BG Göttingen |
| Drew Honas | 14 | G | 6'2" | 175 | Senior | Medicine Lodge, KS | Walk-on; transferred |
| Trey Harris | 15 | G | 5'11" | 165 | Sophomore | Bloomington, IL | Walk-on; left the team for personal reasons |
| Kaosi Ezeagu | 20 | F | 6'10" | 255 | RS Junior | Brampton, ON | Transferred to Sam Houston State |
| Davion Bradford | 21 | F | 7'0" | 270 | Sophomore | St. Louis, MO | Transferred to Wake Forest |
| Luke Kasubke | 22 | G | 6'5" | 190 | Sophomore | St. Louis, MO | Transferred to Illinois State |
| Jordan Brooks | 23 | F | 6'4" | 190 | Sophomore | Grayson, KY | Walk-on; left the team for personal reasons |
| Nijel Pack | 24 | G | 6'0" | 180 | Sophomore | Indianapolis, IN | Transferred to Miami (FL) |
| Logan Landers | 33 | F | 6'9" | 215 | Freshman | Cedarburg, WI | Transferred to Grand Canyon |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous school |
| David N'Guessan | 3 | F | 6'9" | 205 | Junior | De Lier, Netherlands | Virginia Tech |
| Tykei Greene | 4 | G | 6'4" | 205 | RS Senior | Queens, NY | Stony Brook |
| Cam Carter | 5 | G | 6'3" | 185 | Sophomore | Donaldsonville, LA | Mississippi State |
| Keyontae Johnson | 11 | G/F | 6'6" | 229 | GS Senior | Norfolk, VA | Florida |
| Anthony Thomas | 12 | F | 6'7" | 180 | Sophomore | Silver Spring, MD | Tallahassee CC |
| Desi Sills | 13 | G | 6'2" | 195 | Senior | Jonesboro, AR | Arkansas State |
| Jerrell Colbert | 20 | C | 6'10" | 216 | Sophomore | Houston, TX | LSU |
| Nate Awbrey | 21 | G | 6'3" | | Senior | Manhattan, KS | Manhattan Christian College |
| Abayomi Iyiola | 23 | F | 6'10" | 215 | GS Senior | Atlanta, GA | Hofstra |
| Nae'Qwan Tomlin | 35 | F | 6'10" | 195 | Junior | New York, NY | Chipola College |

### Recruiting classes
#### 2022 recruiting class

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Taj Manning #39 PF | La Porte, IN | La Lumiere School | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | Sep 25, 2021 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 79 ||||||
| Dorian Finister SG | New Orleans, LA | Carver High School | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | May 2, 2022 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: NR ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: Not Ranked Top 20 Rivals: Not Ranked Top 25 ESPN: Not Ranked Top 25 ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2022 Kansas State Basketball Commits". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 30, 2022. "2022 Kansas State Basketball Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved August 30, 2022. "2022 Kansas State Basketball Commits". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 30, 2022. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved August 30, 2022. "2022 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 30, 2022. ||||||

#### 2023 recruiting class

College recruiting information (2023) :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| R.J. Jones #7 SG | Aubrey, TX | Wasatch Academy | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Sep 7, 2022 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 86 |||||||
| Dai Dai Ames #12 PG | Chicago, IL | Kenwood Academy High School | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | Jul 20, 2022 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 83 |||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: Not Ranked Top 20 Rivals: Not Ranked Top 25 ESPN: Not Ranked Top 25 |||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2023 Kansas State Basketball Commits". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 30, 2022. "2023 Kansas State Basketball Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved August 30, 2022. "2023 Kansas State Basketball Commits". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 30, 2022. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved August 30, 2022. "2023 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 30, 2022. |||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| November 1, 2022* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Washburn | W 76–49 | | 13 – Carter | 7 – Tomlin | 7 – Sills | Bramlage Coliseum (6,800) Manhattan, KS |
| Regular season |||||||||
| November 7, 2022* 8:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Texas–Rio Grande Valley | W 93–59 | 1–0 | 14 – Tied | 8 – Tomlin | 7 – Nowell | Bramlage Coliseum (7,635) Manhattan, KS |
| November 11, 2022* 6:00 p.m., P12N | | at California | W 63–54 | 2–0 | 16 – Johnson | 9 – Johnson | 7 – Nowell | Haas Pavilion (3,607) Berkeley, CA |
| November 17, 2022* 5:30 p.m., ESPN+ | | Kansas City | W 69–53 | 3–0 | 19 – Johnson | 7 – Tied | 6 – Tied | Bramlage Coliseum (7,376) Manhattan, KS |
| November 21, 2022* 6:30 p.m., FloSports | | vs. Rhode Island Cayman Islands Classic Quarterfinals | W 77–57 | 4–0 | 15 – Tomlin | 7 – N’Guessan | 12 – Nowell | John Gray Gymnasium (1,250) George Town, Cayman Islands |
| November 22, 2022* 6:30 p.m., FloSports | | vs. Nevada Cayman Islands Classic Semifinals | W 96–87 $^{OT}$ | 5–0 | 29 – Nowell | 9 – Johnson | 11 – Nowell | John Gray Gymnasium (1,200) George Town, Cayman Islands |
| November 23, 2022* 6:30 p.m., FloSports | | vs. LSU Cayman Islands Classic Championship | W 61–59 | 6–0 | 18 – Nowell | 7 – Carter | 5 – Sills | John Gray Gymnasium (2,400) George Town, Cayman Islands |
| November 30, 2022* 5:30 p.m., FS1 | | at Butler Big East–Big 12 Battle | L 64–76 | 6–1 | 20 – Johnson | 12 – Johnson | 8 – Nowell | Hinkle Fieldhouse (7,660) Indianapolis, IN |
| December 3, 2022* 8:00 p.m., ESPNU | | Wichita State | W 55–50 | 7–1 | 17 – Johnson | 6 – Tied | 7 – Nowell | Bramlage Coliseum (8,957) Manhattan, KS |
| December 6, 2022* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Abilene Christian | W 81–64 | 8–1 | 23 – N’Guessan | 8 – Tomlin | 12 – Nowell | Bramlage Coliseum (7,136) Manhattan, KS |
| December 11, 2022* 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Incarnate Word | W 98–50 | 9–1 | 18 – Johnson | 9 – Tomlin | 8 – Nowell | Bramlage Coliseum (7,042) Manhattan, KS |
| December 17, 2022* 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | vs. Nebraska Wildcat Classic | W 71–56 | 10–1 | 23 – Johnson | 11 – Johnson | 7 – Nowell | T-Mobile Center (13,184) Kansas City, MO |
| December 21, 2022* 1:30 p.m., ESPN+ | | Radford | W 73–65 | 11–1 | 26 – Tomlin | 9 – Tomlin | 11 – Nowell | Bramlage Coliseum (6,939) Manhattan, KS |
| December 31, 2022 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | No. 24 West Virginia | W 82–76 $^{OT}$ | 12–1 (1–0) | 23 – Nowell | 8 – Iyiola | 10 – Nowell | Bramlage Coliseum (8,199) Manhattan, KS |
| January 3, 2023 8:00 p.m., LHN | | at No. 6 Texas | W 116–103 | 13–1 (2–0) | 36 – Nowell | 9 – Johnson | 9 – Nowell | Moody Center (10,763) Austin, TX |
| January 7, 2023 5:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at No. 19 Baylor | W 97–95 $^{OT}$ | 14–1 (3–0) | 32 – Nowell | 9 – Johnson | 14 – Nowell | Ferrell Center (9,211) Waco, TX |
| January 10, 2023 6:00 p.m., ESPNU | No. 11 | Oklahoma State | W 65–57 | 15–1 (4–0) | 20 – Nowell | 7 – Tied | 7 – Nowell | Bramlage Coliseum (11,000) Manhattan, KS |
| January 14, 2023 1:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 11 | at No. 17 TCU | L 68–82 | 15–2 (4–1) | 18 – Johnson | 10 – Tomlin | 5 – Tomlin | Schollmaier Arena (5,884) Fort Worth, TX |
| January 17, 2023 6:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 13 | No. 2 Kansas Sunflower Showdown | W 83–82 $^{OT}$ | 16–2 (5–1) | 24 – Tied | 10 – Tomlin | 7 – Nowell | Bramlage Coliseum (11,000) Manhattan, KS |
| January 21, 2023 1:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 13 | Texas Tech | W 68–58 | 17–2 (6–1) | 23 – Nowell | 11 – Johnson | 5 – Nowell | Bramlage Coliseum (11,000) Manhattan, KS |
| January 24, 2023 8:00 p.m., ESPNU | No. 5 | at No. 12 Iowa State | L 76–80 | 17–3 (6–2) | 23 – Nowell | 10 – Johnson | 9 – Nowell | Hilton Coliseum (14,267) Ames, IA |
| January 28, 2023* 5:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 5 | Florida Big 12/SEC Challenge | W 64–50 | 18–3 | 13 – Tied | 11 – Johnson | 8 – Nowell | Bramlage Coliseum (11,000) Manhattan, KS |
| January 31, 2023 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 7 | at No. 8 Kansas Sunflower Showdown | L 78–90 | 18–4 (6–3) | 23 – Nowell | 12 – Johnson | 4 – Nowell | Allen Fieldhouse (16,300) Lawrence, KS |
| February 4, 2023 3:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 7 | No. 10 Texas | L 66–69 | 18–5 (6–4) | 16 – Johnson | 6 – Tied | 3 – Tied | Bramlage Coliseum (11,000) Manhattan, KS |
| February 7, 2023 8:00 p.m., ESPNU | No. 12 | No. 17 TCU | W 82–61 | 19–5 (7–4) | 18 – Nowell | 9 – Greene | 7 – Nowell | Bramlage Coliseum (8,667) Manhattan, KS |
| February 11, 2023 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 12 | at Texas Tech | L 63–71 | 19–6 (7–5) | 18 – Nowell | 8 – Johnson | 4 – Nowell | United Supermarkets Arena (12,973) Lubbock, TX |
| February 14, 2023 8:00 p.m., ESPNU | No. 12 | at Oklahoma | L 65–79 | 19–7 (7–6) | 17 – Tomlin | 10 – Tomlin | 6 – Nowell | Lloyd Noble Center (5,167) Norman, OK |
| February 18, 2023 1:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 12 | No. 19 Iowa State | W 61–55 | 20–7 (8–6) | 20 – Nowell | 6 – Tied | 5 – Nowell | Bramlage Coliseum (11,000) Manhattan, KS |
| February 21, 2023 6:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 14 | No. 9 Baylor | W 75–65 | 21–7 (9–6) | 25 – Johnson | 8 – Tied | 10 – Nowell | Bramlage Coliseum (11,000) Manhattan, KS |
| February 25, 2023 6:00 p.m., ESPNU | No. 14 | at Oklahoma State | W 73–68 | 22–7 (10–6) | 22 – Nowell | 5 – Tied | 8 – Nowell | Gallagher-Iba Arena (11,124) Stillwater, OK |
| March 1, 2023 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 11 | Oklahoma | W 85–69 | 23–7 (11–6) | 19 – Tomlin | 9 – Sills | 10 – Nowell | Bramlage Coliseum (11,000) Manhattan, KS |
| March 4, 2023 1:00 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 11 | at West Virginia | L 81–89 | 23–8 (11–7) | 24 – Tied | 6 – Tied | 8 – Nowell | WVU Coliseum (14,111) Morgantown, WV |
| Big 12 tournament |||||||||
| March 9, 2023 8:30 p.m., ESPN2 | (3) No. 12 | vs. (6) No. 22 TCU Quarterfinals | L 67–80 | 23–9 | 14 – Tied | 9 – Tomlin | 5 – Nowell | T-Mobile Center (17,476) Kansas City, MO |
| NCAA Tournament |||||||||
| March 17, 2023* 8:40 p.m., CBS | (3 E) No. 15 | vs. (14 E) Montana State First Round | W 77–65 | 24–9 | 18 – Johnson | 8 – Johnson | 14 – Nowell | Greensboro Coliseum (17,150) Greensboro, NC |
| March 19, 2023* 1:40 p.m., CBS | (3 E) No. 15 | vs. (6 E) Kentucky Second Round | W 75–69 | 25–9 | 27 – Nowell | 6 – Tomlin | 9 – Nowell | Greensboro Coliseum (16,517) Greensboro, NC |
| March 23, 2023* 5:30 p.m., TBS | (3 E) No. 15 | vs. (7 E) Michigan State Sweet Sixteen | W 98–93 $^{OT}$ | 26–9 | 22 – Johnson | 7 – Tomlin | 19 – Nowell | Madison Square Garden (19,624) New York, NY |
| March 25, 2023* 5:09 p.m., TBS | (3 E) No. 15 | vs. (9 E) No. 25 Florida Atlantic Elite Eight | L 76–79 | 26–10 | 30 – Nowell | 6 – Tomlin | 12 – Nowell | Madison Square Garden (19,680) New York, NY |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. E=East. All times are in Central Time. |||||||||
Source:

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | Final |
| AP | | | | | | | | | | | 11 | 13 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 11 | 12 | 15 | Not released |
| Coaches | | | | | | | | | | | 13 | 15 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 14 | 16 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 9 |
*No poll released