# 2023–24 Kansas State Wildcats men's basketball team

The 2023–24 Kansas State Wildcats men's basketball team represented Kansas State University in the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, their 121st basketball season. The Wildcats were led by second-year head coach Jerome Tang and played their home games in Bramlage Coliseum in Manhattan, Kansas as members of the Big 12 Conference.

## Previous season

The Wildcats finished the 2022–23 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.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Markquis Nowell | 1 | G | 5'8" | 160 | Senior | Harlem, NY | Graduated/undrafted in 2023 NBA draft; signed with the Toronto Raptors |
| Tykei Greene | 4 | G | 6'4" | 205 | RS Senior | Queens, NY | Graduated |
| Keyontae Johnson | 11 | F | 6'6" | 229 | GS Senior | Norfolk, VA | Graduated/2023 NBA draft; selected by 50th overall by Oklahoma City Thunder |
| Anthony Thomas | 12 | G/F | 6'7" | 180 | Sophomore | Silver Spring, MD | Transferred to Northwestern State |
| Desi Sills | 13 | G | 6'3" | 200 | Senior | Jonesboro, AR | Graduated |
| Nate Awbrey | 21 | G | 6'3" | 190 | Senior | Manhattan, KS | Walk-on; graduated |
| Abayomi Iyiola | 23 | F/C | 6'10" | 215 | GS Senior | Atlanta, GA | Graduated |
| Ismael Massoud | 25 | F | 6'9" | 210 | Junior | East Harlem, NY | Transferred to Georgetown |
| Peyton Ackerman | 43 | G | 5'10" | 150 | Freshman | Oklahoma City, OK | Walk-on; transferred |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous school |
| Tylor Perry | 2 | G | 5'11" | 182 | GS Senior | Fort Coffee, OK | North Texas |
| Arthur Kaluma | 24 | F | 6'8" | 225 | Junior | Glendale, AZ | Creighton |

### Recruiting classes
#### 2023 recruiting class

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Dai Dai Ames #16 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: 85 ||||||
| R.J. Jones #15 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: 84 ||||||
| Macaleab Rich #15 SG | East Saint Louis, IL | East St. Louis High School | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 225 lb (102 kg) | Sep 26, 2022 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 82 ||||||
| 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 July 1, 2023. "2023 Kansas State Basketball Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved July 1, 2023. "2023 Kansas State Basketball Commits". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 1, 2023. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved July 1, 2023. "2023 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 1, 2023. ||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| November 1, 2023* 7:00 p.m. | | Emporia State | W 102–68 | – | 20 – Carter | 9 – Rich | 5 – Perry | Bramlage Coliseum (9,268) Manhattan, KS |
| Non-conference regular season |||||||||
| November 6, 2023* 9:00 p.m., TNT | | vs. No. 21 USC Hall of Fame Series | L 69–82 | 0–1 | 22 – Perry | 10 – N'Guessan | 6 – Perry | T-Mobile Arena (7,595) Paradise, NV |
| November 10, 2023* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Bellarmine | W 83–75 | 1–1 | 18 – Perry | 9 – N’Guessan | 6 – Ames | Bramlage Coliseum (9,947) Manhattan, KS |
| November 13, 2023* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | South Dakota State | W 91–68 | 2–1 | 25 – Carter | 11 – N’Guessan | 7 – Ames | Bramlage Coliseum (9,421) Manhattan, KS |
| November 17, 2023* 5:00 p.m., CBSSN | | vs. Providence Baha Mar Hoops Bahamas Championship semifinals | W 73–70 $^{OT}$ | 3–1 | 24 – Perry | 8 – Carter | 4 – Ames | Baha Mar Convention Center (1,833) Nassau, Bahamas |
| November 19, 2023* 1:30 p.m., CBSSN | | vs. No. 12 Miami (FL) Baha Mar Hoops Bahamas Championship final | L 83–91 | 3–2 | 28 – Carter | 12 – Kaluma | 5 – Perry | Baha Mar Convention Center (1,895) Nassau, Bahamas |
| November 22, 2023* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Central Arkansas | W 100–56 | 4–2 | 20 – Kaluma | 11 – N’Guessan | 6 – Perry | Bramlage Coliseum (8,980) Manhattan, KS |
| November 28, 2023* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Oral Roberts | W 88–78 $^{OT}$ | 5–2 | 20 – Tied | 10 – Carter | 7 – Perry | Bramlage Coliseum (9,887) Manhattan, KS |
| December 2, 2023* 1:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | North Alabama | W 75–74 $^{OT}$ | 6–2 | 16 – Perry | 8 – Tied | 6 – Perry | Bramlage Coliseum (9,528) Manhattan, KS |
| December 5, 2023* 6:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | Villanova Big East-Big 12 Battle | W 72–71 $^{OT}$ | 7–2 | 26 – Kaluma | 10 – N’Guessan | 6 – Perry | Bramlage Coliseum (10,140) Manhattan, KS |
| December 9, 2023* 12:30 p.m., SECN | | at LSU | W 75–60 | 8–2 | 21 – Carter | 11 – Kaluma | 6 – Perry | Pete Maravich Assembly Center (7,413) Baton Rouge, LA |
| December 17, 2023* 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Nebraska | L 46–62 | 8–3 | 12 – Carter | 9 – Rich | 6 – Perry | Bramlage Coliseum (10,206) Manhattan, KS |
| December 21, 2023* 7:30 p.m., ESPN+ | | vs. Wichita State Wildcat Classic | W 69–60 | 9–3 | 17 – Perry | 9 – N'Guessan | 5 – Tied | T-Mobile Center (18,660) Kansas City, MO |
| January 2, 2024* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Chicago State | W 62–55 | 10–3 | 19 – Carter | 13 – Kaluma | 4 – Perry | Bramlage Coliseum (9,123) Manhattan, KS |
| Big 12 regular season |||||||||
| January 6, 2024 5:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | UCF | W 77–52 | 11–3 (1–0) | 25 – Perry | 14 – N’Guessan | 6 – Carter | Bramlage Coliseum (9,698) Manhattan, KS |
| January 9, 2024 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at West Virginia | W 81–67 | 12–3 (2–0) | 23 – Carter | 9 – McNair | 5 – Perry | WVU Coliseum (10,063) Morgantown, WV |
| January 13, 2024 3:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | at Texas Tech | L 59–60 | 12–4 (2–1) | 16 – Perry | 9 – McNair | 4 – Perry | United Supermarkets Arena (14,856) Lubbock, TX |
| January 16, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | No. 9 Baylor | W 68–64 $^{OT}$ | 13–4 (3–1) | 18 – Tied | 10 – Kaluma | 4 – Perry | Bramlage Coliseum (10,055) Manhattan, KS |
| January 20, 2024 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Oklahoma State | W 70–66 | 14–4 (4–1) | 23 – Kaluma | 7 – Kaluma | 5 – Perry | Bramlage Coliseum (10,247) Manhattan, KS |
| January 24, 2024 8:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | at No. 23 Iowa State | L 67–78 | 14–5 (4–2) | 16 – Kaluma | 6 – Finister | 5 – Perry | Hilton Coliseum (14,267) Ames, IA |
| January 27, 2024 11:00 a.m., ESPN | | at No. 4 Houston | L 52–74 | 14–6 (4–3) | 16 – Carter | 9 – McNair | 3 – McNair | Fertitta Center (7,260) Houston, TX |
| January 30, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | No. 23 Oklahoma | L 53–73 | 14–7 (4–4) | 23 – Perry | 6 – Tied | 2 – Tied | Bramlage Coliseum (9,955) Manhattan, KS |
| February 3, 2024 1:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Oklahoma State | L 72–75 | 14–8 (4–5) | 19 – Perry | 9 – McNair | 5 – Carter | Gallagher-Iba Arena (7,623) Stillwater, OK |
| February 5, 2024 8:00 p.m., ESPN | | No. 4 Kansas Sunflower Showdown | W 75–70 $^{OT}$ | 15–8 (5–5) | 26 – Perry | 11 – Carter | 4 – Perry | Bramlage Coliseum (11,010) Manhattan, KS |
| February 10, 2024 9:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | at No. 21 BYU | L 66–72 | 15–9 (5–6) | 18 – Kaluma | 10 – McNair Jr. | 3 – Perry | Marriott Center (17,446) Provo, UT |
| February 17, 2024 11:00 a.m., ESPNU | | TCU | L 72–75 | 15–10 (5–7) | 24 – Perry | 6 – Carter | 3 – Tied | Bramlage Coliseum (9,609) Manhattan, KS |
| February 19, 2024 8:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | at Texas | L 56–62 | 15–11 (5–8) | 17 – Kaluma | 7 – Kaluma | 4 – Perry | Moody Center (10,905) Austin, TX |
| February 24, 2024 1:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | No. 25 BYU | W 84–74 | 16–11 (6–8) | 28 – Kaluma | 10 – Kaluma | 5 – Perry | Bramlage Coliseum (9,117) Manhattan, KS |
| February 26, 2024 6:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | West Virginia | W 94–90 $^{OT}$ | 17–11 (7–8) | 29 – Perry | 10 – N'Guessan | 6 – Perry | Bramlage Coliseum (8,813) Manhattan, KS |
| March 2, 2024 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Cincinnati | L 72–74 | 17–12 (7–9) | 26 – Perry | 7 – Tied | 3 – Tied | Fifth Third Arena (11,974) Cincinnati, OH |
| March 5, 2024 6:00 p.m., ESPN | | at No. 14 Kansas Sunflower Showdown | L 68–90 | 17–13 (7–10) | 17 – McNair Jr. | 10 – McNair Jr. | 3 – Ames | Allen Fieldhouse (16,300) Lawrence, KS |
| March 9, 2024 1:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | No. 6 Iowa State | W 65–58 | 18–13 (8–10) | 23 – Kaluma | 16 – N'Guessan | 5 – Perry | Bramlage Coliseum (9,311) Manhattan, KS |
| Big 12 tournament |||||||||
| March 13, 2024 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | (10) | vs. (7) Texas Second Round | W 78–74 | 19–13 | 21 – Perry | 8 – Kaluma | 3 – Ames | T-Mobile Center Kansas City, MO |
| March 14, 2024 6:00 p.m., ESPN2 | (10) | vs. (2) No. 7 Iowa State Quarterfinals | L 57–76 | 19–14 | 18 – Perry | 6 – McNair Jr. | 2 – Tied | T-Mobile Center Kansas City, MO |
| NIT |||||||||
| March 19, 2024 8:00 p.m., ESPN | | at (3) Iowa First Round - Villanova Bracket | L 82–91 | 19–15 | 16 – Ames | 7 – Tied | 5 – Ames | Carver–Hawkeye Arena (4,532) Iowa City, IA |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Time. |||||||||
Source:

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes :
| | 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 | Final |
| AP | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | RV | — | — | — | — | — | | Not released |
| Coaches | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | RV | | | | | | | |
*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings.