# 2021–22 Kansas State Wildcats men's basketball team

The 2021–22 Kansas State Wildcats men's basketball team represented Kansas State University in the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, their 119th basketball season. The Wildcats were led by 10th-year head coach Bruce Weber and played their home games in Bramlage Coliseum in Manhattan, Kansas as members of the Big 12 Conference. They finished the 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.

## Previous season

In a season limited due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Wildcats finished the 2020–21 season 9–20, 4–14 in Big 12 play to finish in ninth place. They defeated TCU in the first round of the Big 12 tournament before losing to Baylor in the quarterfinals.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| DaJuan Gordon | 3 | G | 6'4" | 190 | Sophomore | Chicago, IL | Transferred to Missouri |
| Rudi Williams | 5 | G | 6'3" | 182 | Junior | Hamilton, ON | Transferred to Coastal Carolina |
| Antonio Gordon | 11 | F | 6'9" | 215 | Sophomore | Lawton, OK | Transferred to Southeastern Louisiana |
| Montavious Murphy | 23 | F | 6'9" | 230 | Sophomore | Spring, TX | Transferred |
| Joe Petrakis | 35 | F | 6'9" | 220 | RS Sophomore | Wichita, KS | Transferred to Western Carolina |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous school |
| Markquis Nowell | 1 | G | 5'7" | 155 | Senior | Harlem, NY | Little Rock |
| Mark Smith | 13 | G | 6'5" | 200 | RS Senior | Edwardsville, IL | Missouri |
| Jordan Brooks | 23 | F | 6'4" | 190 | Sophomore | Grayson, KY | Iona |
| Ismael Massoud | 25 | F | 6'10" | 220 | Junior | East Harlem, NY | Wake Forest |

### Recruiting classes
#### 2021 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Logan Landers #32 C | Cedarburg, WI | Cedarburg High School | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | 235 lb (107 kg) | Oct 30, 2020 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 78 ||||||
| Maximus Edwards SF | Bronx, NY | Our Saviour Lutheran School | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | Jan 10, 2021 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: 0 ||||||
| 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: "2021 Kansas State Basketball Commits". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 27, 2021. "2021 Kansas State Basketball Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved September 27, 2021. "2021 Kansas State Basketball Commits". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 27, 2021. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved September 27, 2021. "2021 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 27, 2021. ||||||

#### 2022 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for 2021 recruits :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Taj Manning PF | La Porte, IN | La Lumiere School | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | Sep 25, 2021 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A |||||||
| 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 September 27, 2021. "2022 Kansas State Basketball Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved September 27, 2021. "2022 Kansas State Basketball Commits". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 27, 2021. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved September 27, 2021. "2022 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 27, 2021. |||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| November 4, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Pittsburg State | W 78–59 | | 18 – Miguel | 13 – Smith | 5 – Smith | Bramlage Coliseum (5,180) Manhattan, KS |
| Regular Season |||||||||
| November 10, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Florida A&M | W 67–57 | 1–0 | 18 – Pack | 7 – Miguel | 6 – Nowell | Bramlage Coliseum (5,296) Manhattan, KS |
| November 17, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Omaha | W 79–64 | 2–0 | 15 – Tied | 8 – Smith | 6 – Miguel | Bramlage Coliseum (5,259) Manhattan, KS |
| November 22, 2021* 8:00 p.m., ESPNews | | vs. No. 13 Arkansas Hall of Fame Classic semifinals | L 64–72 | 2–1 | 14 – Tied | 9 – Miguel | 4 – McGuirl | T-Mobile Center (9,409) Kansas City, MO |
| November 23, 2021* 6:00 p.m., ESPNews | | vs. No. 14 Illinois Hall of Fame Classic 3rd Place Game | L 64–72 | 2–2 | 19 – Nowell | 6 – Nowell | 4 – Miguel | T-Mobile Center (7,255) Kansas City, MO |
| November 28, 2021* 4:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | North Dakota | W 84–42 | 3–2 | 18 – Nowell | 10 – Smith | 5 – Nowell | Bramlage Coliseum (4,998) Manhattan, KS |
| December 1, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Albany | W 71–43 | 4–2 | 17 – Pack | 10 – Smith | 3 – 3 Tied | Bramlage Coliseum (5,195) Manhattan, KS |
| December 5, 2021* 5:00 p.m., ESPNU | | at Wichita State | W 65–59 | 5–2 | 16 – Nowell | 8 – Nowell | 4 – Nowell | Intrust Bank Arena (14,488) Wichita, KS |
| December 8, 2021* 8:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | Marquette Big East–Big 12 Battle | L 63–64 | 5–3 | 17 – Smith | 8 – Smith | 11 – Nowell | Bramlage Coliseum (7,184) Manhattan, KS |
| December 12, 2021* 4:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Green Bay | W 82–64 | 6–3 | 22 – Nowell | 10 – Smith | 8 – Nowell | Bramlage Coliseum (5,437) Manhattan, KS |
| December 19, 2021* 5:00 p.m., BTN | | at Nebraska | W 67–58 | 7–3 | 15 – Pack | 9 – Ezeagu | 5 – Pack | Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,043) Lincoln, NE |
| December 21, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | McNeese State | W 74–59 | 8–3 | 18 – Nowell/Pack | 10 – Smith | 10 – Nowell | Bramlage Coliseum (5,223) Manhattan, KS |
| December 29, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | North Florida | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols | Bramlage Coliseum Manhattan, KS |
| January 1, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPNU | | at Oklahoma | L 69–71 | 8–4 (0–1) | 25 – Smith | 16 – Smith | 5 – Smith | Lloyd Noble Center (6,777) Norman, OK |
| January 4, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | No. 14 Texas | L 57–70 | 8–5 (0–2) | 21 – Pack | 8 – Miguel | 3 – Pack | Bramlage Coliseum (6,833) Manhattan, KS |
| January 8, 2022 1:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at West Virginia | L 68–71 | 8–6 (0–3) | 20 – Pack | 8 – Smith | 10 – Nowell | WVU Coliseum (11,919) Morgantown, WV |
| January 12, 2022 8:00 p.m., ESPNU | | TCU | L 57–60 | 8–7 (0–4) | 18 – Nowell | 9 – Smith | 4 – Nowell | Bramlage Coliseum (5,623) Manhattan, KS |
| January 15, 2022 11:00 a.m., ESPNU | | No. 19 Texas Tech | W 62–51 | 9–7 (1–4) | 14 – Pack | 7 – Pack | 9 – Nowell | Bramlage Coliseum (5,971) Manhattan, KS |
| January 18, 2022 7:30 p.m., LHN | | at No. 23 Texas | W 66–65 | 10–7 (2–4) | 22 – Smith | 8 – Smith | 3 – Nowell | Frank Erwin Center (11,498) Austin, TX |
| January 22, 2022 3:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | No. 5 Kansas Sunflower Showdown | L 75–78 | 10–8 (2–5) | 35 – Pack | 4 – Tied | 6 – Nowell | Bramlage Coliseum (9,737) Manhattan, KS |
| January 25, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at No. 4 Baylor | L 49–74 | 10–9 (2–6) | 13 – Pack | 6 – Smith | 4 – Nowell | Ferrell Center (8,062) Waco, TX |
| January 29, 2022* 3:00 p.m., ESPNU | | at Ole Miss Big 12/SEC Challenge | L 56–67 | 10–10 | 20 – Smith | 16 – Smith | 7 – Pack | SJB Pavilion (7,135) Oxford, MS |
| February 2, 2022 8:00 p.m., ESPNU | | Oklahoma State | W 71–68 | 11–10 (3–6) | 22 – Pack | 10 – McGuirl | 4 – McGuirl | Bramlage Coliseum (5,860) Manhattan, KS |
| February 5, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPNU | | at TCU | W 75–63 | 12–10 (4–6) | 20 – Pack | 10 – Smith | 6 – Nowell | Schollmaier Arena (7,581) Fort Worth, TX |
| February 9, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | No. 10 Baylor | L 60–75 | 12–11 (4–7) | 31 – Pack | 8 – Smith | 3 – Nowell | Bramlage Coliseum (6,236) Manhattan, KS |
| February 12, 2022 3:00 p.m., ESPNU | | at Iowa State | W 75–69 $^{OT}$ | 13–11 (5–7) | 19 – Pack | 9 – Smith | 6 – Nowell | Hilton Coliseum (13,477) Ames, IA |
| February 14, 2022 6:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | West Virginia | W 78–73 | 14–11 (6–7) | 21 – Nowell | 10 – Smith | 5 – Pack | Bramlage Coliseum (5,401) Manhattan, KS |
| February 19, 2022 1:00 p.m., ESPNU | | at Oklahoma State | L 79–82 $^{OT}$ | 14–12 (6–8) | 16 – Pack | 10 – Smith | 5 – Nowell | Gallagher-Iba Arena (8,796) Stillwater, OK |
| February 22, 2022 8:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | at No. 5 Kansas Sunflower Showdown | L 83–102 | 14–13 (6–9) | 20 – Nowell | 9 – Smith | 8 – Nowell | Allen Fieldhouse (16,300) Lawrence, KS |
| February 26, 2022 1:00 p.m., ESPNU | | Iowa State | L 73–74 | 14–14 (6–10) | 32 – Pack | 9 – Smith | 4 – Nowell | Bramlage Coliseum (8,090) Manhattan, KS |
| February 28, 2022 8:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | at No. 12 Texas Tech | L 68–73 | 14–15 (6–11) | 18 – McGuirl | 6 – Smith | 3 – Pack | United Supermarkets Arena (15,098) Lubbock, TX |
| March 5, 2022 3:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Oklahoma | L 71–78 | 14–16 (6–12) | 22 – Smith | 9 – Smith | 5 – McGuirl | Bramlage Coliseum (6,635) Manhattan, KS |
| Big 12 tournament |||||||||
| March 9, 2022 6:00 p.m., ESPNU | (8) | vs. (9) West Virginia First round | L 67–73 | 14–17 | 18 – Pack | 6 – Pack | 4 – Nowell | T-Mobile Center (15,295) Kansas City, MO |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Time. |||||||||
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