Johnson ranks No. 13 K-State beats No. 2 Kansas 83-82
MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State coach Jerome Tang grabbed a microphone and stood amid a sea of purple, moments after delirious fans had flooded the floor to celebrate the No. 13 Wildcats’ 83-82 overtime win over second-ranked Kansas on Tuesday night.
“You have one court-storming,” the Wildcats’ first-year coach told them over the din. “After this, we expect to win.”
The Little Apple is sure to rise in expectations.
After taking a 14 point lead in the first half, Kansas State gave up the fight and the Wildcats responded. After their game reached overtime and players were fouling out, Keyontae John delivered for Kansas State. He threw down a go ahead alley-oop dunk in 25 seconds that proved to be decisive.
“In order to elevate,” Johnson said later, “we have to beat teams like Kansas.”
Johnson and Desi Sills finished with 24 points apiece, and Nae’Qwan Tomlin had 15 points and 10 boards, as the Wildcats (16-2, 5-1 Big 12) bounced back from a blowout loss to TCU by beating the Jayhawks for the first time since Feb 5, 2019.
Jalen Wilson attempted to take over for Kansas in overtime. He converted a three-point play and made a 3 pointer. He also made a pair free throws. With just over one minute remaining, Kansas led 82-80. After Johnson had made a free throw at one end, Wilson missed an open 3-pointer to give the Wildcats another chance.
After a timeout Markquis Nowell threw a lob that Johnson hit for an 83-82 lead.
Kansas (16-2-5-1), also called timeout to establish its own final play. However, the Jayhawks lost the ball in traffic and Dajuan Harris Jr., a normally confident-handed player, did not get a chance to make a winning shot.
“If you told me we’d have the ball with a chance to win twice, that’s something I’d probably sell out for,” Kansas coach Bill Self said. “That last possession is one possession I probably wish we could take back.”
Wilson played the entire 45 minutes and ended with 38 points, a Jayhawks record. KJ Adams had 17 and Gradey Dick 16 points respectively, but both key players were sitting on the bench after fouling out.
Both teams had the chance to win in regulation’s final 30 seconds.
Kansas had possession first with 23 seconds to go and the game tied at 72, only to watch Harris lose control near the midcourt line – much like he did at the finish to overtime. Johnson was able to grab the ball from the Wildcats and pitch it to Johnson. However, Johnson missed a great shot at the rim right before the buzzer sounded.
Johnson wouldn’t miss when he got another winning chance in overtime.
The most anticipated Sunflower Showdown for years was a huge success, drawing a crowd that snuck around Bramlage Coliseum as it waited to enter. Early poise and precision were demonstrated by the Wildcats, rather than the defending champions.
Kansas State’s first five 3-pointers were made by Kansas State. They shot 52% from the line in the first half. It stuffed Wilson, the Big 12’s top scorer, three times before he made a basket. At one point, the Wildcats held a lead of 14 points.
“They were shooting lights-out,” Adams said.
Yet there’s a reason the Jayhawks entered the night 29-5 in Bramlage Coliseum.
They manage to keep up with the pressure.
Wilson scored 12 points in the first period, while Adams scored 15 in the second. Adams was able to score with floaters inside the lane and poured in 15. The Jayhawks finally closed the perimeter and forced Kansas State to drive to the basket. They slowly reduced their deficit to 44-39 at halftime.
The Jayhawks managed to overcome foul trouble and regain the lead with less than 8 minutes remaining. Neither team could give up on the final stretch.
That’s why 40 minutes wasn’t enough to decide it.
“The great thing about basketball is we’ll have another game in two days, three days. We can’t dwell on this,” Wilson said quietly. “We have another good team coming up and we’ll see them again. That’s the beauty of the Big 12.”
THE TAKEAWAY
Kansas held their ground despite foul trouble. They were 24 of 34 on free shots and 6 of 29 at the 3-point line. The Jayhawks did it by turning around early turnover trouble and effectively getting to the rim on offense, though they weren’t able to do that given one last chance in overtime.
Kansas State heavily relies on Nowell to make it happen, especially on offense. His worst games have resulted in losses. Butler held him to just 13 points and he committed five turnovers against TCU. Despite scoring only four points against Kansas, he managed to accumulate seven assists, with none being more important than the previous.
UP NEXT
Kansas will play No. 14 TCU on Saturday. Texas Tech plays Kansas State on the same day.
Johnson scores 24 as No. 13 K-State beats No. 2 Kansas 83-82 Original publication: NBCSports.com