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Notebook: Small ball was key for Kansas State

On3 imageby: Drew Galloway13 hours agogalloway__drew
Jerome Tang 2025
Jerome Tang/USA Today

Kansas State’s slow start

Kansas State got off to an extremely slow start Tuesday night against UNC-Greensboro. The Spartans played with energy and fight and got out to a 22-12 lead with just over nine minutes to go in the first half in Bramlage Coliseum.

With a lot of players who have played college basketball, albeit other places, Jerome Tang was a bit surprised by how tight K-State played to begin the game. Playing tight and with nerves led to eight turnovers in the first 10 minutes, which was something the Wildcats hadn’t shown in a long time.

Tang’s solution was to bring in returning guard CJ Jones who played with great energy and caused some UNC-Greensboro turnovers and let Kansas State get out and run and settle down.

Small ball

One of the solutions for K-State Tuesday night was to play smaller. There were multiple four guard lineups where the ‘5’ spot was either Khamari McGriff or Elias Rapieque. The four guard lineups did not clog up the offense and let the Wildcats really space the floor.

UNC-Greensboro was excellent at guarding the Wildcats’ first and second action, but when Kansas State could get into the third action, they broke down the Spartan defense. Going with four guards made it easier to get into the third action and made the Wildcats extremely difficult to guard.

Nate’s big night

Akron transfer guard Nate Johnson had an excellent regular season debut for K-State. The senior ended the contest with 22 points, nine rebounds and nine assists before being taken out with just under four minutes to go.

Tang actually knew how close Johnson was to a triple-double, though the guard did not and seemed to not really care and was more focused on the team and winning.

Johnson can also dominate on both ends of the floor, and he did just that Tuesday night by knocking down a career high six three-pointers while also grabbing nine rebounds and two steals and being a whopping +46 on the floor.

The Kansas State coaches are still trying to unlock even more out of Johnson and inspire him to know just how good he can be going forward.

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