Kansas State basketball counting on tried and true habits against Florida Atlantic

NEW YORK — Kansas State's basketball team has spent an entire season building its identity.

It's hard to break old habits, which is exactly what Jerome Tang is counting on with every step his Wildcats advance in the NCAA Tournament.

Tempting as it might be to stray from their principles while trying to match up against a diverse group of opponents, Tang remains resolute in sticking to his guns. It has served the Wildcats well so far and he hopes it will continue to do so when the Wildcats take on upstart Florida Atlantic at 5:09 p.m. (central time) Saturday in the East Regional final at Madison Square Garden.

"I've always heard that it's probably the hardest game to win," Tang said of the Elite Eight matchup. "Both teams know that they're right there.

"Yeah, I've experienced both, (and) we have the same boring habits, and we're going to work on going 1-0. And I'm just grateful to be here because you think of how many coaches never get a chance to play in an Elite Eight."

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Tang has been on the losing end in the Elite Eight and also used it as a springboard to a national championship during his 19 years as a Baylor assistant. In 2010 and 2012, the Bears were eliminated by No. 1 seeds Duke and Kentucky, but then two years ago they knocked out Arkansas to reach the Final Four and two games later cut down the nets in Indianapolis.

"When you lose, the season is over. There's no way to describe it," Tang said. "It's such an abrupt end. You've got guys that you're never going to be with again. It's not a great feeling.

"And when you win, it's exhilaration and it's something that you worked so hard for. It took us, I think, 18 years to do it. That was just one of the best feelings that I got from a basketball experience in my life."

But rather than talk to his team about those polar opposite emotions of exhilaration and despair, Tang has preached consistency. As a result, the No. 3 Wildcats (26-9) are the highest remaining seed in the East after reeling off victories over Montana State, Kentucky and on Thursday night Michigan State in overtime.

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"We always preach about being 1-0," said senior forward Keyontae Johnson, who had a team-high 22 points in the Wildcats' 98-93 overtime victory over Michigan State in the Elite Eight. "At this point, we're one game away (from the Final Four), and everybody's goal is trying to get to the national championship.

"That was our goal from the beginning of the season. We're just going to keep with that, fight with a hunger and just stay together."

And the best way to accomplish that, they have found, is to remember what got them to this point.

"Coach Tang said earlier this morning, we're going to fall back to our habits," said junior forward Ismael Massoud, who has been the Wildcats' most consistent bench performer in the last two games. Since we've been doing that the whole year, I think the guys will be pretty locked in on going 1-0 and not looking ahead to Houston, but just worried about FAU."

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K-State has embraced an underdog mentality all season after being picked by Big 12 coaches to finish last in the conference. The Wildcats rose above those expectations to tie for third, and they have been even better in the NCAA Tournament.

With point guard and New York native Markquis Nowell leading the way, they began their run in Greensboro, North Carolina, by handling Montana State, 77-65, and then outlasting Kentucky, 75-69, in the second round.

They were betting underdogs in each of the last two games, but in No. 9 seed Florida Atlantic (34-3) they face a true Cinderella team, albeit one with impeccable credentials. The Owls won both the Conference USA regular-season and tournament title and carry a 10-game winning streak into Saturday's matchup.

"They're obviously here for a reason," Massoud said. "They won, what, 34 games. That doesn't just happen by accident.

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"They're obviously well coached, have a great team, great team chemistry. They shoot the ball really well. So like coach Tang said, it's going to be a 40-minute war."

FAU coach Dusty May is in his fifth season as head coach after a four-year tenure as an assistant at Florida. He picked up his 100th victory Thursday in the Owls' 62-55 triumph over Tennessee.

"I'm a big fan of coach May, and I knew him at Florida," Tang said. "He has a terrific team, and I'm telling you, if you just took the names off the front of the jerseys and you lined them up against anybody in America, you'd say they're a high major team.

"But they're high major competitors, too. Just tough and together, as connected of a team as there is in the country. I've been super impressed with them from what I've seen."

Arne Green is based in Salina and covers Kansas State University sports for the Gannett network. He can be reached at agreen@gannett.com or on Twitter at @arnegreen.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Preview of Kansas State men's basketball vs. Florida Atlantic