Kansas State basketball poised for an emotional senior night against Oklahoma

MANHATTAN — There may not be a dry eye in the house when Bramlage Coliseum bids farewell to Kansas State's six senior basketball players on Wednesday.

At least there won't be on the court before the No. 11-ranked Wildcats' 7 p.m. tipoff against Oklahoma.

"I just know it's going to be a bittersweet moment," said senior point guard Markquis Nowell, who quickly became a fan favorite in his two years as a Wildcat. "I know it's going to be nothing but love from the K-State fans, and I'll probably tear up a little bit.

"I'm not sure what the day might bring, but I'm just going to be happy that I decided to finish my career at K-State."

The other five who make up Jerome Tang's first Wildcat senior class are Keyontae Johnson, Desi Sills, Abayomi Iyiola, Tykei Green and walk-on Nate Awbrey.

Tang was asked about his first senior night as a head coach after Saturday's 73-68 victory at Oklahoma State. He did go through 19 of them as a Baylor assistant before coming to K-State.

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"You trying to make me cry? That's what you're trying to do," he said. "I don't know. It's my first time, and senior nights have always been emotional because we were blessed for a long time to be able to bring in young guys and then have them for five years at Baylor, and just see the maturity and all of that.

"Of recent, it has been transfers, and so you don't have them for as long. But it doesn't mean that you don't have a heart connection, and so, last game in Bramlage for the year, it's going to be special."

Johnson, a one-year transfer from Florida, knows all about heart connections. A heart condition caused him to collapse during a Dec. 12, 2020, game at Florida State, and he missed the better part of two seasons before he was medically cleared last summer to resume his career.

Senior night will allow him to share his mutual admiration with the K-State fans.

"I feel like it's going to be a night where a lot of people appreciate me (for) coming here," said Johnson, who ranks second in the Big 12 in scoring with 17.6 points per game and fourth in rebounding with a 7.1 average. "It will be big for me, because it's thanking K-State for having me here and playing basketball.

"They gave me a second chance."

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Johnson, who was named Southeastern Conference preseason player of the year in 2020 and was a projected NBA draft lottery pick before he was shut down, certainly has made the most of his second chance. Along with Nowell, who is third in the league in scoring (17 ppg) and first in both assists (7.6) and steals (2.3), he has helped lead K-State to a 22-7 record, 10-6 in the Big 12.

A victory over last-place Oklahoma (14-15, 4-12 Big 12) would push the Wildcats back into a third-place tie with Baylor.

In addition to Nowell and Johnson, Sills has been a major contributor at guard for the Wildcats. The transfer from Arkansas State is a leading candidate for Big 12 sixth man of the year, and his first three starts have coincided with K-State's current three-game winning streak.

Sills ranks fourth on the team in scoring with 8.3 points per game, but also has had an impact as a playmaker and defender.

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The 6-foot-10 Iyiola, a transfer from Hofstra, who like Sills also spent time at Arkansas, has been an integral part of the Wildcats' post rotation, averaging 4.0 points and 3.1 rebounds. Greene, who transferred from Stony Brook as a fifth-year super-senior, also has had a major impact in a handful of games, averaging 3.0 points and 2.0 rebounds.

And then there's Awbrey, a Manhattan High School product who joined the Wildcats as a walk-on after four years at Manhattan Christian College. He has appeared in just six games but is an acknowledged leader off the court.

"It will be special for me," Awbrey said of senior night. "I grew up here, (and) I've been to senior nights in Bramlage before.

"Actually (former K-State forward) Curtis Kelly — he's a (graduate assistant) for us — I was at his senior night. Just seeing the atmosphere and everything there, it's going to be a really cool moment for me to be out there on senior night here in my hometown."

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: Kansas State men's basketball ready for senior night against Oklahoma