Kansas State Duo Sweep Big 12 Men’s Basketball Awards

Posted on January 9, 2023

Kansas State's Keyontae Johnson, Markquis Nowell and Nae'Quan Tomlin

Kansas State guard Markquis Nowell was named the Big 12 Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Week for the ninth week of the 2022-23 season.

His teammate, Keyontae Johnson, was named Big 12 Newcomer of the Week.

Nowell picked up his second Big 12 Player of the Week honor this season while Johnson nabbed his third Newcomer recognition in leading the Wildcats to victories at No. 6 Texas and No. 19 Baylor.

Kansas State is now ranked in the AP Top 25 for the first time this season.

Nowell scored a career-best 36 points in a school-record 116-103 win over the Longhorns to go with a game-high nine assists and three steals. K-State’s 116 points tied for the most scored by a team in a Big 12 league game and is the most registered by an unranked team in a win over a Top 10 opponent since 1988.

Nowell followed with the school’s first 30-point/10-assist game in the 97-95 overtime win over the Bears, scoring a game-high 32 points to go with a career-best 14 assists in 43 minutes of play. He tied the school record for assists in a conference game and it was the most assists by a Wildcat in a single game in 40 years.

Johnson posted back-to-back 20-point games and has scored in double figures in all 15 games. He tied his career-high with 28 points in the victory over the Longhorns along with a game-high nine rebounds, four assists and a steal. He scored 24 points in the victory over the Bears, while grabbing a game-high nine rebounds, two assists, one block and a steal.