Kansas State basketball gearing up daunting Big 12 schedule and opener against UCF

MANHATTAN — Kansas State basketball coach Jerome Tang is the first to admit that the Big 12 Conference gauntlet that lies ahead for his Wildcats is a daunting one.

Then again, it also can be exhilarating.

"Just conference play. You know your guys are going to be up for every game," Tang said as the Wildcats looked to their conference opener on 5 p.m. Saturday against newcomer Central Florida at Bramlage Coliseum. "You're not worried about them overlooking anybody, that kind of thing.

"Their juices are flowing a little bit more. It's why they came to K-State, to play in this conference. A lot of fun."

Fun, perhaps, but also a challenge. At 10-3, Tang figures that the Wildcats will have to win half of their games — basically break even at 9-9 — to guarantee a return to the NCAA Tournament. And that with a team missing two players expected to be key ingredients before the season started.

"Fans have got to look at this team and we're not guaranteed," Tang said. "The expectations have got to be tempered a little bit because of the group that we have."

Related: Kansas State basketball guard Ques Glover out again after reinjuring his knee

Missing from the group are forward Nae'Qwan Tomlin, the top returning player from last year's NCAA Elite Eight team, who was dismissed from the team and has since transferred to Memphis, and graduate transfer guard Ques Glover. Glover was set to return from an injury for Tuesday's game against Chicago State but reinjured his knee and most likely is lost for the season.

"That's why we've got crazy faith and we'll take one game at a time," Tang said, referring to the words emblazoned on his t-shirt, which also served as the team's motto last year, when they exceeded expectations with a 26-10 record and the magical NCAA Tournament run. "But it's going to be one heck of a job for us to get nine wins in this conference."

While Tomlin and Glover no longer are in the picture, K-State boasts three of the top 20 scorers in the league in Cam Carter with 16.5 points per game, Arthur Kaluma with 15.3 and 8.6 rebounds, and Tylor Perry with 15 points and 5.4 assists.

They face a UCF team with at similar record at 9-3. The Knights are led by junior guards Jaylin Sellers with 18.6 points per game and Darius Johnson with 14.3.

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"They remind me defensively of Providence," Tang said of a team K-State beat in overtime in the Bahamas in November. "Normally I can look at a team's defense and figure out some ways that you can pick on them.

"With Providence, it was hard to find ways that you could attack them from the offensive end where they had a weakness defensively, and it's the same thing with UCF. They've got size, athleticism (and) rim protection. So, we're going to have to manufacture some buckets against them, because they're really good on that end."

Kaluma, who had a double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds in Tuesday's 62-55 victory over Chicago State, said there is no room for a letdown in the Big 12.

"(We have to) have consistent energy from start to the finish of the game," he said. "We've got to be able to set the tempo and set the pace of our game to how we want to play, not dictated from how the other teams play.

"I feel like our team is solid. We're working hard every single day."

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 basketball to take on UCF in Big 12 opener