Kaosi Ezeagu emerging as a force in the middle for Kansas State basketball

MANHATTAN — From the moment he arrived at Kansas State over the summer, Markquis Nowell was in Kaosi Ezeagu's ear.

Nowell, a dynamic 5-foot-8 point guard who transferred in from Little Rock, Ark., immediately saw potential in Ezeagu and let him know in no uncertain terms. Ezeagu, the Wildcats' 6-10 junior center, is slowly starting to show why.

With 7-footer Davion Bradford still working his way back from a preseason illness, it has fallen on Ezeagu to carry the load in the middle for K-State and he has responded with arguably the most productive three-game stretch of his young career.

It is no coincidence that his performance has coincided with a three-game Wildcat winning streak. They bring a 5-2 record into Wednesday's 8 p.m. Big East-Big 12 Battle matchup with Marquette (7-2) at Bramlage Coliseum.

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Kaosi Ezeagu almost perfect vs. Wichita State Shockers

In Sunday's 65-59 comeback victory against Wichita State, Ezeagu had 14 points on 5 of 6 shooting, grabbed six rebounds and with 41.4 seconds left and K-State trying to protect a seven-point lead, he took a charge.

"We used to have a little issue," Nowell said after the game. "Because I'd say: 'Kaosi, go hard. I see you man. I know what you're capable of. You roll hard (to the basket) and you're going to get an open dunk or (someone) is going to get an open three.'

"He just trusted me (and) he had a big game today — blocking shots, rebounding, the whole nine. He took a big charge that we needed at the end of the game."

Ezeagu also stayed out of foul trouble for the most part, an issue ever since he transferred to K-State from UTEP in the spring 2020. In the Wichita State game, he played a season-high 25 minutes and nearly matched his career high of 15 points from the previous Sunday against North Dakota.

In the Wichita State game, Nowell found Ezeagu for a dunk early on with a pick-and-roll play and the Wildcats successfully went back to the well several times.

"In the first half, we ran a play and no one was tagging me," Ezeagu said. "I was wide open. If it ain't broke, don't fix it, right?

"My guards, their vision is amazing. Markquis, I'm getting more used to him and all of these passes. My guards made some good reads, and they were able to pass to me and I converted."

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Center reducing turnovers, catching the ball

That hasn't always been the case.

K-State coach Bruce Weber mused recently that it looked as if Ezeagu was using spoons to catch the ball, resulting in an unacceptable turnover ratio. But he did not turn the ball over once and the Wildcats had only seven as a team against Wichita State.

"I joke about him catching. I think that's the big thing," Weber said. "But he is in pretty good shape, he's running hard, he's playing hard (and) he led us on our play-hard chart with 11, which is the high for the season for anybody.

"So not only was he good catching (and) scoring, getting to the hoop, diving. But he was also very, very active in the game, and (getting) deflections and getting on the floor and taking a charge. He was just real active."

Ezeagu, who averaged 5.2 points and 3.2 rebounds last year, has raised those numbers to 8.6 points and 4.7 rebounds this season so far. Over the past three games, he has made 14 of 17 shots and scored 37 points with 16 rebounds.

It has been a slow process for Ezeagu, who started the first four games last year, only to miss the next 10 with an injury that still has him playing with a big brace on his right knee.

The long road back made a signature road victory — technically a neutral-site game at Intrust Bank Arena — Sunday all the more meaningful for Ezeagu. Not only did Ezeagu have health issues, but the Wildcats were a disappointing 9-20, winning just four Big 12 games.

"It's very special because I know how hard we've been through all the stuff last year," he said. "We really worked for this. We have all those experiences under our belt and really prepared for this, so it feels really good."

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Davion Bradford still recovering from illness

In Ezeagu's absence last year, Bradford took over the starting job as a freshman and flourished, but a bout with pneumonia and strep throat before the start of the season has left him a shell of his former self so far.

"I told him this is a work in progress," Weber said of his conversations with Bradford. "We have to get yourself back. We do need you.

"I'm happy Kaosi's playing well. But you know, you might be a difference-maker on Wednesday night. And so he is important."

Marquette, led first-year coach Shaka Smart who spent the previous six seasons at Texas, bring an impressive resume to Bramlage. The Golden Eagles' two losses came against nationally ranked St. Bonaventure and on Saturday at Wisconsin (89-76), but they beat then-No. 10 Illinois, a team that beat K-State.

They also have victories over Ole Miss and West Virginia. Freshman forward Justin Lewis leads the Eagles with 15.9 points and 7.6 points per game and graduate transfer guard Darryl Morsell adds 14.8.

K-State won in Wichita on Sunday without leading scorer Nijel Pack, who sat out with a concussion and is at best questionable for the Marquette game.

"He's going through the protocols and it's going to be a close call and everything's got to go right," Weber said Tuesday. "It's about him and his future and not taking any chances, so we'll just see what happens.

"But he has made strides. He's feeling better and we'll see what happens the next couple of days. It's an 8 o'clock game, so you've got almost two days to kind of get there."

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas State basketball center Kaosi Ezeagu emerges as a force