19 March 2023
GREENSBOBO, N.C. (KSNT) – K-State wrapped up its Round of 64 NCAA Tournament win against Montana State after midnight in North Carolina.
With a matchup with Kentucky scheduled just 36 hours later, every second of rest matters for the Wildcats.
After K-State’s win, head coach Jerome Tang made almost every player jump right into an ice bath. Senior guard Desi Sills even did his post-game interview in the cold tub.
Tang says getting physical and mental rest in the tournament is very important.
“Coming down off the high of the win, then getting the rest that’s needed for your body to recover and figuring out the balance of how much is too much and not enough,” Tang said.
College kids may be used to staying up late, but the tournament is a different beast.
“We’re not going to really do too much on the court [Saturday,]” senior Keyontae Johnson said. “We just get some shots up. Coach knows our legs are tired, and mentally. Some of the guys barely got sleep last night… I didn’t go to sleep until about 4:30/5 [a.m.]. I mean he knows, he’s just trying to give us as much rest, I feel like we’ll be prepared for tomorrow.”
Lack of sleep may be a disadvantage, but Kentucky played a similar schedule, wrapping up its game right before K-State took the court on Friday night.
K-State and Kentucky tip off in the Round of 32 at 1:40 p.m.