In the midst of Kansas State's 1-9 Big 12 disaster, the program is looking for any semblance of hope or progress to ride on for the remainder of the season.
Well, it got a bit of that in the TCU loss. Marcus Johnson, who scored just five points all season prior to Saturday afternoon, had 15 on 5-of-6 shooting from 3-point range against the Horned Frogs.
Honestly, Johnson probably would've been the story of the game had the Wildcats held on in the final seconds. His performance off the bench is the offensive spark the team has needed with a good chunk of the frontcourt out.
"We've asked him to stay ready," coach Jerome Tang said in his postgame interview. "Opportunities are going to come. Coach [Matthew] Driscoll says all the time, injuries, attrition, and the doghouse, every dude's going to get their opportunity. And Marcus has."
The former Bowling Green forward was brought in this offseason, along with the other stars that elevated the Wildcats to preseason Tournament contenders. He's been a non-factor thus far, but performances like yesterday should give Kansas State reason to at least put him in the rotation. Johnson averaged 16.2 points and five rebounds last season, but it hasn't translated during his time in the Big 12 so far.
"Now there's going to be a scouting report on him, so people are going to adjust," Tang said. "I thought when they went to switching at the end of the first half, we got stagnant. We just tried to pick on the switch and leave a big at the rim. Then they clogged the lane, and we didn't handle that well. It's gonna give us the opportunity to get better at some things there."
Johnson helped fuel a 3-point shooting performance that dominated in the first half. He was nearly unstoppable around the perimeter, overshadowing Khamari McGriff's return to the starting lineup. In an inoffensive stretch without several key players, games like these at least give some optimism for a shift or temporary flicker.