In the final minute of Kansas State’s tilt with Kentucky in the Round of 32 of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday, the team unleashed an in-bounds play that will look familiar to NFL fans.
K-State was up 69-64 over Kentucky with less than 30 seconds remaining. They got possession of the ball and had to get it into the field of play without it getting stolen. So, they busted out an NFL-like 3×1 formation and what appeared to be a bubble screen to get the ball in bounds.
Check it out:
.@PatrickMahomes thoughts? 🤔#KStateMBB x #MarchMadness
— K-State Men's Basketball (@KStateMBB) March 19, 2023
Apparently, that play was named after Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes. Kansas State’s head coach Jeremy Tang revealed that detail to media members when asked about the play after the game.
“Yeah, we stole it from somebody else,” Tang told reporters. “We actually have our own (name for it). We call it, we actually call it ‘Mahomes.’ Patrick Mahomes, the quarterback for the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. You know that’s it.”
It’s safe to say that Mahomes approved of the play and its name.
💪🏽💪🏽💪🏽 https://t.co/b9kiDqlRhO
— Patrick Mahomes II (@PatrickMahomes) March 20, 2023
Kansas State would go on to win 75-69 over Kentucky, which means they’ll advance to face the Michigan State Spartans in the Sweet 16 on Thursday, March 23 at 6:30 p.m. ET.