COACHES
Kansas State: Bruce Weber (Wis.-Milwaukee ’78)
Overall: 367-182 (17th year)
at K-State: 54-27 (3rd year)
- Oklahoma State: 4-2
Oklahoma State: Travis Ford (Kentucky ‘94)
Overall: 325-225 (18th year)
at Oklahoma State: 135-79 (7th year)
- K-State: 5-7
PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP
Kansas State (7-6)
G – #23 Nigel Johnson (5.6 ppg., 2.4 apg.)
G – #2 Marcus Foster (14.0 ppg., 2.2 rpg.)
G – #25 Wesley Iwundu (5.2 ppg., 3.8 rpg.)
F – #11 Nino Williams (12.0 ppg., 4.8 rpg.)
F – #42 Thomas Gipson (11.8 ppg., 4.5 rpg.)
Oklahoma State (10-2)
G – #12 Anthony Hickey, Jr. (9.6 ppg., 3.2 apg.)
G – #13 Phil Forte III (17.1 ppg., 2.3 rpg.)
G – #22 Jeff Newberry (5.2 ppg., 1.8 rpg.)
F – #2 Le’Bryan Nash (17.9 ppg., 6.5 rpg.)
F – #20 Michael Cobbins (8.7 ppg., 6.2 rpg.)
INSIDE THE SERIES
Overall: K-State leads 75-50 (OSU leads 15-8 in Big 12 play)
In Manhattan: K-State leads 37-15 (W, 74-71, 1/4/2014)
In Stillwater: Oklahoma State leads 31-24 (W, 77-61, 3/3/2014)
Last Meeting: Oklahoma State, 77-61, 3/3/2014 (Stillwater, Okla.)
Weber vs. Oklahoma State: Weber leads 4-2 (0-2 on the road)
Ford vs. K-State: 5-7 (4-1 at home)
Weber vs. Ford: Weber leads 3-2 (0-2 on the road)
LAST GAME SUMMARY
Georgia 50, Kansas State 46
Game 13 * Bramlage Coliseum * December 31, 2014
Kansas State saw its rally from a 15-point second half come up short, as Georgia held on to post a 50-46 win on New Year’s Eve before a sold-out crowd of 12,528 at Bramlage Coliseum. After the Wildcats had rallied to take a 46-43 lead with 2:49 to play, the Bulldogs scored the game’s final 7 points, including the go-ahead 3-pointer from senior Nemanja Djurisic at 1:07 mark. The team went 3-of-4 from the free throw line to close out the game. K-State, which dropped consecutive non-conference home games for the first time in Bramlage Coliseum history, was led by senior Thomas Gipson, who posted game-highs of 19 points and 9 rebounds. The teams set 3 Bramlage Coliseum marks, including fewest combined points (96), fewest combined points in a half (32) and fewest points in a half (K-State/12). The 12 first-half points were the second-fewest in school history.
GAME 14 – QUICK HITTERS
- K-State (7-6) will tip off Big 12 play on Saturday, as the Wildcats travel to Stillwater, Okla., to face Oklahoma State (10-2) at Gallagher-Iba Arena at 11 a.m. CT. The game will air nationally on ESPNU with Anish Shroff (play-by-play) and Reid Gettys (analyst) on the call.
- K-State is 50-51 all-time in conference openers dating back to Missouri Valley play in 1914, including 7-11 in the Big 12 era. The team is 16-32 when opening league play on the road, including 2-9 in the Big 12 era. The Wildcats have lost 3 in a row in Big 12 openers on the road with the last win coming in an 84-82 victory at Oklahoma on Jan. 12, 2008.
- K-State will open conference play vs. Oklahoma State for the 13th time with the Wildcats holding an 8-4 mark in those match-ups. Saturday’s game will mark the 4th time in the past 5 seasons that the 2 schools have opened Big 12 play with K-State holding a 2-1 record with the Wildcats winning at home in 2013 (73-67, 1/5/2013) and 2014 (74-71, 1/4/2014).
- The last time the 2 teams met in a Big 12 opener at Gallagher-Iba Arena, Oklahoma State knocked off No. 17 K-State, 76-62, on Jan. 8, 2011. The Wildcats have won just once in their last 14 trips to Stillwater since 1994 with the last win coming on Jan. 21, 2012 by a score of 66-58.
- Overall, K-State leads the all-time series with Oklahoma State, 75-50, with the Cowboys owning a 31-24 mark at home. The 2 schools have met at least once every season since 1958.
- K-State enters Big 12 play on a 2-game losing streak after dropping non-conference home games to Texas Southern (58-56) and Georgia (50-46). It marked the 1st time that the Wildcats have lost back-to-back home game since February 13 & 25, 2012 (Kansas & Iowa State) and consecutive non-conference home games since December 8 & 17, 1987 (Missouri State and Southern Miss) in the final season of Ahearn Field House.
- K-State’s 7 wins in non-conference play are the fewest since the 2001-02 squad posted a 6-5 mark. The school had totaled at least 10 wins in non-conference play in each of the last 8 seasons.
- K-State is averaging 68.3 points on 46.9 percent shooting, including 37.6 percent from 3-point range, with 14.2 assists per game. The squad ranks in the Top 25 nationally in FT attempted (14th) and FT made (23rd).
- K-State is averaging 78.1 points on 54.6 percent shooting, including 46.6 percent from 3-point range, in its 7 wins and 56.8 points on 38.4 percent shooting, including 27.5 percent from long range, in its 6 losses.
THE OPPONENT: OKLAHOMA STATE (10-2)
- Oklahoma State enters Saturday’s game with a 10-2 record after rebounding from its first home loss of the season to Maryland with a 74-72 overtime win against Missouri at Kansas City’s Sprint Center… The Cowboys have won 3 of their last 4 games and are 6-1 at home this season… Prior to the loss to Maryland, the team was winning its home games by an average of 26.8 points.
- The Cowboys are averaging 73.7 points on 45.5 percent shooting, including 33.5 percent from 3-point range, on the season with 37.2 rebounds, 11.8 assists, 9.8 steals and 4.9 blocks per game… They are allowing opponent 59.2 points per game on 36.9 percent shooting, including 30.8 percent from beyond the arc… The team is shooting 70.0 percent from the free throw line.
- Oklahoma State is led by the 1-2 scoring punch of senior Le’Bryan Nash (17.9 ppg.) and junior Phil Forte (17.1 ppg.), who rank No. 1 and No. 2 in scoring in the Big 12… Nash is also averaging a team-best 6.5 rebounds per outing to go with a Big 12-bests in free throws made (82) and attempted (106), while Forte is tops in field goals (58), 3-point field goals (32), free throw percentage (82.6), steals (3.0 spg.) and minutes (32.3 mpg.)… LSU transfer and point guard Anthony Hickey averages 9.6 points and a team-best 3.2 assists per game, while senior Michael Cobbins, who was injuried most of 2013-14, averages 8.7 points on a team-high 71.1 percent shooting with 6.2 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game.
- Oklahoma State returns 8 lettermen, including 2 starter, from a team that advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 2013-14.