GAME 31
KANSAS STATE (16-14, 5-12 Big 12)
AT TEXAS TECH (18-11, 8-9 Big 12)
Saturday, March 5, 2016 >> United Supermarkets Arena (15,098) >> Lubbock, Texas
COACHES
Kansas State: Bruce Weber (Wis.-Milwaukee ’78)
Overall: 391-207/18th season
At K-State: 78-52/4th season
- Texas Tech: 7-1
Texas Tech: Tubby Smith (High Point ‘73)
Overall: 556-274/25th season
At Texas Tech: 45-48/3rd season
- Kansas State: 1-3
PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP
Kansas State (16-14, 5-12 Big 12)
G: #25 Wesley Iwundu (11.9 ppg., 4.6 rpg.)
G: #5 Barry Brown (9.1 ppg., 2.8 rpg.)
G: #14 Justin Edwards (12.1 ppg., 5.7 rpg.)
F: #32 Dean Wade (9.7 ppg., 5.1 rpg.)
F: #4 D.J. Johnson (8.8 ppg., 5.2 rpg.)
Texas Tech (18-11, 8-9 Big 12)
G: #12 Keenan Evans (8.5 ppg., 2.9 rpg.)
G: #20 Toddrick Gotcher (11.1 ppg., 3.6 rpg.)
G: #5 Justin Gray (8.8 ppg., 3.8 rpg.)
F: #11 Zach Smith (9.9 ppg., 7.2 rpg.)
F: #34 Matthew Temple (3.6 ppg., 1.9 rpg.)
INSIDE THE SERIES
Overall: K-State leads 22-11 (series began in 1955)
In Big 12 era: K-State leads 15-10 (4-7 on the road)
In Lubbock: Texas Tech leads 8-7 (last meeting – 2/4/2015)
Current Streak: K-State, 1
Last Meeting: K-State, 83-70, in Manhattan, Kan., on 1/12/2016
Weber vs. Texas Tech: Weber leads 7-1 (2-1 on the road)
Weber vs. Smith: Weber leads 10-4 (3-3 on the road)
QUICK HITTERS
- Kansas State (16-14, 5-12 Big 12) concludes the regular season this weekend, as the Wildcats travel to Lubbock, Texas to face Texas Tech (18-11, 8-9 Big 12) at 2 p.m. CT on Saturday on ESPNews.
- K-State will be looking to sweep the season series from Texas Tech for the first time since 2014 after an 83-70 win on Jan. 12. The Wildcats own a 22-11 record in the series, including a 15-10 mark in the Big 12 era.
- K-State has struggled on the road this season with just a 3-9 record away from home, including a 1-7 mark in Big 12 play. The Wildcats have won 4 of the last 5 meetings with the Red Raiders in Lubbock.
- Including the TCU game and Saturday’s finale at Texas Tech, K-State will play consecutive unranked opponents for just the second time since the start of Big 12 play. The Wildcats are 15-2 against unranked teams.
- Regardless of Saturday’s results, K-State will be playing in the first round of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship at the Sprint Center on Wednesday. The Wildcats will the No. 8 seed for the second straight season and will play No. 9 Oklahoma State (12-18, 3-14 Big 12) at 6 p.m. CT.
- K-State owns the 14th-best strength of schedule and has played a school-record 13 Top 25 opponents, including 11 in Big 12 play. Thirteen of the 14 losses have come to teams that are currently ranked in the AP Top 25, including 6 in Top 10, with a combined record of 177-59 (.750).
- K-State snapped a 3-game overall losing streak and a 3-game skid at home with a dominating 79-54 victory over TCU on Senior Night, as the Wildcats connected on 56.5 percent (26-of-46) from the field, including 76.2 percent (16-of-21) in the first half. The 76.2 percent clip was the 7th-highest mark for a half in school history and the highest since 2014.
- Freshman Barry Brown led 4 Wildcats in double figures with a team-high 15 points on a season-high 5 treys, while senior Justin Edwards (12) registered double figures for the 7th time in the last 8 games. In all, 11 players scored in the contest, including 10 with at least one field goal.
- K-State has improved nearly every offensive category from 2014-15, surpassing marks for scoring, field goals, 3-point field goals, points in the paint, second-chance points, rebounds, blocks and steals. The 225 steals are the 10th-most in school history and the most since 247 in 2012-13.
- One of the youngest teams in the country, K-State has had at least 2 true freshmen start together in 26 of 30 games (13 of 17 Big 12 games), while there has been at least one freshman starter in all 30 games.
–www.kstatesports.com–
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TOM GILBERT
Associate Director for Athletics Communications | K-State Athletics