GAME 1

WESTERN ILLINOIS (0-0, 0-0 Summit)

AT KANSAS STATE (0-0, 0-0 Big 12)

Friday, November 11, 2016 >> 8 p.m. Bramlage Coliseum (12,528)

 

 

COACHES

Kansas State: Bruce Weber (Wis.-Milwaukee ’78)

Overall: 392-209/19^th season

At K-State: 79-54/5^th season

1. Western Illinois: 1-0 (1-0 at home)

 

Western Illinois: Billy Wright (Bradley ‘96)

Overall: 18-37/3rd season

At WIU: same

1. Kansas State: 0-0

 

PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP

Kansas State

G: #3 Kamau Stokes

G: #5 Barry Brown

G: #25 Wesley Iwundu

F: #32 Dean Wade

F: #4 D.J. Johnson

 

Western Illinois

G: #1 Jabari Sandifer

G: #31 Garret Covington

G: #40 C.J. Duff

F: #15 Dalan Ancrum

C: #52 Brandon Gilbeck

 

INSIDE THE SERIES

Overall: K-State leads 3-0

1. Summit League: K-State leads 29-2 (28-0 at home)

In Manhattan: K-State leads 3-0 (last meeting: 11/15/2009)

In Macomb: n/a

Current Streak: K-State, 3

Last Meeting: K-State won 82-50 in Manhattan (11/15/2009)

Weber vs. Wright: First meeting

 

GAME 1 – QUICK HITTERS

• Kansas State officially tips off the 113th season of men’s basketball on Friday, as the Wildcats host Summit League member Western Illinois (0-0) in the second game of a doubleheader at Bramlage Coliseum. The game will tip off at 8 p.m. CT following the conclusion of the first game between the K-State women and Chicago State, which is set for 5:30 p.m. CT.
• Friday’s opener is the first of four straight for the Wildcats at home to start the season, including Tuesday’s tilt with Omaha at 7 p.m., the Nov. 20 contest with Hampton and Nov. 22 game with Robert Morris.
• K-State is 87-25 (.777) all-time in season openers dating back to the first season in 1903, including a 75-9 (.893) mark at home.
• The Wildcats are 22-2 (.917) in season openers at Bramlage Coliseum, which includes a 16-game winning streak from 1995-2012. The 2 losses have come to Southern Miss (Nov. 27, 1993) and Northern Colorado (Nov. 8, 2013). Overall, the team is 24-4 (.857) at Bramlage in home openers.
• K-State has a 79-5 (.940) record at home in non-conference play dating back to 2006-07, including a 77-4 (.951) mark during the regular season. The squad has won 68 of its last 71 non-conference home games.
• The Wildcats went 8-0 at Bramlage Coliseum in non-conference play in 2015-16 with an average margin of victory of 16.5 points per game. The last home non-conference loss came to Georgia on Dec. 31, 2014.
• Bruce Weber is 16-2 (.889) in his 18-year head coaching career in openers (Southern Illinois and Illinois), including a 16-1 (.941) mark in home openers. His 2 losses have come in 1998 (SIU) and 2013 (K-State).
• Weber is 56-12 (.824) at Bramlage Coliseum since taking over as head coach with only non-conference losses to Northern Colorado (2013), Texas Southern (2014) and Georgia (2014). The 12 losses (9 of which have come in Big 12 play) have come by a total of 61 points (5.1 ppg.).
• K-State won its 2015 opener, 80-53, over UMES, as the Wildcats scored 22 points off turnovers and dominated the paint, 38-18. Junior Wesley Iwundu led three Wildcats in double figures with game-highs in points (23) and rebounds (10), while sophomore Barry Brown added 17 points.
• Iwundu has double-doubles in 2 of his 3 career openers, averaging 18.5 points on 63.2 percent shooting with 10 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals.
• K-State went 2-0 in exhibition play defeating Pittsburg State, 85-72, on Oct. 28 and Washburn, 73-58, on Nov. 4. The Wildcats have now won 20 consecutive home exhibition games dating back to 2004.

 

RECAPPING THE EXHIBITION SEASON

• Kansas State went 2-0 in exhibition play, posting an 85-72 win over Pittsburg State on Oct. 28 and a 73-58 win over Washburn on Nov. 4… In all, the Wildcats went 5-2 in exhibition play, which includes a 3-2 mark during its European tour in August.
• K-State is 63-20 (.759) all-time in exhibition play dating back to 1964, including a 42-9 (.824) mark at Bramlage Coliseum.
• The Wildcats have now won 20 consecutive exhibition games dating back to 2004.
• K-State is 8-0 in home exhibition play under head coach Bruce Weber.
• K-State is now 6-0 vs. Washburn and 4-0 vs. Pittsburg State in exhibition play.
• The Wildcats averaged 79 points during exhibition play on 45.1 percent (55-of-122) shooting from the field, including 37 percent (17-of-46) from 3-point range, with 41.5 rebounds, 14.5 assists, 9.5 steals and 6.0 blocks per game… The squad allowed 65 points on 36.1 percent (44-of-122) shooting, including 28 percent (14-of-50) from 3-point range.
• K-State also averaged 31.0 points in the paint, 16.0 points off of turnovers, 8.0 fast-break points and 29.0 bench points.
• Sophomore Barry Brown was the only Wildcat to score in double figures in both exhibitions, posting a game-high 17 points vs. Pittsburg State (10/28) on 6-of-11 field goals to go with a 15-point effort vs. Washburn (11/4) on 4-of-7 shooting… Brown averaged 16.0 points on 55.6 percent shooting (10-of-18), including 44.4 percent (4-of-9) from 3-point range.
• Senior Wesley Iwundu (12.0 ppg.) and freshman Xavier Sneed (11.0 ppg.) also averaged double figures during exhibition play… Iwundu posted a double-double vs. Washburn (11/4) with a game-high 21 points on 8-of-13 field goals with a game-best 11 rebounds… Sneed scored 13 points vs. Pitt State (10/28) on 6-of-11 field goals to go with a 9-point effort vs. Washburn.
• Iwundu led the team in rebounding (7.5 rpg.) and assists (3.0 apg.) in exhibition play.
• Six different Wildcats tallied at least 6 made field goals in exhibition play.

 

THE OPPONENT: WESTERN ILLINOIS

• Western Illinois returns 11 lettermen, including three starters, from a team that posted a 10-17 overall record and finished ninth in the Summit League standings… The team welcomes four newcomers, including two community college transfers.
• The Leathernecks opened the 2015-16 season with a dramatic 69-67 win over Wisconsin, which was the first of 5 consecutive wins to start the season… However, the team lost 15 of its last 18 games, including a 11-game losing streak.
• Western Illinois averaged 70.5 points on 44.4 percent shooting, including 38.8 percent from 3-point range, with 35.1 rebounds, 13.4 assists, 6.0 steals and 3.3 blocks per game in 2015-16… The team allowed 70.9 points per game on 42.9 percent shooting.
• WIU returns sharp-shooter Garret Covington, who averaged a team-best 17.9 points on 44.4 percent shooting, including 42.3 percent from 3-point range… Senior Jabari Sandifer also returns after averaging 8.4 points, 4.7 assists and 4.1 rebounds per game a year ago… Covington and Sandifer averaged 33.7 and 32.6 minutes per game, respectively, in 2015-16.
• Head coach Billy Wright has an 18-37 overall record entering his third season at the helm.

 

BREAKING DOWN THE SERIES

• Friday’s contest will mark the fourth meeting between K-State and Western Illinois on the hardwood and the first since 2009.
• The Wildcats have won the previous three meetings with the Leathernecks, including a 67-57 win on Jan. 9, 1982, a 77-64 win over Nov. 17, 2007 and an 82-50 win on Nov. 15, 2009… This will mark the third meeting at Bramlage Coliseum.
• K-State is 29-2 all-time against Summit League schools with a 28-0 record at home… The two losses came at Oral Roberts in 1978 and 1985… Western Illinois is the first of back-to-back Summit League foes to start the season, as the Wildcats host Omaha on Tuesday… K-State went 1-0 vs. the Summit League in 2015-16, posting a 93-72 win over South Dakota on Nov. 20, 2015.

Tom Gilbert – Associate Director for Athletic Communications – K-State Athletics