GAME 27
KANSAS STATE (16-10, 5-8 Big 12)
AT TEXAS (10-16, 4-9 Big 12)
Saturday, February 18, 2017 >> 1:01 p.m. >> Erwin Center (16,540) >> Austin, Texas
COACHES
Kansas State: Bruce Weber (Wis.-Milwaukee ’78)
Overall: 408-219/19th season
At K-State: 95-64/5th season
vs. Texas: 5-6 (1-3 on the road)
Texas: Shaka Smart (Kenyon College ‘99)
Overall: 193-85/8th season
At Texas: 30-29/2nd season
vs. Kansas State: 2-1 (1-0 at home)
PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP
Kansas State (16-10, 5-8 Big 12)
G: #3 Kamau Stokes (12.3 ppg., 4.3 apg.)
G: #5 Barry Brown (12.2 ppg., 3.3 rpg.)
G: #25 Wesley Iwundu (12.4 ppg., 6.2 rpg.)
F: #20 Xavier Sneed (8.6 ppg., 3.0 rpg.)
F: #32 Dean Wade (9.8 ppg., 4.8 rpg.)
Texas (10-16, 4-9 Big 12)
G: #1 Andrew Jones (11.4 ppg., 3.4 apg.)
G: #10 Eric Davis, Jr. (7.8 ppg., 2.7 rpg.)
G: #12 Kerwin Roach, Jr. (10.2 ppg., 4.2 rpg.)
F: #31 Jarrett Allen (13.2 ppg., 8.5 rpg.)
F: #32 Shaquille Cleare (8.5 ppg., 4.8 rpg.)
INSIDE THE SERIES
Overall: K-State leads 18-15 (series began in 1971)
In Big 12 era: Texas leads 15-12 (9-4 at home)
In Austin: Texas leads 9-6 (last meeting – 1/5/2016)
Current Streak: K-State, 1
Last Meeting: K-State, 65-62, in Manhattan, Kan., on 12/30/2016
Weber vs. Texas: 5-6 (1-3 on the road)
Weber vs. Smart: 1-2 (0-1 on the road)
GAME 27 – QUICK HITTERS
· Kansas State (16-10, 5-8 Big 12) begins the 5-game stretch of the Big 12 regular season on Saturday afternoon, as the Wildcats travel to Austin, Texas to take Texas (10-16, 4-9 Big 12) at 1 p.m. CT on the Longhorn Network.
· K-State will play 3 of its last 5 games on the road beginning Saturday, which includes back-to-back road trips to Oklahoma and TCU on Feb. 25 and March 1 before the home finale against Texas Tech March 4.
· The Wildcats are 5-6 away from home this season, including 4-5 in true road games and 2-4 in Big 12 play. The team has lost 3 straight to Texas in Austin with the last win coming by a score of 81-69 on Feb. 23, 2013.
· K-State leads the all-time series with Texas, 18-15, and are looking to sweep the season series for the first time since 2013 after opening Big 12 play with a 65-62 win over the Longhorn on Dec. 30, 2016.
· K-State enters Saturday’s game at Texas having lost 6 of its last 7 games, including its current 3-game losing streak. During that 7-game span, the Wildcats are allowing 75.1 points on 47.3 percent shooting, including 44.8 percent from long range, and have allowed 85 or more points 3 times in a 5-game stretch. Offensively, the team is averaging 67.9 points in the last 7 games on 47.3 percent shooting, including 44.8 percent from long range.
· Down by 19 points in the first half on Wednesday, K-State tried to rally back for the second consecutive game against Iowa State in the second half, closing to within 70-64 with 4:09 remaining. However, the veteran Cyclones got a 3-pointer from Matt Thomas to provide a bigger cushion before sealing it by making 12 of its last 14 free throws.
· Sophomore Barry Brown broke out of his recent slump with a game-high 21 points on 9-of-14 field goals against Iowa State. Prior to that game, he had totaled 27 points in the previous 4 games combined on just 25.8 percent shooting (8-of-31), including 11.1 percent (1-of-9) from 3.
· Three other Wildcats also registered double figures against the Cyclones, including an 8th career double-double by senior Wesley Iwundu, who had 16 points and a career-best 13 rebounds. Sophomore Kamau Stokes tallied double-digit points for the 16th straight game with 13 points, while fellow sophomore Dean Wade scored 13 of his 15 points after halftime.
· Senior starter D.J. Johnson, who did not play against No. 13/14 West Virginia for the first time in 51 games, was also limited against Iowa State, playing just 11 minutes off the bench. Sophomore Xavier Sneed has started the last 2 games, averaging 8.5 points and 3.0 rebounds.
THE OPPONENT: TEXAS (10-16, 4-9 BIG 12)
· Texas enters Saturday’s game with a 10-16 record after dropping a 70-66 decision at Oklahoma on Tuesday… The Longhorns have been a huge contrast at home and on the road, going 10-4 at the Erwin Center and 0-12 away from Austin.
· The Longhorns are averaging 68.8 points on 44.3 percent shooting, including 29.6 percent from 3-point range, with 35.3 rebounds, 11.7 assists, 5.7 steals and 4.3 blocks per game… They are allowing opponents 69.2 points per game on 41.9 percent shooting, including 30.9 percent from beyond the arc… The team is shooting 64.8 percent from the free throw line.
· Texas is one of the youngest teams in the country with 2 true freshman and 2 sophomore starters to go with senior Shaquille Cleare… Freshman Jarrett Allen leads the Longhorns in scoring (13.2 ppg.), rebounding (8.5 rpg.) and blocked shots (1.5 bpg.) while connecting on 57.3 percent shooting… He is joined in double figures by fellow freshman Andrew Jones (11.4 ppg.) and sophomore Kerwin Roach, Jr. (10.2 ppg.), while Cleare and sophomore Eric Davis, Jr. (7.8 ppg.) are averaging better than 7 points per game… Jones (3.4 apg., 1.3 spg.) and Roach (3.7 apg., 1.6 spg.) have combined for 182 assists and 73 steals.
· Texas is led by 2nd-year head coach Shaka Smart, who has a 30-29 record… He has a 193-85 overall record in his 8th season as a head coach, which includes a stint at VCU where he led the Rams to 5 NCAA Tournaments and the 2011 Final Four.
BREAKING DOWN THE SERIES
· This will be the 34th meeting between the two schools with K-State leading 18-15 in a series that dates to 1971.
· Texas owns a 15-12 edge in the Big 12 era vs. K-State with the Longhorns sweeping the series in 2015 and 2016… Texas has won 5 of the last 7 games, including 3 in a row in Austin… The last win at the Erwin Center came on Feb. 23, 2013 (81-69).
· Texas is 9-6 at home vs. K-State in the series, including 9-4 in the Big 12 era… The Longhorns won the first 5 meetings at home in Big 12 play before the Wildcats won 3 straight from 2007-2011… Texas has 4 of the last 5 meetings at home since 2012.
· Head coach Bruce Weber is 5-6 all-time vs. Texas, including 5-5 in his tenure at K-State.