GAME 28
OKLAHOMA STATE (18-9, 7-7 Big 12)
AT KANSAS STATE (17-10, 6-8 Big 12)
Wednesday, February 22, 2017 >> 6:05 p.m. >> Bramlage Coliseum (12,528) >> Manhattan, Kan.
TICKETS
kstatesports.com
$15 (GA/bench), $35 (chairbacks)
Wildcat 4-Pack: $50 (4 bench/GA)
$10 (12+group)
COACHES
Kansas State: Bruce Weber (Wis.-Milwaukee ’78)
Overall: 409-219/19th season
At K-State: 96-64/5th season
vs. Oklahoma State: 8-4 (4-0 at home)
Oklahoma State: Brad Underwood (Oklahoma State ‘86)
Overall: 107-23/4th season
At Oklahoma State: 18-9/1st season
vs. Kansas State: 0-1 (0-0 on the road)
PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP
Kansas State (17-10, 6-8 Big 12)
G: #3 Kamau Stokes (12.3 ppg., 4.3 apg.)
G: #5 Barry Brown (12.3 ppg., 3.3 rpg.)
G: #25 Wesley Iwundu (12.6 ppg., 6.2 rpg.)
F: #32 Dean Wade (9.8 ppg., 4.8 rpg.)
F: #4 D.J. Johnson (11.4 ppg., 5.8 rpg.)
Oklahoma State (18-9, 7-7 Big 12)
G: #1 Jawun Evans (18.2 ppg., 5.9 apg.)
G: #13 Phil Forte (13.8 ppg., 2.4 rpg.)
F: #23 Leyton Hammonds (7.3 ppg., 4.7 rpg.)
F: #30 Jeffrey Carroll (17.7 ppg., 6.6 rpg.)
F: #41 Mitchell Solomon (5.4 ppg., 5.0 rpg.)
INSIDE THE SERIES
Overall: K-State leads 79-52 (series began in 1922)
In Big 12 era: Oklahoma State leads 17-12 (5-7 on the road)
In Manhattan: K-State leads 39-15 (last meeting – 1/23/2016)
Current Streak: K-State, 2
Last Meeting: K-State, 96-88, in Stillwater, Okla., on 1/18/2017
Weber vs. Oklahoma State: 8-4 (4-0 at home)
Weber vs. Underwood: 1-0 (0-0 at home)
GAME 28 – QUICK HITTERS
· Kansas State (17-10, 6-8 Big 12) returns home on Wednesday, as the Wildcats welcome former player and coach Brad Underwood and his Oklahoma State Cowboys (18-9, 7-7 Big 12) to Bramlage Coliseum for an 8 p.m., tip on ESPNU with Clay Matvik and Tim Welsh on the call.
· Underwood played two seasons at K-State (1984-86) for the legendary Jack Hartman then returned in 2006 for a 6-year run on the coaching staffs of head coaches Bob Huggins and Frank Martin, where he helped the Wildcats to a 140-66 (.680) record and 6 postseason appearances.
· With just 4 regular-season games remaining, K-State continues to jockey for both Big 12 Championship seeding and postseason opportunities, as the Wildcats are one of 8 Big 12 schools with at least 17 wins. The team sits at No. 33 in the ESPN BPI and No. 57 in the NCAA RPI rankings.
· K-State leads the series with Oklahoma State, 79-52, and is looking to sweep the season series for the first time since 2012 after posting its first win at Gallagher-Iba Arena in 5 years with a 96-88 victory on Jan. 18.
· K-State snapped a 3-game losing streak on Saturday with a last-second 64-61 win at Texas, as senior D.J. Johnson was able to collect sophomore Kamau Stokes’ miss and hoist up the decisive shot before being fouled by Kendal Yancy with 1.3 seconds remaining. The win helped the team sweep the season series from the Longhorns for the first time since 2013.
· The win gave K-State 6 victories away from home, including 5 true road wins and 3 Big 12 road wins, which is the most in all 3 categories since the 2012-13 season when the team posted 10 victories away from home, 7 true road wins and 6 road wins in league play.
· Defense has been a key element in the Wildcats’ success, as the team moved to 12-0 when holding an opponent to 65 points or less, including 4-0 in Big 12 play. K-State is holding foes to just 61 points in its 17 wins, including 67.3 points in its 6 Big 12 victories.
· K-State is now 83-24 under head coach Bruce Weber when holding an opponent to 69 points or less, including 14-2 this season.
· Senior Wesley Iwundu led the Wildcats in 3 categories against Texas with 16 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists. He has registered double-digit points in a career-best 10 straight games. Sophomores Barry Brown (15) and Kamau Stokes also added double figures, as Stokes ran his double-digit scoring streak to 17 games, the most by a Wildcat since Jacob Pullen rattled off 20 consecutive double-figure scoring games in 2010-11.
· The Wildcats are 11-4 at home venues this season, including 10-4 at Bramlage Coliseum. The team has lost 3 straight at home and are looking to snap its longest home skid since dropping 5 in a row in 2000.
THE OPPONENT: OKLAHOMA STATE (18-9, 7-7 BIG 12)
· Oklahoma State enters Wednesday’s game with an 18-9 record and a 7-7 mark in Big 12 play after sweeping rival Oklahoma on Saturday for the first time since 2004… The Cowboys have won 8 of their last 9 games, including 3 straight.
· OSU is 8-5 away from home, including 6-4 in true road games and 4-3 in Big 12 road tilts.
· The Cowboys are averaging 86.1 points on 46.8 percent shooting, including 40.5 percent from 3-point range, on the season with 36.6 rebounds, 14.7 assists, 8.2 steals and 3.1 blocks per game… They are allowing foes 77.7 points per game on 47 percent shooting, including 34.6 percent from beyond the arc… The team is shooting a Big 12-best 77.3 percent from the free throw line.
· OSU possesses 3 of the Top 15 scorers in the Big 12, including sophomore Jawun Evans (18.2 ppg./2nd), junior Jeffrey Carroll (17.7 ppg./3rd) and senior Phil Forte (13.8 ppg./11th)… All 3 are in the Top 15 in free throw percentage led by Forte’s league-best 94.9 percentage… Evans is 2nd in both assists (5.8 apg.) and steals (2.0 spg.), while Forte is 2nd in 3-point field goals made (2.7) and Carroll is 3rd in 3-point field goal percentage (44.6) and 4th in field goal percentage (54.5) .
· Oklahoma State is led by first-year head coach Brad Underwood, who has a 107-23 overall record in his 4th season… He led Stephen F. Austin to an impressive 89-14 record and 3 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances from 2013-16.
BREAKING DOWN THE SERIES
· This will be the 132nd meeting between the schools with K-State holding a 79-52 advantage in a series that dates to 1922.
· OSU leads the series, 17-12, in the Big 12 era, including 17-9 mark in regular-season meetings.
· K-State has a 39-15 record at home in the series, including wins each of the last 5 meetings.
· Since losing 11 of its first 13 meetings with the start of Big 12 play in 1997, the Wildcats have posted a 10-6 record against the Cowboys since 2010, including a 5-1 record at home… K-State has not swept the season series since the 2011-12 season.