GAME 21

KANSAS STATE (15-5, 4-4 Big 12)

AT TENNESSEE (11-9, 4-4 SEC)

Saturday, January 28, 2017 >> 1 p.m. >> Thompson-Boling Arena (21,678) >> Knoxville, Tenn.

 

 COACHES

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

Overall: 407-214/19^th season

At K-State: 94-59/5^th season

1. Tennessee: 0-2 (0-1 on the road)

 

Tennessee: Rick Barnes (Lenoir-Rhyne ‘77)

Overall: 630-342/29th season

At Tennessee: 26-28/2nd season

1. Kansas State: 14-9 (7-4 at home)

 

PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP

Kansas State (15-5, 4-4 Big 12)

G: #3 Kamau Stokes (11.6 ppg., 4.6 apg.)

G: #5 Barry Brown (12.7 ppg., 3.5 rpg.)

G: #25 Wesley Iwundu (12.3 ppg., 5.6 rpg.)

F: #32 Dean Wade (9.9 ppg., 4.9 rpg.)

F: #4 D.J. Johnson (12.3 ppg., 6.4 rpg.)

 

Tennessee (11-9, 4-4 SEC)

G: #0 Jordan Bone (7.5 ppg., 2.7 apg.)

G: #3 Robert Hubbs III (15.2 ppg., 5.0 rpg.)

G: #23 Jordan Bowden (8.2 ppg., 2.8 rpg.)

F: #2 Grant Williams (11.0 ppg., 5.5 rpg.)

F: #11 Kyle Alexander (3.4 ppg., 3.6 rpg.)

 

INSIDE THE SERIES

Overall: Tennessee leads 1-0 (series dates to 2014)

In SEC/Big 12 Challenge: K-State leads 2-1 (0-1 on the road)

In Knoxville: Tennessee leads 1-0 (W, 65-64, 12/6/2014)

Current Streak: Tennessee, 1

Last Meeting: Tennessee won 65-64 in Knoxville, Tenn. (12/6/2014)

Weber vs. Tennessee: 0-2 (0-1 on the road)

Weber vs. Barnes: 4-5 (1-3 on the road)

 

GAME 21 – QUICK HITTERS

• Kansas State (15-5, 4-4 Big 12) continues a stretch of back-to-back road games on Saturday afternoon, as the Wildcats travel to Knoxville, Tenn., to take on Rick Barnes and his Tennessee Volunteers (11-9, 4-4 SEC) in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge at 1 p.m. CT at Thompson-Boling Arena.
• This will the second time the two teams have met in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge with the Volunteers posting a 65-64 victory at home in the only meeting between the schools on Dec. 6, 2014.
• Overall, the Wildcats are 2-1 in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge series with wins over Ole Miss at home in both 2013 (61-58) and 2016 (69-64).
• K-State will face Barnes for the 24th time in his career, including the first time at Tennessee, after he posted a 14-9 record against the Wildcats during his 17-year tenure at Texas (1999-2015).
• Saturday’s game will conclude the non-conference season, as K-State enters the contest with an 11-1 record, including a 3-1 mark away from home. The Wildcats won both true road games at Saint Louis and Colorado State. A victory would give the team 12 wins in non-conference play for the first time under head coach Bruce Weber (11 in 2012-13, 2015-16).
• K-State saw its modest 2-game winning streak in Big 12 play end in a 70-65 loss at Iowa State on Tuesday night. The Wildcats, who faced a 20-point deficit early in the second half, slowly chipped away at the deficit, using a 20-3 run to take a 58-57 lead with 5 minutes to play. However, the veteran Cyclones were able to make enough plays down the stretch to halt any further momentum and win their 6th straight at home in the series.
• Senior Wesley Iwundu led 5 Wildcats in double figures, including 4 starters, with a team-high 15 points. K-State has had 5 double-digit scorers in 5 of the last 7 games, including all 5 starters on 3 occasions. In all, the team has had 6 different leading scorers with those 6 players totaling at least 10 double-digit scoring games led by sophomore Barry Brown’s 16.
• K-State ranks among the national leaders in steals (8.5 spg./18th) and turnovers forced (16.3/24th). The Wildcats have helped force double-digit turnovers in 18 games, including 10 or more steals 7 times, and have scored at least 12 points off those turnovers in 19 games. The team is averaging 17.8 points off of turnovers, including 16.1 points in Big 12 play.
• K-State fell 3 spots in the NCAA RPI with the Iowa State loss to No. 42 and remains one of 7 Big 12 schools in the Top 45, while the ESPN BPI lists 8 of the 10 Big 12 schools in the Top 50 with the Wildcats at 31st.

 

THE OPPONENT: TENNESSEE (11-9, 4-4 SEC)

• Tennessee enters Saturday’s game with an 11-9 record and a 4-4 mark in SEC play after an 82-80 win over No. 4 Kentucky at home on Tuesday… The Volunteers are 7-3 at home this season, including 5-1 in non-conference play.
• The Volunteers are averaging 78 points on 44.4 percent shooting, including 33.6 percent from 3-point range, on the season with 37.5 rebounds, 14.5 assists, 6.3 steals and 4.9 blocks per game… They are allowing opponents 74.3 points per game on 43.7 percent shooting, including 35.2 percent from beyond the arc… The team is shooting 72.6 percent from the free throw line.
• The Volunteers are one of the youngest teams in the country with 10 of their 12 players either freshmen or sophomores… Senior Robert Hubbs III is the only senior in a lineup of three freshmen and one sophomore, as he paces the squad at 15.2 points per game on 52.1 percent shooting… Freshman Grant Williams (11.0 ppg.) also averages double figures to go with team-highs in rebounds (5.5 rpg.) and blocks (2.1 bpg.)…  Redshirt freshman Lamonte Turner is tops in assists (3.1 apg.).
• Tennessee is led by second-year coach Rick Barnes, who has a 630-342 record in his 30th season as a head coach and a 26-28 mark with the Volunteers… He has led teams at George Mason, Providence, Clemson and Texas to 20 NCAA Tournaments… He posted a 402-180 record during his 17-year tenure with the Longhorns, including 14-9 mark against K-State during that span.

 

BREAKING DOWN THE SERIES

• This will be just the second meeting between the two schools with Tennessee leading 1-0.
• The Vols won the first and only meeting in the third SEC/Big 12 Challenge, posting a 65-64 win at home on Dec. 6, 2014.
• K-State has a 161-148 all-time records against SEC teams, including a 48-82 mark on the road… If you remove the meetings with former Big 12 foes Missouri (120-116) and Texas A&M (18-8), the Wildcats are 23-24 against the rest of the SEC.
• The Wildcats went 3-1 vs. SEC teams last season, defeating Missouri, 66-42, at the CBE Hall of Fame Classic at the Sprint Center in Kansas City on Nov. 23, 2015, winning at Georgia, 68-66, on Dec. 4, 2015 and posting a 69-64 win over Ole Miss on Jan. 30, 2016 at home in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge to go with a 78-68 loss at Texas A&M on Dec. 12, 2015.
• Head coach Bruce Weber is 0-2 all-time against Tennessee, losing 87-74 at the Puerto Rico Tipoff on Dec. 22, 1999 while at Southern Illinois and 65-64 on Dec. 6, 2014 in Knoxville… He is 4-5 all-time against Rick Barnes, including 1-3 on the road.