TEXAS TECH (18-12, 6-11 Big 12)

AT KANSAS STATE (18-12, 7-10 Big 12)

Saturday, March 4, 2017  12:01 p.m. CT  Bramlage Coliseum (12,528)  Manhattan, Kan.

 

 

COACHES

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

Overall: 410-221/19^th season

At K-State: 97-66/5^th season

1. Texas Tech: 7-3 (4-0 at home)

 

Texas Tech: Chris Beard (Texas ‘95)

Overall: 189-62/8th season

At Texas Tech: 18-12/1st season

1. Kansas State: 1-0 (0-0 on the road)

 

PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP

Kansas State (18-12, 7-10 Big 12)

G: #3 Kamau Stokes (12.0 ppg., 4.2 apg.)

G: #5 Barry Brown (11.8 ppg., 3.2 rpg.)

G: #25 Wesley Iwundu (12.7 ppg., 6.5 rpg.)

F: #32 Dean Wade (9.7 ppg., 4.7 rpg.)

F: #4 D.J. Johnson (11.2 ppg., 5.8 rpg.)

 

Texas Tech (18-12, 6-11 Big 12)

G: #5 Justin Gray (9.2 ppg., 5.4 rpg.)

G: #10 Niem Stevenson (8.6 ppg., 3.7 ppg.)

G: #12 Keenan Evans (15.7 ppg., 2.7 rpg.)

F: #11 Zach Smith (12.6 ppg., 7.3 rpg.)

F: #15 Aaron Ross (9.5 ppg., 2.8 rpg.)

 

INSIDE THE SERIES

Overall: K-State leads 22-13 (series began in 1955)

In Big 12 era: K-State leads 15-12 (10-2 at home)

In Manhattan: K-State leads 14-2 (last meeting – 1/12/2016)

Current Streak: Texas Tech, 2

Last Meeting: Texas Tech, 66-65, in Lubbock, Texas, on 1/10/2017

Weber vs. Texas Tech: 7-3 (4-0 at home)

Weber vs. Beard: 0-1 (0-0 at home)

 

GAME 31 – QUICK HITTERS

• Kansas State (18-12, 7-10 Big 12) will celebrate the accomplishments of its five seniors on Saturday, as the Wildcats play host to Texas Tech (18-12, 6-11 Big 12) in regular season finale at noon CT on ESPNews.
• The five senior players – Austin Budke, Carlbe Ervin II, Wesley Iwundu, D.J. Johnson and Zach Winter – along with senior managers Jake Anderson, Jeff Dusin, Tanner Garver and Alex Piggot – will be honored in a pre-game ceremony with their respective families.
• With just 1 game remaining, K-State continues controls its own destiny in regards to seeding for next week’s Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship where it can be the No. 6, 7 or 8 seed. A win ensures the Wildcats of the No. 6 seed and a first-round bye for the first time since 2014. A loss would mean playing in one of the first-round games for the third straight year.
• K-State has already secured its highest win total since a 20-win season in 2013-14, while the 7 Big 12 wins are the most since posting 8 in 2014-15. The Wildcats have also posted its highest win totals on the road since the 2012-13 season with 7 wins away from home and 6 true road wins.
• K-State leads the all-time series with Texas Tech, 22-13, including a 15-12 mark in the Big 12 era. The Wildcats lost the first meeting, 66-65, on the road on Jan. 10 and will attempt to avoid the season sweep. The team has won 7 straight over the Red Raiders at home dating back to 2009.
• The Wildcats are 11-5 in home venues this season, including 10-5 at Bramlage Coliseum. The team will attempt to snap a 4-game home losing streak, which is the longest since a 5-game skid in 2000.
• K-State snapped a 2-game losing streak on Wednesday by holding off a late TCU rally for a 75-74 win. The Wildcats got a clutch 3-pointer from sophomore Dean Wade with 1:22 to play and 6 free throws by sophomore Kamau Stokes and senior D.J. Johnson in the last 21 seconds.
• Wade, who was one of four Wildcats in double figures, tied his career-high for the 4th time with 20 points, as he set or tied career-highs for field goal made (8), field goals attempted (15), 3-point field goals (4) and 3-point field goals attempted (9). The team is now 24-8 when he scores in double figures in his career, including 11-5 this season.
• Defense has been a key element in the Wildcats’ success, as the team is 12-0 when holding an opponent to 65 points or less, including 4-0 in Big 12 play. K-State is holding foes to 61.7 points in its 18 wins on 39.8 percent shooting, including 68.3 points in its 7 Big 12 victories.
• In contrast, K-State is allowing 77.9 points on 47.8 percent shooting in its 12 losses, including 79.6 points on 48.3 percent shooting in the 10 Big 12 setbacks. The team has allowed 80 or more points in 4 of last 6 games.

 

THE OPPONENT: TEXAS TECH (18-12, 6-11 Big 12)

• Texas Tech enters Saturday’s game with an 18-12 record after snapping a 3-game skid with a 67-57 win over Texas on Senior Night on Wednesday in Lubbock… The Red Raiders are 2-9 on the road this season, including 1-8 in true road contests.
• The Red Raiders are averaging 74.9 points on 47.6 percent shooting, including 37.4 percent from 3-point range, on the season with 33.0 rebounds, 14.2 assists, 5.2 steals and 3.2 blocks per game… They are allowing opponents 67.5 points per game on 43.3 percent shooting, including 36.1 percent from beyond the arc… The team is shooting 73.5 percent from the free throw line.
• Texas Tech has 6 players averaging 8 or more points this season, including 2 in double figures, led by juniors Keenan Evans (15.7 ppg.) and Zach Smith (12.6 ppg.)… Evans is shooting 47.3 percent from the field, including 44.4 percent from 3-point range, and 85.5 percent from the free throw line… He leads in assists (3.1 apg.) and is 2nd in 3-pointers (48) and steals (1.0 spg.)… Smith shoots 51.3 percent from the field and paces in rebounding (7.3 ppg.) and blocks (1.4 bpg.)… Graduate transfer Anthony Livingston is averaging 9.9 points on 42.8 percent shooting with a team-best 50 3-pointers… Senior Aaron Ross (9.5 ppg.) and junior Justin Gray (9.2 ppg.) both average better than 9 points per game.
• The Red Raiders are led by first-year head coach Chris Beard, who has an 189-52 record in his 8th season as head coach… The former assistant to the legendary coach Bobby Knight, Beard has coached at McMurry (2012-13), Angelo State (2013-15) and Little Rock (2015-16)… He led the Trojans to a 30-5 record in 2015-16, including an upset of Purdue in the NCAA Tournament.