GAME #17

KANSAS STATE (12-4, 2-2 Big 12) at 12/12 KANSAS (13-3, 3-1 Big 12)

Saturday, January 13, 2018 >> 11:01 a.m. CT >> Allen Fieldhouse (16,300) >> Lawrence, Kan.

COACHES

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

Overall: 425-227/20^th season

At K-State: 112-72/6^th season

1. Kansas: 2-11 (0-5 on the road)

Kansas: Bill Self (Oklahoma State ’85)

Career Record: 636-196/25^th Year

Record at Kansas: 429-90/15^th Year

1. Kansas State: 25-5 (13-1 at home)

PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP

Kansas State (12-4, 2-2 Big 12)

G: #2 Cartier Diarra

G: #5 Barry Brown, Jr.

G: #20 Xavier Sneed

F: #32 Dean Wade

F: #14 Makol Mawien

12/12 Kansas (13-3, 3-1 Big 12)

G: #0 Marcus Garrett

G: #2 Lagerald Vick

G: #4 Devonte Graham

G: #10 Svi Mykhailiuk

F: #35 Udoka Azubuike

SERIES HISTORY

Overall: Kansas leads 193-93

Big 12 era: Kansas leads 46-5

In Lawrence: Kansas leads 88-35

In Manhattan: Kansas leads 77-47

Active Streak: Kansas, 5

Weber vs. Kansas: 2-11 (0-5 on the road)

Self vs. K-State: 25-5 (13-1 at home)

Weber vs. Self: 3-12 (0-6 on the road)

OPENING TIP

• Kansas State (12-4, 2-2 Big 12) travels east to Lawrence to renew one of the oldest rivalries in college basketball on Saturday morning, as the Wildcats meet No. 12/12 Kansas (13-3, 3-1 Big 12) at 11 a.m., CT at Allen Fieldhouse. It will the mark the 287th edition of the Dillons Sunflower Showdown, as the schools have met at least once a season every year since 1912. The contest will air on ESPN with Rich Hollenberg (play-by-play) and Fran Fraschilla (analyst) on the call.
• The rivalry ranks as the eighth-longest continuously played in the country (have met at least twice every season since 1912) with the sixth-most gamed played (286). Kansas’ 193 wins are the most against one opponent in NCAA history, while K-State’s 93 victories are the most by any Kansas opponent. The series dates to a 54-39 win by the Jayhawks at home on Jan. 25, 1907.
• Kansas leads the all-time series, 193-93, including an 88-35 mark at home, with K-State. The Jayhawks have won 45 of the last 50 meetings in the Big 12 era, including 20 of 21 games played at Allen Fieldhouse. The Wildcats have lost 11 consecutive games at Kansas since posting a 59-55 win on Jan. 14, 2006. K-State has not beaten a ranked Kansas team in Lawrence since 1994.
• K-State is 4-2 away from home this season, including a 3-1 mark in true road games (Vanderbilt, Washington State and Iowa State). The three road wins tie four other Big 12 schools (Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas and West Virginia) for the most in the league. The win at Vanderbilt was just second in Nashville and the first since 1977, while the win at Iowa State snapped a six-game skid and was the first since 2011.
• K-State earned its first one of the new calendar 2018 year on Wednesday night, as junior Barry Brown, Jr., turned in a career performance with a personal-best 38 points on 12-of-17 shooting to go with a career-tying 6 steals in an 86-82 win over Oklahoma State at Bramlage Coliseum. He is the first Wildcat to post a 30-point, 5-steal game in school history. The 38 points were the most by a Wildcat since Jacob Pullen scored 38 in his last career game against Wisconsin in the NCAA Southeast Regional Second Round on March 19, 2011 in Tucson, Ariz., and the most at home since Pullen tallied 38 in an 84-68 win over No. 1 Kansas on Feb. 14, 2011. His 6 steals tied a career-high and were the most by a Wildcat in a Big 12 game.
• Brown, who ranks fifth in the Big 12 in scoring (16.9 ppg.) and second (24.3 ppg.) in league-only games, posted his first career 30-point game against the Cowboys and scored 20 or more points four times in the last five games. His 97 total points after the first four Big 12 games are the most since Michael Beasley scored 115 points in his first four Big 12 games in 2008.
• Down 34-33 at the halftime to Oklahoma State, Brown teamed with redshirt freshman Cartier Diarra to score the Wildcats’ first 25 points to start the second half, as the Wildcats connected on 58 percent (10-of-17) during that scoring span as the duo combined for 36 of the team’s 53 points after halftime. Diarra, who was making his first career start in place of the injured Kamau Stokes, scored a career-best 17 points to go with a team-high 4 assists in a career-best 37 minutes. The performance came on the heels of an 11-point, 30-minute effort against Texas Tech on Jan. 6, in which, he took over starting duties with Stokes going out with an injury 15 minutes into the game. Stokes had led the Wildcats in a number of categories, including minutes (30.5 mpg.), double-digit scoring games (11), 3-point field goals (33) and assists (4.6 apg.), while ranking third in scoring (13.4 ppg.).

NOTES ON 12/12 KANSAS

• No. 12/12 Kansas enters Saturday’s game with a 13-3 overall record and a 3-1 mark in Big 12 play after earning an 83-78 win over Iowa State on Tuesday at home. The Jayhawks connected on 14 3-pointers, including a combined 11 from guards Svi Mykhailiuk and Malik Newman, as the pair combined for 50 of the team’s 83 points. Newman scored a career-best 27 points off the bench to go with 8 rebounds, while Mykhailiuk added 23 points. Senior point guard Devonte Graham had a near double-double with 11 points and 9 assists to go with a game-high 4 steals.
• Kansas once again is one of the most potent offenses in the country, ranking in the Top 10 in nine categories, including 13th in scoring offense (86.6 ppg.), 11th in field goal percentage (51.1) and scoring margin (+16.6), 12th in the 3-point field goal percentage (41.4), 10th in 3-point field goals per game (11.1), seventh in assists per game (18.6) and eighth in assist turnover ratio (1.59). They are dangerous from long range with four players with 26 or more 3-point field goals, including 50+ from Mykhailiuk (57) and Graham (51). The Jayhawks are allowing just 70.1 points per game on 39.7 percent shooting, including 32.5 percent from 3-point range. They are shooting 71.2 percent from the free throw line.
• Kansas is a balanced offensive teams with five players averaging in double digits led by Graham’s team-best 18.1 points per game on 42.9 percent shooting, including 43.2 percent from 3-point range. Graham ranks seventh nationally in assists per game (7.5 apg.), 27th in 3-point field goals per game (3.19) and 51st in 3-point field goal percentage (43.2). Mykhailiuk, who ranks 11th in 3-point field goals per game (3.56), is second in scoring at 16.9 points per game on 46.5 percent shooting, including 47.9 percent from long range. Lagerald Vick (15.3 ppg.), Udoka Azubuike (14.6 ppg.) and Newman (10.9 ppg.) also average double figures. Azubuike, who leads the Big 12 and ranks second in the nation in field goal percentage at 76.6 percent, leads the way in both rebounds (7.7 rpg.) and blocked shots (1.5 bpg.).
• Kansas is led by Hall of Fame head coach Bill Self, who has a 429-90 (.827) record in his 15th season leading the Jayhawks. Overall, he is 636-196 (.764) in his 25th season as head coach leading Oral Roberts (1993-97), Tulsa (1997-2000), Illinois (2000-03) and now Kansas.

SERIES HISTORY

• This will be 287th meeting between Kansas State and Kansas on the hardwood, including the 52nd in the Big 12 era, with the Jayhawks holding a 193-93 advantage in a series that dates to 1907. The 193 wins are the most against one opponent in the country, while the 93 victories by the Wildcats are the most by a Kansas opponent. The Jayhawks own an 88-35 lead at home, including a 20-1 mark since the start of Big 12 play. The two schools have met at least once every season since 1912. It is the eighth-longest continuously played rivalry, while it ties for the sixth-most games played.
• Kansas holds a 46-5 mark in the Big 12 era and have won 19 of the last 22 meetings, including 12 of the last 14 games.
• Kansas has won 11 straight in the series at home with the last K-State win coming on Jan. 14, 2006 (59-55). The last victory by a Wildcat team over a ranked Jayhawk squad at Allen Fieldhouse came in a 68-64 win on Big Monday on Jan. 17, 1994.
• Junior Svi Mykhailiuk’s running lay-up at the buzzer proved to be the difference in a tightly-contested Sunflower Showdown, as No. 3/2 Kansas posted a 90-88 win over K-State in the latest meeting at Allen Fieldhouse. K-State had a chance to go ahead late as sophomore Dean Wade’s 3-point attempt fell just short and the ball skated out of bounds. It was on the ensuing inbounds play that Mykhailiuk drove the length of the court and hit the game-winning shot to lift Kansas to victory.  Wade’s 20 points led the way for the Wildcats, who had five players in double figures.
• K-State’s second-half rally came up short against No. 3/3 Kansas, 74-71, in the latest meeting on Feb. 6, 2017 at Bramlage Coliseum. After the Wildcats tied it at 63-all on forward Dean Wade’s third 3-point field goal with 2:53 to play, the Jayhawks scored six straight points to take control of the game. The late 6-0 run was keyed by guard Svi Mykhailiuk’s 3-pointer with 2:34 remaining. K-State closed to within 72-69 on a 3-pointer by guard Kamau Stokes with 22 seconds to play, but guard Devonte’ Graham canned a pair of free throws with 17 seconds to end any further comeback.
• Head coach Bruce Weber is 2-11 all-time against Kansas, including 0-5 on the road.

TOM GILBERT
Associate Director for Athletics Communications | K-State Athletics