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K-State to Host Oklahoma Tuesday Night

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GAME #18

KANSAS STATE (12-5, 2-3 Big 12) vs. 4/6 OKLAHOMA (14-2, 4-1 Big 12)

Tuesday, January 16, 2018 >> 8 p.m. CT >> Bramlage Coliseum (12,528) >> Manhattan, Kan.

 COACHES

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

Overall: 425-228/20th season

At K-State: 112-73/6th season

  1. Oklahoma: 7-3 (5-0 at home)

Oklahoma: Lon Kruger (Kansas State ’75)

Career Record: 615-383/31st Year

Record at Oklahoma: 136-79/7th Year

  1. Kansas State: 7-8 (2-5 on the road)

PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP

Kansas State (12-5, 2-3 Big 12)

G: #2 Cartier Diarra

G: #5 Barry Brown, Jr.

G: #20 Xavier Sneed

F: #32 Dean Wade

F: #14 Makol Mawien

4/6 Oklahoma (14-2, 4-1 Big 12)

G: #0 Christian James

G: #1 Rashard Odomes

G: #11 Trae Young

F: #3 Khadeem Lattin

F: #35 Brady Manek

SERIES HISTORY

Overall: Oklahoma leads 107-98

Big 12 era: Oklahoma leads 15-13

In Manhattan: K-State leads 60-36

In Norman: Oklahoma leads 62-27

Active Streak: Oklahoma, 1

Weber vs. Oklahoma: 7-3 (5-0 at home)

Kruger vs. K-State: 7-8 (2-5 on the road)

Weber vs. Kruger: 8-3 (5-0 at home)

OPENING TIP

  • Kansas State (12-5, 2-3 Big 12) begins a key stretch of consecutive home games against ranked Big 12 opponents, as the Wildcats play host to K-State legend Lon Kruger and his fourth-ranked Oklahoma Sooners (14-2, 4-1 Big 12) on Tuesday night at 8 p.m., CT. Oklahoma is currently tied atop of the Big 12 standings with Kansas, Texas Tech and West Virginia at 4-1, while K-State is tied for fifth with Oklahoma State and Texas at 2-3. The contest will air nationally on ESPNU and the WatchESPN app with Matt Schick (play-by-play) and Jason Capel (analyst) on the call.
  • K-State will play four of its next five games in the friendly confines of Bramlage Coliseum, including back-to-back Big 12 home games for the first time since 2016, after navigating four road games in a six-game stretch to start conference play. The contest against No. 4/6 Oklahoma will mark the second of three consecutive games against Top 25 opponents, which started in Saturday’s loss at No. 12/12 Kansas and continues this Saturday against No. 24/25 TCU (13-4, 1-4 Big 12). It will mark the first time since February 2017 that the team has played three straight ranked foes.
  • Kruger is one of 10 Wildcats to have their jerseys raised to the rafters, as the Silver Lake, Kan., native was a two-time Big Eight Player of the Year (1973, 1974) and two-time Academic All-American for K-State from 1971-74. Coached by legendary head coach Jack Hartman, Kruger led the Wildcats to 61-22 (.735) record during his career, which included two Big Eight titles and pair of NCAA Tournament appearances. He later served as assistant coach (1978-82) for Hartman before succeeding him as head coach in 1986 where he became the first head coach in school history to lead the Wildcats to four consecutive NCAA Tournaments, posting an 81-46 (.638) record.
  • K-State and Oklahoma will meet for the 206th time on the hardwood with the Sooners holding a 107-98 advantage in a series that dates back to 1920. Oklahoma holds a slight 15-13 edge since the start of the Big 12, while K-State has won seven of the last 10 meetings, including five in a row at Bramlage Coliseum. The teams split their two meetings a year ago with each winning on their home court, including an 81-51 victory by the Sooners in the last matchup. This will mark the sixth meeting with a ranked Oklahoma squad in the last eight matchups with K-State winning four of those previous five games (2014, 2015 (twice), 2016), including three at home.
  • K-State is 34-57 (.374) all-time against Top 25 teams at Bramlage Coliseum, which includes 16 over teams ranked in the Top 10. The school is 31-54 (.365) against ranked Big 12 teams (since 1997), including a 19-17 (.528) mark since 2008. Since winning 10 of 13 matchups against Top 25 teams at home from 2013 to 2015, the Wildcats have just two victories (No. 1 Oklahoma in 2016 and No. 7 West Virginia in 2017) in their last 10 meetings with ranked teams at Bramlage Coliseum. The team is 0-3 vs. ranked opponents this season (No. 6 West Virginia, No. 18 Texas Tech and No. 12 Kansas) with its last such win coming against No. 9 Baylor in the Big 12 Tournament. The Wildcats are 2-15 (.118) all-time vs. the AP’s No. 4 team with 14 straight losses.

NOTES ON 4/6 OKLAHOMA

  • No. 4/6 Oklahoma enters Tuesday’s game with a 14-2 overall record and a 4-1 mark in Big 12 play after knocking off nationally-ranked TCU, 102-97, for the second time this season in overtime. Six-time Big 12 Player of the Week and the frontrunner for National Player of the Year honors, Trae Young continued his torrid scoring pace with 43 points on 15-of-27 field goals, including 10-of-18 from 3-point range, to go with a near triple-double of 11 rebounds and 7 assists in 40 minutes. Fellow freshman Brady Manek added 22 points on 7-of-13 shooting, which included six treys.
  • K-State will once again face one of the nation’s top scoring teams in Oklahoma, as the Sooners lead the country in scoring offense at 93.6 points per game, which has included six 100-point outputs (two in Big 12 play). The team ranks sixth in 3-point field goals per game (11.4), 15th in 3-point field goal percentage (41.1) and assists per game (18.1) and 22nd in field goal percentage (49.5). They also excel on the defensive end, ranking sixth nationally in defensive rebounds (29.94), 17th in blocked shots per game (5.7) and 36th in total rebounds per game (39.88).
  • The Sooners are led by Young, who leads the country in both scoring (30.1 ppg.) and assists (10.0 apg.), while connecting on 45.8 percent from the field, including 40.7 percent from 3-point range, and 83.2 percent from the free throw line. He also averages 4.3 rebounds and 1.9 steals in 33.4 minutes per game. Junior sharp-shooter Christian James averages 12.4 points on 50.7 percent shooting, including 42.9 percent from 3-point range, while freshman Brady Manek averages 11.3 points on 51.9 percent shooting, including 44.3 percent from long range. The trio have totaled 136 3-point field goals this season on 42.1 percent shooting. Three other players (Kameron McGusty, Khadeem Lattin and Jamuni McNeace) all average better than 6.4 points per game, while Lattin is tops in rebounding (6.8 rpg.) and blocked shots (2.3 bpg.).
  • Oklahoma is led by soon-to-be Hall of Fame head coach Lon Kruger, who has a 136-79 (.633) record in his seventh season leading the Sooners. Overall, he is 615-383 (.616) in his 31st season as a head coach leading Pan American (1982-86), K-State (1986-90), Florida (1990-96), Illinois (1996-2000), UNLV (2004-11) and now Oklahoma. He is the first and only head coach to lead five different schools to the NCAA Tournament.

K-STATE/OKLAHOMA CONNECTIONS

  • Aside from his playing career for K-State from 1971-74, Oklahoma head coach Lon Kruger is one of 10 former K-State players or coaches who currently serve as a head coach at the Division I level (13 when including Division II), including four current head coaches who played for the Wildcats. Kruger, who had his jersey honored in 2006, led the Wildcats to an 81-46 record from 1986-90, which included four NCAA Tournament appearances.
  • Oklahoma director of operations Mike Shepherd is a 1992 K-State graduate and a former manager for Kruger during his stint in Manhattan.

SERIES HISTORY

  • This will be 206th meeting between Kansas State and Oklahoma on the hardwood, including the 29th in the Big 12 era, with the Sooners holding a 107-98 advantage in a series that dates to 1920. Oklahoma is one of just two Big 12 opponents to hold a series advantage over K-State with the 107 wins the third-most by an opponent, following Kansas (194) and Missouri (116). The Wildcats own a 60-36 lead at home.
  • K-State has won seven of the last 10 meetings, including five straight at Bramlage Coliseum. The Wildcats have beaten a ranked Sooner squad three times in the last five games at home, including 72-66 in 2014, 59-56 in 2015 and 80-69 in 2016 when Oklahoma was the nation’s No. 1 team.
  • A dominant first-half performance paired with five players scoring in double figures led K-State to a 75-64 victory over Oklahoma in the teams’ last meeting at Bramlage Coliseum on Jan. 7, 2017. The Wildcats got an early lead and never looked back en route to the 11-point victory, as all five starters scored in double figures with a team-high 16 from senior Wesley Iwundu. The Wildcats shot lights out for the entire 40 minutes, shooting 53.6 percent (15-of-28) in the first half and 55 percent (11-of-20) in the second half to finish at 54.2 percent (26-of-48) for the game.
  • Oklahoma enacted revenge in the teams’ latest meeting on Feb. 25, 2017, as K-State could not shake a poor shooting night in an 81-51 win by the Sooners at the Lloyd Noble Center. The Wildcats connected on 25 percent (14-of-56) from the field, including 24.2 percent (8-of-33) in the first half. It was the sixth-lowest field goal percentage in school history and the lowest since hitting on just 23.4 percent against Nebraska on Jan. 11, 2006.
  • Head coach Bruce Weber is 7-3 all-time against Oklahoma, including 5-0 at home.

    –www.kstatesports.com–

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

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