GAME #15

KANSAS STATE (11-3, 1-1 Big 12) at 18/18 TEXAS TECH (13-1, 2-0 Big 12)

Saturday, January 6, 2018 >> 3:05 p.m. CT >> United Supermarket Arena (15,098) >> Lubbock, Texas

TELEVISION

FOX Sports Southwest // FOX Sports Kansas City // ESPN3

• John Harris (play-by-play)
• Chris Level (analyst)
• Adam Doyle (sidelines)

COACHES

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

Overall: 424-226/20^th season

At K-State: 111-71/6^th season

1. Texas Tech: 8-3 (2-3 on the road)

Texas Tech: Chris Beard (Texas ’95)

Career Record: 202-65/9^th Year

Record at Texas Tech: 31-15/2^nd Year

1. Kansas State: 1-1 (1-0 at home)

PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP

Kansas State (11-3, 1-1 Big 12)

G: #3 Kamau Stokes

G: #5 Barry Brown, Jr.

G: #20 Xavier Sneed

F: #32 Dean Wade

F: #14 Makol Mawien

Texas Tech (13-1, 2-0 Big 12)

G: #12 Keenan Evans

G: #5 Justin Gray

G: #10 Niem Stevenson

F: #11 Zach Smith

C: #32 Norense Odiase

SERIES HISTORY

Overall: K-State leads 23-13

In Lubbock: Texas Tech leads 10-7

In Manhattan: K-State leads 15-2

Big 12 era: K-State leads 16-12

Active Streak: K-State, 1

Weber vs. Texas Tech: 8-3 (2-3 on the road)

Beard vs. K-State: 1-1 (1-0 at home)

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

OPENING TIP

• Kansas State (11-3, 1-1 Big 12) plays its second Big 12 road game in a week, as the Wildcats travel to Lubbock, Texas to take on red-hot Texas Tech (13-1, 2-0 Big 12) on Saturday at 3 p.m. CT at United Supermarkets Arena. The game will be broadcast on a regional basis on FOX Sports Southwest as well as FOX Sports Kansas City.
• Saturday’s game will mark K-State’s third consecutive opponent with a significant winning streak, as Texas Tech has won seven consecutive games, which includes an 85-73 victory at No. 10/10 Kansas on Tuesday night. Both Iowa State (nine) and West Virginia (12) entered their games with K-State on long winning streaks.
• K-State and Texas Tech will meet for the 37th time on Saturday, including the 29th time as members of the Big 12. The Wildcats lead the series, 23-13, including wins in seven of the last 10 meetings. However, the Red Raiders are 10-7 all-time at home with three consecutive wins at United Supermarkets Arena. The last K-State victory in Lubbock came 60-56 on Feb. 25, 2014. The Wildcats are 1-2 against a ranked Red Raider squad, splitting a pair of home games in 1997 (L, 64-73) and 2002 (W, 68-44) to go with loss at No. 18 Texas Tech (71-82) on Feb. 14, 2004.
• K-State is 31-87 (.263) all-time against ranked Big 12 teams, including 8-49 (.163) on the road. Those numbers are trending upwards since 2006-07, as the Wildcats are 26-42 (.382) vs. ranked Big 12 squads during that span, including 8-24 (.250) in road matchups. The squad went 5-45 vs. ranked Big 12 teams from 1996-2006. Under coach Bruce Weber, the team is 14-26 (.350) against ranked Big 12 teams, including 2-15 (.118) on the road. The Wildcats snapped a 10-game losing streak against ranked Big 12 teams on the road with a 56-54 victory at No. 2 Baylor on Feb. 4, 2017.
• K-State is 4-2 away from Bramlage Coliseum this season, including 3-0 in true road games (Vanderbilt, Washington State and Iowa State). The Wildcats’ three true road wins tie No. 7/7 Oklahoma (3-0) and No. 6/5 West Virginia (3-0) for the most in the Big 12. The team opened Big 12 play with a 91-75 victory at Iowa State on Dec. 29, which was the first in a Big 12 opener on the road since 2008 and the first at famed Hilton Coliseum since 2011. The Wildcats have not started Big 12 play 2-0 on the road since 2013 (winning at West Virginia and TCU) in Weber’s first season.
• Junior forward Dean Wade ranks second in the Big 12 in scoring after just two league games at 25.5 points per game on 75 percent shooting (18-of-24) to go with 9.0 rebounds per game. His 51 points are the most by a Wildcat after two conference games since Michael Beasley combined for 53 against Oklahoma and Texas A&M in 2008, while his 18 total rebounds are the most since Thomas Gipson posted 19 boards against Oklahoma State and TCU in 2014. He scored a career-high 34 points in the opener against Iowa State, which was the first 30-point game since 2014 and the first 30-point game in a league opener since Beasley scored 32 at Oklahoma on Jan. 12, 2008.
• The Wildcat starters are averaging 62.1 points per game on 49.4 percent shooting, including 44 points per game from Wade and fellow juniors Barry Brown, Jr. (14.9 ppg.) and Kamau Stokes (14.2 ppg.) on 48.1 percent shooting. The junior trio have combined for 32 double-digit scoring games.

NOTES ON 18/18 TEXAS TECH

• No. 18/18 Texas Tech enters Saturday’s game with a 13-1 overall record and a 2-0 mark in Big 12 play after a thrilling 85-73 victory at No. 10/10 Kansas on Tuesdaynight. It was the Red Raiders’ first win in 17 tries at Allen Fieldhouse, as five players scored in double figures led by Big 12 Player of the Year candidate Keenan Evans, who led the team with 15 points. The team has lost just once this season, an 89-79 setback against Seton Hall at the Under Armour Reunion in New York. The Red Raiders opened the year with six straight wins and now has rattled off seven in a row.
• Texas Tech is ranked among the top defensive teams in country, ranking fifth in the nation in scoring defense at 59.3 points per game. The Red Raiders also ranked third in field goal percentage defense (36.7), 11th in 3-point field goal percentage defense (29.3), 12 in turnovers forced (17.9) and 13th in steals per game (9.1). The squad is also imposing on offense, placing fifth in the Big 12 in scoring offense (81.6 ppg.) on 48.9 percent shooting, including 36.5 percent from 3-point range.
• Evans paces seven players averaging 6 or more points per game this season with a team-high 16.5 points on 49.1 percent shooting, including 35.5 percent from 3-point range, to go with 3.6 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game. Freshmen Zhaire Smith (10.7 ppg.) and Jarrett Culver (10.5 ppg.) both average better than 10 points per game, as Smith is shooting 62.9 percent from the field and 77.3 percent from the free throw line, while Culver is connecting on 52 percent and is second on the team in 3-point field goals (21) and tied with Evans for 21 steals. Senior Norense Odiase paces eight players averaging 3.0 or more rebounds per game with a team-high 5.3 boards per game. Fellow seniors Niem Stevenson and Zach Smith are averaging 8.4 and 6.6 points per game.
• Texas Tech is led by head coach Chris Beard, who has a 202-65 overall record in nine seasons as head coach, which includes stints at McMurray (2012-13), Angelo State (2013-15), Little Rock (2015-16) and now Texas Tech. He has led the Red Raiders to a 31-15 record in two seasons.

SERIES HISTORY

• This will be 37th meeting between Kansas State and Texas Tech on the hardwood, including the 29th in the Big 12 era, with the Wildcats holding an 23-13 advantage in a series that dates to 1955. K-State has won seven of the last 10 matchups, including each of the last 5 at Bramlage Coliseum. However, the Red Raiders has won each of the last three meetings at United Supermarket Arena, including a 66-65 victory a season ago on Jan. 10, 2017. The Wildcats responded by winning their eighth straight at home in the series, 61-48, on March 4, 2017.
• In the last matchup in Lubbock, Texas Tech rallied from a seven-point deficit with clutch second-half shooting to upend No. 25 K-State, 66-65. The Wildcats led 50-43 with 10:07 to play and twice held a four-point advantage late in the second half, including 62-58 with 2:37 remaining. However, a steal and resulting layup by guard Keenan Evans capped a 5-0 run to give the Red Raiders the lead for good, 63-62, with 15 seconds left. Evans scored 16 of his game-high 18 points in the second half. Guard Kamau Stokes paced three Wildcats in double figures with 17 points.
• Head coach Bruce Weber is 8-3 all-time against Texas Tech, including a 2-3 mark on the road.

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

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — Peyton Williams scored 22 points with 10 rebounds, Kaylee Page scored seven of her 12 points in the fourth quarter and Kansas State handed No. 12 West Virginia its second straight loss 60-52.

The Wildcats (9-5, 1-2 Big 12 Conference), who had lost three straight, the last two to ranked league opponents, scored the last four points of the third quarter to pull within 44-42.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas State coach Bill Snyder will be back on the sideline next season.

The 78-year-old coach told his assistants during a short meeting Tuesday that he will return for his 27th season with the Wildcats, a person familiar with his decision told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because Snyder has not announced his plans.

Snyder said after a Cactus Bowl victory over UCLA last week that he was still mulling whether to return next season or retire for a second team. He stepped away briefly after the 2005 season.

Snyder was diagnosed with throat cancer last offseason, but hardly missed a practice and headed into the year with high expectations. A series of early losses scuttled Big 12 title hopes, and it took a run at the end of the year just to become eligible for a bowl game.

“I would just as soon have won all those ballgames in the middle of the season that we lost,” said Snyder, who is 210-110-1 since taking over the program in 1988. “But by the same token there’s some great value in that as well, for life, for the young people in our program.

“They recognize it,” he said. “They realize the value in life and I think it helps add to their value system, so to speak, and makes them better people, I think.”

Now, the Wildcats will return most of their starters from a team that ultimately went 8-5 and won its second straight bowl game. Alex Delton and Skylar Thompson, the two quarterbacks who took most of the snaps, will be back along with a veteran offensive line and several skill players.

Their defense should also be stout next season, too, even though standout cornerback and return man D.J. Reed has announced plans to skip his senior season for the NFL draft.

Snyder has a contract that rolls over each year, which means he can essentially choose when to walk away. And he has said the last several years that he makes that decision on a year-by-year basis, based primarily on his health but also the wishes of his family.

Now that his decision has been made, Snyder can go about replacing offensive coordinator Dana Dimel, who left for the top job at UTEP. Dimel had grown unpopular with many Kansas State fans eager for a fresh start, and there are several candidates on the staff that will get consideration, among them former Heisman Trophy candidate Collin Klein and wide receivers coach Andre Coleman.

Snyder can also begin putting the finishing touches on a recruiting class that was nearly filled during the fall, and begin preparing for a season that should again be full of expectations.

Along with its regular conference games, the Wildcats have a trio of home games highlighted by a visit from Mississippi State in early September that should provide a good early barometer.

“It’s pretty obvious we’d have to change course because we didn’t take advantage of the strong finish that we had last year,” Snyder said after the Cactus Bowl. “As you know we were not a real good football team earlier in the season. So whatever that approach was, we’re going to have to change it.

“The main thing is every year’s different. And the dynamics are different regardless of how many young guys you have back, et cetera. And it’s still about the same process. And you’ve heard that, so I won’t repeat all the things that we talk about, what our program’s about and what the process is about, but that is indeed — they understand it. It’s just a matter of doing it.”

 

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Led by freshman forward Teddy Allen’s game-high 22 points, No. 6/7 West Virginia used a balanced scoring effort with four players in double figures to upend Kansas State, 77-69, in a New Year’s Day tilt at Bramlage Coliseum.

The Mountaineers (13-1, 2-0 Big 12) have now won 13 consecutive games since opening the season with a loss to Texas A&M in Germany. The Wildcats (11-3, 1-1 Big 12), which opened the Big 12 season on Friday with their first win at Iowa State since 2011, saw their eight-game winning season streak at Bramlage Coliseum come to an end.

Sophomore forward Xavier Sneed led K-State with 20 points, including a career-best six 3-point field goals, while junior forward Dean Wade collected his third double-double of the season with 17 points and a game-high 10 rebounds, in what was a physical test for the Wildcats to start the new year.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Coming off back-to-back wins on the road, K-State got kicked off 2018 in the right direction, as Sneed drained a 3-pointer from the corner on the assist from junior guard Kamau Stokes.

With West Virginia and K-State representing two of the better defensive teams in the Big 12, both teams had to search for scoring in the opening minutes of a physical first half.

K-State found and early presence from Wade, who drew attention in the paint that caused foul trouble for the Mountaineers, as West Virginia accumulated eight fouls in the first 10 minutes of play. In total, West Virginia fouled 11 times in the half, leading to K-State shooting 67 percent (6-of-9) from the stripe.

On the other end, the Mountaineers were able to put together an 11-0 run against the Wildcats to draw a 19-9 lead, behind 60 percent (9-of-16) shooting 11 minutes into the game. West Virginia would use the run to garnish their largest lead of the half, leading the Wildcats by 10 with 4:24 remaining in the half.

However, K-State was able to draw the score close before half, as junior guard Barry Brown used a pull-up jumper to end a 2-of-13 shooting drought from the field. Likewise, Brown and redshirt freshman guard Cartier Diarra would both hit a trey to end a 1-of-8 drought from beyond the arc from earlier in the half.

The first half proved to be a defensive battle, as the Wildcats were outscored 31-26 in the first half, as they shot 27.6 percent (8-of-29) from the field, while the Mountaineers connected on 52 percent (15-of-29). Brown led the Wildcats in scoring at the break, totaling 8 points on 3-of-7 shooting, while Wade grabbed a team-high 7 boards and Stokes dished out 2 assists.

Following a physical, defensive showdown in the first half, the Wildcats went back to the grind in the second, putting together a 5-0 run behind a tip-in by freshman forward Levi Stockard III and a 3-pointer from Sneed to bring the score within four points.

With 14 minutes remaining in the game, the Wildcats continued to threaten the Mountaineers, as Stokes found Sneed in the corner for a 3-pointer to bring the West Virginia lead to just three points.

The Mountaineers entered Monday’s contest as the top offensive rebounding team in the country, and they continued their success on the boards against the Wildcats. In total, West Virginia grabbed 38 rebounds, including 9 offensive that resulted in 11 second-chance points, while the Wildcats totaled 27 total rebounds.

With under five minutes remaining and the Mountaineers in the bonus, K-State was able to gain momentum behind several made free throws and another 3-pointer from Sneed to bring the score to 65-61 at the 3:45 mark.

After trading baskets to bring the score to 67-63, the Mountaineers benefitted from several trips to the free throw line from Teddy Allen, as he brought the Mountaineer lead to 71-63 with 2:34 remaining.

In the end, the Mountaineers would out-duel the Wildcats 77-69 behind 54 percent (30-of-56) shooting from the field and 40 points in the paint.

PLAYER OF THE GAME

Xavier Sneed – Averaging 11.4 points coming into Monday’s contest, Sneed provided a spark for the Wildcats behind the strength of his scoring, where he led a team-high 20 points on 6-of-11 from the field, including 6-of-9 from beyond the arc. Sneed connected on several influential baskets that gave K-State momentum. He also added 6 rebounds to his stat line.

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

AMES, Iowa – Junior forward Dean Wade tallied a career-high 34 points, and he led a trio of scorers to score 20 or more points, as Kansas State earned its win at Hilton Coliseum since 2011 with a decisive 91-75 win over Iowa State before a sold-out crowd of 14,384 fans on Friday night.

Wade became the Wildcats’ first 30-point scorer since 2014, as he joined fellow juniors Kamau Stokes and Barry Brown, who scored 23 and 21 points, respectively, with 20-point games, and accounted for 78 of the team’s 91 points. They became the first trio to register 20-point games in the same contest since Jacob Pullen (28), Denis Clemente (25) and Curtis Kelly (21) did it against Xavier in the 2010 NCAA West Regional Semifinal in Salt Lake City.

K-State (11-2, 1-0 Big 12) snapped a four-game losing streak to Iowa State (9-3, 0-1 Big 12) in the series and earned its first win at Hilton Coliseum since an 86-85 win over Feb. 5, 2011. The victory was also the first in a Big 12 opener on the road since 2008, halting a four-game losing streak.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Playing their first game in nine days, K-State was ready to get back on the floor and score points. Brown got the scoring started for the Wildcats as he rattled off the first five points in the opening minute of play, including a 3-pointer and a layup in the paint.

Despite the early scoring run from Brown, Iowa State claimed a lead throughout a majority of the first half that was spurred by several scoring runs, including a 7-0 run, backed by a 5-0 scoring run that saw K-State fall into a drought, connecting on 1-of-7 as Iowa State led 22-17 with 11:35 remaining in the first half.

However, the Wildcats would respond with a convincing run of their own to claim their first lead since the opening minutes.

Midway through the first half, K-State would connect on six-straight 3-pointers, including four of them from Stokes, and two from Wade, as the Wildcats claimed the lead at 33-31, and continued to battle with the Cyclones to bring the score to 39 apiece.

With under four minutes remaining, Stokes was fouled on his 3-point attempt and was sent to the line, where he made all three attempts to bring the score to 46-43. Stokes (21) and Wade (18) would combine for 39 of the team’s 53 points at the half, as the Wildcats led the Cyclones 53-50 at the break.

The first-half scoring outbursts from Stokes and Wade helped the Wildcats shoot an even 50 percent (16-of-32) from the field in the half coupled with a 50 percent (9-of-18) mark from beyond the arc, while the Cyclones shot an impressive 69 percent (18-of-26) from the floor. The 53 points scored by K-State in the first half tie a season-high in points scored in a single half, as the Wildcats also dropped 53 points against Southeast Missouri State earlier this month.

In the second half, the Wildcats would expand upon their lead, due to continued efficient shooting. The Wildcats put together a run in which they connected on 5-of-7 from the floor, while holding Iowa State scoreless from the field for 5:24 to grab a hefty 75-60 lead.

K-State enjoyed a game-high 18-point lead in the second half, due in part to a Cyclone attack that cooled down from the first half. In the second half, Iowa State shot 23 percent (6-of-26) from the field, while swiping 10 steals throughout the game.

In his 79^th career start, Wade reached the 30-point barrier in the second half, becoming the first Wildcat to reach 30 or more points since Marcus Foster scored 34 against Texas in 2014. Wade went on to score a career-high 34 points in the game on 13-of-16 shooting to become the 12^th Wildcat since the century mark to score 30 or more points in a game. Wade also added 8 rebounds to his career day.

As a team, the Wildcats shot 55 percent (32-of-58) from the field, while holding the Cyclones to 45 percent (23-of-51) after a hot first half. Freshman Lindell Wiggingtonscored a team-high 23 points for the Cyclones.

PLAYER OF THE GAME

Dean Wade – Junior Forward Dean Wade scored a career-high 34 points on Saturday, becoming the first Wildcat since Marcus Foster to score 30 or more points in a game. Wade joins an illustrious crew of 36 Wildcats to score 30 or more points in a game, and he is the 12^th Wildcat since 2000.

STAT OF THE GAME

53 – The Wildcats dropped 53 points in the first half, tying a season-high for most points in a half. The scoring outburst was due to three players reaching double digits in scoring in the half, as Stokes tallied 21, Wade scored 18 and Brown added 12 points. K-State also scored 53 points in the first half against Southeast Missouri State on Dec. 16.

SEASON RECORD UPDATE

• K-State 11-2 (1-0 Big 12)
• Iowa State 9-3 (0-1 Big 12 )

 

Tom Gilbert – Associate Director for Athletic Communications – K-State Athletics

Junction City Junior Baseball Association recently received a generous donation of a Jugs Jr Pitching Machine. This impressive new machine will be used for all groups in our organization in the spirit of building baseball champions.

This contribution is from Keller Williams Realty Hometown Professionals LLC and Morgan Hometown Properties.

JCJBA will begin their Academy sessions on January 7th. Space is limited. Contact the Academy Director at 785-210-5188 if you would like to register.

 

GAME #13

KANSAS STATE (10-2) at IOWA STATE (9-2)

Friday, December 29, 2017 >> 8:05 p.m. CT >> Hilton Coliseum (14,384) >> Ames, Iowa

COACHES

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

Overall: 423-225/20^th season

At K-State: 110-70/6^th season

1. Iowa State: 3-8 (0-5 on road)

Iowa State: Steve Prohm (Alabama ’97)

Career Record: 160-54/7^th Year

Record at ISU: 56-25/3^rd Year

1. Kansas State: 4-0 (2-0 at home)

PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP

Kansas State (10-2)

G: #3 Kamau Stokes

G: #5 Barry Brown, Jr.

G: #20 Xavier Sneed

F: #32 Dean Wade

F: #14 Makol Mawien

Iowa State (9-2)

G: #1 Nick Weiler-Babb

G: #4 Donovan Jackson

G: #5 Lindell Wigginton

F: #33 Solomon Young

F: #55 Jeff Beverly

SERIES HISTORY

Overall: K-State leads 137-87

In Ames: Tied 50-50

In Manhattan: K-State leads 80-27

Big 12 era: Iowa State leads 24-20

Active Streak: Iowa State, 4

Weber vs. Prohm: Prohm leads 4-0

OPENING TIP

• Kansas State (10-2) opens Big 12 Conference play on Friday night, as the Wildcats travel to Ames, Iowa to take on a surging Iowa State team (9-2) at Hilton Coliseum.  The Cyclones have won nine consecutive games since opening the season with back-to-back losses for the first time since 1975-76. The longtime conference foes will meet for the 99th consecutive season, as the two schools have met every year since 1918, and for the 225th time in their respective histories. It will mark just the 14th time the schools have met in a conference opener, including the first time since 2006.
• Friday’s game will be the earliest conference opener in school history, surpassing the distinction for the fifth consecutive season, and the earliest meeting with Iowa State since the 1978 Big Eight Holiday Tournament. The teams met 15 times in the Holiday Tournament held in Kansas City between 1948 and 1978 with the Cyclones posting an 8-7 mark. The Wildcats will play a Big 12 game in December for the second straight season and the earliest since a Dec. 30, 2016 matchup with Texas.
• K-State is 51-53 all-time in conference openers, including a 16-33 mark on the road, dating back to 1917, which spans five leagues (Missouri Valley, Big Six, Big Seven, Big Eight and now the Big 12). The school is 8-13 in league openers in the Big 12 era with three wins (all at home) in five such openers under head coach Bruce Weber. The team has lost four straight Big 12 openers on the road (2010, 2011, 2012 and 2015) and has just two wins in 12 all-time Big 12 road openers (Texas A&M/2001 and Oklahoma/2008) with the last such win coming 10 years ago at Oklahoma.
• Although K-State has historically dominated the series, owning a 137-87 edge since the first meeting in 1909, Iowa State has proved to be the better team of late, winning seven of the last 10 matchups, including a current four-game overall winning streak and a six-game win streak at Hilton Coliseum. The Wildcats’ last win against the Cyclones came in a last-second 70-69 victory at home on Feb. 28, 2015, while the last win in Ames also came in last-second fashion, 86-85, on Feb. 5, 2011.
• K-State enters Big 12 play with double-digit non-conference wins (10) for the 11th time in the past 12 seasons, including the fifth time in six seasons under head coach Bruce Weber. Among the Wildcats’ 10 victories are three away from the friendly confines of Bramlage Coliseum, which includes a neutral site win over George Washington (67-59) and true road wins at Vanderbilt (84-79) and Washington State (68-65). The two true road wins tie Oklahoma for the most in the Big 12.
• The starting five of juniors Barry Brown, Jr. (14.4 ppg.), Kamau Stokes (14.2 ppg.) and Dean Wade (13.2 ppg.) and sophomores Xavier Sneed (11.6 ppg.) and Makol Mawien (7.0 ppg.) are responsible for nearly 80 percent of the team’ scoring (724 of 921 points) and are collectively averaging 60.3 points on 49.7 percent shooting, including 35.1 percent from 3-point range. Starters own 37 of the team’s 40 double-digit scoring games.
• K-State has been solid in taking care of the basketball this season, ranking among the national leaders in assist turnover ratio (1.59/8th), turnovers per game (10.4/10th), fewest turnovers (125/11th) and turnover margin (4.8/19th). Since turning over the ball a season-high 17 in the opener against American (11/10), the Wildcats have averaged just 9.8 turnovers in the last 11 games, including seven games of 10 turnovers or less.

NOTES ON IOWA STATE

• Iowa State enters Friday’s contest with a 9-2 record after running its winning streak to nine games with a 55-49 win over Maryland-Eastern Shore in its last outing on Dec. 20. The Cyclones opened the year with consecutive losses to Missouri (59-74) on the road and to Milwaukee (56-74) at home, but have rebounded to post a tie for the sixth-longest winning streak in school history. The nine-game winning streak has included wins against Appalachian State (104-98), Tulsa (80-78) and Boise State (75-64) to claim the Puerto Rico Tip-Off at Myrtle Beach, along with victories over Iowa (84-78) and Northern Iowa (76-65).
• The Cyclones are averaging over 75 points per game on 44.8 percent shooting, including 36.4 percent from 3-point range, with 38.2 rebounds, 13.6 assists, 5.5 steals and 3.7 blocks per game, while allowing opponents to average 69.4 points on 41.9 percent shooting, including 34.2 percent from long range. They are averaging 8.3 3-point field goals per game, which ranks fifth nationally, have three players with 14 or more 3-point field goals. The team is shooting 73.3 percent from the line.
• Senior Donovan Jackson (16.2 ppg.) and freshman Lindell Wigginton (15.5 ppg.) pack quite the 1-2 punch for the Cyclones, as the duo each rank among the Big 12’s Top 10 in scoring and combine for 58 3-pointers. Fellow guard Nick Weiler-Babb averages 12.5 points on 48.9 percent shooting to go with team-best averages of 7.5 rebounds and 7.4 assists per game. Freshman Cameron Lard (10.0 ppg.) also averages double figures, while bigs Solomon Young (6.0 ppg.) and Jeff Beverly (5.6 ppg.) average better than 5.5 points per game.
• Iowa State is led by third-year head coach Steve Prohm, who has a 56-25 record in his tenure. Overall, he has a 160-54 mark in his seventh season as a head coach, which includes a stint at Murray State (2011-15). He has advanced to the NCAA Tournament three times, including twice at ISU.

SERIES HISTORY

• This will be 225th meeting between Kansas State and Iowa State on the hardwood with the Wildcats holding a 137-87 advantage in a series that dates all the way to 1909. The 137 wins are the most against one opponent in school history, while the 224 meetings are the third-most, trailing only Kansas (286) and Missouri (236).
• The Cyclones hold a 24-20 lead since the inception of the Big 12 in 1997, including wins in seven of the last 10 meetings. ISU’s current four-game winning streak is the longest since also winning four in a row from 2000-01, while the current six-game winning streak at Hilton Coliseum is the longest since winning seven straight at home from 2000-06.
• The Wildcats’ last overall win against the Cyclones came at home on Feb. 28, 2015, as Wesley Iwundu stole the inbounds pass and dunked in the waning seconds for a 70-69 victory, while the last win at Hilton Coliseum came on last-second layup by Jacob Pullen, 86-85, on Feb. 5, 2011.
• Head coach Bruce Weber is 3-8 all-time against Iowa State, including a 0-5 mark at Hilton Coliseum.

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

PHOENIX (AP) — Alex Delton ran for 158 yards and accounted for four touchdowns, leading Kansas State to a 35-17 Cactus Bowl victory over UCLA on Tuesday night in what could be the final game of coach Bill Snyder’s career.

Delton replaced Skylar Thompson late in the first quarter and scored on runs of 68 yards, 3 yards and 1 yard. Alex Barnes added 117 yards and a touchdown for the Wildcats, who rushed for 345 yards.

Kansas State (8-5) struggled in the first half against UCLA’s potent offense, but shut down the Bruins in the second to give Snyder his 210th — and possibly final — win with the Wildcats.

UCLA (6-7) played without top NFL prospect Josh Rosen, who’s recovering from a concussion, and built a 10-point halftime lead without its star quarterback.

The Bruins’ offensive success didn’t carry over into the second half and their defense had a hard time containing Delton, saddling interim coach Jedd Fisch with a loss in his last game before Chip Kelly takes over the program.

Snyder turned around one of the nation’s worst programs after taking over in the Little Apple in 1989. He returned from a three-year retirement in 2008 and led the Wildcats to eight straight bowl appearances.

Snyder has not decided whether he will return for a 27th season or retire again to spend time with his family.

The 78-year-old coach made a quarterback change in the first quarter of the Cactus Bowl, replacing Thompson after an interception. Delton had an immediate impact with his legs, bursting through a hole in the middle, making a tackler miss and racing 68 yards for a touchdown.

Snyder took a gamble in the third quarter, opting to go for it on fourth-and-goal from the 1. Delton came through again, bulling his way through a massive pile — with some help from his teammates — for a hard-earned score.

Kansas State recovered Bolu Olorunfunmi’s fumble at the Bruins 24-yard line on the next play from scrimmage, and Delton hit Dominique Heath for an 8-yard touchdown to give the Wildcats the lead.

UCLA turned it over on downs — after a successful fake punt — and Kansas State turned its fourth-down try into a touchdown, with Alex Barnes putting the Wildcats up 28-17 with a 41-yard run.

Kansas State gave UCLA no hope of a comeback with a drive that lasted more than eight minutes and ended with Delton’s final TD run.

Rosen, expected to leave for the NFL after his junior year, was in uniform at Chase Field and warmed up before the game, but Devon Modster trotted out to the huddle for UCLA.

The Bruins still had their big-play game going even without Rosen, building a 17-7 halftime lead on two long TD passes by Modster.

UCLA’s offensive roll ended with halftime. The Bruins had 100 total yards and three first downs in the second half.

THE TAKEAWAY

If this was the final game of Snyder’s career, the Wildcats sent him out on a high note with a dominant second-half performance.

UCLA’s defense, a sore spot all season, had no answer for Delton, and its offense could have used Rosen in the second half.

UP NEXT

Kansas State: The Wildcats should be in good shape on offense next season whether Snyder returns or not. Kansas State has no seniors on its two-deep roster on offense, though there are five on defense.

UCLA: Kelly will likely have to replace Rosen when he takes over, but will have plenty of firepower returning. He’s also one of the nation’s top recruiters, so the Bruins should be well-stocked with talent.

By Corbin McGuire

PHOENIX, Arizona — Signing an autograph for a young girl he had just met, K-State defensive end Reggie Walker asked her a standard Christmas day question — What did you get for Christmas?

When she responded with, “I didn’t get too much,” Walker pulled out one of his football gloves and handed it over. Her face lit up immediately.

“I felt like I just made somebody’s Christmas,” he said. “It made me really happy.”

Walker’s unprompted gift was handed out at the Salvation Army Christmas Dinner event on Monday in Phoenix, where K-State’s entire football team interacted with and helped serve around 5,000 locals a traditional Christmas dinner.

“It meant a lot more to them than I was anticipating. It was kind of a shock to me to see how happy everybody was and how much everybody here was looking forward to getting a nice meal and being able to get autographs from us,” senior punter Nick Walsh said. “It was pretty rewarding to give them a smile on Christmas.”

Walsh knows the type of impact a student-athlete can have on children about as well as anyone.

During his time at K-State, he’s become close friends with Tate Reid, a young boy who was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Lymphoma in 2015. Walsh also has been heavily involved in Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, a program he’s extremely passionate about. Earlier this month, he helped promote it by giving away one of his Cactus Bowl gifts — a Yeti 35 cooler — to one person who retweeted his call-to-action on Twitter for people to sign up to be a big brother or big sister.

Walsh’s tweet received more than 3,000 retweets and surpassed 1,200 likes, accomplishing exactly what he set out to do.

“I just wanted to do something that would promote Big Brothers Big Sisters, get the word out, because a lot of people just don’t know about it,” Walsh said. “The kid that I’m with right now, Maddix, I’ve seen him change as a man, even though he’s only eight years old, just in the time I’ve been with him. I know there are more lives that can be changed out there and my life’s changed because of it. I just wanted to do something that was going to get the word out.

“The people that work (at Big Brothers Big Sisters) said there was a lot more people that signed up in those few days. It was pretty cool to see that happen.”

All of K-State’s players got a taste of that same feeling on Monday, as the Wildcats were able to bring a holiday meal to a group of people who might not have been able to have one otherwise.

It was not an assembly line serving process, either. Instead, the community members sat down at decorated tables and had their meals brought to them by K-State’s players.

“A lot of those kids had pretty big smiles on their faces whenever they got a hot meal in front of them. It was pretty cool to give out as many meals as we could and treat them to whatever they wanted,” said Walsh, adding that the event reinforces K-State head coach Bill Snyder’s passion for community involvement with his players. “Coach obviously instills that in us on a day-to-day basis, so it was fun to get out there and get a couple of smiles. It was a good start to Christmas.”

Before serving the food, K-State’s players and coaches were able to connect with many of the families in attendance in a number of different fashions.

The event ran by the Salvation Army, a philanthropic partner of the Cactus Bowl, also included areas for free haircuts and painting nails. K-State’s players helped sweep up the trimmed hair and even painted some nails. Many Wildcats joined in with children on beanbag tossing games, golf putting mats and coloring books. Another group signed autographs on posters, K-State T-shirts given out and various other items.

“To give back to the kids, sign some autographs, play a few games with them, it just makes me feel happy as a person,” Walker said, “especially on Christmas.”

“I think the question is, ‘Who was having more fun?’ Was it the players or the folks that they were serving? I think it’s equal,” Cactus Bowl representative Steve Leach added. “These are kids who are sincerely involved in this community outreach and that says a great deal about Kansas State. We couldn’t be happier and our community thanks them.”

Each interaction between a K-State player and a curious child or a thankful parent is one the Wildcats will hang on to for quite a while, Tanking said. He certainly had one that stood out immediately.

“There was a little four-year-old I was coloring with. His name is Angelo and he was a really cool kid. We were rolling dice and playing catch back and forth,” Tanking said. “I kind of felt bad because he asked if I was coming back. I said I wish I could but I can’t. Kids like that stick with you.

“Any time you get to come to something like this and meet the kids from the area, it’s one of the best feelings because you feel like you can make a difference in any of these kids’ lives or any of these people’s lives. It means a lot to us.”