GAME 7
GREEN BAY (3-3, 0-0 Horizon)
AT KANSAS STATE (5-1, 0-0 Big 12)
Wednesday, November 30, 2016 >> 7 p.m. >> Bramlage Coliseum (12,528) >> Manhattan, Kan.

 

COACHES
Kansas State: Bruce Weber (Wis.-Milwaukee ’78)
Overall: 397-210/19th season
At K-State: 84-55/5th season
vs. Green Bay: First meeting

Green Bays: Linc Darner (Purdue ‘95)
Overall: 318-133/15th season
At Green Bay: 26-16/2nd season
vs. Kansas State: First meeting

PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP
Kansas State (5-1)
G: #3 Kamau Stokes (11.0 ppg., 3.0 apg.)
G: #5 Barry Brown (14.2 ppg., 2.5 rpg.)
G: #25 Wesley Iwundu (13.3 ppg., 6.0 rpg.)
F: #32 Dean Wade (6.5 ppg., 5.5 rpg.)
F: #4 D.J. Johnson (11.0 ppg., 6.8 rpg.)

Green Bay (3-3)
G: #3 Khalil Small (12.2 ppg., 6.0 rpg.)
G: #12 Trevor Anderson (12.8 ppg., 3.3 rpg.)
G: #34 Charles Cooper (13.5 ppg., 5.8 rpg.)
F: #2 Turner Botz (9.5 ppg., 5.0 rpg.)
F: #45 Kenneth Lowe (4.3 ppg., 5.3 rpg.)

INSIDE THE SERIES
Overall: Tied 1-1
vs. Horizon: K-State leads 6-1 (5-0 at home)
In Manhattan: K-State leads 1-0 (W, 68-55, 11/20/2001)
Current Streak: Green Bay, 1
Last Meeting: Green Bay won 68-64 in Green Bay, Wis. (12/7/2002)
Weber vs. Green Bay: First meeting
Weber vs. Darner: First meeting

GAME 7 – QUICK HITTERS
· Kansas State returns home on Wednesday, as the Wildcats play host to Green Bay (3-3) at 7 p.m. CT at Bramlage Coliseum. It is the first of 3 home games remaining for the team in non-conference play, including Prairie View A&M (2-5) on Dec. 6 and Gardner-Webb (2-4) on Dec. 21.

· The Wildcats have won 13 consecutive non-conference games at home venues (61-56 win over Colorado State in Wichita), including 12 in a row at Bramlage Coliseum with an average margin of victory of 17.9 points. The last home non-conference loss came to Georgia on Dec. 31, 2014.

· K-State has an 83-5 (.943) record at home in non-conference play dating back to 2006-07, including an 28-3 (.903) mark under Bruce Weber. The squad has won 72 of its last 75 non-conference home games.

· Weber is 62-12 (.838) at Bramlage Coliseum with only 3 non-conference losses in his tenure (Northern Colorado [2013], Texas Southern [2014] and Georgia [2014]). The 12 losses have come by a total of 61 points (5.1 ppg.).

· K-State is coming off its first loss of the season after falling in the final seconds to No. 23 Maryland (7-0) on Saturday in the Barclays Center Classic Championship. It marked the third time in the past 5 seasons that the team has advanced to the finals of an in-season tournament (2012 NIT Season Tip-off and 2015 CBE Hall of Fame Classic) under Bruce Weber.

· Seniors D.J. Johnson and Wesley Iwundu turned in stellar efforts in the setback, as Johnson poured in a career-best 26 points on 10-of-18 field goals with 8 rebounds, while Iwundu collected his sixth career double-double with 16 points and a career-high 11 rebounds in 40 minutes.

· Johnson, Iwundu and sophomores Barry Brown (13) and Kamau Stokes (11) combined to score 66 of the Wildcats’ 68 points against the Terrapins on 49.1 percent (26-of-53). The quartet has combined for 17 of the team’s 22 double-digit scoring games this season.

· The Wildcats have had at least 3 players score in double figures in each of the first 6 games, including 4 double-digit scorers in the first 3 for the first time since the 2011-12 season. Leading scorer Barry Brown (14.2 ppg.) is the only player to register double figures in both exhibitions and all 6 regular season games, connecting on 51.2 percent (42-of-82).

· K-State has been stellar on defense through the first 6 games, holding foes to a Big 12-best 58.8 points on 37.1 percent shooting while forcing an average of 16.5 turnovers per game. The team ranks 13th nationally in scoring defense and 27th in field goal percentage defense.
THE OPPONENT: GREEN BAY (3-3)
· Green Bay enters Wednesday’s game with a 3-3 record after seeing a 2-game winning streak end at home to Central Michigan on Saturday, 89-77… The Phoenix defeated Bowling Green, 77-61, and UMKC, 95-77, in consecutive games before the setback.

· Green Bay is averaging 78.0 points on 41.6 percent shooting, including 30.9 percent from 3-point range, with 42.5 rebounds, 12.8 assists, 6.5 steals and 3.2 blocks per game… The team is allowing 74.2 points per game on 39.8 percent shooting.

· The Phoenix have 4 players averaging in double figures led by senior guard Charles Cooper, who is averaging 13.5 points on 35.8 percent shooting to go with 5.8 rebounds per contest… Freshman guard Trevor Anderson (12.8 ppg.), junior guard Khalil Small (12.2 ppg.) and senior transfer guard Warren Jones (10.2 ppg.) also average double figures… Anderson leads the team in both 3-pointers (14) and assists (2.8 apg.), while Small is the rebounding leader at 6.0 boards per game.

· Green Bay returns 9 lettermen, including 3 starters, from a team that posted a 23-13 overall record and advanced to the NCAA Tournament after winning the Horizon League Tournament Championship… The Phoenix won four consecutive games in four days to win the title… It was the fourth consecutive postseason appearance and third straight 20-win season for the Phoenix.

· Head coach Linc Darner has a 318-133 overall record in his 15th season as a head coach, including a 26-16 mark in his second season at Green Bay… He led Florida Southern to the 2015 NCAA Division II National Championship to cap a 36-1 season.
BREAKING DOWN THE SERIES
· Wednesday’s contest will mark the third meeting between K-State and Green Bay on the hardwood and the first since 2002.

· The teams split a home-and-home series in 2001 and 2002 with the Wildcats winning 68-55 at Bramlage Coliseum on Nov. 20, 2001 and a losing to the Phoenix in Green Bay, 68-64, on Dec. 7, 2002.

· K-State is 6-1 all-time against teams from the Horizon League, including 5-0 at home… It will be the first meeting with a Horizon League squad since winning a home-and-home series with Cleveland State in 2008 and 2010.
FAMILIAR FOE
· K-State coach Bruce Weber and Green Bay coach Linc Darner have a long history despite never facing each other on the hardwood… Darner was a four-year lettermen at Purdue (1990-94) during Weber’s stint as an assistant with the Boilermakers.

· Darner led the Boilermakers to an 82-42 record during his playing career, which included 3 NCAA Tournament bids… He was the first player under the legendary and K-State alum Gene Keady to be named a team captain twice, while playing alongside future NBA No. 1 draft pick Glenn Robinson and current Purdue head coach Matt Painter.
NON-CONFERENCE SUCCESS
· K-State has an 83-5 record at home in non-conference play dating back to 2006-07, including an 81-4 mark during the regular season… The Wildcats has won 72 of their last 75 non-conference home games.

· K-State has won 13 consecutive games played at home venues against non-conference opponents (61-56 win over Colorado State at INTRUST Bank Arena in Wichita), including 12 straight at Bramlage Coliseum… The Wildcats’ last loss to a non-conference team at home came against Georgia, 50-46, on Dec. 31, 2014… The team has won 12 in a row at home in November.

· K-State went 9-0 in games played at home venues in 2015-16, winning by an average margin of 15.2 points per game.
GOOD START ON THE OFFENSIVE END
· K-State is averaging 75.5 points on 48.2 percent shooting (162-of-336), including 38.8 percent (45-of-116) from 3-point range, through the first 6 games with average of 37.8 rebounds, 15.2 assists, 8.5 steals and 4.2 blocks per game.

· The Wildcats have scored 70 or more points in 4 of the first 6 games, including 80 or more points in the first 3 games.

· K-State is now 50-16 under Bruce Weber when scoring 70 or more points, including 22-2 when scoring 80 or more points.

· K-State has shot better than 44 percent in each of its 6 games, including better than 50 percent in back-to-back games with Omaha (11/15) and Hampton (11/20)… The team shot a season-best 58.3 percent (28-of-48) against Hampton, including 52.2 percent (12-of-23) from 3-point range… K-State is 29-5 under Bruce Weber when shooting 50 percent or better from the field.

· The Wildcats have connected on better than 46.9 percent of their field goals in 7 of their last 11 halves, including a team-best 62.5 percent (15-of-24) in the second half against Western Illinois (11/11)… The Wildcats have shot better than 50 percent in at least one half in each of its 6 games so far, including in both halves against Hampton (11/20).

· K-State is shooting 53.2 percent (84-of-158) in the second half, including 44.3 percent (27-of-61) from 3-point range, this season while averaging 39 points… In contrast, the team is averaging 36.5 points on 43.8 percent (78-of-178) in the first half.

· K-State is averaging 32.0 points in the paint, 19.5 bench points, 18.3 points off of turnovers, 11.8 fast break points and 11.7 second-chance points through 6 games… The team is forcing 16.5 turnovers per game, including a combined 54 in the last 3.

· K-State has at least 15 points off turnovers in each of the first 6 games, including a season-high 26 vs. Omaha (11/15)… The squad has scored more than 2,000 points (2,030) off of turnovers under Bruce Weber, an average of 14.6 points per game.

· K-State rattled of 4 consecutive games of 12 or more fast-break points to start the season for the first time since doing it in 5 straight games during the 2014-15 season… The Wildcats averaged just 7.1 fast-break points per game in 2015-16.

· Nine Wildcats are shooting better than 45 percent from the field, including each of its 5 starters… The starters are shooting a combined 49.4 percent from the field (120-of-243), including 40.9 percent (29-of-71) from 3-point range.

· D.J. Johnson (7th), Barry Brown (12th) and Wesley Iwundu (14) each rank in the Big 12’s Top 15 in field goal percentage.

· Four Wildcats have scored in double figures in 4 of the first 6 games, including double-digit performances in each of the first 6 games from sophomore Barry Brown, who is averaging a team-best 14.2 points on 50 percent (32-of-64)… In all, 6 different players have at least one double-digit scoring game, 4 each from senior Wesley Iwundu and sophomore Kamau Stokes.
IMPROVEMENT FROM LONG RANGE
· One of the focal points for K-State in the offseason was to make improvement from 3-point range, where the Wildcats finished 10th in the Big 12 in both 3-point field goal percentage (30.0) and 3-point field goals made per game (5.30).

· K-State is shooting 38.8 percent (45-of-116) from 3-point range and is averaging 7.5 3-point field goals per game.

· K-State ranks fourth in the Big 12 in both 3-point field goal percentage and 3-point field goals made per game.

· The Wildcats knocked down 10-of-14 3-point field goals in the opener with Western Illinois (11/11), including all 7 treys in the second half… Six different players had at least one 3-pointer, including season-best 4-of-5 performance by Xavier Sneed.

· The 71.4 3-point percentage vs. Western Illinois was the highest of Bruce Weber era and the 3rd-most makes.

· K-State posted 12 triples vs. Hampton (11/20), which were the most since also hitting 12 vs. Tulane on Dec. 28, 2013.

· Nine Wildcats have at least one 3-pointer this season, including a team-best 12-of-25 start by Kamau Stokes… Stokes has at least one 3-pointer in 5 of 6 games, including at least 2 in 4 of the last 5 games.

· K-State has made at least one 3-pointer in 278 consecutive games dating back to the start of the 2008-09 season.
GETTING DEFENSIVE
· K-State has put up some impressive defensive numbers under Bruce Weber, leading the Big 12 in scoring defense twice in the past 4 seasons (60.4 ppg. in 2012-13; 65.4 ppg. in 2013-14).

· K-State currently ranks 13th nationally in scoring defense (58.8), 27th in field goal percentage defense (37.1) and 38th in steals per game (8.5)… The Wildcats are 1st in the Big 12 in scoring defense and 2nd in field goal percentage defense.

· K-State has held its first 6 opponents to an average of 58.8 points on 37.1 percent shooting, including 35.2 percent from 3-point range, with just 64 assists on 122 made field goals… The Wildcats have also scored 110 points (18.3 ppg.) off 99 turnovers.

· K-State held Robert Morris to just 40 points on 22.8 percent shooting (13-of-57)… It was the fewest points allowed and the lowest field goal percentage since Long Beach State scored 38 points on just 19.6 percent (11-of-56) on Nov. 24, 2013.

· The Wildcats also forced the Colonials into 25 turnovers, which were the most since Lamar had 26 on Nov. 12, 2012.

· K-State is 74-23 under Bruce Weber when holding an opponent to 69 points or less and 10-32 when allowing 70 or more.

· Since Weber’s arrival at K-State in 2012-13 (spanning 139 games), the Wildcats lead the Big 12 in scoring defense at 64.1 points per game (8,913)… The next closest team in that span is Baylor (64.9 ppg.) followed by Oklahoma State (65.3 ppg.).

· 51 opponents have been held to 60 points or less in Weber’s tenure with the Wildcats boasting a 45-6 mark in those contests (losses to Kansas in 2012, Northern Colorado & Kentucky in 2013, Texas Southern & Georgia in 2014 and Texas & OSU in 2016).
QUITE THE RUN
· K-State has been able to change the momentum early this season by holding opponents without a field goal for stretches of nearly 6 minutes in 3 of its first 4 games… The Wildcats held Robert Morris without a field goal for two stretch of 6 minutes or more, including 6:13 of the first half (15:50 mark to the 9:37 mark) and 6:59 of the second half (16:44 mark to the 9:45 mark).

· It marked the third time this season that the Wildcats have held an opponent without a field goal for nearly 6 minutes in the first half, holding Western Illinois (11/11) for 5:57 to start the game and Omaha (11/15) for a season-best 7:35 stretch.

· It was particularly helpful against Omaha, as K-State went from trailing 13-4 at the 14:55 mark to leading 27-15 at the 7:20 mark, resulting in a 23-2 run and included 21 straight points… Omaha turned the ball over 7 times and missed 6 field goals.

· K-State also held WIU to just 2 made field goals (on 12 attempts) in the last 7:35 of the second half, as the Wildcats finished the game on a 25-6 run after the Leathernecks had closed the gap to 57-49 with a layup with 7:51 remaining.

· Although K-State didn’t hold Hampton (11/20) to such a drought, the Wildcats did use a pair of 13-0 runs to take command.
PLAYING HARD IS A SKILL
· One of the things that K-State has prided itself in under head coach Bruce Weber has been its ability to play harder than its opponents… Nothing is more valuable to Weber in this regard as the Wayne McClain Play Hart Chart, which is named in honor of the longtime Illinois high school coach and Wildcats’ former director of development who passed away on Oct. 15, 2014.

· The chart, which is kept for both teams by graduate assistants and team managers, is a point system based on the elements of playing hard, including deflections/blocks, steals, dives, loose balls, offensive rebounds and charges (+2).

· K-State has won the Play Hard Chart in 5 of 6 games by a combined score of 266-190.

· Senior D.J. Johnson has a team-best 57 points on the Play Hard Chart and has won the chart 4 times this year… He has 497 points in his career, which ranks second on the team to fellow senior Wesley Iwundu (518).

· Johnson, who has a team-best 14 Play Hard points vs. Western Illinois (11/11), owns the single-game, individual best for the chart since it was start in 2012-13 with 20 at Iowa State on Feb. 27, 2016.

· Sophomore Dean Wade has won the chart with 12 points each vs. Hampton (11/20) and Robert Morris (11/22).
COUNTDOWN TO 400
· Head coach Bruce Weber is closing in a coaching milestone, as he stands just 3 wins shy of 400 in his 19-year coaching career, which includes stints at Southern Illinois (1998-2003), Illinois (2003-12) and now K-State (2012-present).

· Weber would become the 131st Division I head coach to accomplish the feat, including the 51st active coach… Kennesaw State coach Al Skinner (398) needs just 2 wins for 400, while N.C. State coach Mark Gottfried (392) is 8 shy of the milestone… He would be the fourth current Big 12 coach to win 400 games, joining Bob Huggins, Bill Self and Lon Kruger.

· Weber passed Jim Wooldridge (83, 2000-06) on the all-time wins list on Friday with his 84th win after passing Lon Kruger (81, 1986-90) earlier this season… He could still pass Charles Corsaut (89, 1923-33) and Tom Asbury (85, 1994-2000).

· Interesting note, Weber is not the only Wildcat coach that could reach a coaching milestone this season, as women’s basketball coach Jeff Mittie is 2 wins 500 in his career… Football coach Bill Snyder won his 200th career game (all at K-State) vs. Kansas on Nov. 26, while volleyball coach Suzie Fritz won her 300th career match (all at K-State) vs. Mississippi State on Sept. 9.

BROWN OFF TO A FAST START
· Sophomore Barry Brown is off to a solid start to the season, as he is averaging a team-best 14.2 points on 50 percent (32-of-64) shooting, including 57.8 percent (26-of-45) from inside the 3-point line.

· Brown led the Wildcats in scoring in the first 2 games, scoring a season-high 18 points with Western Illinois (11/11) on 7-of-11 field goals to go with a game-high 15-point effort on 5-of-11 shooting vs. Omaha (11/15)… He added 16 vs. Hampton (11/20).

· Brown is also doing more than just scoring, averaging 2.8 assists, 2.5 steals and 2.5 rebounds in 30.2 minutes per game.

· Brown is the only Wildcat to score in double figures in both exhibitions and the first 6 games, posting 17 vs. Pittsburg State (10/28) and 15 vs. Washburn (11/4) in exhibition play… He is averaging 14.6 points during that span on 51.2 percent (42-of-82) shooting, including 59.3 percent (32-of-54) from inside 3-point range.
IWUNDU MOVING UP THE CHARTS
· Senior Wesley Iwundu could be the first Wildcat in school history to record 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 300 assists and 100 steals in a career… Currently, he is shy of the milestone by 127 points, 67 rebounds, 35 assists and 11 steals.

· Only Rolando Blackman recorded more than 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 300 assists in a career, as steals were not kept.

· Iwundu ranks 1st on the team in assists (20) and is 2nd in scoring (13.3 ppg.) and rebounding (6.0 rpg.).

· Iwundu is the current career leader in points (873), rebounds (433), assists (265), steals (89), minutes (2,800), games (103) and starts (95).
BEASLEY, MCGRUDER MAKE NBA OPENING DAY ROSTERS
· K-State had two former players on opening day NBA rosters, as Michael Beasley (Milwaukee Bucks) and Rodney McGruder (Miami HEAT) debut for their respective teams on Oct. 26… McGruder earned his first career start vs. Atlanta on Nov. 15.

· K-State is one of six Big 12 teams with multiple NBA players, joining Baylor, Kansas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas… It marked the first time multiple Wildcats have been on NBA teams since Beasley (Miami), Bill Walker (Miami) and Cartier Martin (Detroit) all played in the league during the 2014-15 season.

· Beasley, who is entering his ninth NBA season, played the final 20 games of the 2015-16 season with the Houston Rockets after a stint with the Shandong Golden Stars of the Chinese Basketball Association… He was traded to the Bucks in September.

· McGruder, who is entering his first season in the NBA, signed a free-agent contract with the HEAT in July and was able to snag with the final spots on the team’s 15-man roster… He helped the HEAT’s D-League team (Sioux Falls Skyforce) to D-League title.
BOOZER NAMED TO COLLEGIATE BASKETBALL HALL OF FAME
· Two-time All-American Bob Boozer was among 8 individuals announced on March 22 to the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame… He was posthumously inducted on Friday, Nov. 18 as part of the CBE Hall of Fame Classic at the Sprint Center.

· Considered one of the most decorated players in K-State history, Boozer was a first team All-American in both 1958 and 1959 and he averaged a double-double for his 77-game career with 21.9 points on 44 percent shooting with 10.7 rebounds per game. He is one of only two players (Willie Murrell) in school history to average 20 points and 10 rebounds in a career.
PAIR OF FRESHMEN TO MISS 2016-17 SEASON
· Freshmen Cartier Diarra and James Love III are expected to miss the 2016-17 season after going down with injuries.

· Diarra went down with a knee injury in a practice in early July and underwent surgery on July 13.

· Love broke his foot in a practice in late October and underwent surgery on Nov. 5.

· Diarra averaged a double-double of 18.8 points and 11.0 rebounds per game his senior season at West Florence High School en route to earning Class 4A All-State honors from the South Carolina Basketball Coaches Association (SCBCA)… Love averaged 10 points, 13 rebounds and 5 blocks per game as a senior at American Heritage High School in Plantation, Fla.
‘CATS ANNOUNCE THE SIGNINGS OF McGUIRL, SHADD & STOCKARD
· Head coach Bruce Weber announced the signing of high school standouts Mike McGuirl (Ellington, Conn./East Catholic), Nigel Shadd (Chandler, Ariz./Tri-City Christian Academy) and Levi Stockard III (St. Louis, Mo./Vashon) on Nov. 11.

· The trio went a combined 72-8 during their respective junior seasons in 2015-16 with two state titles… They have a combined four state championships in their careers.

· A 6-foot-2, 175-pound guard McGuirl averaged 19 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 blocks in 2015-16… He was First Team Class L All-State and selected to FAB 15 All-Courant Team.

· A 6-foot-9, 238-pound forward Shadd averaged 18.5 points on 69.3 percent shooting with 14 rebounds and 3.9 blocks… Twice named to Canyon Athletic Association All-State Teams.

· A 6-foot-8, 240-pound forward Stockard averaged 10 points on 94.7 percent shooting with 5.3 rebounds and 1.8 blocks… Named to Class 4 All-State Team as a junior.
‘CATS JUMP START SEASON WITH EUROPEAN TRIP
· K-State was able to get a jump start on its preparations for the 2016-17 with a 10-day trip to Italy and Switzerland from August 8-19… Aside from the cultural experience of visiting historic landmarks in both countries, the Wildcats were able to play five games against various club, select and national teams and posted a 3-2 record.

· K-State defeated BC Silute (97-80) on August 11, the Italian Select (90-55) on August 13 and BBC Lausanne (68-47) on August 18 with losses to LCC University (75-82) on August 10 and the Kosovo National Team (74-85) on August 16.

· The Wildcats averaged 80.8 points on 43.6 percent