LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) – Perry Ellis had 14 points, Frank Mason III added 13 and No. 2 Kansas pulled away in the second half to beat UC Irvine 78-53 on Tuesday night in its final tuneup before pursuing a 12th consecutive Big 12 championship.

The Jayhawks (11-1) sleepwalked through much of the game, and trailed 26-22 late in the first half. But a 22-2 spurt spanning halftime allowed them to seize control, and a couple of big baskets by Ellis and Landen Lucas down the stretch put Irvine (10-5) away.

Brannen Greene finished with 10 points, and Devonte Graham had nine for the Jayhawks, who have won 10 straight since blowing a second-half lead in their lone loss to No. 1 Michigan State.

Seven-foot-6 Mamadou Ndiaye had 12 points for the Anteaters and 7-2 Ioannis Dimakopoulos added 10.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Colts have signed free agent quarterback Josh Freeman with their top three options injured or out altogether.

ROSTER UPDATE: We have signed free agent quarterback Josh Freeman. https://t.co/Pswo9SGa26

— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) December 29, 2015

 

Starter Andrew Luck is still out with a lacerated kidney. Backup Matt Hasselbeck is considered doubtful after hurting his throwing shoulder Sunday, and third-stringer Charlie Whitehurst went on injured reserve Monday with a hamstring problem.

That left Stephen Morris, who was signed Dec. 24, as the only healthy quarterback on the roster before Sunday’s game against Tennessee.

Freeman was a first-round pick in 2009 and started 60 games. He has not played in the NFL since 2013. He played at Kansas State from 2006-08.

Indy also promoted inside linebacker Amarlo Herrera to the active roster, signed guard Kitt O’Brien to the practice squad and put linebacker Josh McNary on injured reserve.

Kansas State can hold their heads a little higher this year going into Big 12 play after picking up a 75-47 win over Saint Louis Tuesday at Bramlage Coliseum, improving their record to 10-2.

This time last year the Wildcats had just seven wins going into conference play and didn’t have much confidence, but it’s a new year and almost an entirely new team.

Junior Guard, Wesley Iwundu led Kansas State Tuesday night with 13 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists. He said he notices a big difference going into Big 12 play this year compared to last year.

“It’s just a big confidence booster. We don’t have to worry about too much distractions off the court, it’s all basketball. Holding our heads up high because of our record, how we’ve been playing this year,” said Iwundu.

But now that this portion of the schedule is over Iwundu knows that the team still has a tough road ahead of them called the Big 12 Conference,”you can never be satisfied, there’s always room for improvement. We’ve got to get back to it. Tomorrow in the gym, get it locked in, go over the scouting report and get ready for a tough conference.”

The Wildcats open Big 12 play against West Virginia, Saturday at Bramlage Coliseum. Saturday’s game is scheduled for a 11 am tip-off.

 

 

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Kansas State Associate Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator Sean Snyder was selected as the 2015 FootballScoop Special Teams Coordinator of the Year presented by ProGrass, the organization announced Tuesday.

 

Snyder, who has coached each of the last three Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Year award winners in Tyler Lockett (2013-14) and Morgan Burns (2015), has turned K-State’s special teams units into some of the best in the nation which were a major factor in helping the Wildcats secure their sixth-straight bowl berth.

 

K-State currently ranks in the top 15 in five special teams categories, including a No. 6 ranking in kickoff returns (27.48 yards per return) and a No. 10 ranking in kickoff-return defense (17.72 yards per return). Additionally, the Wildcats have not allowed a kickoff- or punt-return touchdown in 2015.

 

In addition to Burns being named the Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Year, he was also a First Team All-American returner by multiple outlets, while place kickers Jack Cantele (first team) andMatthew McCrane (honorable mention) along with punter Nick Walsh (honorable mention) each picked up All-Big 12 honors. The accolades by Cantele and McCrane marked just the second time in Big 12 history a school had two kickers earn all-conference honors in the same season as the duo combined to make 16-of-18 field goals and all 42 extra-point attempts during the regular season.

 

Thanks in part to Snyder’s tutelage, K-State leads the nation with 101 non-offensive touchdowns since 1999 and has returned a kickoff for a touchdown in a national best 11-consecutive seasons. K-State also has a combined 40 kickoff- or punt-return touchdowns since 2005, the most by any Power 5 school over that span and 12 more than the team in second place.

 

The FootballScoop Coaches of the Year awards are the only set of awards that recognize the most outstanding position coaches in college football. The other finalists were Jay Boulware (Oklahoma), Ed Foley (Temple) and Kelly Poppinga (BYU). The prior award winners selected this year’s winner.

 

Snyder will receive his award and be recognized at an event at the AFCA Convention in January.

 

Kansas State takes on Arkansas in the 2016 Liberty Bowl this Saturday at Memorial Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee. It is the 19^th bowl game in school history and the 17^th under Hall of Fame head coach Bill Snyder. The game will kick off at 2:20 p.m., and be shown nationally on ESPN. Fans can also hear the game across the K-State Sports Network and on ESPN Radio (SiriusXM Channel 80).

 

 

 

————
KENNY LANNOU
Associate A.D. for Communications | K-State Athletics

SAINT LOUIS (5-6, 0-0 Atlantic 10)

AT KANSAS STATE (9-2, 0-0 Big 12)

Tuesday, December 29, 2015 >> 7:10 p.m. CT >> Bramlage Coliseum (12,528) >> Manhattan, Kan.

COACHES

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

Overall: 384-195/18^th season

At K-State: 71-40/4^th season

1. Saint Louis: 3-2

 

Saint Louis: Jim Crews (Indiana ’76)

Overall: 425-389/28^th season

At Saint Louis: 71-41/4^th season

1. Kansas State: 0-0

 

PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP

Kansas State (9-2)

G: #3 Kamau Stokes (9.1 ppg., 3.5 rpg.)

G: #14 Justin Edwards (13.3 ppg., 5.8 rpg.)

G: #25 Wesley Iwundu (13.3 ppg., 4.0 rpg.)

F: #32 Dean Wade (11.3 ppg., 5.8 rpg.)

F: #41 Stephen Hurt (7.2 ppg, 5.4 rpg.)

 

Saint Louis (5-6)

G: #2 Miles Reynolds (11.0 ppg., 1.9 rpg.)

G: #3 Ash Yacoubou (11.1 ppg., 5.5 rpg.)

G: #5 Davell Roby (7.0 ppg., 3.1 rpg.)

F: #35 Reggie Agbeko (4.9 ppg., 5.4 rpg.)

C: #25 Austin Gillmann (3.9 ppg., 2.1 rpg.)

 

INSIDE THE SERIES

Overall: Saint Louis leads 9-8

1. Atlantic 10: K-State leads 16-5 (14-3 at home)

In Manhattan: K-State leads 4-3 (last meeting – 1/2/2003)

Current Streak: Saint Louis, 1

Last Meeting: Saint Louis, 65-64, in St. Louis, Mo., on 1/3/2004

Weber vs. Saint Louis: Weber leads 3-2 (2-0 at home)

Weber vs. Crews: Weber leads 7-2 (3-1 at home)

 

QUICK HITTERS

• Kansas State (9-2) plays its final game of 2015 on Tuesday night, as the Wildcats play host to Saint Louis (5-6) at 7 p.m. CT. The team is in the midst of a 3-game homestand, which began on Dec. 22 vs. North Dakota and will end in Saturday’s Big 12 opener vs. No. 19/17 West Virginia (10-1). This is the first game of a home-and-home series between K-State and Saint Louis.
• Tuesday’s game will be the 18th meeting between K-State and Saint Louis in a series that dates to 1929 but the first since the two completed a home-and-home series in 2004. The Billikens lead the all-time series, 9-8, while the Wildcats hold a 4-3 edge in games played at home.
• K-State is off to its best start since 2012-13 when the Wildcats also went 9-2 to open to the Bruce Weber era. The two losses have come to No. 9/8 North Carolina (70-80) and at No. 25 Texas A&M (68-78).
• K-State has already surpassed its non-conference win total (7) from a year ago and will be looking to win its 10th non-league game for the 9th time in the last 10 seasons and the first time since going 10-3 in 2013-14.
• K-State is 7-0 in home venues this season, including 6-0 at Bramlage Coliseum. The Wildcats, who rank 2nd in the Big 12 scoring defense (62.8 ppg.), are holding opponents to just 60.7 points per game at home on 37 percent shooting, including 24 percent from 3-point range.
• K-State has a 78-5 record at home in non-conference play dating back to 2006-07, including a 76-4 mark during the regular season. The squad has won 67 of its last 70 non-conference home games.
• K-State has a 55-12 record in the month of December since 2006-07, including a 21-5 mark under head coach Bruce Weber. The Wildcats are 36-3 at home in December in the span, including 17-2 under Weber.
• Weber is looking to win his 50th game at Bramlage Coliseum on Tuesday, as he currently boasts a 49-7 record since taking over as head coach in 2012. His 7 losses [No. 3 Kansas (2012), Northern Colorado (2013), Baylor (2013), Texas Southern (2014), Georgia (2014), West Virginia (2015) and Texas (2015)] have come by a total of 24 points (3.4 ppg.).
• The key to K-State’s successful start has been its balanced scoring, as 5 different players have led the team in scoring and 6 players have at least 3 double-figure scoring games. It marks the first time the Wildcats have started a season with five different leading scorers since 1998-99.
• K-State has used the same lineup in all 11 games and those starters are responsible for 74 percent (595) of the team’s scoring, 63 percent (269) of rebounding, 80 percent (123) of assists and 65 percent (50) of steals.

The Geary County Girls Softball Association clinic scheduled Monday evening at the Baseball Academy facility at 1000 West 6th Street has been cancelled due to the weather.

The next session for the clinic will be next Monday, January 4 at 6 p.m.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) – Wichita State’s game against New Mexico State on Monday night was postponed after winter weather lashing the Midwest forced the cancellation of the Aggies’ flight to Kansas.

New Mexico State was unable to book a different flight in time for the game, which was scheduled to tip at 7 p.m. CST. The Aggies hope the weather improves enough so that the matchup of NCAA Tournament teams from last season can be played Tuesday night.

Freezing rain fell across a wide stretch of Kansas on Sunday night, and it continued at make travel difficult Monday. Several inches of snow were also expected before the front moved away.

New Mexico State (7-6) is scheduled to face Arizona Christian on Wednesday. Wichita State (6-5) begins Missouri Valley play against Drake on Thursday.

Michigan State, Kansas and Oklahoma are the top three teams for the third straight week in the men’s college basketball poll by The Associated Press.

The Spartans have been No. 1 in the poll for four weeks. They were again a runaway choice, receiving all but one first-place vote Monday from the 65-member national media panel.

Kansas drew the other No. 1 vote. Following Oklahoma are Maryland, Virginia, Xavier, North Carolina, Arizona, Butler and Kentucky. The top nine teams remained the same from last week. Kentucky beat Louisville on Saturday and replaced Providence, which dropped to 12th.

No. 25 UCLA is the lone newcomer. The Bruins had been ranked for one week earlier this season. They replaced George Washington, which dropped out from No. 20 following a loss to DePaul.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Alex Smith threw two touchdown passes for Kansas City, and the game clock finally stopped Johnny Manziel as the Chiefs held on to beat the Cleveland Browns 17-13 on Sunday for their franchise record-tying ninth consecutive victory.

Smith threw for 125 yards while running for 54, helping Kansas City (10-5) clinch a playoff berth when Pittsburgh lost to Baltimore moments after his own game ended.

The Chiefs jumped out to a 17-3 halftime lead Sunday, but their offense became listless over the final two quarters, just as Manziel was pumping some life into the Browns (3-12).

The former Heisman Trophy winner led Cleveland to 10 straight points, then took over at his 30 with 1:52 left and no timeouts. The Browns picked up three first downs, and Manziel hit Darius Jennings on fourth-and-10 from the Chiefs 32. But time expired before Manziel could get another snap off.

He spiked his helmet in frustration as the Chiefs poured onto the field.

The collegiate summer baseball team, The Junction City Brigade, will return for their fourth season in 2016. It will be their third season as a member os the Mid-Plains League.

According to the General Manager of the Brigade, Cecil Aska, the league gained two teams over the winter. “One will be the Sabetha Lobos and they’ll be playing out of Sabetha, Kansas. And then the Independence Veterans out of Independence, Missouri. Both of those will be playing in some really good facilities, and I think that they’ll be bringing some good quality players. I think it’s just going to make the league look better.”

The Brigade play their home games at Rathert Field in Junction City.