Kansas State was eliminated from the Big 12 Tournament by the TCU Horned Frogs 67-65 Wednesday night at the Sprint Center in Kansas City.

The Wildcats fell to 15-17 for the season.

TCU ( 18-14 ) will advance into the tournament quarterfinals Thursday afternoon against the Kansas Jayhawks, the tournament’s number one seed.

SURPRISE, Ariz. (AP) – Yordano Ventura worked three scoreless innings, Lorenzo Cain had a pair of RBI singles and a Kansas City Royals split squad defeated the San Diego Padres 4-3 Wednesday.

Ventura threw 54 pitches, giving up four singles, walking one and striking out three.

Cain, who was MVP of the American League Championship Series when he hit .533, singled home Gabriel Noriega with hits in the first and fifth innings.

Brandon Morrow, who is competing for the fifth slot in the Padres’ rotation, gave up a run on four hits while striking out four in three innings.

Cameron Maybin doubled and scored on Will Venable’s two-out single in the fifth inning. Cody Decker hit a two-run homer in the eighth.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Kansas forward Perry Ellis participated in practice Wednesday and coach Bill Self expects his leading scorer to be available for the Big 12 tournament quarterfinals.

Ellis missed the top-seeded Jayhawks’ regular-season finale against Oklahoma after spraining his knee in a game against West Virginia.

Self said after Wednesday’s workout that Ellis would play against the winner of Kansas State-TCU unless he develops some soreness in the knee.

Self also said shooting guard Wayne Selden Jr. would be available after dealing with an ankle injury and small forward Brannen Greene would return from a one-game suspension.

Power forward Cliff Alexander remains out while the NCAA continues to investigate concerns that his family received improper benefits from an NBA agent.

GOODYEAR, Ariz. (AP) – Erik Kratz homered off left-hander Tony Cingrani, who is trying to win one of the openings in Cincinnati’s rotation, and the split-squad Kansas City Royals beat the Reds 5-2 on Wednesday.

Cingrani, coming off shoulder problems last season, gave up three hits and a walk in three innings, including Kratz’s solo homer.

Left-hander Paul Maholm started for Cincinnati and allowed one hit in three scoreless innings, strengthening his bid for one of the three opening spots in the rotation. The Royals’ Jorge Bonifacio hit a two-run homer off reliever Sam LeCure in the eighth.

Joey Votto had a sacrifice fly off Joe Blanton, who gave up four hits and a run in three innings. Votto is working back from a thigh injury that sidelined him most of last season.

MANHATTAN, Kan. – As fans gear up for K-State’s 2015 Purple/White spring game at Sporting Park, activities for Wildcat Nation will kick off the day before in Manhattan as the athletics department will host the 31^stAnnual Powercat Auction on Friday, April 24.

The Powercat Auction will be held at Bramlage Coliseum with doors to the arena opening at 5 p.m. Silent auctions will begin immediately and wrap up at 6:35 p.m., while a buffet dinner will be served from 6:15 p.m. until 7:45 p.m. The live auction portion of the event will begin at 7:45 p.m.

The Powercat Auction, the department’s largest annual fundraising event, supports the Ahearn Fund, K-State’s National Fund for Student-Athlete Excellence. Last year’s event raised more than $430,000 to directly enhance the student-athlete experience for all Wildcat student-athletes.

The auction will feature over 100 live and silent auction items, along with a vacation getaway raffle.

The Ahearn Fund is also offering an exclusive opportunity to Powercat Auction guests attending the spring game in Kansas City the following day. For an additional $25 fans can receive round-trip transportation via chartered bus to Sporting Park from Bramlage Coliseum as well as snacks and drinks on each leg of the trip. Tickets may be reserved during online registration or by calling the Ahearn Fund office at 1.888.232.9074. Spring game tickets are not included but can be purchased by calling 800.221.CATS. Fans are encouraged to act fast as fewer than 1,500 tickets remain and are expected to sell quickly. K-State and Sporting Kansas City will open a limited number of standing-room only tickets once all public seats have been sold.

Tickets Now On Sale: All seating for the 2015 Powercat Auction is now available to members of the Ahearn Fund at the Powercat Club level and above. Tickets to this year’s auction are $150, which includes full event and meal ticket. Tickets are limited to the first 500 guests, and has been sold out for three consecutive years.

Table Sponsorships: There are three different sponsorships levels available at the $1,250, $2,500, and $5,000 levels.

Online Registration

To register online for the auction, visit www.AhearnFund.com/events/auction

For more information on reserving a table sponsorship or to buy tickets, contact the Ahearn Fund Office at 1.888.232.9074 orahearnfund@kstatesports.com.

Auction Items

The 31^st Annual Powercat Auction will feature several items including An Evening with Bruce & Megan Weber, Dinner with Jeff & Shanna Mittie, Poolside Party with Coach Snyder and his staff, exclusive bowl & team travel packages, and game day experiences you will not want to miss!

A full auction item listing of live auction items will be posted on the Ahearn Fund web site in the coming weeks.

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

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State head coach Bill Snyder announced Wednesday 15 members of the team that will serve as player representatives for the 2015 season. 

Dante Barnett, Travis Britz, Morgan Burns, Jack Cantele, Dalton Converse, Kody Cook, Will Davis, Glenn Gronkowski, Luke Hayes, Joe Hubener, Matthew McCrane, Boston Stiverson, Stanton Weber, Cody Whitehair and Jordan Willis were chosen by their teammates to serve as player representatives for the program in 2015. Britz, a senior defensive tackle, was chosen for a third-straight season, while Barnett, Cantele, Converse, Stiverson and Whitehair are serving their second terms.

The role of these leaders will be to promote those traits which they each possess: unselfishness, team concepts, unity, strong work habits, great attitude and a strong commitment toward achieving success through the team’s 16 goals.

“This is a tremendous group of position and team leaders selected by their teammates,” Snyder said. “These individuals are committed to our program and its 16 goals value system, and they serve as dedicated teammates. I’m very proud of each of them.”

Kansas State beings spring practices on Wednesday, April 1, and will conclude in a special way with the annual Purple/White Spring Game on Saturday, April 25, at the award-winning Sporting Park in Kansas City, Kansas. The Wildcats are able to take their spring game on the road due to fan and player safety concerns at Bill Snyder Family Stadium as construction continues on the new Vanier Football Complex.

Tickets to the game at Sporting Park are available now through the K-State Athletics Ticket Office, but fans are encouraged to act fast as fewer than 1,500 tickets remain and are expected to sell quickly. K-State and Sporting Kansas City will open a limited number of standing-room only tickets once all public seats have been sold.

Ryan Lackey

Assistant Director / Athletics Communications

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – The Chiefs have signed veteran safety Tyvon Branch to a one-year deal, helping to solidify a position that could be thinned out considerably by free agency.

Kansas City is already poised to play without Pro Bowl safety Eric Berry, who is undergoing treatment for lymphoma. Fellow safeties Kurt Coleman and Ron Parker are free agents.

The 28-year-old Branch has been solid when he’s healthy, but injuries have kept him from appearing in just five games over the past two seasons. He’s spent his entire seven-year career with AFC West rival Oakland, making 461 tackles, eight sacks and four interceptions.

The Chiefs already have been busy in free agency, restructuring deals with linebacker Tamba Hali and defensive tackle Mike DeVito, and agreeing to terms with wide receiver Jeremy Maclin.

GAME 32

KANSAS STATE (15-16, 8-10 Big 12)

1. TCU (17-14, 4-14 Big 12)

Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship >> First Round

Wednesday, March 11, 2015 >> Sprint Center (18,972)  >> 6 p.m. CT

COACHES

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

Overall: 375-192 (17^th year)

at K-State: 62-37 (3^rd year)

1. TCU: 5-1

TCU: Trent Johnson (Boise State ’83)

Overall: 263-242 (16^th year)

At TCU: 37-57 (3^rd year)

1. K-State: 1-5

PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP

Kansas State (15-16, 8-10 Big 12)

G – #25 Nigel Johnson (5.2 ppg., 1.7 apg.)

G – #2 Marcus Foster (12.9 ppg., 2.2 rpg.)

G – #25 Wesley Iwundu (5.6 ppg., 3.4 rpg.)

F – #11 Nino Williams (11.3 ppg., 5.2 rpg.)

F – #42 Thomas Gipson (11.1 ppg., 5.2 rpg.)

TCU (17-14, 4-14 Big 12)

G – #5 Kyan Anderson (13.6 ppg., 4.3 apg.)

G – #32 Trey Zeigler (9.6 ppg., 4.2 rpg.)

F – #4 Amric Fields (7.8 ppg., 3.6 rpg.)

F – #33 Chris Washburn (6.7 ppg., 5.6 rpg.)

F – #34 Kenrich Williams (8.8 ppg., 6.8 rpg.)

INSIDE THE SERIES

Overall: K-State leads 8-3 (5-1 in Big 12 era)

In Manhattan: K-State leads 5-1 (W, 58-53, 1/7/2015)

In Fort Worth: K-State leads 3-1 (L, 55-69, 2/18/2015)

Last Meeting: TCU, 69-55, 2/18/2015 (Fort Worth, Texas)

Weber vs. TCU: 5-1 (0-0 at neutral sites)

Johnson vs. K-State: 1-5 (0-0 at neutral sites)

Weber vs. Johnson: Weber leads 5-1 (0-0 at neutral sites)

LAST GAME SUMMARY

Texas 62, Kansas State 49

Game 31  *  Erwin Center  *  March 7, 2015

• Texas used a stellar defensive effort, including an opponent school record-high 14 blocked shots, to post a 62-49 win over K-State on Saturday before 12,053 at the Frank Erwin Center.  The 14 blocked shots by the Longhorns surpassed the previous opponent high of 12 set four times, lastly by George Washington on Dec. 8, 2012. Senior Jonathan Holmes accounted for 4 blocks to go with 10 points, while juniors Cameron Ridley and Prince Ibeh added 3 each. Texas held K-State to 36.4 percent shooting (20-of-55) from the field, including 33.3 percent (9-of-27) in the second half. The Wildcats also managed to shoot just 20 percent (2-of-10) from beyond the arc. Senior Thomas Gipson and sophomore Marcus Foster led the Wildcats with 15 points each, while Gipson grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds to post his ninth career double-double and his first of the season.

GAME 32 – QUICK HITTERS

• Kansas State (15-16, 8-10 Big 12) opens play in the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship on Wednesday, as the Wildcats play TCU (17-14, 4-14 Big 12) in the tournament’s first game at 6 p.m. CT at the Sprint Center. The game will air on ESPNU with Dave Flemming (play-by-play) and Miles Simon (analyst) on the call. It is also available on the WatchESPN app.
• K-State finished in a 3-way tie for 6th place in the Big 12’s regular season standings, but due to tiebreakers, dropped to the No. 8 seed. The Wildcats will play on the tournament’s opening day for the first time since 2006, snapping a streak of 8 consecutive seasons with a bye to the quarterfinals.
• K-State enters the championship with a losing record for the first time since 2003, which is the last time the program recorded a losing season (13-17). The Wildcats finished with a sub .500 Big 12 record for the first time since 2006. Prior to this season, the team had posted 8 straight 20-win seasons and double-digit Big 12 wins 7 times in the last 8 seasons.
• K-State is 31-36 (.463) all-time at the Big 8/12 Championship dating back to 1977, including an 11-18 (.379) mark in the 18-year history of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship. The Wildcats have won 2 titles (1977, 1980), while they have advanced to the finals on 5 other occasions.
• K-State is 30-31 (.492) all-time when the championship is held in Kansas City, including 4-6 (.400) in the Sprint Center (2008, 2010-14).
• This will mark the 5th time that K-State been the No. 8 seed at the Big 12 Championship (1986, 1991, 1995, 1998) with a 1-4 mark in previous appearances. The last time the Wildcats were an 8-seed they defeated No. 9 seed Colorado, 75-61, before losing to top-seed Kansas, 68-61.
• K-State is 11-9 all-time in the Sprint Center, including 1-0 this season. The Wildcats knocked off Texas A&M, 71-64, on Dec. 20, 2014.
• This will be K-State’s first meeting with TCU at the championship, as the teams split their 2 regular season match-ups with the Wildcats winning 58-53 at home on Jan. 7 and the Frogs winning 69-55 at home on Feb. 18.
• Overall, K-State is 8-3 all-time vs. TCU, including 5-1 in the Big 12 era. This is just the second meeting on a neutral court and the first in Kansas City. The Horned Frogs have won both postseason meetings in the series, including 77-72 in the 1968 NCAA Tournament and 72-71 in the 1999 NIT.
• 21 of K-State’s 31 games have been decided by 10 points or less this season, including 12 by 5 points or less. The Wildcats are 12-9 in games decided by 10 points or less and 6-6 in those decided by 5 points or less.

AT PHILLIPS 66 BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP

• K-State is 31-36 all-time in the Big Eight/12 Championship dating back to its inception in 1977, including an 11-18 mark in the 18-year history of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship… The Wildcats have won 2 championships (1977, 1980), while they have advanced to the finals on 5 other occasions (1978, 1981, 1993, 2010 and 2013), including twice in the Big 12 era.
• This will marked the 5th time that K-State has been the No. 8 seed at the championship (1986, 1991, 1995, 1998), including the 2nd time in the Big 12 era, with a 1-4 mark in those previous 4 appearances… The last time that squad was an 8-seed they defeated No. 9 seed Colorado, 75-61, in the first round before falling, 68-61, to top-seed Kansas in the quarterfinals.
• K-State is 1-0 all-time (1-0 in the Big 12 era) vs. No. 9 seed at the league championship with the last appearance coming in 1998… This will be the Wildcats’ first meeting with TCU in the conference championship.
• Overall, K-State is 30-31 all-time when the championship is held in Kansas City, including 4-6 in the Sprint Center (2008, 2010-14)… The Wildcats are 11-9 all-time in the Sprint Center, including a 71-64 win over Texas A&M on Dec. 20, 2014.

THE OPPONENT: TCU (17-14, 4-14 Big 12)

• TCU enters Wednesday’s game with a 17-14 record after ending Big 12 play on a 3-game losing streak that included an 89-76 loss to No. 17/17 Iowa State at home… The team finished 13-6 at home, 2-8 on the road and 2-0 in neutral sites.
• The Horned Frogs are averaging 68.5 points on 43.7 percent shooting, including 32.7 percent from 3-point range, on the season with 37.2 rebounds, 13.3 assists, 6.1 steals and 5.4 blocks per game… They are allowing opponents 62.2 points per game on 39.8 percent shooting, including 34.4 percent from beyond the arc… The team is shooting 61.5 percent from the free throw line.
• TCU ranks among the nation’s Top 20 in three categories, including 3rd in free throws attempted (797), 14th in offensive rebounds (13.6) and 15th in blocked shots (5.4), while the squad is 47th in rebounding and field goal percentage defense.
• TCU ranks 2nd in the Big 12 in blocked shots, 3rd in scoring defense and assist-to-turnover ratio and offensive rebounds.
• TCU is one of the more balanced scoring teams in the Big 12, as six players are averaging better than 6 points per game led by All-Big 12 honorable mention Kyan Anderson, who is averaging 13.6 points on 39.9 percent shooting… He is also averaging team-bests in field goals (126), 3-point field goals (53), free throws (117), assists (132), steals (40) and minutes (32.0)… Fellow senior Trey Zeigler is 2nd in scoring at 9.6 points per game to go with 4.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists per outing… Sophomore transfer Kenrich Williams is tops in rebounding at 6.8 per game, while averaging 8.8 points per game… Senior Amric Fields is averaging 7.8 points on a team-best 48.5 percent shooting… Sophomore Chris Washburn is tops in blocks (42).
• Zeigler’s father, Ernie, was an assistant coach at K-State from 1999-2000 under former head coach Tom Asbury.
• TCU is led by third-year head coach Trent Johnson, who has a 37-57 record in his tenure… He has a 263-242 record in his 16th season as a head coach, which includes stints at Nevada (1999-2004), Stanford (2004-08) and LSU (2008-12)… He guided each of those schools to the NCAA Tournament, including trips to the Sweet 16 in 2003-04 (Nevada) and 2007-08 (Stanford).

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Bonnie Henrickson, head women’s basketball coach at the University of Kansas since 2004, has been relieved of her duties, KU Athletics Director Sheahon Zenger announced Monday.

“Bonnie has been an outstanding representative of the University of Kansas and Kansas Athletics,” Zenger said. “It came down to the fact that we expect this program to rank among the best in the Big 12 Conference, and we have not accomplished that goal.”

In Henrickson’s 11 seasons as coach the Jayhawks reached the NCAA Tournament twice (2012 and 2013), both times reaching the Sweet 16. KU also earned berths in five National Invitation Tournaments, reaching the championship game in 2009.

Zenger said a national search for a head coach would begin immediately. KU assistant coach Katie O’Connor will serve as interim head coach until a successor is named.