GAME 17

KANSAS STATE (12-4, 2-2 Big 12) at 20/19 OKLAHOMA (13-3, 2-2 Big 12)

Wednesday, January 16, 2019 >> 6:01 p.m. CT >> Lloyd Noble Center (11,562) >> Norman, Okla.

 

TELEVISION

ESPN2

• Mark Neely (play-by-play)
• Chris Spatola (analyst)
• Andy Jacobson (producer)

 

RADIO

K-State Sports Network

• Wyatt Thompson (play-by-play)
• Stan Weber (analyst)

 

Listen Online: TuneIn.com [free] // www.kstatesports.com/watch [free]

Satellite Radio: XM 380 / Internet 971

 

LIVE STATS

www.SoonerSports.com

ou.statbroadcast.com [media only]

 

TICKETS

www.SoonerSports.com/tickets

(800) 456.GoOU

 

Single Game       $10/$25/$35

 

COACHES

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

Overall: 450-239/21^st season

At K-State: 137-84/7^th season

vs Oklahoma: 8-4 (2-4 on the road)

 

Oklahoma: Lon Kruger (Kansas State ’75)

Overall: 632-398/33^rd season

At Oklahoma: 153-94/8^th season

1. Kansas State: 8-9 (6-2 at home)

 

PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP

Kansas State (12-4, 2-2 Big 12)

G: #3 Kamau Stokes

G: #5 Barry Brown, Jr.

G/F: #20 Xavier Sneed

F: #32 Dean Wade

F: #14 Makol Mawien

 

Oklahoma (13-3, 2-2 Big 12)

G: #2 Aaron Calixte

G: #0 Christian James

F: #21 Kristian Doolittle

F: #35 Brady Manek

C: #4 Jamuni McNeace

 

SERIES HISTORY

Overall: Oklahoma leads 108-99

Current Streak: Oklahoma, 1

In Norman: Oklahoma leads 63-27

At Lloyd Noble Center: Oklahoma leads 25-10

Last Meeting: L, 77-86, 2/24/18

Weber vs. Kruger: 9-4 (2-4 on the road)

 

OPENING TIP

• Kansas State (12-4, 2-2 Big 12) wraps up its 2-game road trip on Wednesday, as the Wildcats travel to Norman, Oklahoma to take on acclaimed lettermen and former head coach Lon Kruger and his No. 20/19 Oklahoma Sooners (13-3, 2-2 Big 12) at the Lloyd Noble Center. The game will tip at 6:01 p.m., CT on ESPN2 with Mark Neely (play-by-play) and Chris Spatola (analyst) on the call.
• K-State, by virtue of senior Barry Brown, Jr.’s second straight game-winner, earned its first road victory in Saturday’s 58-57 win over No. 20/21 Iowa State after starting the season with 4 consecutive losses. Overall, the win snapped the Wildcats’ 6-game losing streak in true road games, while ending the Cyclones’ 8-game home court winning streak, and gave the team consecutive wins at Hilton Coliseum for the first time since 2010 and 2011. The Lloyd Noble Center has been a difficult place to play for K-State with just 10 victories in 35 visits, including just 4 in the Big 12 era, and 3 consecutive losses by an average of 16.3 points per game.
• After his back-to-back game-winners and 20-point games, Brown was selected as the Phillips 66 Big 12 Player of the Week for the first time in his career on Monday. The senior averaged 26.0 points on 52.9 percent shooting (18-of-34) to go with 3.0 steals, 2.5 assists and 2.0 rebounds in 37.0 minutes per game in the wins over West Virginia and No. 20/21 Iowa State. He was particularly impressive in the second half of the two victories, scoring 38 of his 52 points (19.0 points average) while posting the game-winning lay-up against the Mountaineers to complete a school-record 21-point comeback and the game-winning lay-up against the Cyclones with 4 seconds.
• Led by Kruger, who played (1971-74) and coached (1986-90) the Wildcats, No. 20/19 Oklahoma enters Wednesday’s game, as the Big 12’s best rebounding team at 42.7 boards per game, including 32.0 on the defensive end, while averaging 74.4 points on 44.4 percent shooting, including 34.2 percent from 3-point range. Guard Christian James is enjoying a stellar senior season, as he leads the Sooners in both scoring (16.8 ppg.) and rebounding (7.7 rpg.) to go with a team-best 36 made 3-point field goals, while 4 others are averaging 8 or points, including sophomore Brady Manek (11.6 ppg.), graduate transfers Miles Reynolds (9.5 ppg.) and Aaron Calixte (8.9 ppg.) and junior Kristian Doolittle (9.2 ppg.).
• This will be the 208th meeting between K-State and Oklahoma with the Sooners holding a 108-99 advantage, including a decisive 63-27 edge in games played in Norman. Oklahoma owns a slight 16-14 lead since the start of Big 12 play with wins in 5 of the last 7 meetings at the Lloyd Noble Center. The teams split their series a year ago with the Wildcats winning at home, 87-69, on Jan. 16, 2018 and the Sooners winning at home, 86-77, on Feb. 24, 2018.
• After dropping its first 2 Big 12 games, K-State followed up its historic come-from-behind 71-69 win over West Virginia on Wednesday with yet another rally to win 58-57 at No. 20/21 Iowa State on Saturday. Down 55-48 with 5:02 play after the Cyclones rattled off a 14-2 run, the Wildcats slowly chipped away at the deficit, as Brown scored eight of the team’s last 10 points, including the game-winner with 4 seconds. The team was buoyed by the return of senior Dean Wade, who had missed the last 6 games due to injury, and returned to grab a game-high 9 rebounds in 22 minutes.

 

NOTES ON OKLAHOMA

• No. 20/19 Oklahoma (13-3, 2-2 Big 12) remained a perfect 7-0 at home this year, as the Sooners came from behind to knock off No. 25 TCU, 76-74, on Saturday at the Lloyd Noble Center. Junior Kristian Doolittle led four players in double figures with a team-high 24 points and 10 rebounds, while   senior Christian James added 15 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals. The Sooners have won their two Big 12 home games (Oklahoma State and TCU) and have lost their two road games (Kansas and Texas Tech).
• Oklahoma is averaging 74.4 points on 44.4 percent shooting, including 34.2 percent from 3-point range, to go with a Big 12-best 42.7 rebounds, 13.0 assists, 5.8 steals and 4.1 blocks per game, while allowing 66.7 points on 37.7 percent shooting, including 31.4 percent from 3-point range. The team is connecting on 67.3 percent from the free throw line.
• James, who is off to a strong senior season, paces the Sooners in scoring (16.8 ppg.), rebounding (7.7 rpg.) and steals (1.1 spg.), while connecting 43.7 percent from the field to go with a team-best 36 made 3-point field goals. Sophomore Brady Manek also averages double figures at 11.6 points per game to go with 7.4 rebounds per outing, while 3 others (Miles Reynolds, Kristian Doolittle and Aaron Calixte) are all averaging better than 8 points per game. Calixte is averaging a team-best 3.3 assists per game.
• Oklahoma is led by future Hall of Fame coach Lon Kruger, who has posted a 153-94 (.619) mark while guiding the school to 5 NCAA Tournaments. He has a 632-398 (.614) record in his 33rd season as a head coach, which includes stints at Pan American, K-State, Florida, Illinois and UNLV.

 

SERIES HISTORY

• K-State and Oklahoma will meet for the 208th time in their histories on Wednesday with the Sooners holding a 108-99 advantage, including a 63-27 mark in Norman. The two schools have met at least once every season since 1920 with the 207 meetings the fifth-most against one opponent in school history, while 99 wins are the fourth-most against one foe.
• Oklahoma holds a slight 16-14 advantage in the Big 12 era with 6 wins in the last 7 meetings at the Lloyd Noble Center. The Sooners have won 3 straight at home in the series by an average of 16.3 points per game. The Wildcats have not won in Norman since a 66-63 overtime win in 2015.
• Last season, Barry Brown, Jr., (24) and Dean Wade (21) led four players in double figures in an 87-69 upset of the No. 4/6 Oklahoma at home on Jan. 16, 2018, while the Sooners enacted revenge at home, 86-77, on Feb. 24, 2018, as Trae Young paced four players in double figures with 28 points.
• Head coach Bruce Weber is 8-4 all-time against Oklahoma, including a 2-4 mark on the road, while Weber is 9-4 against head coach Lon Kruger.
• Senior Barry Brown, Jr., has had the most success against Oklahoma in his career, averaging 17.0 points on 48.8 percent shooting in 6 career games (5 starts), while fellow senior Dean Wade has averaged 13.2 points and 6.7 rebounds in 6 career games (5 starts) vs. the Sooners.

 

KRUGER VS. HIS ALMA MATER

• Lon Kruger is one of 10 Wildcats to have their jerseys raised to the rafters, as the Silver Lake, Kansas, native was a 2-time Big Eight Player of the Year (1973, 1974) and 2-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 2 Big Eight titles and pair of NCAA Tournament appearances.
• Kruger 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.

 

LAST TIME OUT: K-STATE 58, 20/21 IOWA STATE 57

• Senior Barry Brown, Jr.’s driving lay-up with 4 seconds left helped lift Kansas State past No. 20/21 Iowa State, 58-57, on Saturday before a sold-out crowd at Hilton Coliseum. It marked the second consecutive game that Brown has delivered the game winner after his lay-up with 29 seconds gave K-State the lead for good in the historic 21-point come-from-behind victory over West Virginia on Jan. 9.
• Nearly mirroring his effort against the Mountaineers, Brown poured in 18 of his game-high 23 points in the second half against the Cyclones after scoring 20 of his game-high 29 points against WVU after halftime. In the last 2 games, he is averaging 19.0 points on 53.8 percent shooting (14-of-26) from the field and 8-of-10 from the line in the second half.
• The win gave K-State consecutive wins at Hilton Coliseum for the first time since 2010 and 2011, while ending Iowa State’s 8-game home court streak. The Wildcats won for the first time in 4 road games this season and snapped a 6-game skid in true road games dating back to last season.
• K-State was buoyed by the return of senior Dean Wade, who had missed the last 6 games due to injury. Wade played 22 minutes in the start, scoring 2 points and grabbing a game-high 9 rebounds. It marked his first game back since injuring his foot against Georgia State (12/15/18).
• K-State held the Big 12’s top scoring offense (81.3 ppg.) to a season-low 57 points on 42 percent (21-of-50) shooting, including 37.5 percent (9-of-24) from 3-point range. K-State has now held 79 opponents to 60 points or less in the Bruce Weber era, including 10 of 16 opponents this season.
• Brown was joined in double figures by fellow senior Kamau Stokes, who scored all 12 of his points in the first half, a half in which the Wildcats scored their most points (36) since the George Mason game on Dec. 29, 2018. Sophomore Cartier Diarra added 8 points off the bench after starting the previous 6 games with Wade out.
• With the win, Weber claimed his 450th victory in his 21-year coaching career, while he broke a tie with Jack Hartman (1970-86) for the most career Top 25 victories in school history with his 23rd in his seventh season.

 

‘CATS HAVE BEEN STELLAR ON DEFENSE UNDER WEBER

• K-State has put up some impressive defensive numbers under head coach Bruce Weber, leading the Big 12 in scoring defense twice in the last 6 years (60.4 ppg., in 2012-13 and 65.4 ppg., in 2013-14). Last season, the Wildcats held opponents to 67 points on 42.5 percent shooting.
• K-State is holding opponents to 59.4 points on 40.2 percent shooting, including 31.1 percent from 3-point range, while forcing 15.1 turnovers per game. The Wildcats rank fifth in scoring defense, 46th in field goal percentage defense and 62nd in 3-point field goal percentage defense. The team ranks second in scoring defense and turnovers forced, third in rebounding defense and fourth in 3-point field goal percentage defense in the Big 12.
• K-State has held 10 of 16 opponents to 60 points or less this season with one eclipsing 70. The squad has now held 79 opponents to 60 points or less in Weber’s tenure, boasting a 71-8 mark (losses to Kansas in 2012, Northern Colorado and Kentucky in 2013, Texas Southern and Georgia in 2014, Texas and Oklahoma State in 2016, West Virginia in 2017 and Tulsa in 2018).
• Prior to allowing Texas to score 67 points on Jan. 2, K-State had held each of its last 5 opponents to 54.6 points on 37.1 percent (99-of-267) shooting, including 25 percent (32-of-128) from 3-point range. It marked just the third time since the inception of the shot clock in 1985-86 that the Wildcats held 5 straight opponents below 60 points and the first time since a 5-game stretch from Dec. 11, 2008 to Jan. 3, 2009.
• K-State has a 116-31 (.789) record under Weber when holding a foe to 69 points or less and a 21-53 (.284) when allowing 70 or more points.

 

POINTS OFF TURNOVERS

• Nearly a third of K-State’s total points (269/1042) this season have come off turnovers, as the Wildcats are averaging 16.8 points off 15.1 opponent mistakes per game. The team ranks 51st nationally in turnover margin (+3.0), 81st in turnovers forced (15.1) and 107th in steals (7.2).
• The Wildcats scored 20 or more points off turnovers in 6 games, including a season-high 25 in the come-from-behind 71-69 victory over West Virginia (1/9/19). They have also put up 20 points or more off opponent turnovers against Kennesaw State (20), Denver (23), Eastern Kentucky (24), Penn (22) and Marquette (22).
• K-State has scored more than 3,000 points (3,369) off turnovers during Weber’s tenure, an average of 15.2 points per game. In 2017-18, the Wildcats averaged 17.3 points off turnovers, outscoring opponents, 639-423.
• A year ago, K-State ranked eighth nationally in total steals (294) and 18th in steals per game (7.9), while the school was one of just 5 nationally (Georgia State, Nicholls State, Purdue and Stephen F. Austin) with three players (Barry Brown, Jr., Dean Wade and Xavier Sneed) with 40 or more steals.
• Led by all-time steals leader Barry Brown, Jr., who recently broke the record with 211st steal against Vanderbilt (12/22/18), the Wildcats have 3 other players with 100 or more steals, including Kamau Stokes (112), Xavier Sneed (111) and Dean Wade (105). Stokes now ranks 10th in career steals, while Sneed and Wade could also join the career Top 10.

 

IMPROVED REBOUNDING

• One of the big emphasis in the off-season was rebounding, as the Wildcats finished 10th in the Big 12 in every rebounding categories, including overall rebounding (30.7), offensive rebounds (8.2), defensive rebounds (22.5) and rebounding margin (-3.4). The 30.7 rebounding average was the lowest by a K-State team since averaging just 30.0 per game in 1984-85.
• K-State is currently averaging 35.8 rebounds per game, which is still only ninth in the Big 12, to go with averages of 9.9 offensive and 25.9 defensive rebounds per game. On the positive side, the Wildcats are allowing foes just 32.0 rebounds per game, which ranks third in the Big 12, and hold a Big 12-best 79.0 defensive rebounding percentage.
• K-State has out-rebounded 11 of 16 opponents, including twice in 4 Big 12 games. In comparison, the Wildcats out-rebounded just 10 opponents in 2017-18 in 37 games.
• K-State added one of the top rebounders in the community college ranks in junior Austin Trice, as he is averaging 3.4 rebounds per game in just 9.6 minutes game. Trice ranked among the Top 10 in 4 rebounding categories in the community college ranks in 2017-18, including 4th in average (12.1 rpg.).
• In addition to Trice, the entire team has collectively elevated their efforts in rebounding this season, including Dean Wade (6.2 to 7.9 rpg.), Xavier Sneed (5.1 to 5.5 rpg.), Makol Mawien (3.4 to 4.5 rpg.), Barry Brown, Jr., (3.1 to 4.1 rpg.) and Cartier Diarra (2.5 to 3.4 rpg.).

 

HISTORIC COMEBACK

• K-State overcame its largest deficit ever when senior Barry Brown, Jr., laid in the go-ahead bucket with 29 seconds left to cap a 50-point second half by the Wildcats in a 71-69 defeat of West Virginia (1/9/19).
• K-State trailed by as many as 21 points a little more than a minute into the second half before a 17-0 run cut the deficit to 42-38 with 13:07 left. A 4-point play by junior Xavier Sneed gave the Wildcats their first lead with 2:30 remaining before the Mountaineers regained the advantage, 69-68, on a Lamont West free throw a minute later. In the final 60 seconds, Brown put the Wildcats ahead 70-69 with a layup with 29 seconds remaining.
• West Virginia missed a shot in the paint with 5 seconds and Sneed came down with the rebound and was sent to the line, where he hit one free throw. The Mountaineers were unable to get a final shot up at the buzzer.
• Brown led K-State behind a season-high 29 points on 9-of-14 field goals and a 10-of-12 effort from the line to go with a career-tying 6 steals. It was his highest point total since scoring 34 points at Baylor on Jan. 22, 2018. In the process, he became the ninth Wildcat to eclipse 1,500 career points.
• Brown was joined in double figures by a career night from sophomore Mike McGuirl, who scored a career-high 18 points on 7-of-12 field goals, including 4-of-6 from 3-point range, while senior Kamau Stokes and Xavier Sneed added 12 and 10 points, respectively. It was McGuirl’s second career double-digit scoring game and his first since the 2018 NCAA Tournament.
• K-State scored its 50 points after halftime on 62.1 percent (18-of-29) shooting, including 63.6 percent (7-of-11) from 3-point range, compared to just 21 in the first half on 29.2 percent (7-of-24) shooting, including 16.7 percent (2-of-12) from long range. In addition, the Wildcats scored 25 points off 17 Mountaineers turnovers, while only turning the ball over 6 times.
• It marked the second time this season that K-State had rallied from a double-digit deficit at home, as the Wildcats came from 16 points down to defeat Southern Miss, 55-51, on Dec. 19 at home. Senior Kamau Stokes scored 16 of his season-high 18 points in the second half.
• K-State went on a 24-2 run over 8:08 in the second half to take over the game, as the Wildcats held the Golden Eagles scoreless for 5:24 during the span. The run came after scoring a season-low 19 points in the first half, the fewest points in any half since scoring 15 vs. TCU on Feb. 15, 2015.

 

OFFENSIVE STRUGGLES

• K-State is averaging a Big 12-low 65.1 points on 41.9 percent shooting (379-of-904), including 31 percent (98-of-316) from 3-point range, and 63.3 percent (186-of-294) from the free throw line. The Wildcats rank 328th among 351 Division I teams in scoring offense, 291st in field goal percentage, 305th in 3-point field goal percentage and 331st in free throw percentage.
• In the Big 12, K-State ranks ninth in 3-point field goal percentage and 10th in scoring offense, field goal percentage and free throw percentage.
• The Wildcats have scored 70 or more points on just 6 occasions, including a season-high 95 points in the win over Eastern Kentucky (11/16/18), while they have only connected on 45 percent from the field in 5 games and 40 percent or better from the 3-point line on 3 occasions.
• With a healthy roster in the first 9 games, K-State was averaging 69.6 points on 43.6 percent shooting, including 30.9 percent from 3-point range. However, when the Wildcats lost senior Dean Wade to injury against Georgia State (12/15/18) for a 6-game stretch, the squad averaged just 59.7 points on 40.2 percent shooting, including 31.1 percent from long range.

 

3-POINT WOES

• K-State struggled from the 3-point line this season, connecting on just 31 percent (98-of-316) of its attempts from long range and averaging just 6.1 makes per game. The Wildcats rank 305th in 3-point field goal percentage, 285th in 3-pointers attempted and 314th in 3-pointers per game.
• Senior Kamau Stokes, who has knocked down 19 treys in his last 7 games played, leads with 28 made 3-pointers this season, while junior Xavier Sneed is second with 23. Senior Barry Brown, Jr., (17) and sophomore Cartier Diarra (11) are only other Wildcats with double-digit 3-pointers.
• This comes on the heels of a record-setting 2017-18 season from 3-point range, in which, the Wildcats set both single-season marks for makes (254) and attempts (745), while five different players posted 30 or more 3-point field goals led by Xavier Sneed’s 65 makes.
• Stokes (168/7th) and Brown (148/9th) rank among the school’s career Top 10 in 3-point field goals made (and attempted), while Sneed (126) and Wade (111) also have 100 makes in their careers from long range.

 

OFFENSIVE BALANCE KEY TO SUCCESS

• Much like 2017-18, balance has been key to K-State’s offensive success this season, as four players (Barry Brown, Jr., Dean Wade, Xavier Sneed and Kamau Stokes) are averaging in double figures.
• Five different players (Wade, Brown, Sneed, Stokes and Makol Mawien) have led the Wildcats in scoring, while 7 players have at least one double-digit scoring game, including 12 by Brown, 11 by Stokes, 9 by Sneed, 8 by Wade, 6 by Mawien and 3 by sophomore Cartier Diarra.
• Since Weber took over in 2012-13, K-State has posted a 58-19 (.750) record when four or more players score in double figures, including a 6-1 mark in 2018-19. The Wildcats are 12-4 when Mawien scores in double digits, while the team is 10-3 (8-2 in 2017-18) when Diarra reaches double-digits.

 

GAME OF RUNS

• K-State’s use of runs have been particularly effective this season, as the Wildcats have totaled 36 runs of at least 7 or more points, including 22 runs of 10 or more points. The team posted five such runs in the win over Georgia State (12/15/18), including runs of 8-0, 16-4, 13-2, 12-0 and 9-1, while they produced the biggest run (24-2) in the comeback win over Southern Miss (12/19/18), which was the largest comeback before the West Virginia game. The team had a 17-0 run to close the gap against the Mountaineers.
• The Paradise Jam was a tournament of runs for K-State, as the Wildcats put together decisive runs, particularly at the end of the first half, en route to double-digit wins against Eastern Kentucky (11/16/18), Penn (11/18/18) and Missouri (11/19/18) in the title game.
• K-State had runs of 12-2 and 20-6 against EKU to take control, while the Wildcats erupted for a 17-2 run right before halftime against Penn then had another 14-4 run to break it back open after the Quakers had closed to within 6 points. Against Missouri, the squad scored 20 of the next 22 points after a 27-all tie then used a 10-4 spurt to push the lead back out to 19 points.
• In addition, K-State used a 21-7 to jump out ahead of Vanderbilt (12/22/18) en route to building a 22-point lead in the second half, while the Wildcats had 17-0 and 20-8 runs in the comeback against West Virginia (1/9/19) and ended the Iowa State (1/12/19) game on a 10-2 run.

 

BROWN HAS 2 GAME WINNERS; NAMED BIG 12 PLAYER OF THE WEEK

• Senior Barry Brown, Jr., earned Phillips 66 Big 12 Player of the Week honors for the first time on Monday after posting the game-winners in K-State’s victories over West Virginia and No. 20/21 Iowa State last week.
• Brown averaged 26 points on 52.9 percent shooting (18-of-34) and 81.3 percent (13-of-16) from the free throw line to go with 3.0 steals, 2.5 assists, 2.0 rebounds in 37.0 minutes per game in the two wins. He was particularly impressive in the second half in the two victories, scoring 38 of his 52 points (19.0 points average) on 53.8 percent shooting (14-of-26).
• Brown helped K-State engineer a school-record 21-point comeback in the victory over the Mountaineers. He scored a season-high 29 points on 9-of-14 field goals and 10-of-12 free throws to go with a career-tying 6 steals, 1 assist, 1 block and 1 rebound in 38 minutes. He scored 20 of his 29 points (on 7-of-10 field goals) in the second half, including the game-winning lay-up with 29 seconds. His 6 steals tied for the second-most in a conference game.
• Brown continued his impressive week in helping K-State win back-to-back games at Hilton Coliseum, as he scored a game-high 23 points on 9-of-20 field goals to go with 4 assists and 3 rebounds in 36 minutes. Much like WVU, he did most of his damage in the second half, scoring 18 points of the Wildcats’ last 21 points, including the game-winning lay-up with 4 seconds.

 

MORE ON BROWN

• Senior Barry Brown, Jr., registered a significant milestone in the win over Vanderbilt (12/22/18), becoming the school’s all-time steals leader with 3 against the Commodores to eclipse Jacob Pullen (210, 2007-11). Brown now has 220 career steals in 121 games played.
• Brown places among several career offensive records, including 7th in field goals made (540) and attempted (1,310) and 3-pointers attempted (461), 8th in double-digit scoring games (75) and 9th in scoring (1,526), 3-point field goals made (148) and assists (293). He is closing in on the Top 10 in free throws made (298) and attempted (423) .
• Brown also ranks among the leaders in games played, as his streak of 121 consecutive games and 99 straight starts both rank fourth in school history. He is also third in career minutes played (3,822), needing 653 to pass Steve Henson (4,474; 1987-90). He has a chance to eclipse the school record of 135 set by Jacob Pullen (2007-11) and Rodney McGruder (2009-13).

 

WADE COMES BACK

• Senior Dean Wade made his return to the court in Saturday’s win over Iowa State (1/12/19), scoring 2 points on 5 field goal attempts and grabbing a game-high 9 rebounds in 22 minutes. He had missed the last 6 games due to a foot injury that occurred in the second half vs. Georgia State (12/15/18).
• Although a different injury, Wade has been through the injury process before, as he was injured in the second half of the quarterfinal game with TCU (3/8/18) in the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship, which caused him to miss most of the NCAA Tournament run to the Elite Eight.

 

STOKES ECLIPSES 1,000 CAREER POINTS

• With 20 points against George Mason (12/29/18), senior Kamau Stokes became the 30th player to post 1,000 points and joined fellow seniors Barry Brown, Jr., and Dean Wade in achieving the milestone. The trio became the first class in school history to each top 1,000 career points in a career.
• Brown (1,526 points) and Wade (1,311 points) each eclipsed the mark as juniors and currently rank 9th and 12th, respectively, on the all-time scoring list, while Stokes ranks 25th with 1,043 points.
• Stokes already ranks in the career Top 10 for both 3-point field goals made (168/7th) and attempted (488/6th), while he ranks fifth with 356 assists and is one of just eight players in school history with 300 or more assists.

 

DON’T FORGET SNEED

• With all the attention paid to the three seniors, the accomplishments of junior Xavier Sneed have somehow been overlooked. The St. Louis native enjoyed a career best year in 2017-18, averaging 11.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 31.4 minutes per game while starting all 37 games.
• Since missing the opener with Kennesaw State (11/9), Sneed has scored in double figures in 9 of the last 15 games, including a season-high 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting against Eastern Kentucky (11/16/18).
• Sneed collected his second career double-double and first of the season at Tulsa (12/8/18), posting a team-best 13 points to go with 10 rebounds.

 

WELCOME GOODNEWS

• K-State got some unexpected “good news” on New Year’s Eve when recent signee Goodnews Kpegeol (KAH-pay-GUL) joined the team and filled the 13th and final scholarship for the reminder of the 2018-19 season.
• An NCAA qualifier prior to enrolling at TaylorMade Academy in Pensacola, Florida for the 2018-19, Kpegeol is immediately eligible after enrolling for the spring semester and has been cleared to play by the NCAA. He is expected to redshirt the reminder of the season.
• A 6-foot-6, 180-pound guard from St. Paul, Minnesota, Kpegeol spent the first half of the 2018-19 season as a postgraduate at TaylorMade after finishing his four-year prep career at North High School. He led the Polars to the Class 4A State Tournament for the first time in 17 years as a sophomore in 2015-16 before the school to a 22-5 record with a 15-1 mark in conference play as a senior in 2017-18. He averaged a team-best 18.2 points in 19 games played as a senior, which included nine 20-point games.

 

K-STATE WINS PARADISE JAM; FIRST TITLE SINCE 2011

• Included in K-State’s 6-0 start to season was a 3-game sweep to win the 19^th annual U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam in St. Thomas, U.S.V.I., Nov. 16-19, as the Wildcats knocked off Eastern Kentucky (95-68), Penn (64-48) and Missouri (82-67).
• The tournament championship marked the 14^th in school history and the first since winning the 2011 Diamond Head Classic in Honolulu, Hawai’i. It was also the sixth career tournament title for head coach Bruce Weber and his first with the Wildcats.
• Senior Dean Wade was named the tournament’s most valuable player after averaging 17.3 points on 61.8 percent (21-of-34) shooting with 6.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists in three games, including a team-high 21 points in the title game against the Tigers, while fellow senior Barry Brown, Jr., was one of five players selected as Paradise Jam Tournament All-Stars.

 

MORE ABOUT K-STATE

• The Wildcats return 10 lettermen, including six players (Barry Brown, Jr., Cartier Diarra, Makol Mawien, Xavier Sneed, Kamau Stokes and Dean Wade) that combined to start all 37 games a season ago, for a team that posted a 25-12 overall record (10-8 in Big 12 play) and advanced to the Elite Eight for the 12th time in school history and the first time since 2010.
• It marked just the sixth 25-win campaign in school history, including the second under head coach Bruce Weber, while the school advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in six seasons and 30th time overall.
• K-State returns 185 combined starts from 2017-18, which is the most of any Division I team in the country, and ahead of other schools which return all of its starts, including George Mason (165), Iowa (165), Lipscomb (165) and North Florida (165).
• K-State returns 93.2 percent (2,452 of 2,630 points) of its offense from 2017-18, which ranks 11th among Division I teams (trailing George Mason, Harvard, Wofford, Washington, Brown, Iowa, Wisconsin, UC Irvine, Syracuse and St. Francis). The Wildcats also returns more than 90 percent of their field goals made (869/92.7%), 3-point field goals made (232/91.3%), free throws made (482/96%), assists (476/93.3%) and steals (266/90.5%) as well as 80 or better percent of their minutes (6,558/85%), rebounds (905/80%) and blocks (98/89%).
• K-State returns seven of its top-8 scorers from last season, including three with double-digit averages [Wade (16.2 ppg.), Brown (15.9 ppg.) and Sneed (11.1 ppg.). Other returners includeKamau Stokes (9.0 ppg.), Cartier Diarra (7.1 ppg.), Makol Mawien (6.8 ppg.) and Mike McGuirl (3.3 ppg.). The Wildcats return their individual leader in scoring (Wade), rebounding (Wade), assists (Brown), steals (Brown) and blocks (Mawien).

 

‘CATS EARN PRESEASON RANKINGS

• K-State opened the 2018-19 season in the Top 15 in both major polls, as the Wildcats earned a No. 11 ranking in the preseason USA Today Coaches poll to go with a No. 12 ranking in the preseason Associated Press poll.
• It marks the first time that K-State has started with preseason rankings in both polls since the 2010-11 campaign when the school opened at No. 3 in the AP and USA Today Coaches polls.
• K-State appeared in the Preseason AP poll for the 17th time in school history, while it was the highest preseason ranking since starting the 2010-11 campaign at No. 3. It was also the 12th time debuting in the AP Top 15 (1951-52, 1952-53, 1953-54, 1956-57, 1957-58, 1958-59, 1961-62, 1964-65, 1965-66, 1975-76 and 2010-11).
• The Wildcats have received several preseason rankings, including No. 11 by NBCSports.com, Yahoo! Sports, Street & Smith’s, Lindy’s and Athlon, No. 12 by ESPN.com, CBSSports.com,USA Today, Stadium, No. 13 by The Athletic, Blue Ribbon Yearbook and No. 14 by SI.com.
• K-State was one of four Big 12 teams to place in both Top 25 polls, as Kansas was the unanimous No. 1 team. West Virginia was No. 13 in both polls, while TCU was ranked No. 20 (Coaches) and No. 21 (AP), respectively.

 

‘CATS PICKED SECOND IN BIG 12 PLAY; WADE NAMED PRESEASON POY

• K-State was picked to finish second by the league coaches in the annual Big 12 Preseason poll released on Oct. 19, as the Wildcats received 72 points and two first-place votes. Kansas was selected first, while West Virginia, TCU and Texas rounded out the Top 5.
• The second-place selection was the second-highest by a K-State team in the history of the poll, following the 2010-11 team which was picked to finish first with 119 points. In fact, the Wildcats have been picked to finish fifth or better on just six other occasions in the poll, including fourth in 2007-08, 2009-10 and 2014-15 and fifth in 2006-07, 2012-13 and 2013-14.
• Senior Dean Wade became just the second Wildcat to ever be selected the Preseason Big 12 Player of the Year by the league coaches, while Wade and Barry Brown, Jr., were both named to the Preseason All-Big 12 Team. The duo was joined on the team by Kansas’ Dedric Lawson, Iowa State’s Lindell Wigginton and West Virginia’s Sagaba Konate.
• Wade’s selection marked the second time that a K-State player has been named the preseason Player of the Year and the first since Jacob Pullen in 2010-11. It also was just the second time that two Wildcats appeared on the Preseason All-Big 12 Team, following Pullen and Curtis Kelly in 2010-11. Wade and Brown are just the sixth and seventh players in school history to earn recognition to the Preseason All-Big 12 (since 1996-97), following Manny Dies in 1998-99, Kelly and Pullen in 2010-11, Rodney McGruder in 2012-13 and Marcus Foster in 2014-15.

 

NEXT UP: TCU (12-3, 1-2 BIG 12)

• K-State begins a 2-game homestand on Saturday, as the Wildcats play host to TCU (12-3, 1-2 Big 12) at 3 p.m., CT on Legends Weekend, as the school will host a reunion of its men’s basketball lettermen as well as honor both Tex Winter and Willie Murrell, who passed away earlier this year.

TOM GILBERT
Director for Men’s Basketball Communications | K-State Athletics

 

Attachments area

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State head coach Chris Klieman announced Monday that Mike Tuiasosopo has been hired to coach the Wildcat defensive tackles for the 2019 season.

 

The hire allows Blake Seiler to focus on the defensive ends, while Klieman also announced that Chris Dawson – a nine-year member of the K-State staff – will remain in Manhattan as the Director of Strength and Conditioning.

 

“Mike is a veteran coach who has a substantial amount of Power Five experience throughout his career, which includes developing defensive linemen and a strong presence on special teams,” Klieman said. “I also was looking for a coach who had an extensive recruiting background on the west coach – and California in particular – and Mike certainly has that.”

 

Tuiasosopo (TWO-ee-ah-so-SO-po) comes to Manhattan after serving the 2018 season as the defensive tackles coach at UTEP, but he has spent a majority of his career on the west coast and, specifically, in the Pac-10/12.

 

In 2017, Tuiasosopo was the special teams quality control coach at USC, a year in which the Trojans claimed the Pac-12 Conference title for the first time in nine years. USC was successful in large part to its return game, as the Trojans ranked third in the Pac-12 in kickoff returns (23.5 yards per return) and punt returns (11.9 yards per return). He was also an offensive consultant for USC in 2016 and an analyst in 2015.

 

Prior to USC, Tuiasosopo worked across town at UCLA as he tutored the Bruin outside linebackers and special teams in 2014. That season, UCLA finished No. 3 in the Pac-12 in total defense (398.5 yards per game), which featured Tuiasosopo product Deon Hollins becoming the Bruins’ sack leader in his first season as a starter. On special teams, the kickoff coverage unit ranked second in the Pac-12 as returner Ishmael Adams finished the season ranked 21^st nationally in combined returns.

 

Tuiasosopo joined Mike Stoops’ staff at Arizona in 2004 and coached in Tucson for seven seasons, including his final three seasons where the Wildcats ranked highly in the nation in total defense (24^th in 2008, 25^th in 2009, 33^rd in 2010). Arizona led the Pac-10 in quarterback sacks all three years, largely due to Tuiasosopo’s defensive front.

 

Tuiasosopo tutored All-Pac 10 performer Ricky Elmore in addition to Brooks Reed and De’Aundre Reed to 2011 NFL Draft selections. Reed was a second-round pick (No. 42 overall) by the Minnesota Vikings. Tuiasosopo also coached two others that earned all-conference honors and were drafted into the NFL, Earl Mitchell – a third-rounder in 2010 – and Lionel Dotson in 2008. In 2010, he tutored Justin Washington to several Freshman All-America honors.

 

Tuiasosopo received his start in coaching at Montclair Academy in Van Nuys, California, coaching the defensive line and special teams in 1990 and 1991. He was then a graduate assistant at Pacific before becoming the head coach at Berkley High School in 1993 and 1994.

 

Tuiasosopo earned his first full-time collegiate job at Utah State as he coached the Aggie defensive line from 1996 to 1999. From there, he moved to Nevada to coach the defensive line from 2000 to 2002, and he worked at Utah during the 2003 season when the Utes earned a 10-2 record and a No. 21 final ranking.

 

Tuiasosopo lettered four years as a defensive tackle at Pacific Lutheran University (1985-88) and was a starter for the final three seasons en route to a pair of First Team All-Columbia Conference honors. He comes from a football-rich family tradition as his uncle Bob Apisa (Michigan State/Green Bay), cousin Manu (UCLA/Seattle/San Francisco) and younger brother Navy (Utah State/Los Angeles Rams/St. Louis Cardinals) each played collegiately and in the NFL. His nephew, Marques, played quarterback at Washington and with the Oakland Raiders and New York Jets, while he is currently the passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach at California.

 

A native of Carson, California, who was born in American Samoa, Tuiasosopo graduated from Pacific Lutheran with a degree in physical education and health in 1989, while he earned his master’s degree from Pacific in Education Administration Credentials in 1992. He is married to Kathy Bowles, and the couple has four children, daughters Lanea and Maya, and sons Titus and Luke.

 

2019 K-State Football Coaching Staff

Chris Klieman (Head Coach)

Courtney Messingham (Offensive Coordinator/Tight Ends)

Ted Monachino (Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers)

Brian Anderson (Running Backs)

Joe Klanderman (Safeties)
Collin Klein (Quarterbacks)

Van Malone (Cornerbacks)

Jason Ray (Wide Receivers)

Conor Riley (Offensive Line)

Blake Seiler (Defensive Ends)

Mike Tuiasosopo (Defensive Tackles)

 

– k-statesports.com –

RYAN LACKEY
Director of Football and Golf Communications | K-State Athletics

 

 

 

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Senior guard Barry Brown, Jr., earned Phillips 66 Big 12 Player of the Week honors for the first time in his career on Monday after posting the game-winner in Kansas State’s victories over West Virginia and No. 20/21 Iowa State last week.

 

Brown, who won the league’s Newcomer of the Week award as a freshman on January 11, 2016, becomes the 14^th Wildcat to earn Player of the Week honors and the first since teammate Dean Wade earned the accolade on January 22, 2018. Overall, it marks the school’s 27^th Player of the Week honor since the inception of the Big 12 in 1997, including the 11^th under head coach Bruce Weber.

 

The 6-foot-3, 195-pound shooting guard from St. Petersburg, Florida, Brown averaging 26 points on 52.9 percent shooting (18-of-34) and 81.3 percent (13-of-16) from the free throw line to go with 3.0 steals, 2.5 assists, 2.0 rebounds in 37.0 minutes per game in the wins over West Virginia and Iowa State. He was particularly impressive in the second half in the two victories, scoring 38 of his 52 points (19.0 points average) on 53.8 percent shooting (14-of-26) and 80.0 percent (8-of-10) from the free throw line in playing 39 minutes.

 

Brown, who became the Wildcats’ ninth 1,500-point scorer and the first since 2013, opened the week by helping K-State engineer a school-record 21-point comeback in the victory over the Mountaineers on Wednesday. He scored a season-high 29 points on 9-of-14 field goals and 10-of-12 free throws to go with a career-tying 6 steals, 1 assist, 1 block and 1 rebound in 38 minutes. He scored 20 of his 29 points (on 7-of-10 field goals) in the second half, including the game-winning lay-up with 29 seconds. His 6 steals tied his own record for the eighth-most in a single game, including the second-most in a conference game.

 

Brown continued his impressive week in helping K-State win back-to-back games at Hilton Coliseum for the first time since 2010 and 2011, as he scored a game-high 23 points on 9-of-20 field goals to go with a team-tying 4 assists and 3 rebounds in 36 minutes of action. Much like the West Virginia, he did most of his damage in the second half, scoring 18 points of the Wildcats’ last 21 points, including the game-winning lay-up with 4 seconds.

 

Brown has now scored 20 or more points 19 times in his career, including 4 times this season.

 

For the season, Brown is averaging a team-high 15.2 points on 42.1 percent shooting to go with 4.1 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.9 steals in 33.7 minutes per game. He currently ranks second in Big 12 in steals and fifth in scoring.

 

K-State (12-4, 2-2 Big 12) concludes its two-game road swing on Wednesday night, as the Wildcats travel to Norman, Oklahoma to face nationally-ranked Oklahoma (13-3, 2-2 Big 12) at 6 p.m., CT at the Lloyd Noble Center. The game will air nationally on ESPN2 and the WatchESPN app.

 

– www.k-statesports.com —

TOM GILBERT
Director for Men’s Basketball Communications | K-State Athletics

 

 

The Saint Xavier High School Rams boys basketball team finished second in the Paul H. Kellogg Tournament at St. John’s Military in Salina.

According to Saint X Principal Shawn Augustine, the rams defeated Flint Hills Job Corps 51-33 in their first game of the tournament, lost to St. John’s Military in their second game 48-44 and defeated the St. John’s Military JV team 64-24 in their third game.

 

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes picked apart the Colts in his postseason debut, the Chiefs defense answered their chorus of critics with a stout performance, and Kansas City rolled to a 31-13 victory over Indianapolis in the divisional round Saturday to end 25 years of playoff frustration.

Mahomes threw for 278 yards while running for a touchdown, and Damien Williams ran through snow and muck for 129 yards and another score, as the Chiefs beat Indianapolis for the first time in five playoff meetings to earn their first AFC title game appearance since January 1994.

“There was a lot of excitement here, the fans were awesome, the defense played amazing and the offense, we did enough to get the win in the end,” Mahomes said.

The AFC West champions will play the winner of Sunday’s game between the division-rival Los Angeles Chargers and the New England Patriots next weekend for a spot in the Super Bowl in Atlanta.

Andrew Luck was held to 203 yards passing for the Colts, while Marlon Mack was a non-factor on the ground. He had 46 yards rushing before leaving late in the fourth quarter with a hip injury.

With persistent snow turning Arrowhead Stadium into a winter wonderland, the Chiefs waltzed all over a Colts defense that nearly shut out the Texans a week ago. Mahomes and Co. scored on their first three possessions , then again just before halftime, to take a 24-7 lead into the break.

If there was any question whether this would be Kansas City’s day, it was answered when Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri missed a 23-yard field-goal try off the upright just before halftime. It was the first time in 22 postseason attempts that he’d missed from that close.

Not that the Chiefs thought they had it wrapped up.

They’ve had bigger playoff meltdowns against the Colts.

There was the 10-7 loss in which Lin Elliott missed three field goals when the Chiefs were the No. 1 seed, and the loss at Arrowhead Stadium in 2003 in which nobody punted.

Five years ago, they blew a 38-10 second-half lead against Luck and the Colts to spoil Andy Reid’s first season.

Not this time.

Not with this Kansas City quarterback.

After shattering nearly every franchise passing record, Mahomes picked up right where he left off in his regular-season finale. He led the Chiefs on touchdown drives of 90 and 70 yards to open the game, quickly identified a favorite target in Travis Kelce, and shook off a banged-up knee to scramble for a touchdown late in the first half to give his team a big cushion.

Of course, the Chiefs didn’t need it the way their defense was playing.

The Colts went three-and-out on their first four possessions, were outgained 185-12 in the first quarter, and Luck didn’t complete a pass until he found T.Y Hilton early in the second.

Their lone bright spot came when Zach Paschal recovered a blocked punt for a touchdown .

Even when the Colts caught a break and Sammy Watkins fumbled the ball to them late in the third quarter, they were quick to give it back. Dee Ford stripped Luck and fellow linebacker Justin Houston plopped on the ball, ruining another red-zone opportunity.

The Colts finally scored an offensive touchdown with 5:31 left in the game. But in the perfect summation of their lousy afternoon, their erstwhile star kicker missed the extra point.

By that point, the party in the stands already had begun.

The Chiefs had lost six straight home playoff games, including heartbreakers to Pittsburgh and Tennessee the past two years. But a proud franchise that won its only Super Bowl title with Len Dawson in 1970, and last played for a spot behind Joe Montana, is once more one step away.

WACO, Texas (AP) — Lagerald Vick did on his 22nd birthday for No. 7 Kansas what he also does in so many other games. He made some big 3-pointers, even if the ending was a bit shaky.

Vick scored 18 points with six 3-pointers before a couple of late turnovers as the Jayhawks held on for a 73-68 win at Baylor on Saturday.

“First 36 minutes, I thought he was great,” coach Bill Self said, repeating what he also said after the rest of the team. “Made a couple of hard shots at the end of the clock. He played really well. He didn’t play like a senior down the stretch.”

Vick hit two of his 3s in an 11-3 run in the final 1:44 of the first half to put the Jayhawks (14-2, 3-1 Big 12) up by 10 at the break after they blew almost all of a 16-point lead. Kansas then led by double-digits for most of the second half before Baylor’s eight consecutive points in the final minute, when Vick had two turnovers.

Jared Butler hit a 3 with 54 seconds left and Mark Vital made a basket before Devonte Bandoo’s 3 after Vick’s second turnover in that span got the Bears within 72-68. The Jayhawks missed three free throws down the stretch.

Kansas had a 23-point lead with 6 1/2 minutes left, and had to hold on in that final frantic minute.

“Certainly the story that I’m leaving with is that we got a good road win today, not that we played like crap the last four minutes,” Self said.

“We just have to do a better job of just finishing out games,” Vick said.

Dedric Lawson added 17 points with five steals and five blocks for Kansas despite his season-low three rebounds. Devon Dotson scored 14 points while freshman Ochai Agbaji had 10 in his second game.

Butler had 14 points to lead Baylor (9-6, 1-2), while Vital and Bandoo each had 11. Makai Mason scored 10.

Baylor, playing without second-leading scorer Tristan Clark (knee surgery), missed its first 15 shots from the field over the first 10 ½ minutes. The Bears fell behind 18-2 before Butler had three 3s in an 18-4 run. The Bears were within 22-20 on a free throw by Mason with just under 4 minutes left in the half, though they never got closer.

“Usually, we play through Tristan,” Butler said. “So it was kind of different, a different feel. … It was kind of difficult, and that kind of threw off our rhythm a little bit.”

 

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Senior Barry Brown, Jr.’s driving lay-up with 4 seconds helped lift Kansas State past No. 20/21 Iowa State, 58-57, on Saturday before a sold-out crowd of 14,384 at Hilton Coliseum.

 

It marked the second consecutive game that Brown has delivered the game winner after his lay-up with 29 seconds gave K-State the lead for good in the come-from-behind victory over West Virginia on Wednesday night. Almost mirroring his performance against the Mountaineers, he poured in 18 of his game-high 23 points in the second half against the Cyclones after scoring 20 of his game-high 29 points against WVU after halftime. In the last 2 games, he is averaging 19.0 points on 53.8 percent shooting (14-of-26) from the field in the second half.

 

The win gave K-State (12-3, 2-2 Big 12) consecutive wins at Hilton Coliseum for the first time since 2010 and 2011, while ending Iowa State’s 8-game homecourt winning streak. The Wildcats won for the first time in 4 road games this season and snapped a 6-game skid in true road games dating back to last season.

 

K-State was buoyed by the return of senior Dean Wade, who had missed the last 6 games due to injury. Wade played 22 minutes in the start, scoring 2 points and grabbing a game-high 9 rebounds.

 

The Wildcats held the Big 12’s top scoring offense (81.3 ppg.) to a season-low 57 points on 42 percent (21-of-50) shooting, including 37.5 percent (9-of-24) from 3-point range. K-State has now held 79 opponents to 60 points or less in the Bruce Weber era, including 10 of 16 opponents this season.

 

The Wildcats led for most of the game, including 35-26 at halftime, before Iowa State (12-3, 2-2 Big 12) used a 14-2 run midway through the second half to take a 55-48 lead with 5:02 to play. The Wildcats slowly chipped away, as Brown knocked down consecutive jumpers to close the deficit to 55-52 with 3:11 remaining before a pair of Brown free throws pulled the team to within 57-56 with 16 seconds left.

 

A missed free throw by Lindell Wigginton set up the last play, as Brown drove the paint and laid the ball up with 4 seconds. Wigginton’s desperation shot was no good at the buzzer.

 

Brown was joined in double figures by fellow senior Kamau Stokes, who scored all 12 of his points in the first half, a half in which the Wildcats scored their most points (36) since the George Mason game on Dec. 29, 2018. Sophomore Cartier Diarra added 8 points off the bench after starting the previous 6 games with Wade out.

 

Senior Nick Weiler-Babb was the only Cyclone to score in double figures with 11 points, including 3 triples, while graduate transfer Marial Shayok and freshman George Conditt VI added 9 points each.

 

With the win, Weber claimed his 450^th victory in his 21-year coaching career, while he broke a tie with Jack Hartman (1970-86) for the most career Top 25 victories in school history with his 23^rd in his seventh season.

HOW IT HAPPENED
K-State jumped out to an early lead, as Stokes connected on a 3-pointer on the Wildcats’ second possession, which helped buoy an 11-6 advantage at the second media timeout with 11:37 before halftime. During the stretch, four different Wildcats scored, including 4 by junior Makol Mawien.

 

After a slow start, the Big 12’s best offense showed its potency, rattling off 9 straight points, to take a 15-11 lead on an old-fashioned 3-point play by George Conditt IV with 9:50 to play. However, K-State responded with a second 3-pointer by Stokes that started an 11-0 run that gave the Wildcats a 22-15 lead with 6:42 remaining.

 

Following a 3-pointer from Diarra from the top of the key, Stokes was fouled on a 3-pointer and calmly knocked down all 3 free throws that advanced the lead to 28-20 with 5:09 to play.

 

Brown gave K-State its largest lead at 32-22 on a deep 3-pointer with the shot clock expiring at the 2:44 mark before halftime. A Diarra 3 from the corner, the team’s sixth of the half, extended the lead to 35-26 at the half.

 

The 35 first-half points were the most since scoring 36 against George Mason on December 29, 2018.

 

The Wildcats connected on 42.3 percent (11-of-26) of their field goals in the opening half, including 54.5 percent (6-of-11) from 3-point range, while the Cyclones hit on 37.5 percent (9-of-24), but just 25 percent (3-of-12) from long range. Stokes led all scorers with 12 points, while Diarra added 8 points.

 

After a Mawien jumper gave K-State its largest lead at 37-26 just seconds into the second half, the potent Iowa State got consecutive 3-pointers from freshman Talen Horton-Tucker to cut the deficit to 37-32 at the 18:05 mark.

 

The 3-pointers ignited the Cyclones, as back-to-back treys from Marial Shayok and Lindell Wigginton tied the game at 40-all and forced head coach Bruce Weber to call his first timeout with 14:38 remaining.

 

Buckets by Brown, including a 3-pointer from the top of the key, pushed the Wildcats back out ahead at 45-41 at the second media timeout with 11:55 to play.

 

A quick 5-0 run again tied the score, this time at 46-all, at the 8:28 mark as Weber called a second timeout with Wildcats just 4-of-16 from the field in the second half.

 

With the score knotted at 48-all, Nick Weiler-Babb gave the Cyclones their first lead since 9:18 left in the first half. The 3-pointer was part of a 14-2 run that pushed the lead to 55-48 at the 5:02 mark.

 

The ever-resilient Wildcats chipped away at the deficit, closing to within 57-54 after Wade’s first points on a lay-up with 2:10 remaining. Brown closed it to 57-56 with 16 seconds remaining on a pair of free throws before his game-winning lay-up with 4 seconds left.

 

K-State connected on just 30 percent (9-of-30) from the field in the second half, including just 1 of 11 from 3-point range, while Iowa State hit on 46.2 percent (12-of-26), including 50 percent (6-of-12) from long range. Brown scored 18 of the Wildcats’ 23 points and was the only player to register double figures in the second half.

 

For the game, K-State connected on 35.7 percent (20-of-56), including 31.8 percent (7-of-22) from 3-point range.

PLAYER OF THE GAME
Barry Brown, Jr. – Brown recorded his second straight 20-point game, including the 19^th in his career, as he led all scorers with a game-high 23 points on 9-of-20 shooting, including the game-winner with 4 seconds to play. Just like the West Virginia game, where he scored 20 of 29 points in the second half, Brown did most of his damage in the second half against the Cyclones, scoring 18 of his 23 points after halftime.

STAT OF THE GAME
57 – K-State held the Big 12’s top scoring offense (81.3 ppg.) to a season-low 57 points on 42 percent shooting (21-of-50), including 37.5 percent (9-of-24) from 3-point range, and just 50 percent from the line (6-of-12). It marked the 10^th time this season that the Wildcats have held an opponent to 60 points or less.

SEASON RECORD UPDATE
K-State 12-4 (2-2 Big 12)
Iowa State 12-4 (2-2 Big 12)

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE

• K-State won its first road game after starting the season with 4 straight loss, while the win snapped the Wildcats’ 6-game losing streak in true road games and gave the Cyclones their first home loss (8-1).
• Head coach Bruce Weber earned his 450^th career victory, including his 137^th at K-State… He is now 137-84 in his seventh season with the Wildcats and 450-239 overall in his career.
• K-State now leads the all-time series with Iowa State, 140-87, including 52-50 in games played in Ames… The 140 wins are the most against one opponent in school history, while the 227 meetings are the third-most against one opponent, trailing just Kansas and Missouri… Iowa State still leads 24-23 since the start of Big 12 play… The Wildcats have now won 3 straight against the Cyclones in the series, including consecutive wins at Hilton Coliseum for the first time since 2010 and 2011.

• K-State has now held 79 opponents to 60 points or less in the Weber era with the Wildcats boasting a 71-8 mark in those contests, including 10 of 16 opponents (9-1 mark) this year.
• Iowa State scored a season-low 57 points on 42 percent shooting (21-of-50), including 37.5 percent (9-of-24) from 3-point range… The previous low was 66 points against Arizona (11/19/18).
• K-State won for the ninth time (in 10 attempts) this season when holding an opponent below 60 points.
• K-State held a 39-31 advantage on the glass, including 13 offensive rebounds… It marked the 11^th time in 16 games that the Wildcats led in rebounding… The team did it just 10 times in 37 games last year.

• Senior Barry Brown, Jr., scored a game-high 23 points on 9-of-20 field goals, including 2-of-6 from 3-point range, and 3-of-4 from free throw line… It marked his 19^th career 20-point game, including his fourth this season… He has now led the team in scoring in 34 career games, including 6 games this season… He has now scored in double figures in 75 career games, including a team-high 12 this season.
• Senior Kamau Stokes scored 12 points on 3-of-13 field goals, including 3-of-9 from 3-point range, and 3-of-3 from the free throw line… He has now scored in double figures in 60 career games, including 11 this season… Stokes scored all his 12 points in the first half.
• Senior Dean Wade grabbed a game-high 9 rebounds in 22 minutes in his return after missing the last 6 games due to injury… It marked the 9^th time in 10 games played he has 5 or more rebounds.
• Sophomore Cartier Diarra scored 8 points on 2-of-4 shooting, including 2-of-3 from 3-point range, to go with 4 rebounds and 1 assist in 31 minutes off the bench… It marked his ninth game off the bench after starting 7 games this season, including each of the last 6.
• Junior Xavier Sneed collected a career-high 3 blocks in 34 minutes.

 

WHAT’S NEXT

K-State continues its road swing on Wednesday, as the Wildcats travel to Norman, Oklahoma, to play Oklahoma (12-4, 1-3 Big 12) at 6 p.m., CT at the Lloyd Noble Center. The game will air nationally on ESPN2.

 

–www.kstatesports.com–

 
TOM GILBERT
Director for Men’s Basketball Communications | K-State Athletics

 

 

 

GAME 16

KANSAS STATE (11-4, 1-2 Big 12) at 20/21 IOWA STATE (12-3, 2-1 Big 12)

Saturday, January 12, 2019 >> 11:01 a.m. CT >> Hilton Coliseum (14,384) >> Ames, Iowa

 

COACHES

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

Overall: 449-239/21^st season

At K-State: 136-84/7^th season

vs Iowa State: 5-8 (1-5 on the road)

 

Iowa State: Steve Prohm (Alabama ’97)

Overall: 176-73/8^th season

At Iowa State: 72-44/4^th season

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

 

PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP

Kansas State (11-4, 1-2 Big 12)

G: #3 Kamau Stokes

G: #2 Cartier Diarra

G: #5 Barry Brown, Jr.

G/F: #20 Xavier Sneed

F: #14 Makol Mawien

 

Iowa State (12-3, 2-1 Big 12)

G: #1 Nick Weiler-Babb

G: #3 Marial Shayok

G: #22 Tyrese Haliburton

G: #11 Talen Horton-Tucker

F: #12 Michael Jacobson

 

SERIES HISTORY

Overall: K-State leads 139-87

Current Streak: K-State, 2

In Ames               : K-State leads 51-50

At Hilton Coliseum: Iowa State leads 27-20

Last Meeting: W, 78-66, 2/17/18

Weber vs. Prohm: 2-4 (1-2 on the road)

 

OPENING TIP

• Kansas State (11-4, 1-2 Big 12) begins a 2-game road swing on Saturday, as the Wildcats travel to Ames, Iowa to take on No. 20/21 Iowa State (12-3, 2-1 Big 12) at Hilton Coliseum. The game will tip at 11 a.m., CT on ESPN2 with Chuckie Kempf (play-by-play) and Robbie Hummel (analyst) on the call.
• K-State is still looking for its first road victory of the season after falling to 0-3 with last Saturday’s 63-57 loss at No. 11/11 Texas Tech. The Wildcats dropped back-to-back-games at Marquette and Tulsa in early December prior to the loss in Lubbock and have lost 5 straight on the road dating to last season. The team ended a 6-game losing streak at Hilton Coliseum with a 91-75 win in the last meeting on Dec. 29, 2017. The Cyclones are 8-0 at home this season.
• Iowa State enters Saturday’s game with the Big 12’s best scoring offense at 81.3 points while connecting on 48.4 percent from the field, including 36.2 percent from 3-point range. The Cyclones are also first in 3-point field goals per game (8.9) and free throw percentage (73.0) and are second in scoring margin (+16.3), field goal percentage and 3-point field goal percentage. They are led by possible Big 12 Player of the Year candidate Marial Shayok, who averages a Big 12-best 20.1 points per game on 52.1 percent shooting, while three others (Michael Jacobson, Lindell Wigginton and Talen Horton-Tucker) also average double digits.
• This will be the 227th meeting between K-State and Iowa State with the Wildcats holding a 139-87 advantage, including a 51-50 edge in games played in Ames. The Cyclones have a slight 24-22 lead since the start of Big 12 play with wins in 6 of the last 7 meetings at Hilton Coliseum. K-State snapped a 2-game losing streak in the series by sweeping both regular season meetings, including a 91-75 victory in the Big 12 opener in the last meeting in Ames on Dec. 29, 2017.
• K-State ended a 2-game losing streak on Wednesday night by staging the largest comeback in school history, as the Wildcats rallied from a 21-point second-half deficit to knock off West Virginia, 71-69. After scoring 21 points on 29.2 percent shooting in the first half, the team erupted for 50 points on 62.1 percent shooting, including 63.6 percent, in the second half, as senior Barry Brown, Jr., scored 20 of his game-high 29 points after halftime. In all, the squad led for just 56 seconds in ending a 4-game losing streak to the Mountaineers. The 21-point comeback surpassed the previous high of 18 which came against Missouri in the finals of the first-ever Big Eight Tournament on March 4, 1977 when K-State rallied for a 72-67 overtime win. It marked the second time this season that the Wildcats have rallied from a second-half deficit after trailing by 16 in the 55-51 win over Southern Miss on Dec. 19.
• Brown collected his 18th career 20-point game with a game-high 29 points against West Virginia en route to becoming the ninth Wildcat and the first since Rodney McGruder in 2013 to eclipse 1,500 career points. Brown was joined in double figures by three other players (Mike McGuirl, Kamau Stokes and Xavier Sneed), as the Wildcats moved to 58-19 (.753) under coach Bruce Weber when four or more players scored in double figures. McGuirl scored a career-high 18 points, as he registered double figures for the first time since scoring 17 against Creighton in the 2018 NCAA Tournament.

 

NOTES ON IOWA STATE

• No. 20/21 Iowa State (12-3, 2-1 Big 12) saw its 5-game winning streak come to an end on Tuesday night, as Baylor held on for a 73-70 victory at the Ferrell Center after leading by 8 points at halftime. Big 12 Player of the Year candidate Marial Shayok led the way with 19 points. The Cyclones opened Big 12 play with wins at Oklahoma State (69-63) and to Kansas (77-60).
• Iowa State returns 6 lettermen, including 4 starters, from a squad that finished 13-18 overall, including 4-14 in the Big 12, in 2017-18.
• Iowa State is averaging a Big 12-best 81.3 points on 48.4 percent shooting, including 36.2 percent from 3-point range, to go with 36.3 rebounds, 16.7 assists, 7.9 steals and 4.6 blocks per game, while allowing 65 points on 40.7 percent shooting, including 31.7 percent from 3-point range. The team is connecting on a Big 12-best 73 percent from the free throw line.
• Shayok paces four Cyclones in double figures at a Big 12-leading 20.1 points per game on 52.1 percent shooting, including 38.7 percent from 3-point range, to go with 5.5 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 31.3 minutes per game. He leads six players, including 3 with 20 or more, with double-digit 3-point field goals with 29. Fellow transfer Michael Jacobson averages 13.9 points on 60.9 percent shooting with a team-best 6.3 rebounds per game. Sophomore Lindell Wigginton, who is coming back from a foot injury after playing in 5 games, is averaging 12.8 points, while Big 12 Freshman of the Year candidate Talen Horton-Tucker is averaging 12.6 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game. Senior Nick Weiler-Babb and freshman Tyrese Haliburton are both averaging better than 8.6 points per game and have combined for 123 assists, while Haliburton also has 27 treys.
• Iowa State is led by fourth-year head coach Steve Prohm, who has posted a 72-44 (.621) mark while guiding the school to 2 NCAA Tournaments. He has a 176-73 (.707) record in his eighth season as a head coach, which includes a stint at Murray State (2011-15).

 

TOM GILBERT
Director for Men’s Basketball Communications | K-State Athletics