K-State to Host Wazzu in Hardwood Series

IRVING, Texas - Kansas State will play host to Washington State on Saturday, Dec. 5 in the third annual Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series, as both league offices announced the dates and times for the series matchups on Monday afternoon.

The majority of the games for the Hardwood Series are scheduled for Dec. 3-6, with three taking place outside the four-day series window.  The matchups are new for 2009, after two straight campaigns of the same home-and-away meetings.  In 2010, the contests will be return games from this year and take place from Dec. 2-5.

Last season, the two leagues split the Hardwood Series outings, 6-6.  In all games played between the two conferences during 2008-09, the Big 12 held a 10-7 edge. The Pac-10 holds a 13-11 advantage in the first two years of the Hardwood Series.  A season ago, the 12 contests averaged more than 10,000 fans and in two years games from the event have seen 244,029 fans go through the turnstiles.

This will mark the fifth all-time meeting between the Wildcats and Cougars since 1941 with the series tied at 2-all.  The two teams competed in a home-and-home series as recently as 2004 and 2005 with K-State winning 62-53 on Nov. 27, 2004 at Bramlage Coliseum and WSU posting a 58-57 victory at home on Dec. 3, 2005.   

Washington State could return up to 11 letterwinners from a squad that posted a 17-16 overall record and lost to Saint Mary's in the first round of the NIT in 2008-09.   The Cougars will be led by first-year head coach Ken Bone, who replaced Tony Bennett on April 6.   

K-State is 0-2 all-time in the Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series, losing in overtime to Oregon, 80-77, at home on Nov. 29, 2007 before falling 75-70 to the Ducks at McArthur Court on Dec. 7, 2008.  The Wildcats are 38-23 all-time against teams from the Pac-10.

Additional components of the series, including the start times and television broadcast information will be announced at a later date.

2009 Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series

Sunday, Nov. 29
Nebraska at USC

Thursday, Dec. 3
Washington at Texas Tech
USC at Texas
Baylor at Arizona State

Friday, Dec. 4
Colorado at Oregon State

Saturday, Dec. 5
Oregon at Missouri
Iowa State at California
Washington State at Kansas State

Sunday, Dec. 6
Kansas at UCLA
Arizona at Oklahoma

Wednesday, Dec. 16
Oklahoma State at Stanford

Tuesday, Dec. 22
Texas A&M at Washington