Kansas State University Athletics
Wildcat Men's Basketball Hosts North Texas Saturday
Dec 13, 2001 | Men's Basketball
Dec. 13, 2001
Manhattan, Kan. -
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Game No. 8
North Texas (1-5) at Kansas State (4-3)
Date:Saturday, Dec. 15
Tipoff:7:06 p.m. (Central)
Location:Manhattan, Kan.
Arena:Bramlage Coliseum (13,500)
Radio:Wildcat Radio Network (Flagship station: WIBW 580 in Topeka): Voice of the Wildcats Greg Sharpe (play-by-play) and Eric Pedersen (color) have the call.
Television: Metro Sports (Kansas City): Ben Boyle (play-by-play) and Stan Weber (color) call the action. Satellite coordinates for the telecast are SBS 6, transponder 4.
Quick Hitters...
*The Wildcats, who have dropped two-straight games, look to get back on the winning track with tonight's home contest vs. Sun Belt Conference foe North Texas. K-State plays three of its next four games in the friendly confines of Bramlage Coliseum.
*Senior guard Larry Reid leads K-State in scoring (15.1 ppg), assists (5.3 pg), free throw shooting (89.7 percent), steals (1.1 pg) and minutes played (35.0 pg).
*Senior forward Travis Reynolds is second on the team in scoring (10.3 ppg) and rebounding (6.7 pg).
*Junior forward Janerio Spurlock fractured his right patella (knee cap) last Saturday vs. Northwestern. Spurlock, who will have surgery on the knee next week, is out for the season.
*The Wildcats are holding teams to 37.4 percent shooting from the field, good for fourth in the Big 12 Conference.
* Jim Wooldridge is in his second season as head coach of the Wildcats. Wooldridge owns a 244-168 (.592) career record in 14-plus seasons as a head coach.
*Who's hot: Pasco is averaging 12.3 points and 9.3 rebounds and shooting 66.7 percent from the floor over the last three games.
Kansas State's Projected Starters
Ht.Wt.Yr.-ExpPPGRPG
F32Gilson DeJesus6-5215Jr.-TR6.03.0
F5Travis Reynolds6-7210Sr.-2L10.36.7
F44Pervis Pasco6-9218Jr.-TR9.17.7
G24Nick Williams6-4185Fr.-HS6.42.0
G11Larry Reid6-0170Sr.-1L15.15.3#
North Texas' Projected Starters
Ht.Wt.Yr.-ExpPPGRPG
F4Jermaine Green6-8180Jr.-TR9.75.2
F1Will Smith6-7210So.-1L4.24.5
G41Kenneth Mangrum6-4200Sr.-3L5.53.2
G3Terence White6-1180Sr.1L2.21.2
G5Chris Davis6-5215Jr.-2L21.77.0
# Indicates assists
Kansas State-Northwestern Postgame Notes...
*K-State started Larry Reid and Gilson DeJesus at the guard positions and Travis Reynolds, Janerio Spurlock, and Pervis Pasco at the forward slots... It was the fifth different starting lineup of the season for the Wildcats... Pasco and Reid have started all seven games this season...Reid started his team-best 36th-straight game for Kansas State.
*Pasco recorded his first career double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds.
*Reid led the team in scoring for the fourth time this season (20 points)... he also scored 20 or more for the second time this season (22 vs. Ole Miss, 11/24).... Reid has scored in double figures in six of seven games, including the last five contests.
*Williams notched a career-high 15 points, including a 9-for-10 effort from the free-throw line... He also collected a career-best four rebounds and three assists.
*The Wildcats out-rebounded Northwestern 47 to 33, but shot just 30.2 percent from the floor, their lowest single-game shooting percentage of the season.
*Kansas State trailed at halftime for the sixth time in seven games this season... The Wildcats have a 3-3 record when facing a deficit at halftime... The 22-point halftime deficit (44-22) was the largest of the season.
Kansas State-North Texas Series (KSU leads 4-1)...
*The Wildcats hold a 3-0 edge in Mahattan and have split the two games in Denton.
*Last time (Jan. 4, 1986 in Denton): Trailing 29-22 at the half, K-State rallied late in the game with a seven unaswered points as the Wildcats edged North Texas, 57-53. Benny Green and Norris Coleman led the way for the 'Cats with 16 and 15 points, respectively. The victory pushed the Wildcats' record to 10-3 in Jack Hartman's final season on the K-State bench.
*Last time in Manhattan (Nov. 24, 1984): The Wildcats opened their 79th season with a convincing 72-50 win over the Mean Green. Tom Alfaro, who connected on 8 of 12 field-goal attempts, led the way for the 'Cats with 16 points. Eric Watson chipped in 11, while Ben Mitchell grabbed a game-high nine rebounds.
North Texas At-A-Glance...
*Just like K-State, North Texas has not played since last Saturday when the Mean Green dropped a 95-81 decision to Baylor in Waco. The Bears are one of two Big 12 Conference teams UNT has already faced this season. North Texas lost to No. 15 Oklahoma State, 77-58, in Stillwater on Nov. 24.
*Johnny Jones is in his first season as head coach of North Texas. Before his one season as an assistant at Alabama last year, Jones spent three seasons at Memphis, including the 1999-2000 campaign as the interim head coach. Prior to that he spent 13 seasons as an assistant under Dale Brown at his alma mater, LSU.
* The Mean Green are led by junior guard Chris Davis who scores 21.7 points a game and grabs 7.0 rebounds a contest. The 6-foot-5 junior guard leads the Sun Belt Conference in scoring and ranks 12th in rebounding (as of Dec. 10). Jerome Rogers (13.0 ppg) and Leonard Hopkins (10.4 ppg) are the other UNT players scoring in double figures.
*Tonight's game marks the fifth contest among the first seven UNT has played on the road. After facing K-State UNT will play three of its next four games at home.
Rally Caps...
The Wildcats have proven to be a resilient squad this year, rallying in three of their four wins. K-State has found itself behind at the half in five of those contests, including last Wednesday's matchup with Wichita State. While K-State didn't quite complete its comeback bid vs. WSU, the 'Cats took a second-half lead over the Shockers after being down by eight at the half. KSU rallied for wins in three of its first four games, including a nine-point comeback vs. Wisconsin-Green Bay (11/20) and a 10-point come-from-behind victory vs. Tennessee State (11/27). The win over UW-Green Bay marked the biggest halftime comeback (33-24 deficit) since Dec. 1, 1999 when the Wildcats trailed St. Louis 42-30 at the end of the first half and scored 39 points in the second half to clinch the win, 69-68. Overall, K-State has outscored its six opponents this season by a 235-176 margin in the second half.
K-State vs. The Sun Belt Conference...
*K-State is 13-2 (.866) all-time vs. the 11 members of the Sunbelt Conference (1-0 vs. Arkansas State, 1-0 vs. Arkansas-Little Rock, 3-0 vs. Denver, 0-1 vs. New Mexico State, 1-0 vs. New Orleans, 4-1 vs. North Texas, 3-0 vs. Western Kentucky).
*The Wildcats have never faced Florida International, Louisiana-Lafayette, Middle Tennessee State or South Alabama.
*Last time vs. the Sun Belt (New Orleans, Dec. 4, 1999): The Wildcats defeated the Privateers, 62-47, in Manhattan. Cortez Groves (14) and Tony Kitt (13) each scored in double figures for K-State.
Holding On to the Ball...
A key to the Wildcats offense is Larry Reid and his ability to direct the attack. Reid, who posted 109 assists last season (t-14th on the Wildcat single-season list), has been especially careful with the basketball lately. The senior point guard has dished out 13 asssists and turned it over just four times the past two games (assist-to-turnover = 3.25-to-1). On the season, Reid ranks seventh in the Big 12 in assists per game (5.3) and has an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.85-to-1.
Controlling the Paint...
A key to the four Wildcat victories this season has been their scoring dominance inside. On the season the Wildcats have outscored their opponents 198 to 148 in the paint. The disparity in interior scoring was especially evident in the last two Wildcat wins. K-State held the inside scoring edge vs. Tennessee State (42 to 18) and Gardner-Webb (34 to 14). The Wildcats have held a low-post scoring edge in five of their seven games this season.
Here's a look at what the Wildcats have done in the paint vs. each opponent this season...
K-State pts.Opp. pts.
Gm. 1: Troy State2822
Gm. 2: UW-Green Bay2822
Gm. 3: Ole Miss3028
Gm. 4: Tennessee State4218
Gm. 5: Gardner-Webb3414
Gm. 6: Wichita State1824
Gm. 7: Northwestern1820
Lineup Changes...
The Wildcats started their fifth different lineup of the season at Northwestern. Forward Matt Siebrandt earned his first start of the season vs. Wichita State before K-State started the fivesome of Travis Reynolds, Pervis Pasco, Janerio Spurlock, Gilson DeJesus and Larry Reid vs. the Wildcats. Reynolds, Quentin Buchanan, Pasco, Reid and DeJesus started the first two games, before Nick Williams started in place of Buchanan for games three and four. Spurlock then replaced DeJesus, who had his best two outings of the season off the bench (eight points vs. Gardner-Webb/21 points vs. Wichita State), vs. Gardner-Webb. Siebrandt then started in place of Travis Reynolds vs. WSU.
Role Reversal...
A starter in 25 of the Wildcats' 29 games last season, junior Matt Siebrandt has seen action as a reserve in five of the six games this season. The 6-foot-8 forward, who scored in double figures 15 times last season, has averaged 4.4 points and 3.4 rebounds in 18.0 minutes of action this year. In the victory over Gardner-Webb (12/1), Siebrandt posted season-highs in points (10) and rebounds (8) as well as dishing out a career-high tying four assists. In the Wildcats' four wins, the junior is averaging 7.5 points and 4.8 rebounds and hitting 78.6 percent from the floor (11 of 16 FGs). On the year, Siebrandt is shooting 57.9 percent from the field.
On the Defensive...
K-State has been steady at the defensive end throughout the season and its healthy defensive field goal percentage is one indicator. The Wildcats are holding the opposition to just 37.4 percent from the field (fourth in the Big 12) and have allowed just two opponents to shoot above 40 percent (Wisc.-Green Bay/Ole Miss).
Jim Wooldridge at-A-Glance...
*Jim Wooldridge is in his 15th season as a collegiate head coach with an overall record of 244-168 (.592).
*This is his second season as the Wildcat head coach and his fourth career head coaching position (Central Missouri, 1985-91, Southwest Texas 1991-94, Louisiana Tech, 1994-98). Wooldridge is the 20th head coach in the history of the K-State program.
*Before coming to Manhattan last season, Wooldridge served two seasons (1998-99, 1999-2000) as an assistant coach under Tim Floyd with the Chicago Bulls.
*Wooldridge turned around two struggling programs - Southwest Texas and Louisiana Tech - in his career. Wooldridge took over a SWT program in 1991-92 that had posted seven-straight losing seasons. He had them above .500 in year two and in the NCAA Tournament by year three (1993-94). Wooldridge went on to his alma mater, La. Tech, where he took an NCAA probation ridden 2-25 team to 14-13 in his first season on the job (1994-95).
* All three of his assistant coaches (Mike Miller, Robbie Laing, Charles Baker) have served as a head coach at least once during their careers.
Doubling up...
Travis Reynolds continues to be a force for the Wildcats not only on the boards, but also in the scoring column. Reynolds, who tied for sixth in the Big 12 last season with six double-doubles, notched his 10th career double-double game (14 points/10 rebounds) vs. Tennessee State (11/27). It was his second of the season after posting 15 points and 11 rebounds in the season opener vs. Troy State. The 6-foot-7 senior is now within striking distance of reaching the Wildcat career top 10. Four players (Deryl Cunningham, 1992-94, Norris Coleman, 1986-87, Jerry Venable, 1969-70, Wally Frank, 1958-60) are all tied for 10th on the chart with 15 career double-double games.
Picking up Where he Left off...
Senior Larry Reid continues to be the Wildcats' go-to player. Reid, an honorable mention All-Big 12 performer last season, leads the team in most offensive categories - points (15.1 pg), assists (5.3 pg) and free-throw percentage (89.7/35 of 39). The 6-foot point guard started off the season by scoring 15 points and collecting eight rebounds and seven assists in the 'Cats 64-60 win over Troy State and has since continued to spark K-State. Over the last five games, Reid is averaging 16.4 points and shooting 43.5 percent from the floor. Even when he has not shot the ball well, he has continued to be an integral part of the offense. Despite a 1-for-9 shooting performance in the win over Wisconsin-Green Bay (11/20), Reid made major contributions in his 37 minutes on the floor. He was 7 of 8 from the free throw line, dished out four assists and scored all of his nine points in the decisive second half in which the Wildcats rallied from a nine-point deficit at the break. Reid has picked up his offense even more recently, scoring 22 points vs. Ole Miss, 18 in the win over Tennessee State and 20 at Northwestern last Saturday.
Double Digit Efforts...
In the Wildcat's 79-73 win over Tennessee State (11/27), Travis Reynolds hit double figures in scoring for the seventh-straight game and the 14th time in the previous 20 games, dating back to last season. The Wildcats were 5-2 during his seven-game streak, which was broken vs. Gardner-Webb (two points). Reynolds, who was slowed by an ankle injury suffered prior to the Runnin' Bulldogs' game, just missed double figures vs. Wichita State when he scored nine points. He has hit double figures in four of the seven games this season and his 18 points vs. Wisconsin-Green Bay (11/20) were the second most in his career (22 vs. Eastern Washington, 12/16/00). Larry Reid leads the 'Cats in double-digit scoring, hitting double figures in six of the seven games.
Better on the Boards...
After getting out-rebounded 42-38 in the season-opener vs. Troy State, the Wildcats have reversed that early trend. K-State went on to grab more rebounds than its next four opponents before Wichita State ended that streak. The Shockers edged the 'Cats 37-34 on the boards. The Wildcats out-rebounded Wisconsin-Green Bay (27-26), Ole Miss (34-28), Tennessee State (44-39) and Gardner-Webb (48-42) in successive games and out-boarded Northwestern 47 to 33 on Saturday. Overall, the Wildcats have out-rebounded five of their seven opponents and hold a 41.4-to-35.8 board advantage over the last five games.
Frosh Acts...
The Wildcats have gotten solid contributions from a pair of freshmen this season. Travis Canby and Nick Williams have proven to be important cogs in the K-State arsenal. Canby, who has played in five games and provided a low-post presence, is averaging 2.0 points and 2.6 rebounds in 11.2 minutes a game. The 6-foot-9 forward had his best outing vs. Ole Miss (11/24/01) when he scored eight points (3 of 3 FGs/2 of 2 FTs) and grabbed four boards in 10 minutes. He went on to snag a career-high five boards vs. Gardner-Webb on Dec. 1. Williams, a first-year guard, seems to be getting more comfortable with each outing. He scored a career-high 15 points vs. Northwestern and before his foul-plagued game vs. Wichita State, scored a then-career-high 11 points vs. Gardner-Webb. His minutes have increased steadily throughout the early portion of the season. Over the last three games, Williams is averaging 10.0 points in 25.3 minutes of action.
Home Cookin'...
With eight new players on this year's roster, the Wildcats looked to acclimate the newcomers in the friendly confines of Bramlage Coliseum. K-State will play nine of its 11 non-conference games at home, including a six-game homestand that started the season. The Wildcats have not played nine home games vs. non-league foes since facing the same number of out of conference teams during the 1991-92 season. The six-game string is also the longest homestand since 1994-95 when the Wildcats played seven-straight games at home (11/29/94 - 12/19/94).
Veteran Leadership...
The Wildcats will certainly look for contributions from their eight newcomers throughout season, but head coach Jim Wooldridge has gotten key buckets and board work from his veterans in each of the Wildcat victories. In fact, the returning players scored 47 of the Wildcats' 64 points in the win over Troy State, including three of four free throws from junior forward Matt Siebrandt in the last three minutes to seal the win. The newcomers contributed as well, though, as junior Pervis Pasco collected 10 points and eight rebounds, while freshman guard Nick Williams hit a game-sealing one of two free throws with four seconds remaining in the contest. In the victory over Wisconsin-Green Bay, seniors Travis Reynolds, Phineas Atchison and Larry Reid combined for 33 of the Wildcats' 44 second-half points. Reid (22) and Reynolds (14) continued to shine vs. Ole Miss, combining for 36 points of the 'Cats 65 points. Siebrandt had his best outing of the season in the win over Gardner-Webb. On the season, the Reid-Reynolds duo has accounted for 38.4 percent of the Wildcats' offense. The twosome has combined to score 25.4 of the 'Cats 66.1 points per game.
Streaks...
*Larry Reid had his consecutive free-throw streak come to an end at Northwestern. Reid had hit 21 straight entering last Saturday's game, but missed his sixth attempt of the evening. He went 7 of 8 on the night and now ranks fifth in the Big 12 in free throw shooting percentage (89.7).
*Reid has scored in double figures in five straight games and has averaged 16.4 points over that stretch.
*Reid has started a team-best 36 straight games. Pervis Pasco, who has started every game this year (7) is second on the team in that category.
*Jim Wooldridge has won his last five encounters with North Texas. A former member of the Southland Conference, the Mean Green faced Wooldridge's Southwest Texas Bobcats during the early 1990's. He is 5-2 all-time vs. North Texas.
Janerio Spurlock Out For Season...
Kansas State University junior forward Janerio Spurlock, who injured his right knee during the second half of the Wildcats' game at Northwestern Saturday, will miss the remainder of the season. Further tests Monday revealed Spurlock fractured his right patella. The 6-foot-6 transfer from Chipola (Fla.) Junior College will have surgery Monday to repair the injury and be sidelined approximately three months. "We feel bad for Janerio," said head coach Jim Wooldridge. "He worked hard through the early portion of the season to improve his play and I think that showed over the last few games. Janerio has a good work ethic, so we know he will work hard during the rehab process with our medical staff to prepare himself for next season." Spurlock, one of the top junior-college players in the nation over the previous two seasons, played in all seven games this year, starting the last three at small forward. He averaged 6.6 points and 4.0 rebounds in 19.1 minutes of action per game, and posted career-highs in points (12) and rebounds (9) in the Wildcats' 75-57 win over Gardner-Webb on Dec. 1. Tabbed as one of the Top 60 junior-college players in the nation by CNNSI.com in 2000-01, Spurlock averaged 20.2 points per contest as a sophomore at Chipola.