Kansas State University Athletics
Wildcats tangle with Oregon State
Dec 22, 2002 | Men's Basketball
Dec. 22, 2002
Game No. 10
Oregon State (6-1)
at Kansas State (5-4)
Sunday, December 22, 2002
1 p.m. CST
Bramlage Coliseum (13,340)
Manhattan, Kan.
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Tip Time: 1:06 p.m. CST.
Television: Metro Sports. Ch. 30 on Time Warner; ch. 68 on Comcast Cable in Kansas; ch. 44 on Comcast Cable in Missouri. Ben Boyle (play-by-play) and Paul Splittorff (color) will serve as the on-air talent.
Satellite Coordinates: SBS 6, Transponder 17 (KU-Band, digital)
Radio: Live across the 27-station Mid America Sports Network. A live audio stream will also be available on www.k-statesports.com. Wyatt Thompson (play-by-play) and Stan Weber (color) will call the action.
The Records: Kansas State, 5-4, won its third straight game Friday night, defeating Lipscomb, 88-64. Oregon State is riding a six-game winning streak of its own and is coming off a 78-71 win at Indiana-Purdue-Fort Wayne on Friday.
K-State Coach Jim Wooldridge: Wooldridge (Louisiana Tech '77) is in his third season at Kansas State and owns a record of 29-38 (.433). The 2002-03 campaign marks Wooldridge's 16th as a collegiate head coach. He has amassed a 258-185 (.582) all-time record. In his first two seasons at K-State, Wooldridge lifted the Wildcats from the cellar of the Big 12 to a seventh-place finish in just his second year in Manhattan. Kansas State posted a 13-16 record in 2001-02.
Oregon State Coach Jay John: John (Arizona '81) is in his first-year as head coach at Oregon State. Prior to his arrival in Corvallis, John served four seasons as an assistant coach at Arizona, where he helped guide the Wildcats to 101 wins, including a 55-17 record in the Pac-10.The Series: First meeting since 1988. Oregon State leads the all-time series, 2-1.
Surging K-State puts three-game win streak on the line vs. red hot Oregon State
Kansas State (5-4), winners of three in a row and four of its last five games, plays its second of a season-long six-game homestand Sunday afternoon when the Wildcats host streaking Oregon State.
The game, which officially tips at 1:06 p.m. (CST), can be seen live on Metro Sports, including ch. 30 on Time Warner and ch. 68 on Comcast Cable in Kansas, and ch. 44 on Comcast Cable in Missouri. Ben Boyle will call the action with from major league pitcher Paul Splittorff providing the color analysis.
Kansas State is coming off an 88-64 victory over Lipscomb on Friday night. Four Wildcats scored in double figures, led by Pervis Pasco's season-high 18 points. Pasco also grabbed a season-best 12 rebounds for his second consecutive double-double.
Oregon State (6-1) won for the sixth time in as many games as the Beavers dropped Indiana-Purdue-Fort Wayne, 78-71, on the road. Jimmie Haywood scored 24 points and Philip Ricci added 20 to pace OSU, which trailed 38-35 at the half.
Sunday's meeting is the third all-time between the Wildcats and Beavers. Oregon State leads the series, 2-1, and had captured the last two encounters. The two teams have not met since Oregon State defeated K-State, 66-48 in Corvallis, Ore., on Dec. 3, 1988.
At stake for K-State
* Kansas State will be looking to extend its current win streak to four games. It would be the most consecutive wins of the Jim Wooldridge era and the Wildcats' most wins in a row since K-State won games 2-6 of the 1999-2000 season.
* K-State will be gunning for its fourth straight home win. The Wildcats have won nine of their last 11 in Bramlage Coliseum.
* A win over Oregon State Sunday would put the Cats at least two games over .500 through 10 games for the first time since 1999-2000.
* The Wildcats have not allowed a team to shoot 50 percent or better this season and will looking to hold its sixth straight foe below 40 percent from the floor.
* Kansas State has outrebounded its last seven opponents.* The Wildcats have shot over 50 percent in three straight games.
A quick look at the Wildcats
Kansas State enters Friday's game with a 5-4 record. All five of K-State's wins have come by double-digit margins, including a pair of 30-point victories. On the flip side, the Wildcats have struggled in close games, dropping all four of its losses by less than 10 points, including a pair of four-point defeats.
The Wildcats are shooting a shade under 50 percent on the season (243-493, .495), including a scalding 56.4 percent (102-181) in its last three games, and now rank second in the Big 12 in field goal percentage.
Defensively, K-State has held its last five opponents to a combined 35.1 percent (104-296) from the floor. Overall, foes are connecting on just 37.9 percent of their shots, with just two clubs eclipsing the 45-percent plateau. No team has managed to shoot 50 percent or better this season versus the Cats, who rank fourth in the Big 12 in field goal percentage defense.
Individually, K-State has put fourth a balanced attack on the offensive end. Seven different Wildcats have scored in double figures at least three times, with junior guard Frank Richards leading the way with six double-digit scoring games.
The Wildcats have also had five different players turn in high-scoring honors, with Richards, senior forward Gilson DeJesus and senior forward Pervis Pasco being the only repeat performers.
Richards and DeJesus are the only K-Staters currently averaging double figures in scoring through the first nine games of the season. Richards, at 12.2, leads the way, followed by DeJesus at 11.7. Pasco is averaging 9.8 points, while four other Cats are scoring between 7.6 and 9.1 ppg on average.
On the glass, senior Pervis Pasco has averaged 9.2 rebounds over the last five games games and has taken over as the Cats' leading rebounder with a 6.8 average per game. Pasco, who led the Wildcats with 18 points and 12 boards Friday night against Lipscomb, has posted double-doubles in each of the last two games.
The book on Oregon State
Red-hot Oregon State enters Sunday's match up riding a six game win streak. The Beavers' lone loss came in the season opener, when OSU was edged in overtime by Idaho, 76-73.
Since then, the Beavers have been on a roll. Led by senior forward Philip Ricci's 18.0 points per game, Oregon State has won three at home and three on the road. Ricci is also the Beavers' top rebounder and averages 8.0 boards per contest.
Two other OSU players are scoring in double figures. Brian Jackson brings a 15.1 ppg average into Sunday's contest, while Jimmie Haywood, who had 24 in Friday's 78-71 win at IPFW, is averaging 12.6 points.
Oregon State is coached by first-year head man Jay John. He served the previous four seasons as an assistant coach under Lute Olson at Arizona. While at the U of A, John helped guide the Wildcats to 101 wins, including a 55-17 record in the Pacific-10 Conference. Last year, the Wildcats captured the Pac-10 Tournament title at advanced to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament.
K-State vs. Oregon State Series
* Sunday's game will be the fourth all time between Kansas State and Oregon State.
* The Beavers hold a 2-1 edge in the all-time series.
* The contest is the first meeting between the two schools since Oregon State defeated K-State, 66-48, in Corvallis, Ore., on Dec. 3, 1988.
* The Beavers also captured the only meeting between the two squads in Manhattan, knocking off the Wildcats, 56-55, on Jan. 12, 1985.
* K-State won what is probably the best-remembered contest of the series as Rolando Blackman led a thrilling 50-48 upset of then No. 2 (AP) Oregon State in the second round of the 1981 NCAA Tournament.
* Kansas State is 33-19 all-time against teams from the Pacific-10 Conference.
* K-State has not faced a Pac-10 foe since meeting Arizona to open the 1999-2000 season.
Back on the tube
* Kansas State is making its third of 16 television appearances during the 2002-03 season and its second of five scheduled appearances on Metro Sports.
* K-State is 1-1 thus far in televised games, 1-0 on Metro Sports. The Wildcats lost a heart-breaker to Northwestern, 59-55, on Nov. 30, before bouncing back with a 102-68 win over Texas-Pan American on Dec. 11.
December to remember
After getting out to a 1-3 start in the month of November, the Wildcats have shaped up with the holidays in sight. Kansas State is 4-1 in the month of December with two games to play.
Cats breaking out on offense
As Kansas State's new players continue to grow in head coach Jim Wooldridge's system, the Wildcats are beginning to put up some impressive numbers on the offensive end of the floor.
* K-State has averaged nearly 82 points per game in its last five outings, improving its season scoring average to 73.3 points per contest. By comparison, K-State averaged just 62.8 points in its first four games of the year and 68.4 points per game last season.
* The Wildcats have shot over 56 percent from the field in their last three games, including 60.7 percent against Texas-Pan American, their highest shooting percentage since hitting 66 percent against Coastal Carolina on Dec. 6, 1997.
* Overall, K-State is now shooting 49.5 percent from the field this season, which ranks second in the Big 12 Conference. The Cats have been even more impressive over the last five games, connecting at a 51.7-percent (156-for-302) clip.
The best ever?
With its seven trifectas against Lipscomb, Kansas State has now connected on at least seven 3-point baskets in six straight games. It is K-State's most productive stretch from beyond the arc ever. The last time Kansas State hit seven or more 3-pointers in four straight games occurred during the 1993-94 campaign, when the Cats buried eight or more in each of the first four games to open the season.
More from beyond the arc
A big part of Kansas State's offensive progress in recent weeks has been the Wildcats' improvement from 3-point distance.
* K-State has shot nearly 60 percent (23-40, 57.5) from 3-point range in its last three games, including a season-high 67 percent (8-12) at Wichita State.
* The Wildcats are now shooting 40 percent from beyond the arc this season. That figure ranks second in the Big 12 Conference. By comparison, Kansas State shot just 34.8 percent last season and only 30.4 percent during its 2001-02 pre-conference schedule.Defense coming together, too
Kansas State head coach Jim Wooldridge has been pleased with the Wildcats' effort on the defensive end to this point in the season as K-State continues to play his brand of hard-nosed defense.
* Kansas State has held 7 of 9 opponents under 70 points this year, including three below 60 points. BYU's 73 points in the season opener remains the opponent season-high point total.
* The Wildcats have yet to allow an opponent to shoot 50 percent or better. In fact, only two opponents -- BYU and Northwestern -- have managed to crack 40 percent from the floor.
* K-State has held each of its last five opponents below 40-percent shooting, including Arkansas-Pine Bluff (27.3) and Texas-Pan American (34.8), which were held under 35 percent.
* For the year, foes are connecting on just 37.9 percent of their attempts from the field. That figure ranks fourth in the Big 12.
Cats tough on high scorers
Over the last six games, Kansas State has made it difficult for opposing team's leading scorer to maintain their season averages. In all six games, the Wildcats have held the opponent's top scorer under his average and four times have limited him to less that half his average. Here's a look at how K-State has fared versus its opponent's top scorer over that stretch.
Player, Team PPG vs. KSUJitim Young, Northwestern 18.3 12Kory McKee, Ark.-Pine Bluff 7.8 1Greg Babcock, UW-Green Bay1 3.4 2Kelvin Mitchell, Tex.-Pan Am. 14.0 13Jamar Howard, Wichita St. 18.2 5Chad Hartman, Lipscomb 13.6 4
Winning big
Kansas State's average margin of victory in its five wins now stands at 23.8 points. All five of K-State's victories this season have been by double digits, including wins in four of its last five games.
Last season, Kansas State racked up just six double-digit victories, four of which occurred during non-conference play.
Cats keeping the glass clean
Since being outrebounded in its first two games of the season, Kansas State has maintained the advantage on the glass in seven consecutive games. It is the best rebounding string for K-State since the Wildcats opened the 2000-01 season by outboarding its first nine foes. Most recently, the Wildcats finished with a 13-rebound edge against Wichita State and a 14-board edge against Lipscomb.
Better to give
Kansas State got into the holiday spirit a bit early in its last three games, posting its three most productive assist performances of the season.
The Wildcats opened the stretch against Texas-Pan American by combining for 22 assists. It was K-State's most assists since the Cats dished up 24 against Fairleigh Dickinson on Dec. 29, 2001.
Junior point guard Frank Richards led the charge with a career-tying high seven. It was the fourth straight game Richards has finished with at least five assists. Pervis Pasco and Jarrett Hart also had four assists each for the Wildcats.
K-State came back another solid assist performance at Wichita State, totalling 17 on the night. Again Richards set the pace with seven.
Friday versus Lipscomb, Kansas State dished out a season-best 24 assists. This time Hart led the way with a career-high eight.
The Wildcats' 63 assists in the last three games are just five less than K-State had it its previous five games combined (68).
On the season, K-State has totaled 140 assists, 31 more than its opponents, with over 57 percent of its field goals resulting from assists.
First half fortunes
Kansas State continues to put up strong first halves this season. And though the Wildcats haven't always started in the strongest of fashions, K-State has generally play solid over the opening 20 minutes, taking leads into the locker room in 7 of 9 contests.
Kansas State equalled its biggest halftime lead of the season against Texas-Pan American, racing to a 50-32 edge at the break. K-State's other double-digit halftime leads came against Michigan by 18 (41-23), Arkansas-Pine Bluff by 15 (38-23), Lipscomb (37-23) and Wichita State by 13 (44-31).
The Wildcats' 29-28 halftime lead against Northwestern was its smallest of the season. K-State also led BYU, 36-31, at intermission.
Balancing Act
To say Kansas State has had a balanced score sheet in its first five games would be an understatement.
* K-State has had a different leading scorers in 5 of 9 games. Only Gilson DeJesus, Frank Richards and Pervis Pasco have led the Wildcats in scoring more than once.
* Kansas State has just two player averaging double-digits points -- Richards at 12.2 ppg and DeJesus at 11.7 ppg. Overall, seven different K-Staters are averaging at least 7.6 points per game.
* Seven different Wildcats have scored in double figures at least three times this season.
* K-State' No. 4 and 5 scorers, Tim Ellis and Marques Hayden, have yet to start a game.
Song remains the same
Kansas State continues to go with the same starting lineup it has all season. Thus far, head coach Jim Wooldridge has started juniors Jarrett Hart and Frank Richards at the guard positions and seniors Gilson DeJesus, Pervis Pasco and Matt Seibrandt at the forward positions. DeJesus and Siebrandt have made 22 and 54 career starts, respectively. Pasco has started all 38 games of his collegiate career.
Speaking of starts
Kansas State produced one of its best starts in school history Wednesday versus Texas-Pan American. The Wildcats were a perfect 8-for-8 from the floor, including a 3-pointer by Gilson DeJesus, and 4 of 5 at the free throw line, outscoring the Broncs, 21-5, over the first 6:05 of the game.
UTPA actually opened the game by scoring five of the contest's first seven points before five different Cats scored during a 19-0 run -- K-State's longest of the year. It was the Wildcats' first double-digit run since K-State outscored the Michigan 14-4 over the final 5:05 of the first half at the Paradise Jam.
Kansas State went on to shot 67 percent during the half, making 20 of 30 attempts from the field, and finished the period with a first-half season-high 50 points.
Streak Snapper
Kansas State's win at Wichita State snapped a number of negative streaks for the Wildcats.
* The victory ended a two-game losing streak against the Wichita State.
* The win snapped an 11-game overall road losing streak and was K-State's first victory on enemy turf since the Wildcats defeated Colorado, 72-67, on March 3, 2001.
* K-State's victory put an end to a a seven-game non-conference road slide and was the Cats' first non-conference road win since defeating Georgia State, 74-61, on Dec. 29, 1999.
* Coupled with the Wildcats' victory over Texas-Pan American, the win marked the first time Kansas State has won back-to-back games this season and leveled K-State's record at .500 for the first time this year.
G for 3
Kansas State senior wingman Gilson DeJesus continues to be one of the nation's hottest 3-point shooters. He has connected on 26 of 46 (56.5 percent) attempts from beyond the arc.
* DeJesus, who drilled 7 of 12 from beyond the arc against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, connected on 5 of 6 from outside 19-9 at Wichita State.
* He now ranks first in the Big 12 in 3-point field goals made. He is also first in 3-point field goal percentage among players with at least 11 attempts.
* On the national level, DeJesus ranks 11th overall in 3-point percentage, but is first among players with at least 45 attempts* His career-best seven treys against UAPB are tied for the fourth-most on K-State's single-game chart.
* Twenty six of his 32 field goals this season have come from 3-point distance.
Big shoes fit just fine
Concerns about Kansas State's production at the point following the graduation of Larry Reid appear to be evaporating as the Wildcats continue to obtain solid production from newcomer Frank Richards. In eight games all Richards has done is:* Lead Kansas State in scoring with a 12.2 points per game average.
* Score in double digits in a team-high six games and lead the Wildcats in scoring three times.
* Shoot almost 54 percent from the field and a team-best 83.3 percent from the free throw line. His 53.9 shooting percentage ranks 14th in the Big 12, while his free throw percentage is eighth.
* Lead K-State in assists with 4.7 per contest, including a career-high seven versus Northwestern, Texas-Pan American and Wichita State. He ranks eighth in the Big 12 in assists and had paced the Wildcats in that category in 7 of 9 games.
* Haul down 3.0 rebounds per game.
* Pick off nine steals, the second-best total among Wildcat players.
Don't foul him
Kansas State point guard Frank Richards has proved to be a steady asset at the free throw line in the early going. Entering K-State's game against Lipscomb, Richards is shooting a scalding 83.3 percent (20-for-24) from the stripe. Overall, Richards ranks eighth in the Big 12 Conference in free throw percentage. However, the junior is fifth among league players with at least 14 attempts.
Hart Attack
After struggling with ligament damage to his right thumb since the first half of the BYU game, junior Jarrett Hart appears to have turned the corner in K-State's last two home games.
Hart, who averaged over 19 points a game and earned third team NJCAA All-American honors as a sophomore last season at Arkansas-Fort Smith, poured in a team a career-high 19 points on 7-for-8 shooting, including a 3-for-3 effort from beyond the arc, against the Texas-Pan American.
He came back Friday night with his second 7-for-8 shooting performance, finishing with 14 points and a K-State individual-high eight assists.
The scoring performances are just the second and third double-figure point outings of the season (he had 11 points versus Michigan) for Hart.
Stepping up
Since getting off to a slow start at the Paradise Jam, senior Matt Siebrandt has really stepped up his game.
* Siebrandt has scored in double figures in three of the last seven games, including a season-high 14 points on 7 of 11 shooting at Wichita State. He also had eight points against Arkansas-Pine Bluff and nine points at UW-Green Bay.
* The senior connected on 12 of 21 attempts last week -- a shooting percentage of 57 percent -- and averaged 13.5 points.
* Siebrandt also had a solid week on the boards versus UTPA and Wichita State, hauling down eight rebounds against the Broncs and tying a career high with nine caroms versus the Shockers.
* In the last six games, Siebrandt has hauled down an average of 7.0 rebounds and has three games with at least eight boards.
Get it outta here
Pervis Pasco continues to be a defensive force down low. After tying a career high with five blocks against Michigan, Pasco added three more versus UTPA and one each at Wichita State and versus Lipscomb. He is now averaging 1.44 per game to rank ninth in the Big 12. The junior is also moving up K-State's career blocks chart and ranks eighth all-time with 62. With 12 more he will move into a tie with Kevin Howell in the No. 7 position.
Double trouble
After not having a player turn in a double-double in K-State's first seven games, Pervis Pasco has had one in each of the Cats' last two games.
Pervis Pasco collected his first double-double of the season and the 11 of his K-State career at Wichita State last Saturday. Pasco finished with 12 points and a 10 rebounds.
He came back with a season-high 18 points and a season-best 12 rebounds against Lipscomb, with his 12 boards just one short of a career-high.
Over the last five games, Pasco has averaged 9.2 rebounds. Last season, the forward averaged 8.4 rebounds per game.
Super sixth-man
Junior college transfer Tim Ellis may still be getting used to Kansas State's offensive sets. But, the Seattle, Wash., native continues to put up solid numbers, despite coming off the bench.
Ellis, who has yet to start, is fourth on the team in scoring, averaging 9.1 points, and last Saturday came off the bench to pour in 15 at Wichita State. He had nine points in 18 minutes Friday night versus Lipscomb.
Ellis' performance at Wichita State marked the third double-digit scoring game of the season for the senior, who scored 14 points on 5-for-10 shooting against BYU and 11 points on 5-for-7 shooting against Michigan.
And despite launching most of his shots from outside the paint, Ellis is four on the team in shooting percentage among players with at least 10 attempts, converting 53.4 percent of his tries from the field this season.
Ellis has also fared well from beyond the arc, connecting on 12 of his 25 attempts (48.0 percent) to rank second on the team and fourth in the Big 12 in that category.
Almost automatic
Freshman Marques Hayden continues to show incredible maturity around the basket. Not only does he rank third on the team in rebounding (5.0 rpg) and fifth in scoring (8.2 ppg) despite coming off the bench in all nine games. He is also converting nearly 56 percent of his attempts from the field and is one of four Wildcats with at least 10 attempts shooting better than 50 percent from the floor.
Hayden has four double-figure scoring efforts this season, including 10 points on 4-for-6 shooting Friday against Lipscomb. He also scored 11 points against Texas-Pan American, 14 versus Arkansas-Pine Bluff and 20 against BYU in his collegiate debut.
Hayden would rank 10th in the Big 12 in shooting percentage, but does not have enough field goals to qualify.