K-State begins last week of regular season with trip to Kansas

Game 26:

Kansas State (15-10, 5-9 Big 12) at 7/7 Kansas (21-4, 11-3 Big 12)

Wednesday, March 2, 2005

Allen Fieldhouse (16,300)

Lawrence, Kan.

Tipoff: 8:05 p.m. CST

Television: Jayhawk TV/ESPN2. Available in the state of Kansas on WIBW-TV (CBS) in Topeka and Manhattan, KWCV-TV (WB) in Wichita and WDAF-TV (Fox) in Kansas City. Dave Armstrong (play-by-play) and Chris Piper (color) will call the action. ESPN2’s broadcast will cover the rest of the country. Ron Franklin (play-by-play) and Fran Fraschilla (color) will call the action.

Radio: Live across the 29-station Mid America Sports Network. A live audio stream will also be available on www.k-statesports.com. Wyatt Thompson (play-by-play) and Ben Boyle (color) will call the action.

The Records: Kansas State is 15-10 and 5-9 in Big 12 play after an 84-82 at Colorado on Saturday. Kansas is 21-4 and 11-3 in Big 12 play after a 81-79 win over Oklahoma State on Sunday.

The Rankings: Kansas is rated a consensus top 10 team by both major polls, ranking seventh in both the Associated Press and USA Today/ESPN Coaches’ Top 25 polls. K-State is not ranked.

K-State Coach Jim Wooldridge: Wooldridge (Louisiana Tech ’77) is in his fifth season at Kansas State and owns a record of 66-75 (.468). He has amassed a 295-223 (.571) all-time record in this his 18th season as a collegiate head coach. He is 0-10 vs. Kansas, including 0-4 on the road.

Kansas Coach Bill Self: Self (Oklahoma State ’85) is 45-13 (.776) in his second season at Kansas and 252-118 (.681) in his 12th season as a head coach. He is 4-0 all-time against K-State.

The Series: Kansas leads the series, 167-88. The Jayhawks have won 29 straight, including 10 in a row in Lawrence. KU is 76-34 at home. The last win by K-State in the series came on Jan. 17, 1994 when it upset No. 1 Kansas, 68-64.

Officials: Announced on game day.

Kansas State - Projected Starters

3 Lance Harris G 6-5 190 So. 9.6 ppg., 2.4 apg.

5 Clent Stewart G 6-4 195 Fr. 5.4 ppg., 3.9 apg.

12 Fred Peete G 6-4 200 So. 13.4 ppg., 4.7 rpg.

15 Jeremiah Massey F 6-7 220 Sr. 17.6 ppg., 6.9 rpg.

20 Cartier Martin F 6-7 220 So. 10.9 ppg., 5.0 rpg.

Key Reserves

1 Schyler Thomas G 6-0 185 Jr. 1.7 ppg., 0.5 rpg.

4 Curtis Allen G 6-4 200 Fr. 1.4 ppg., 0.8 rpg.

40 Travis Canby F 6-10 237 Sr. 0.6 ppg., 0.7 rpg.

54 Justin Williams F 6-10 245 Sr. 3.4 ppg., 3.6 rpg.

55 Tyler Hughes F 6-11 240 So. 2.5 ppg., 3.1 rpg.

Injuried

21 Dramane Diarra F 6-8 245 Sr. 0.0 ppg., 0.0 rpg.

Kansas - Projected Starters

5 Keith Langford G 6-4 215 Sr. 15.2 ppg., 4.4 rpg.

11 Aaron Miles G 6-1 175 Sr. 9.2 ppg., 3.6 rpg.

15 J.R. Giddens G 6-5 200 So. 10.2 ppg., 4.0 rpg.

23 Wayne Simien F 6-9 255 Sr. 19.2 ppg., 10.8 rpg.

34 Christian Moody F 6-8 220 Jr. 6.4 ppg., 4.8 rpg.

Key Reserves

1 Jeff Hawkins G 5-11 180 Jr. 2.5 ppg., 0.3 rpg.

2 Alex Galindo F 6-7 205 Fr. 4.3 ppg., 1.9 rpg.

3 Russell Robinson G 6-1 185 Fr. 4.1 ppg., 0.8 rpg.

24 Sasha Kaun C 6-11 235 Fr. 3.0 ppg., 2.6 rpg.

25 Michael Lee G 6-3 215 Sr. 3.9 ppg., 1.4 rpg.

32 Darnell Jackson F 6-8 240 Fr. 2.1 ppg., 1.7 rpg.

33 C.J. Giles C 6-10 220 Fr. 3.0 ppg., 2.7 rpg.

55 Moulaye Niang F 6-10 220 Jr. 0.6 ppg., 1.2 rpg.

K-State begins last week of regular season with trip to No. 7/7 Kansas on Wednesday

After a pair of wins last week, Kansas State (15-10, 5-9 Big 12) begins the last week of the regular season with a trip east to play archrival and No. 7/7 Kansas (21-4, 11-3 Big 12) at Allen Fieldhouse on Wednesday beginning at 8 p.m. K-State, which has clinched its first winning record since 1998-99, will conclude the season on Saturday when it hosts to Nebraska (13-12, 6-8 Big 12) at 12:30 p.m.

The game will be carried locally on the Jayhawk Television Network with Dave Armstrong (play-by-play) and Chris Piper (color) handling the broadcast duties, while nationally it will be aired live on ESPN2 with Ron Franklin (play-by-play) and Fran Fraschilla (color) calling the action. It will be available on local stations throughout the state, including WIBW-TV in Topeka and Manhattan, KSCC-TV in Wichita and WDAF-TV in Kansas City.

The contest will also be available on the 29-station Mid-America Sports Network with the Voice of the Wildcats, Wyatt Thompson (play-by-play), and Ben Boyle (color) behind the mikes.

Kansas State made its two wins in a row on Saturday, as the Wildcats broke a four-game losing streak to Colorado and earned its first win in Boulder since 2001 with an 84-82 victory. Heading into the final week, K-State is in ninth place, just one game out of eighth place (6-8; Nebraska and Missouri) and two games out of sixth (7-7; Texas A&M and Iowa State) with two games left.

Kansas State has lost 29 games in a row to Kansas in the series, including 10 in a row in Lawrence. The Wildcats’ last win came on Jan. 17, 1994 when they upset No. 1 Kansas, 68-64.

Last time out: K-State 84, Colorado 82

Senior Jeremiah Massey registered a game-high 28 points and a career-high 19 rebounds and sophomore Lance Harris posted a career-best 20 points, as the Wildcats held off a stiff Colorado rally to post an 84-82 win on Saturday. Kansas State connected on 56.9 percent of its field goals and held a 39-24 rebounding advantage.

Recapping Colorado

uFor the third time this year, Kansas State started a lineup of senior Jeremiah Massey and sophomore Cartier Martin at the forward spots and sophomores Lance Harris and Fred Peete and freshman Clent Stewart at the guard positions. Peete and Stewart have started all 25 games for K-State, while Massey made his 43rd start in his 53-game career.

uK-State continued its impressive shooting against Colorado, converting on 56.9 percent of its field goals for 84 points. It marks the first time since early January (Central Missouri, Nebraska) that the team has scored 80 or more points in back-to-back games, while it the first time the team has connected on 50 percent or better from the field in consecutive games since early December (Oakland, Wyoming).

After averaging 60.7 points on 37.6 percent shooting during its six-game slide, K-State is averaging 82 points in its last two games on 56.5 percent shooting.

Kansas State out-rebounded its third straight foe, as it held a 35-24 advantage over Colorado. After not holding a rebounding edge in eight straight games, the Wildcats have outperformed their last three foes by an average of 10.6 rebounds (36.3-25.7), including a commanding 15.5 rebounds (37-21.5) in the last two.

Senior Jeremiah Massey nearly became the first Wildcat to tally 20 points and 20 rebounds in a game since Kelvin Howell (21 points, 20 rebounds) did it against Texas Tech on Feb. 18, 2001, as he poured in a game-high 28 points and a career-high 19 rebounds. His 19 boards are the second-most in the Big 12 this season and the eighth-most by a Wildcat in a league game in school history. He has now scored in double figures in 22 of the Wildcats’ 25 games, including 16 consecutive games dating back to Dec. 30, 2004.

Improvement Made

With its win over Colorado, Kansas State secured its first winning season in six years and posted its highest win total (15) since the 1998-99 squad posted a 20-13 record and advanced to the postseason NIT.

Since posting 11 wins in 2001, the program has slowly but surly improved its win total under head coach Jim Wooldridge. After winning 13 games each in 2002 and 2003, the Wildcats posted their first non-losing season last season (14-14) since 1998-99. With just two games remaining in the regular season and at least one game in the Big 12 Tournament, the team has guarantee itself to post back-to-back non-losing seasons for the first time in six seasons (1998, 1999).

Magic Number

With two games remaining in the regular season and the Big 12 Tournament looming ahead, Kansas State is looking to make a final push for its first postseason appearance since the 1998-99 team went to the NIT. If you look at the eight-year history of the Big 12, the Wildcats have a shot at the postseason with at least one win in one of its last two games. Since the inaugural season, only one team (Baylor in 1996-97) has failed to make a postseason appearance (NIT or NCAA) after having a winning record and at least six league wins. The last four teams to do this (Baylor in 2000-01; Texas Tech and Iowa State in 2002-03; Nebraska in 2003-04 ) have qualified for the NIT.

Stellar Trio

The sophomore trio of Lance Harris, Cartier Martin and Fred Peete are proving to be one of the best young groups in school history. With just one of senior seeing significant time, the trio has blossomed into one of the top scoring trios in school history. The three have combined to average 33.7 points (Peete - 13.4 ppg.; Martin - 10.7 ppg.; Harris - 9.6 ppg.) this season, which is the highest by three underclassmen since the 1978-79 season when sophomore Rolando Blackman (17.3 ppg.) and freshmen Ed Nealy (10.2 ppg.) and Tyrone Adams (8.1 ppg.) combined to average 35.6 points for head coach Jack Hartman.

Counting the 1979 team, it is just the sixth time in school history (1971, 1975, 1978, 1986) that three underclassmen have combined to average over 30 points per game. However, this year’s trio is on pace to become the first group of underclassman to each average at least 9.0 points in the same season.

The 33.7 average points account for nearly 50 percent of the team’s 69.2 scoring average. The number is even better in Big 12 play, where the three combine for 35.5 points (Peete - 13.0 ppg; Harris - 11.4 ppg., Martin - 11.1 ppg.) or 52.8 percent of the 67.2 average. K-State is one of just two Big 12 teams (along with Baylor) to have three underclassmen averaging in double figure scoring in conference-only contests.

Sturdy Freshman

Freshman guard Clent Stewart can make history if he starts the reminder of the Wildcats’ games. He would become the first true freshman in school history to start every game in a season. With at least three games remaining, Stewart can at least tie Mike Evans (28; 1974-75) for the most starts by a true freshman.

The book on Kansas

Kansas (21-4, 11-3 Big 12) snapped a three-game losing streak on Sunday with its 81-79 win over No. 4/4 Oklahoma State. With the win, KU is currently in sole possession of first place in the Big 12 with an 11-3 record. Senior Wayne Simien led four players in double figures with a career-high 32 points and 12 rebounds. Prior to the win over OSU, the Jayhawks had lost three in a row - its longest skid since 1993-94. All three losses came by a total of 11 points, including one in overtime and one in double overtime.

Kansas is averaging 75.7 points on 47.8 percent shooting with 38.4 rebounds, 16.6 assists, 14.6 turnovers, 7.0 steals and 4.0 blocks. The Jayhawks are allowing their foes a mere 64.4 points per game.

All-American candidate Wayne Simien paces three players in double figure scoring with a 19.2 points per game average to go with a Big 12-high 10.8 rebounds per game. Keith Langford adds 15.2 points to go with 4.4 rebounds, while sophomore J.R. Giddens averages 10.2 points and 4.0 rebounds.

The team is coached by Bill Self (Oklahoma State 85), who is 45-13 (.776) in his second season at Kansas and 252-118 (.681) in his 12th season overall.

First Meeting: KU 74, K-State 65

Kansas State rallied from a double-digit deficit to close within four points against archrival Kansas with less than five minutes to play, however, it couldn’t complete the rally as the Jayhawks pushed their winning streak to 29 games with a 74-65 win on Feb. 9.

The Wildcats used a 14-2 run that included a Fred Peete three-pointer followed by five straight points from Jeremiah Massey. Sophomore Cartier Martin’s jumper with sliced the lead to 58-54 with 4:21 to go. However, Wayne Simien made a big free throw and Keith Langford got a lay-up as the shot-clock expired to keep the winning streak alive.

Sophomore Fred Peete turned in 20 points on 6-of-12 field goals, including six three-pointers, while senior Jeremiah Massey added 20 points for the fourth time in six games in the loss. Sophomore Lance Harris posted 11 points on 4-of-9 shooting.

The last visit to Allen Fieldhouse

LAWRENCE, Kan. - Wayne Simien scored 19 points and Keith Langford added 17, and No. 14 Kansas held off K-State's second-half rally for a 73-67 win.

Junior guard Michael Lee, who missed nine games with a broken collarbone, hit four clutch free throws and scored a career-high 16 points for Kansas, which beat the Wildcats for the 27th straight time.

Kansas State converted an intentional foul charged to Simien into five points over the span of less than a minute, cutting Kansas' lead to 63-58 with 4:11 left.

Two straight baskets by Marques Hayden got the Wildcats within 67-63 with 1:55 left. But Simien hit a shot from the lane with 1:39 to go and Lee was 4-for-4 from the line in the final minute to seal the closest victory in the series since 1997.

Jeff Graves had 11 points and nine rebounds in a reserve role, while Aaron Miles had a season-high 11 assists for the Jayhawks.

Frank Richards led Kansas State with 19 points and eight rebounds, while Ellis added 16 points, Jeremiah Massey 12 and Hayden 10.

After Lee's 3-pointer capped Kansas' 9-0 run and gave the Jayhawks a 36-29 lead with a minute remaining in the half, Ellis hit a 3-pointer with 5 seconds left in the half for Kansas State.

Young Wildcats

With one senior joining three sophomores and one true freshman in the starting lineup for most of the season, Kansas State is one of the youngest teams in the Big 12. In fact, if you look at the statistics across the board in the conference, the Wildcats trail just Baylor in most categories for highest percentage of team production by underclassmen. Over 60 percent of the team’s minutes (67%), field goal attempts (64%), points scored (62%) and steals (67%) have come by freshmen and sophomores, while over 70 percent of the assists (77%) and over 90 percent of the three-point field goals (95%) have come by these underclassmen. The numbers are even better in just Big 12 games, where freshman and sophomores are more than 65 percent of the team’s totals in minutes (72%), field goal attempts (70%), points scored (67%), three-point field goals (97%), assists (80%), steals (72%) and defensive rebounds (67%). Kansas State and Baylor are the only teams in the Big 12 to have three underclassmen averaging in double figure scoring in conference-only games.

Close Losses

Kansas State may look back at the 2004-05 and ask what might have been if several close games had gone the way of the Wildcats. Six of the team’s nine conference losses have come by 10 points or less, including two on last second shots and two in overtime. The Wildcats lost in the last four seconds to both Texas Tech and Oklahoma at home, while they suffered overtime defeats on the road against Nebraska (double overtime) and Texas. The point differential in losses to the league’s top 5 teams is a mere 7.2 points with just one double-digit defeat.

Improved Attendance

With just one home game remaining, Kansas State is aiming to post its highest total attendance since the 1998-99 season and the highest average since the 1999-2000 season. The Wildcats have drawn 124,949 fans to 17 games, which is the most since the 1998-99 team drew 156,072, while the average of 7,350 is the highest since the 1999-2000 squad averaged 8,336 fans. The average is even better in Big 12 play, where the Wildcats are averaging 9,558. The team needs around 12,500 fans to attend the Nebraska game to top the 1998-99 team (9,913) for the highest average home Big 12 attendance.

Surprising Beyond the Arc

After all losing its top three guards to graduation, no one in the country expected Kansas State to be a serious three-point shooting threat in 2004-05. However, the Wildcats rank fifth in the Big 12 and 36th nationally with a 38.2 (147-of-385) shooting percentage, while the team is hitting 37.7 percent (92-of-244) in conference play. K-State has connected on 10 or more three-point baskets in four games this year. Twice this year, the Wildcats have hit 13 treys (Texas Tech and Texas), which is the most since 2002.

The team has four players with 20 or more three-point field goals led by sophomore Lance Harris’ 45 treys. Fellow sophomores Fred Peete and Cartier Martin add 40 and 31 three-pointers, respectively, while freshman Clent Stewart has 22. It is the first time since the 2001-02 season that the Wildcats have had four players with 15 or more three-pointers and three with 30 or more treys. Peete combined for 13 three-point baskets against Kansas and Texas, including career-best seven against the Longhorns, which ties for the most by a Big 12 player this season. The seven also tied for fourth-most treys in both overall and conference games in school history.

Dishing out the Assists

Not only has Kansas State improved its three-point shooting with its new backcourt, but it is also on pace to post its highest assist total in almost seven years. The Wildcats have averaged 16.2 assists (fifth in the Big 12), which is on pace to be the highest since the team averaged 16.9 in 1997-98. The average is also almost an assist higher than the previous season-high (15.40; 2002-03) for a Jim Wooldridge team.

In addition, the Wildcats have two players among the Big 12’s top 15 with guards Clent Stewart (ninth, 3.88) and Fred Peete (12th, 3.64). The team hasn’t had two players average 3.5 assists per game since guards Steve Henson and LaKeith Humphrey in 1988-89. Counting sophomore Lance Harris’ 2.4 assists per game, the team has three players averaging 2.4 assists per game, which hasn’t happened since 1982-83.

With 97 assists on the season, Stewart is on pace to break Steve Henson’s freshman assist record of 114 set in 1986-87. It would also be the first time a freshman has led the team in assists since Henson in 1987.

Sticking Fingers

Kansas State’s improvement is also evident in the steals category, where the Wildcats are on pace for its highest per game total of the Jim Wooldridge era. So far this year, K-State has averaged 6.8 steals per game or a total of 171 for the season, which is on pace to be the highest since the 1997-98 team averaged 7.4. It is more than a steal per game higher than the previous high for a Wooldridge-coached team (5.41 in 2000-01).

The Wildcats have tallied five or more steals in 21 games with a season-best 12 against Colorado on Feb. 5. The average is higher in Big 12 contests where the team is averaging 7.1 steals per game, which is the fourth-highest average in the league.

The team has two players ranked among the Big 12’s top 20, as sophomore Fred Peete ranks third (2.12) and senior Jeremiah Massey places 11th (1.56). Three others - Cartier Martin, Lance Harris and Clent Stewart - have also tallied double digit steals.

With four steals against Baylor, Peete (52) broke Richie Terry’s sophomore record (51; 2001) and now ranks seventh in the single-season chart.

Solid from the Stripe

Kansas State has been a pleasant surprise from the free throw line this season, as the Wildcats rank fifth in the Big 12 at 69.2 percent (337-of-487). The team is on pace to post the highest free throw percentage of the Jim Wooldridge era and its highest since the 1988-89 team shot 70.9 percent. The Wildcats have shot almost 100 more free throws (487-386) than their foes and are hitting at a higher percentage (69.2-67.1). Senior Jeremiah Massey ranks seventh in the Big 12 in free throw percentage at 79.0 percent, while sophomore Fred Peete is 14th at 72.0 percent.

One of the Big 12’s Best

Senior Jeremiah Massey should be counted among the most productive players in the Big 12. One of just three players (along with Wayne Simien and Joey Graham) to rank among the top 10 in scoring, rebounding, field goal percentage and free throw percentage in the league, Massey has demonstrated himself to be a legitimate candidate to become the school’s inaugural first-team All-Big 12 player and first all-conference first team player since Elliot Hatcher made the 1996 All-Big Eight first team.

Using the NBA’s Player Efficiency Ranking, which it uses to rank the league’s most productive players, Massey would rank among the Big 12’s top three (trailing only KU’s Wayne Simien and Tech’s Ronald Ross). The formula for the ranking adds points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks; then subtracts missed field goals, missed free throws and turnovers. The number is then divided by the number of Big 12 games played. Massey has a rating of 21.07, less than four points behind Simien (24.46) and Ross (23.4) and more than a point ahead of OSU’s Joey Graham (20.0).

Massive Impact

A year after earning Big 12 Newcomer of the Year honors, senior forward Jeremiah Massey has continued to evolve into one of the Big 12’s top players. This past week he had one of the most productive efforts of his career, as he averaged 26.0 points on 80 percent shooting (20-of-25) to go with 12.0 rebounds. After scoring 24 points on 10-of-12 shooting against Baylor, he came up with a 28-point, 19-rebound performance against Colorado on Saturday. It was the second-most rebounds in the Big 12 this year and the eighth-most rebounds by a Wildcat in a conference game.

Twice named the Phillips 66 Big 12 Player of the Week, he is the only player in the league to rank among the top 15 in scoring, field goal percentage, free throw percentage, rebounding and steals. On Feb. 19, Massey was named to the NABC All-District 12 second team and is now eligible for that organization’s All-American team.

The team leader in scoring (17.6) and rebounding (6.9), Massey has led the team in scoring on 13 occasions and has tallied double figure scoring in 22 of the team’s 25 games. He posted 20 or more points on 11 occasions, including six of the last 11 games.

Elite Company

Senior Jeremiah Massey is on pace to finish his career among elite company in Kansas State history. Massey, who became just the 36th player in school history to score 800 points against Oklahoma, is currently averaging 16.1 points in his two-year career, which would place him ninth on the career scoring average chart. His career average would top those of Rolando Blackman (15.2; 1978-81), Elliot Hatcher (15.2; 1995-96) and Askia Jones (14.8; 1990-94). If you break it down by those who played just two years, Massey’s average would rank sixth and the highest since Jean Derouillere (16.5; 1990-91). After scoring 28 points on Saturday, he now ranks 29th on the school’s all-time list and is on pace to finish his career among the top 25 (needs 44 points). His current 17.6 scoring average this season is the highest since Askia Jones averaged 22.1 points during the 1993-94 season.

After tying his career-high with four steals against Oklahoma, Massey jumped into the K-State career top 15 with one pick against Colorado to tally 66 for his career. His career 1.29 per game average already ranks seventh on the all-time list.

Most Improved Player

Sophomore guard Lance Harris has been one of the Wildcats’ most improved players in 2004-05. He is averaging 9.6 points on 45.1 percent shooting, including 40.9 percent from three-point range, after averaging just 2.1 points on 28.8 percent shooting as a freshman, including just 23.8 percent from beyond the arc. His 9.6 scoring average is the highest by a player with fewer than five starts in school history (going back to 1967-68 season), while 11.1 average in Big 12 play is the highest by a reserve since the inception of the Big Eight/12. A starter in the last three games, Harris has scored in double figures in eight of the last nine games, including seven in a row. He is averaging 15.0 points during the last seven games on 49.3 percent shooting (39-of-79). Harris had another career-day against Colorado on Saturday, scoring a career-high 20 points on 8-of-11 field goals.

Clutch Performer

Sophomore guard Fred Peete has been a solid addition for Wildcats in 2004-05. The junior college transfer ranks first on the team in minutes (35.0 mpg.) and steals (2.1 spg.), second in scoring (13.4 ppg.) and assists (3.64 apg.) and third in rebounding (4.7 rpg.) He has scored in double figures in 19 of 25 games, including 20 or more points in five contests.

Peete was named the Big 12 co-Rookie of the Week for the first time on Dec. 13 after he averaged a team-best 16.5 points on 59.1 percent shooting in helping the Wildcats to wins over Oakland and Wyoming. He earned the award for a second time on Feb. 14 after averaging 24.0 points on 51.7 percent shooting in close losses No. 3 Kansas and No. 22 Texas. After scoring 20 points against Kansas on a then career-high 6-of-9 from three-point range, he set a career-high with 28 points against Texas, including a new career-best 7-of-14 from beyond the arc.

Peete had one of the best clutch efforts by a Wildcat in school history against Wyoming on Dec. 11. In scoring 24 points on 10-of-13 shooting, he was one of the main reasons the team rallied from a nine-point deficit with just under four minutes to play. He scored 10 points during the span, including the team’s last eight points. Peete tied it on a three-pointer with 25 seconds then scored the game-winning points on three-point play with one second.

Stop, Thief!

Sophomore Fred Peete has made an even greater impact this season on the defensive end, where he paces the team in steals (53, 2.1 spg.). Three times he has registered five steals in a game, while he has three or more in six other contests. Peete ranks third in the Big 12, while he is one of just three players with 50 or more steals this season. To further illustrate his impact on the defensive end for the team, his 53 steals are nearly double the team-best totals of 2003-04 (28). With four steals against Baylor on Feb. 23, he set the school-record for most by a sophomore, surpassing Richie Terry (51, 2001). Now ranking seventh in school history, he needs 14 more to break Jeff Wires’ school mark of 66 set during the 1990-91 season.

Help from Bench

Freshman Curtis Allen has suddenly become a spark off the bench for the Wildcats. He has seen action in eight straight games after playing in just nine of the team’s first 14 games. Allen scored five big points against Texas then had six points on 3-of-6 shooting at Colorado with two assists and one steal.

Minute Man

Sophomore Fred Peete also has proved to be very durable for the Wildcats this season, averaging a team-best 35.0 minutes per game. One of just two Wildcats to play in all 25 games, he is on pace to post the sixth-highest minutes average in school history and the highest since Larry Reid also averaged 35.2 minutes in 2001-02. His minutes average ranks fifth in the Big 12. Peete has played 30 or more minutes in all but two games, including a pair of 40 plus minute outings against Nebraska on Jan. 8 and Texas on Feb. 12. He is averaging 36.6 minutes in Big 12 play.

Ahead of the Curve

Despite being a true freshman Clent Stewart has proven to be a solid point guard for the Wildcats in 2004. One of just two players to start in all 24 games, Stewart is averaging 5.4 points on 34.1 percent shooting with 3.9 assists and 2.2 rebounds in 31.3 minutes per game. He ranks ninth in the Big 12 (and second among freshman) in assists, while he is 14th in assist-turnover ratio (and second among freshman). He is the first freshman to start a season opener since 2001.

With 97 assists entering the Kansas game, Stewart is on pace to break Steve Henson’s freshman record for assists (114, 1986-87) and become the first freshman to pace the team in assists in 19 years.

Despite his youth, Stewart has been a clutch performer for the Wildcats. In the last two minutes against Wyoming, he hit a three-pointer, stole the ball on an in-bounds pass and called timeout while falling out of bounds, produced the game-tying assist on Fred Peete’s three-pointer and grabbed the defensive rebound before Peete’s game-winning lay-up.

Massey Comes Up Massive

Senior Jeremiah Massey came up with one of the biggest performances by a Wildcat in some time against Northern Illinois with a career-best 32 points on 8-of-15 shooting and 16-of-17 free throws. Massey’s 32 points were the most by a Wildcat since Askia Jones scored a school-record 62 points against Fresno State on March 24, 1994. The 32-point effort was also matched twice by Elliot Hatcher against Auburn in 1994 and Marshall in 1995. He is the first Wildcat to score 30 or more points since Pervis Pasco netted 30 against North Texas on Dec. 15, 2001. For his efforts, he was named Big 12 Player of the Week.

Massey also etched his name into the Kansas State record book for free throws, connecting on 16 of 17, including 12 of 13 in the second half. His 16 free throws set a Bramlage Coliseum record and tied for the fourth-most in school history. It was the most by a Wildcat since Steve Henson knocked down 17 against Iowa State on Feb. 24, 1988. His 17 attempts also tied for the most by a Wildcat in Bramlage with Askia Jones, who had 17 against Missouri in 1993.

Home Court Advantage

With its 74-54 win over Missouri on Jan. 15, Kansas State secured its 59th consecutive home winning season. The Wildcats are 600-167 (.782) dating back to the start of the streak in 1946-47 season, which has spanned three different arenas - Nichols Gym, Ahearn Field House and Bramlage Coliseum.

With the win over Central Missouri on Jan. 3, K-State achieved at least nine wins on its home court in 12 of the last 14 seasons. The team has now won at least 10 games at home for four consecutive seasons. In fact, the Wildcats have won 41 of their last 56 games at home dating back to 2001-02. Overall, K-State is 55-26 (.679) at home under Jim Wooldridge.

In its 17th season of hosting Wildcat basketball, Bramlage has seen Kansas State post a 187-76 (.711) record since its opening during the 1988-89 season.

Impressive Start

Kansas State’s 10-1 mark during non-conference play is the best by a Wildcat team since the 1993-94 team posted a 13-1 mark. The program has now won 10 or more non-league games 12 times since the 1979-80 season, but just twice in the last 10 seasons. K-State started the season with eight straight wins, which ranks among the top 5 best starts in school history. The team tied the start of the 1979-80 team that also jumped out to an 8-0 start before suffering their first loss at Minnesota. The record, which is the best start during the Wooldridge era, marks the sixth time in school history that a team has started a season 8-0 (starting in 1918-19). The 1918-19 team owns the best start in school history when they won their first 17 games. All seven squads that posted a non-league mark better or equal to that of the 2004-05 team have advanced to postseason play, including four trips to the NCAA Tournament (1980, 1981, 1982, 1993).

Wooly’s Rally Cats

Head coach Jim Wooldridge began a program in the offseason to help the youth of Kansas enjoy the thrill of Wildcat basketball. Rally Cats wishes to donate $20,000 worth of tickets to organizations such as the Boys and Girls Clubs, Boy and Girl Scouts, Special Olympics, YMCA, United Way and local schools. Each group will be given special T-shirts and will receive a special introduction. Wooldridge donated a lead gift of $10,000, while other donors have now stepped up to finish the remaining $10,000 to provide this opportunity to this special group.

Tube Time

Kansas State will make a total of 19 regular-season television appearances during the 2004-05 season, including 12 on Fox Sports Net Midwest. K-State signed a three-year contract with Fox Sports in September 2003 to be the exclusive third-tier television right holder. In addition, ESPN Plus will broadcast seven games during the Big 12 season.

Historic Defense

Kansas State set three new Bramlage Coliseum marks for defense in the 76-42 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Nov. 29. The Wildcats held the Golden Lions to records for fewest points in a half (10) and lowest field goal percentage in a half (14.7), while the two combined for the lowest point total in a half (42; 32-10).

The Wildcats Ink Hoskins, Cisse and Sidibe to Letters of Intent

Kansas State head men’s basketball coach Jim Wooldridge and his staff announced the signing of junior college transfer David Hoskins (Schoolcraft College/Central Michigan/Plymouth-Salem High/Canton, Mich.) and renowned international players Ousmane Cisse (Stockbridge (Ga.) Community Christian/Abidjan, Ivory Coast) and Sidiki Sidibe (Asnieres, France) to National Letters of Intent on Nov. 17. Hoskins will enter Kansas State in the fall of 2005 as a sophomore, while Cisse and Sidibe will be freshmen.

“We had specific needs to fill with this class,” said Wooldridge. “We wanted a high-quality perimeter guy that could handle and score the ball and we wanted to add some high impact interior players to replace the four we are losing to graduation. We have accomplished this with the signing of David, Ousmane and Sidiki.”

A 6-foot-5, 225-pound wing from Canton, Mich., Hoskins was considered one of the top high school players in Michigan before signing with Central Michigan as a senior. As a true freshman at CMU, he averaged 8.0 points per game with 3.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.3 blocks in 22 minutes per game. Hoskins led the team in steals with 36, while he was third in points, rebounds, assists and blocks.

A 6-foot-8, 245-pound forward, Ousmane Cisse (pronounced OOS-mon SEE-say) moved to the United States this year from his native Abidjan, Ivory Coast. He is a senior at Community Christian School in Stockbridge, Ga. Cisse averaged 19 points per game in several youth tournaments in the Ivory Coast.

One of the tallest players to have ever signed with Kansas State, Sidiki Sidibe (pronounced Suh-DEE-kee Suh-DEEB-ee) is a 7-foot-1, 265 pound forward from Asnieres, France. Despite just playing three years of basketball, Sidibe is rated by many NBA and European professional scouts as one of the top 20 basketball prospects on the continent. Sidibe was the captain and starting middle blocker for the French Junior National Volleyball Team in 2004.

K-State to retire jerseys of Boozer, Barrett and Parr

Kansas State Director of Athletics Tim Weiser announced on Nov. 3, 2004 that the Wildcats will retire the jerseys of basketball all-Americans Bob Boozer, Ernie Barrett and Jack Parr in a halftime ceremony during the Colorado game on Feb. 5, 2005. The jersey numbers will hang from the rafters of Bramlage Coliseum.

"It is with great excitement that we begin the process of honoring the players who built K-State's long and storied tradition in the sport of basketball," Weiser said. "This will be the first of several jersey retirement ceremonies to take place in coming years, and what better way to start then with the three All-Americans who were responsible for starting our great basketball tradition in the late 1940s and 1950s.

Headlining the group is Bob Boozer, a 6-8 forward from Omaha, who is K-State's most-decorated player and the landslide leading vote-getter for K-State's All-Century Team announced in 2003. A two-time first-team all-American in 1957-58 and 1958-59, Boozer averaged a K-State record 21.9 points per game for his career, while his 25.6 scoring average during his senior season is still the highest in Wildcat history by almost three points per game.

Another member of K-State's all-century team, Ernie Barrett enjoyed a storybook senior season in 1950-51, as he led the Wildcats to the NCAA Championship game, earned first-team all-America honors and played on the team that opened historic Ahearn Field House. A 6-3 shooting guard from Wellington, Kan., Barrett was the driving force behind K-State's only team to reach the NCAA title game. He led the Wildcats to the Big 7 Championship with an 11-1 conference mark and helped K-State to a 25-4 overall record in 1950-51.

Jack Parr was also a member of K-State's 10-player All-Century Team and almost 50 years after his final game, still holds the two best single-season rebounding averages in K-State history. A 6-foot-9 center from Richmond, Va., Parr burst onto the scene in 1955-56 by averaging 17.4 points and 13.6 rebounds per game to help K-State win the Big 7 Championship and reach the NCAA Tournament.

Preseason Accolades for Massey

Reigning Big 12 Newcomer of the Year Jeremiah Massey enters his senior season with high expectations. The Wildcats’ leader in both scoring (14.7 ppg.) and rebounding (6.5 rpg.), Massey was selected to preseason All-Big 12 second team by The Sporting News, CBS Sportsline and Lindy’s. Despite being one of only two returning players (along with Kansas’ Wayne Simien) to rank among the league’s top 10 in scoring, rebounding and field goal percentage, he did not receive one vote to the coaches or media’s preseason. Last season, Massey became the Wildcats’ first conference Newcomer of the Year since 1993. He was named to the coaches’ third team all-conference and to its all-newcomer team, while he was honorable mention all-league by the AP.

O, Canada!

Kansas State started the 2004-05 season north of the border in Canada, as the Wildcats embarked upon a five-day, four-game game trip through Vancouver, British Columbia Oct. 8-12. The Wildcats posted a 3-1 record on its trip with wins over Simon Fraser University (80-73), Langara College (68-55) and University of Victoria (92-64) to go with an overtime loss to the University of British Columbia (89-84).

The team averaged 81.0 points during its tour on 53.6 percent shooting with 36.5 rebounds, 16.3 assists, 9.0 steals and 5.5 blocks.

Senior Jeremiah Massey paced the Wildcats with a team-high 19.7 points per game on 68.4 percent (26-of-38) shooting to go with a team-best 6.7 rebounds and 1.3 blocks. Sophomores Fred Peete and Cartier Martin also averaged in double figures at 12.8 and 11.5 points per game, respectively. Sophomore Lance Harris led the team in both assists (4.3) and steals (2.0) to go along with 7.5 points per game.

Wooldridge Signs Extension

Head coach Jim Wooldridge received a two-year contract extension on March 9 after guiding K-State to its most overall and league wins in four years.

Wooldridge, who had one year left on his original five-year contract, was named the 20th head coach in school history on March 13, 2000. Despite numerous injuries, he led the Wildcats to a 14-14 overall record and a tie for ninth place in the Big 12 Conference standings with a 6-10 mark this past season. Both the 14 overall wins and six league victories are the most of the Wooldridge era and the most since 1998-99.

New Court

Kansas State will be playing on a new court in 2004-05, as the athletic department in conjunction with Robbins Flooring of Cincinnati, Ohio, introduced a new playing surface in late June.

The new court, which is made of first-grade northern hard maple, features a totally re-designed court surface that will showcase more of the natural wood color as opposed to being painted purple as with the previous floor. The central design of the surface is a larger-sized Powercat logo at center court with the words “Kansas State” painted in purple above the logo. Both design elements face the chairback section of the arena. The design also includes purple free throw lanes with the new Big 12 logo located at the top of each lane. The floor is completed with the word “Wildcats” centered and painted in purple at the end of each baseline.

The 60-by-120 foot floor includes 225 computer-cut pieces in the main floor plus an additional 42 pieces on the extension at the south end. The surface also includes the latest shock absorbers on the underside.

Quick Hitters

Kansas State finished the 2003-04 season with a 14-14 overall record and a ninth place tie in Big 12 Conference play with a 6-10 mark... The 14 overall wins are the most in the four-year tenure of head coach Jim Wooldridge, while the team's six conference wins tie for the most since 2001-02... In fact, the 14 wins and six league victories were the most since the 1998-99 season... Only five squads had more conference wins since 1990-91 than the Wildcats had this season.

The improvement is also evident in the team statistics... Since the team won six games in 2002, the Wildcats have slowly but surely closed the scoring gap during league play... That year, the Wildcats averaged 68.1 points per game, but gave up 74.2 points to league opposition in winning six games... This past year, the Wildcats dropped off in scoring at 66.9 points per game, however, their Big 12 foes averaged just 66.9 points in also winning six games.

K-State continued its stellar play at Bramlage Coliseum under Jim Wooldridge, posting 11 or more victories at home for the third consecutive season... The 12 wins in 2003-04 tie for the most since the 2001-02 squad also registered 12... In fact, the Wildcats are 43-21 (.672) under Wooldridge at home with wins in 29 of their last 39 games.

Kansas State concluded the regular season with an exclamation point their first victory over a top-10 opponent since 2002 with a 58-48 victory over No. 10 Texas... Under Jim Wooldridge, the Wildcats have upset five ranked squads, including at least one each of the past four seasons... The team beat No. 19 Iowa and No. 20 Missouri in 2000-01, No. 9 Oklahoma State in 2001-02, No. 23 Texas Tech in 2002-03 and No. 10 in 2003-04.

Ten of Kansas State's 14 losses in 2003-04 were by a grand t

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