K-State Heads North to Nebraska Saturday
Jan 15, 2009 | Men's Basketball
Game Information
at
Date: Saturday, January 17, 2009
Tipoff: 5:05 p.m. CT
Location:
Arena:
Capacity: 13,595
Series: K-State leads 122-92
(
Television: Big
Steve Physioc (play-by-play)
Bryndon Manzer (analyst)
Steve Johnson (producer)
Dan McVan (director)
Channels: Metro (
Radio: K-State Sports Network; Powercat Passport Internet Audio; Yahoo! Internet Radio
Wyatt Thompson (play-by-play)
Stan Weber (analyst)
Tickets: Available by calling (800) 824-4733
Record: 11-5 (0-2 Big 12)
Ranking (AP/Coaches): --/--
Coach: Frank Martin
Alma Mater:
Career Record: 32-17/1
School Record: 32-17/1
vs.
07-08 Record: 21-12 (10-6 Big 12)
Last game: Jan. 13, 2009
Lost at
SID: Tom Gilbert
Website: www.k-statesports.com
Record: 11-4 (1-1 Big 12)
Ranking (AP/Coaches): --/--
Coach: Doc Sadler
Alma Mater:
Career Record: 96-49/5
School Record: 48-31/3
vs.
07-08 Record: 20-13 (7-9 Big 12)
Last game: Jan. 14, 2009
Lost at Iowa State, 65-53
SID:
Website: www.huskers.com
Projected Starters
G - #0 Jacob Pullen (6-0, 200, So.)
G - #21 Denis Clemente (6-1, 175, Jr.)
F - #23 Dominique Sutton (6-5, 210, So.)
F - #42 Darren Kent (6-11, 230, Sr.)
F - #50 Luis
G #4 Steve Harley (5-11, 180, Sr.)
G - #5 Sek Henry (6-3, 200, Jr.)
G - #11 Ade Dagunduro (6-5, 200, Sr.)
G - #24 Cookie Miller (5-7, 165, So.)
F - #32 Chris Balham (6-8, 235, Jr.)
Game Preview
Sophomore Jacob Pullen led a trio of Wildcats in double figures with a team-high 13 points, while junior Luis Colon and redshirt freshman Jamar Samuels added 12 and 11 points, respectively. Pullen has led the team in scoring a team-high five times this season, while he tallied double figures for a team-best 11th time. In all, nine players registered points against
K-State remains the definition of balance with seven different leading scorers, eight different assist leaders and six different rebounding leaders. Right now, six players are averaging eight or more points, while five players are averaging four or more rebounds. There have been 57 double-digit scoring games by 10 players. Of the 10 players, six have registered double figures six or more times this year.
The Wildcats have continued to show their presence on the defense end, allowing just 62.6 points per game on 39.3 percent shooting. Before allowing a season-high 87 points on 58.3 percent shooting against
The contest against Nebraska will be televised on the newly-branded Big 12 Network with Steve Physioc (play-by-play) and Bryndon Manzer (analyst) calling the action. Fans will also be able to watch the contest on the
Fans will also be able to listen to the audio broadcast on the 29-station K-State Sports Network (Powercat Passport Internet Audio; Yahoo! Internet Radio) with Wyatt Thompson (play-by-play) and Stan Weber (analyst) on the call.
Ticket Information
Available for Saturday’s game by calling (800) 824.4733.
Been Here Before
Cats in January
Last season, K-State posted its seventh perfect mark in the month of January and first since 1970 by turning in a 6-0 mark. The squad opened the month with an 85-25 win over Savannah State then earned five straight Big 12 wins against Oklahoma (84-82), No. 10 Texas A&M (75-54), Colorado (72-56), Iowa State (82-57) and No. 2 Kansas (84-75). The team also went undefeated in 1919 (4-0), 1951 (5-0), 1952 (5-0), 1958 (4-0), 1959 (6-0) and 1960 (6-0).
Explosive Offense...
The 1,265 points are the fourth-most through 16 games in school history, trailing just the 1986-87 (1,330), 1997-98 (1,285) and 1952-53 (1,282) squads and just ahead of the 1976-77 (1,201) team. This year’s edition is the fourth fastest team in school history to collect 1,000 points in a season. The Wildcats have scored 80 or more points in eight of their first 16 games for just the third time in its history, which also includes the 1952-53 and 1986-87 teams.
Since Frank Martin’s arrival in 2007, K-State has shown the ability to score points, totaling two of the most prolific scoring teams in school history. Last year, the Wildcats set the school mark with 2,574 points, while also posting the second-most field goals attempted (2067) and the third-most field goals (916) and 3-point field goals made (210) as well as the third-highest scoring average (78.0). The 2,467 points in 2006-07 rank as the fourth-most in school history.
And Stellar Defense
K-State has shown the ability to play solid defense as well, holding its 16 opponents thus far to an average of 62.6 points per game. The Wildcats have held 13 foes to less than 70 points, including eight to 60 points or less. The team ranks among the best in the Big 12 in several defensive categories, including first in 3-point field goal percentage defense (30.0), rebounding (40.8) and rebounding margin (+7.8), fourth in field goal percentage defense (39.3) and fifth in scoring defense. The 1,002 points yielded ties for the fewest through 16 games (1998-99 team) in the last 25 seasons and fewest since the 1982-83 team allowed just 845 points. This year, 10 foes have been held to below 40 percent shooting, while eight have been held to below 30 percent from 3-point range. Prior to allowing 87 points at
Diverse Offense
Unlike last season when consensus All-American Michael Beasley paced the squad at 26.2 points per game, the 2008-09 team has shown a lot more diversity with its scoring output thus far.
Through 16 games, all 12 players have totaled double-digit points with six scoring in triple digits. Three players - sophomore Jacob Pullen, junior Denis Clemente and sophomore Fred Brown - are averaging in double figures led by Pullen’s 14.2 points per game. Six players are averaging eight or more points, including freshman Jamar Samuels (9.7 ppg.), senior Darren Kent (8.5 ppg.) and sophomore Dominique Sutton (8.3 ppg).
Since statistics became available during the 1950-51 season, there has been just six teams to have four players average in double figures with the last coming in 2004-05. Just one team - the 1955-56 squad - has had six players average eight or more points in a season.
There have already been seven different leading scorers in 16 games, including a league-best six players with 20-point outings. In all, there have been 57 double-digit scoring games with Pullen doing it a team-best 11 times. Ten players have scored in double figures with six of those players doing it at least six times.
Both Clemente and Pullen have led the Wildcats in scoring a team-best five times, while Brown and Samuels are the only other players to repeat as leading scorer. Clemente has led the team against Florida A&M,
Rebounding Still a Strength
Most critics wondered how
Through 16 games, K-State is averaging 40.8 rebounds, including a Big 12-best 16.8 on the offensive end, with five players averaging four or more boards per game. The team ranks among the best in the Big 12 in four rebounding categories, including first in rebounds, offensive rebounds and margin (+7.8) and second in rebounding defense (33.1). Four players - Ron Anderson, Luis Colon, Darren Kent and Dominique Sutton - have grabbed double-digit rebounds eight times with
Pressure is the Key
The core of Frank Martin’s coaching philosophy is pressure, whether its on the offensive or defensive end of the floor. His theory is the more pressure you apply on a team, the more difficult you make it for your opponent. In other words, pressure causes breakdowns.
Pressure has been a big key for the Wildcats so far, as the team has scored 367 points (30 percent of their season total of 1,265 points) off 297 opponent turnovers. The squad has also outscored its foes, 192-109, on fast-break opportunities. K-State has scored 20 or more points off opponent turnovers in 11 of the team’s 16 games, including 30 or more points twice with a season-best 41 against Gardner-Webb. In its 11 wins, the squad has outscored its foes, 278-120, in points off turnovers. In contrast, the team is tied 89-all with its opponents in points off turnovers in their five losses. In all, the Wildcats have forced seven foes into 20 or more turnovers. The team is averaging 7.6 steals per contest with eight players grabbing at least five led by Jacob Pullen’s team-high 28 steals.
Dynamic Duo
After dominating the paint a year ago with the likes of Michael Beasley and Bill Walker, Kansas State’s strength has shifted to the backcourt where the Wildcats start two of the best at their positions in junior Denis Clemente and sophomore Jacob Pullen.
The duo, which has started 15 of 16 games, have combined for 412 points on 39.7 percent shooting (143-of-360), including 34.9 percent from 3-point range (58-of-166), with 106 of the team’s 243 assists. Pullen ranks first on the team in scoring at 14.3 points per game on 38.4 percent shooting with team-highs in field goals made (76), 3-point field goals made (36), assists (59), steals (28) and minutes (455). Clemente is second in scoring at 12.3 points per game on 41.4 percent shooting, while is also second in assists (47), minutes (381) and free throw percentage (80.6) and third in 3-point field goals (22).
The two have scored in double figures six times in the same game with a combined 36 points against Florida A&M, 31 against both
Samuels an Impact off the Bench
An unknown coming into the season, redshirt freshman Jamar Samuels has become an impact player off the bench for the Wildcats. Despite starting only one game this season, he is fourth in scoring at 9.7 points on 58.6 percent shooting with 4.9 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.1 blocks in 20.4 minutes per game. He ranks second in the number of double-figure scoring games with 10, including a season-high 20 points against Gardner-Webb. He scored in double figures in four consecutive games to start the year and has collected 10 or more points in six of the last 10 contests. He has five or more rebounds 10 times, including a season-best eight on three occasions. He was solid all-around in his first start against Centenary with eight points, eight rebounds, six assists and a career-tying three blocks.
Sutton Steals the Show
After getting a late start to his time at K-State, sophomore Dominique Sutton has become an all-around factor for the Wildcats this season. He is one of four players that have hit on 50 percent or better from the field, while he is second in steals (1.4 spg.) and third in rebounds (4.9 rpg.) and minutes (22.0 mpg.) and sixth in scoring (8.3 ppg.). He has also scored in double figures six times. Sutton tied the school single-game record for steals against
Brown from Outside
Sophomore Fred Brown has emerged as a dangerous threat from the outside for the Wildcats, as he paces the squad in 3-point field goal percentage (41.8) and is second in 3-point field goals (33). He has at least one 3-pointer in 13 of 16 games, including two or more on 10 occasions. He ranks third on the team in scoring (10.1 ppg.), field goals (58) and field goals attempted (138), while he is first among reserves in minutes (20.6 mpg.). Almost 60 percent of his made (33) and attempted field goals (79) have come beyond the arc. He has scored in double figures seven times, including a pair of 20-point outings against SE Missouri State (21) and
One of the bright spots for the Wildcats this season has been the play of senior forward Darren Kent.
The Cornhuskers are averaging 66.5 points through 15 games on 46.1 percent shooting, including 37.4 percent from 3-point range, with 29.1 rebounds, 13.7 assists, 9.4 steals and 2.1 blocks per game. The team averages nearly seven 3-point field goals per game.
A balanced Nebraska squad is led by senior guard Steve Harley, who averages 12.5 points on 43.6 percent shooting with 3.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.4 steals in a team-best 31.1 minutes per game. Fellow senior Ade Dagunduro is second in scoring at 11.0 points per game on 53.2 percent shooting, while junior guard Sek Henry is third at 9.5 percent per game on 50 percent shooting. Senior Paul Velender has a team-best 40 3-point field goals to go with a 8.9 points per game average. Junior Ryan Anderson paces in rebounding at 4.4 per game.
The Huskers are led by third-year head coach Doc Sadler, who has posted a 48-31 mark at the helm. He has a 96-49 record in five years as a head coach, which includes a two-year stint at UTEP (2004-06). Sadler is 2-2 against K-State, including a 2-0 record at home.
Series Information
K-State and
Last 5 meetings:
3-1-06 K-State 66-64
1-27-07 K-State 61-45
2-13-07
2-6-08 K-State 74-59
2-20-08
Solid Non-Conference Season
Recruiting Class Praised
The four-man recruiting class that
Young Cats
Martin Inks Stellar Class
The four-man recruiting class, which was ranked 16th nationally by ESPN Scouts, Inc. and 21st by Rivals.com, includes prep school standout Jordan Henriquez (Winchendon [
The headliner of this class, Wally Judge is a 6-foot-9, 220-pound power forward originally from
Judge is in his second year at
A teammate of Judge at Arlington Country Day, Rodney McGruder is considered one of the best shooting guards in the country. The 6-foot-4, 190-pound guard is rated among the top players in the country, including the No. 89 overall prospect by ESPN Scouts, Inc. and No. 91 prospect in the Rivals150 by Rivals.com. McGruder is also ranked among the top-35 at the position by a number of outlets, including No. 23 by Rivals.com and No. 31 by ESPN Scouts, Inc.
McGruder transferred to Arlington Country Day in the off-season from
One of the top point guard prospects in the country, Nick Russell comes to K-State from
Russell helped Grace Prep to a 26-12 overall record, including a 7-3 mark in league play, as a junior in 2006-07. He helped the Lions to a runner-up finish at the TAPPS (Texas Association of Private and
Jordan Henriquez comes to
The recruiting class will join a loaded



