PREVIEW: K-State Plays First True Road Game at Saint Louis Saturday

GAME PREVIEW

DEC 3, 7:00 PM CT

Chaifetz Arena
St. Louis, MO

NR/NR
K-STATE
WILDCATS
6-1 (0-0 Big 12)

NR/NR
SAINT LOUIS
BILLIKENS
2-4 (0-0 A-10)

FS Kansas CIty
FS Midwest Plus

TELEVISION
FSN Kansas City (state of Kansas/Kansas City metro area)
FSN Midwest Plus (Illinois, Missouri and Iowa)
• Scott Warmann (play-by-play)
• Scott Highmark (analyst)
Channel Guide: DirecTV 671-5 | AT&T U-Verse 750/1750 | Dish 452/412-40

RADIO
K-State Sports Network
• Brian Smoller (play-by-play)
• Schyler Thomas (analyst)
Satellite Radio: None

ONLINE/MOBILE
K-State Game Center at kstatesports.com
• Free audio stream available
WatchESPN.com
• Free video stream available

TICKETS
SLUBillikens.com
(314) 977.4SLU
tickets@slu.edu
$12-$32 (various locations)

COACHES
Kansas State: Bruce Weber (Wis.-Milwaukee ’78)
Overall: 398-210/19th season
At K-State: 85-55/5th season
vs. Saint Louis: 4-2 (1-1 on road)

Saint Louis: Travis Ford (Kentucky ‘94)
Overall: 347-261/20th season
At Saint Louis: 2-4/1st season
vs. Kansas State: 7-10 (6-1 at home)

PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP
Kansas State (6-1)
G: #3 Kamau Stokes (10.6 ppg., 3.1 apg.)
G: #5 Barry Brown (14.7 ppg., 2.7 rpg.)
G: #25 Wesley Iwundu (13.0 ppg., 5.6 rpg.)
F: #32 Dean Wade (6.7 ppg., 5.9 rpg.)
F: #4 D.J. Johnson (10.3 ppg., 6.4 rpg.)

Saint Louis (2-4)
G: #5 Davell Roby (12.2 ppg., 3.5 apg.)
G: #11 Jermaine Bishop (12.2 ppg., 3.8 apg.)
G: #32 Mike Crawford (8.3 ppg., 6.0 rpg.)
F: #33 Elliott Welmer (9.0 ppg., 4.7 rpg.)
F: #35 Reggie Agbeko (11.7 ppg., 10.3 rpg.)

INSIDE THE SERIES
Overall: Tied 9-9
vs. Atlantic 10: K-State leads 20-13 (8-7 on the road)
In St. Louis: Saint Louis leads 6-4 (W, 65-64, 1/3/2004)
Current Streak: K-State, 1
Last Meeting: K-State won 75-47 in Manhattan,?Kan. (12/29/2015)
Weber vs. Saint Louis: Weber leads 4-2 (1-1 on the road)
Weber vs. Ford: Weber leads 6-4 (0-4 on the road)

GAME 8 - QUICK HITTERS
• Kansas State plays its first true road contest of the season on Saturday, as the Wildcats travel to St. Louis to face the Saint Louis Billikens (2-4) at 7 p.m. CT at Chaifetz Arena. It will be the first visit to St. Louis since playing Kentucky in the 2014 NCAA?Midwest Second Round at Scottrade Center on March 22, 2014 and the first to play the Billikens since 2004.
• Saturday’s game will be a homecoming for senior D.J. Johnson and freshman Xavier Sneed, who are both natives of St. Louis. Johnson was a two-sport athlete at Parkway North, where he averaged a double-double in leading the Vikings to their first-ever Class 5, District 5 title in 2011-12. Sneed was a four-year letterman at Hazelwood Central, where he led the Hawks to a 70-18 record in his final 3 seasons. The Wildcats also recently signed Vashon High standout Levi Stockard for the 2017-18 season.
• Head coach Bruce Weber also has ties to the area after serving as head coach at Southern Illinois and Illinois and playing in the Missouri Valley?Tournament (1998-2003) and the Braggin’ Rights’ game (2003-12) with Missouri. He led the Fighting Illini to the 2005 NCAA?Championship game against North Carolina at the Edward Jones Dome. He is 12-10 in the city.
• K-State and Saint Louis will be meeting for the 19th time and the first time in St. Louis since a 65-64 Billikens win on Jan. 3, 2004. The Wildcats are 4-6 all-time at Saint Louis with 3 wins in their last 4 meetings. Last season, K-State earned a 75-47 win on Dec. 29 at Bramlage Coliseum.
• K-State will also meet a familiar foe in first-year Saint Louis coach Travis Ford, who previously spent 8 seasons as coach at Oklahoma State (2008-16). Ford went 7-10 against the Wildcats, including 6-1 in home venues.
• K-State rebounded from its first loss of the season to post an 80-61 win over Green Bay on Wednesday, which was the Wildcats’ 13th straight non-conference home win dating back to 2015-16. The team eclipsed the 80-point plateau for the fourth time this season in connecting on 56.6 percent (30-of-53) from the field, including better than 50 percent in both halves.
• Sophomore Barry Brown led a balanced scoring effort with a game-high 18 points, as six players had at least 8 points, including four double-digit scorers for the fifth time in 7 games. Brown is the only player to post double figures in all 7 games, connecting on 52 percent (39-of-75).
• K-State has been stellar on defense, holding foes to 59.1 points on 36.8 percent shooting while forcing 16.6 turnovers per game. The team ranks 15th in scoring defense and 18th in field goal percentage defense.

THE OPPONENT: SAINT LOUIS (2-4)
• Saint Louis enters Saturday’s game with a 2-4 record after dropping its third in a row to Samford, 68-64, on Tuesday at home... The Billikens started the season with wins in 2 of their first 3 home games before neutral court losses to BYU?and Alabama.
• Saint Louis is averaging 68.2 points on 41.6 percent shooting, including 31.6 percent from 3-point range, with 37.2 rebounds, 13.0 assists, 5.8 steals and 4.2 blocks per game... The team is allowing 75.3 points per game on 42.8 percent shooting.
• The Billikens have 3 players averaging in double figures led by sophomore Jermaine Bishop and junior Davell Roby, who are both averaging 12.2 points per game... Bishop is shooting 42.3 percent from 3-point range with a team-high 11 treys, while Roby is connecting on 45.8 percent of his field goals... Bishop is 1st in both assists (3.8 apg.) and steals (1.5 spg.)... Senior Reggie Agbeko is averaging a double-double with 11.7 points on a team-best 58.3 percent shooting and team-high 10.3 rebounds.
• Saint Louis returns 9 lettermen, including 3 starters, from a team that posted an 11-21 overall record and finished tied for 13th in the Atlantic 10... The Billikens have won 26 or more games 3 times in the past 5 seasons.
• Head coach Travis Ford has a 347-261 overall record in his 21st season as a head coach, including a 2-4 mark in his first season at Saint Louis... Ford has been a head coach at Campbellsville (1997-2000), Eastern?Kentucky (2000-05), Massachusetts (2005-07) and Oklahoma State (2008-16)... He went 7-10 vs. K-State, including 6-1 in home games, while at Oklahoma State.

BREAKING?DOWN?THE?SERIES
• Saturday’s contest will mark the 19th meeting between K-State and Saint Louis on the hardwood dating back to 1929.
• The teams met 8 times between 1929-33 with the Billikens winning 4 of the first 5 meetings... The squad played 5 more times between 1948-63 before the first of 3 home-and-home series in 1998 and 1999, 2003 and 2004 and 2015 and 2016... The Wildcats have won 4 of the last 5 meetings since 1998, including 75-47 at Bramlage Coliseum on Dec. 29, 2015.
• K-State is 20-13 all-time against teams from the Atlantic 10, including an 8-7 mark in road games... It will be the first meeting with an Atlantic 10 foe on the road since knocking off George Washington, 65-62, on Dec. 8, 2012.

LAST MEETING: K-STATE 75, SAINT LOUIS 47
• Kansas State won the latest meeting with Saint Louis, 75-47, using a balanced scoring attack with Wesley Iwundu’s 13 points led seven Wildcats with at least 7 points... K-State ended the game on a 21-3 run to break open a 10-point margin with 4:43 to play... The squad connected on 50 percent (26-of-52) from the field, scoring 38 points in the paint and 20 points off turnovers.
• Iwundu led all Wildcats with a game-high 13 points on 6-of-8 field goals to go with team-highs in rebounding (8), assists (4) and steals (2) in 29 minutes... Kamau Stokes (11) and then senior Justin Edwards (10) also scored in double figures, as 10 different players registered at least one field goal in the contest... D.J. Johnson came off the bench with 9 points.
• Eight Wildcats return who played in last year’s contest, including starters Iwundu, Stokes and Dean?Wade.

GOOD START ON THE OFFENSIVE END
• K-State is averaging 76.1 points on 49.4 percent shooting (192-of-389), including 39.7 percent (54-of-136) from 3-point range, through the first 7 games with average of 38.0 rebounds, 15.9 assists, 8.6 steals and 4.4 blocks per game.
• The Wildcats have scored 70 or more points in 5 of the first 7 games, including 80 or more points 4 times.
• K-State is now 51-16 under Bruce Weber when scoring 70 or more points, including 23-2 when scoring 80 or more points.
• K-State has shot better than 44 percent in each game, including 50 percent or higher 3 times (vs. Omaha (11/15), Hampton (11/20) and Green Bay (11/30)... The team shot a season-best 58.3 percent (28-of-48) against Hampton, including 52.2 percent (12-of-23) from 3-point range... K-State is 30-5 under Bruce Weber when shooting 50 percent or better from the field.
• The Wildcats have connected on better than 46.9 percent of their field goals in 9 of their last 13 halves, including a team-best 62.5 percent (15-of-24) in the second half against Western Illinois (11/11)... The Wildcats have shot better than 50 percent in at least one half in each of its 7 games so far, including in both halves against Hampton (11/20) and Green Bay (11/30).
• K-State is shooting 53.8 percent (98-of-182) in the second half, including 43.7 percent (31-of-71) from 3-point range, this season while averaging 39.6 points... In contrast, the team is averaging 36.6 points on 45.4 percent (94-of-207) in the first half.
• K-State is averaging 31.7 points in the paint, 20.9 bench points, 18.9 points off of turnovers, 12.4 fast break points and 11.7 second-chance points through 7 games... The team is forcing 16.5 turnovers per game, including a combined 71 in the last 4.
• K-State has at least 15 points off turnovers in each of the first 7 games, including a season-high 26 vs. Omaha (11/15)... The squad has scored more than 2,000 points (2,052) off of turnovers under Bruce Weber, an average of 14.7 points per game.
• K-State has already totaled 87 fast-break points (12.4 ppg.), an improvement from 5.3 ppg. from 2015-16 (7.1 ppg.).
• 10 Wildcats are shooting 50 percent or better from the field, including 4 of 5 starters... The starters are shooting a combined 51.9 percent from the field (138-of-266), including 41.5 percent (34-of-82) from 3-point range.
• D.J. Johnson (8th), Wesley Iwundu (9th) and Barry Brown (12th) rank in the Big 12’s Top 15 in field goal percentage.
• Four Wildcats have scored in double figures in 5 of the first 7 games, including double-digit performances in each of the first 7 games from Barry Brown, who is averaging a team-best 14.7 points on 52 percent (39-of-75)... In all, 7 different players have at least one double-digit scoring game, 5 from Wesley Iwundu and 4 each from Xavier Sneed and Kamau Stokes.

IMPROVEMENT FROM LONG RANGE
• One of the focal points for K-State in the offseason was to make improvement from 3-point range, where the Wildcats finished 10th in the Big 12 in both 3-point field goal percentage (30.0) and 3-point field goals made per game (5.30).
• K-State is shooting 39.7 percent (54-of-136) from 3-point range and is averaging 7.7 3-point field goals per game.
• K-State ranks 39th nationally in 3-point field goal percentage... The team is 3rd in percentage and 4th in makes in the Big 12.
• K-State has at least 7 3-point field goals in 5 of 7 games, including double-digit totals vs. Western?Illinois (11/11) and Hampton (11/15)... The Wildcats are 52-17 under Bruce Weber when connecting on at least 6 treys, including 5-0 this season.
• The Wildcats knocked down 10-of-14 3-point field goals in the opener with Western Illinois, including all 7 treys in the second half... Six different players had at least one 3-pointer, including season-best 4-of-5 performance by Xavier Sneed.
• The 71.4 3-point percentage vs. Western?Illinois was the highest of Bruce Weber era and the 3rd-most makes.
• K-State posted 12 triples vs. Hampton (11/20), which were the most since also hitting 12 vs. Tulane on?Dec. 28, 2013.
• 10 Wildcats have at least one 3-pointer this season, including a team-best 13-of-30 start by Kamau Stokes... Stokes has at least one 3-pointer in 6 of 7 games, including at least 2 in 4 of the last 6 games... Sneed is 12-of-29 from 3-point range.
• Seven?Wildcats had at least one 3-pointer vs. Green Bay (11/30) for the first time in the Bruce Weber era.
• K-State has made at least one 3-pointer in 279 consecutive games dating back to the start of the 2008-09 season.

GETTING?DEFENSIVE
• K-State has put up some impressive defensive numbers under Bruce Weber, leading the Big 12 in scoring defense twice in the past 4 seasons (60.4 ppg. in 2012-13; 65.4 ppg. in 2013-14).
• K-State ranks 15th nationally in scoring defense (59.1), 18th in field goal percentage defense (36.8), 35th in steals (8.6) and 41st in turnovers forced (16.6)... The Wildcats are 3rd in the Big 12 in scoring defense and 2nd in field goal percentage defense.
• K-State has held its first 7 opponents to an average of 59.1 points on 36.8 percent shooting, including 33.3 percent from 3-point range, with just 77 assists on 144 made field goals... The Wildcats also hold a +5.4 rebounding margin (38-32.6).
• K-State has scored 132 points (18.9 ppg.) off 116 turnovers... The team has at least 15 points off turnovers in all 7 games.
• K-State held Robert Morris to just 40 points on 22.8 percent shooting (13-of-57)... It was the fewest points allowed and the lowest field goal percentage since Long Beach?State scored 38 points on just 19.6 percent (11-of-56) on Nov. 24, 2013.
• The Wildcats also forced the Colonials into 25 turnovers, which were the most since Lamar had 26 on Nov. 12, 2012.
• K-State is 75-23 under Bruce Weber when holding an opponent to 69 points or less and 10-32 when allowing 70 or more.
• Since Weber’s arrival at K-State in 2012-13 (spanning 140 games), the Wildcats lead the Big 12 in scoring defense at 64.1 points per game (8,974)... The next closest team in that span is Baylor (64.9 ppg.) followed by Oklahoma State (65.3 ppg.).
• 51 opponents have been held to 60 points or less in?Weber’s tenure with the Wildcats boasting a 45-6 mark in those contests (losses to Kansas in 2012, Northern Colorado & Kentucky in 2013, Texas Southern & Georgia in 2014 and Texas & OSU in 2016).

QUITE THE RUN
• K-State has been able to change the momentum early this season by holding opponents without a field goal for stretches of nearly 6 minutes in 3 of its first 6 games... The Wildcats held Robert Morris without a field goal for two stretch of 6 minutes or more, including 6:13 of the first half (15:50 mark to the 9:37 mark) and 6:59 of the second half (16:44 mark to the 9:45 mark).
• It marked the third time this season that the Wildcats have held an opponent without a field goal for nearly 6 minutes in the first half, holding Western Illinois (11/11) for 5:57 to start the game and Omaha (11/15) for a season-best 7:35 stretch.
• It was particularly helpful against Omaha, as K-State went from trailing 13-4 at the 14:55 mark to leading 27-15 at the 7:20 mark, resulting in a 23-2 run and included 21 straight points... Omaha turned the ball over 7 times and missed 6 field goals.
• K-State also held WIU to just 2 made field goals (on 12 attempts) in the last 7:35 of the second half, as the Wildcats finished the game on a 25-6 run after the Leathernecks had closed the gap to 57-49 with a layup with 7:51 remaining.
• Although K-State didn’t hold Hampton (11/20) to such a drought, the Wildcats did use a pair of 13-0 runs to take command.

PLAYING HARD IS A SKILL
• One of the things that K-State has prided itself in under head coach Bruce Weber has been its ability to play harder than its opponents... Nothing is more valuable to Weber in this regard as the Wayne McClain Play Hart Chart, which is named in honor of the longtime Illinois high school coach and Wildcats’ former director of development who passed away on Oct. 15, 2014.
• The chart, which is kept for both teams by graduate assistants and team managers, is a point system based on the elements of playing hard, including deflections/blocks, steals, dives, loose balls, offensive rebounds and charges (+2).
• K-State has won the Play Hard Chart in 6 of 7 games by a combined score of 309-228.
• Senior D.J. Johnson has a team-best 65 points on the Play Hard Chart and has won the chart 5 times this year... He has 505 points in his career, which ranks second on the team to fellow senior Wesley Iwundu (521).
• Johnson, who has a team-best 14 Play Hard points vs. Western Illinois (11/11), owns the single-game, individual best for the chart since it was start in 2012-13 with 20 at Iowa State on Feb. 27, 2016.
• Sophomore Dean Wade has won the chart with 12 points each vs. Hampton (11/20) and Robert Morris (11/22).

COUNTDOWN TO 400
• Head coach Bruce Weber is closing in a coaching milestone, as he stands just 2 wins shy of 400 in his 19-year coaching career, which includes stints at Southern?Illinois (1998-2003), Illinois (2003-12) and now K-State (2012-present).
• Weber would become the 131st Division I head coach to accomplish the feat, including the 51st active coach... Kennesaw State coach Al Skinner (399) needs just 1 win for 400, while N.C. State coach Mark Gottfried (392) is 8 shy of the milestone... He would be the fourth current Big 12 coach to win 400 games, joining Bob Huggins, Bill?Self and Lon Kruger.
• Weber tied Tom Asbury (85, 1994-2000) for 6th on the all-time wins list on Wednesday with his 85th win after passing both Lon Kruger (81, 1986-90) and Jim?Wooldridge (83, 2000-06) earlier this season... He is 4 wins shy of passing Charles Corsaut (89, 1923-33) for 5th place, behind Jack Hartman (295), Tex Winter (261), Jack Gardner (146) and Frank Martin (117).
• Interesting note, Weber is not the only Wildcat coach that could reach a milestone this season, as women’s basketball coach Jeff Mittie is 1 win shy of 500 in his career... Football coach Bill Snyder won his 200th career game (all at K-State) vs. Kansas on Nov. 26, while volleyball coach Suzie Fritz won her 300th career match (all at K-State) vs. Mississippi State on Sept. 9.

BROWN OFF TO A FAST START
• Sophomore Barry Brown is off to a solid start to the season, as he is averaging a team-best 14.7 points on 52 percent (39-of-75) shooting, including 58.5 percent (31-of-53) from inside the 3-point line.
• Brown has led the Wildcats in scoring 3 times, scoring a season-high 18 points with Western Illinois (11/11) to go with a game-high 15-point effort vs. Omaha (11/15)... He matched his season-high with 18 vs. Green Bay (11/30).
• Brown ranks in the Big 12’s Top 15 in 4 categories, including 7th in minutes, 8th in scoring and 12th in field goal percentage.
• Brown has been among the steals leaders, ranking 22nd nationally in total steals (17) and 28th in steals per game (2.4)... He has at least 2 steals in 5 of 7 games, including a career-best 5 vs. Hampton (11/20)... He ranks 5th in the Big 12 in steals.
• Brown is the only Wildcat to score in double figures in all 7 games plus the only one to register double digits in all 7 games and both exhibitions, posting 17 vs. Pittsburg State (10/28) and 15 vs. Washburn (11/4) in exhibition play... He is averaging 15 points during that span on 52.7 percent (49-of-93) shooting, including 60 percent (37-of-62) from inside 3-point range.

IWUNDU MOVING UP THE CHARTS
• Senior Wesley Iwundu could be the first Wildcat in school history to record 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 300 assists and 100 steals in a career... Currently, he is shy of the milestone by 116 points, 64 rebounds, 30 assists and 8 steals.
• Only Rolando Blackman recorded more than 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 300 assists in a career, as steals were not kept.\
• Iwundu currently ranks 1st on the team in assists (3.6 apg.) and is 2nd in scoring (13.0 ppg.) and rebounding (5.6 rpg.).
• Iwundu ranks among the Big 12 leaders in 7 categories, including scoring (16th), rebounding (18th), assists (13th), field goal percentage (9th/52.4), free throw percentage (13th/72.0), assist-to-turnover ratio (15th/1.7) and defensive rebounds (8th/4.7).
• Iwundu is the leader in points (884), rebounds (436), assists (270), steals (92), minutes (2,828), games (104) and starts (96).
• Iwundu has played in 71 consecutive games, including a streak of 59 starts in a row... His 96 career starts currently rank 8th in school history and needs just 4 more starts to become just the 7th Wildcat with 100 career starts.

JOHNSON A FORCE IN THE MIDDLE
• Senior D.J. Johnson is a consistent force in the middle for the Wildcats, averaging 10.3 points on 54.0 percent shooting (27-of-50) with team-bests in rebounding (6.4 rpg.) and blocks (2.1 bpg.)... He has double figures in 3 games this season.
• Johnson scored a career-best 26 points vs. No. 23 Maryland (11/26) on 10-of-18 field goals with 8 rebounds in 29 minutes.
• His career 56.9 field goal percentage ranks 2nd in school history after shooting a school-record 60.8 percent as a junior.
• His 15 blocked shots are more than half of his total from 2015-16 (29), while twice he has posted a career-best 4 blocks.

BEASLEY, MCGRUDER MAKE NBA OPENING DAY ROSTERS
• K-State had two former players on opening day NBA rosters, as Michael Beasley (Milwaukee Bucks) and Rodney McGruder (Miami HEAT) debut for their respective teams on Oct. 26... McGruder earned his first career start vs. Atlanta on Nov. 15.
• K-State is one of six Big 12 teams with multiple NBA players, joining Baylor, Kansas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas... It marked the first time multiple Wildcats have been on NBA teams since Beasley (Miami), Bill Walker (Miami) and Cartier Martin (Detroit) all played in the league during the 2014-15 season.
• Beasley, who is entering his ninth NBA season, played the final 20 games of the 2015-16 season with the Houston Rockets after a stint with the Shandong Golden Stars of the Chinese Basketball Association... He was traded to the Bucks in September.
• McGruder, who is entering his first season in the NBA, signed a free-agent contract with the HEAT in July and was able to snag with the final spots on the team’s 15-man roster... He helped the HEAT’s D-League team (Sioux Falls Skyforce) to D-League title.

BOOZER NAMED TO COLLEGIATE BASKETBALL HALL OF FAME
• Two-time All-American Bob Boozer was among 8 individuals announced on March 22 to the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame... He was posthumously inducted on Friday, Nov. 18 as part of the CBE?Hall of Fame Classic at the Sprint Center.
• Considered one of the most decorated players in K-State history, Boozer was a first team All-American in both 1958 and 1959 and he averaged a double-double for his 77-game career with 21.9 points on 44 percent shooting with 10.7 rebounds per game. He is one of only two players (Willie Murrell) in school history to average 20 points and 10 rebounds in a career.

PAIR OF FRESHMEN TO MISS 2016-17 SEASON
• Freshmen Cartier Diarra and James Love III?are expected to miss the 2016-17 season after going down with injuries.
• Diarra went down with a knee injury in a practice in early July and underwent surgery on July 13.
• Love broke his foot in a practice in late October and underwent surgery on Nov. 5.
• Diarra averaged a double-double of 18.8 points and 11.0 rebounds per game his senior season at West Florence High School en route to earning Class 4A All-State honors from the South Carolina Basketball?Coaches Association (SCBCA)... Love averaged 10 points, 13 rebounds and 5 blocks per game as a senior at American?Heritage High School in Plantation, Fla.

‘CATS ANNOUNCE THE SIGNINGS OF McGUIRL, SHADD &?STOCKARD
• Head coach Bruce Weber announced the signing of high school standouts Mike McGuirl (Ellington, Conn./East Catholic), Nigel Shadd (Chandler, Ariz./Tri-City Christian Academy) and Levi Stockard III (St. Louis, Mo./Vashon) on Nov. 11.
• The trio went a combined 72-8 during their respective junior seasons in 2015-16 with two state titles… They have a combined four state championships in their careers.
• A 6-foot-2, 175-pound guard McGuirl averaged 19 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 blocks in 2015-16… He was First Team Class L All-State and selected to FAB 15 All-Courant Team.
• A 6-foot-9, 238-pound forward Shadd averaged 18.5 points on 69.3 percent shooting with 14 rebounds and 3.9 blocks… Twice named to Canyon Athletic Association All-State Teams.
• A 6-foot-8, 240-pound forward Stockard averaged 10 points on 94.7 percent shooting with 5.3 rebounds and 1.8 blocks… Named to Class 4 All-State Team as a junior.

‘CATS JUMP START SEASON WITH EUROPEAN TRIP
• K-State was able to get a jump start on its preparations for the 2016-17 with a 10-day trip to Italy and Switzerland from August 8-19... Aside from the cultural experience of visiting historic landmarks in both countries, the Wildcats were able to play five games against various club, select and national teams and posted a 3-2 record.
• K-State defeated BC Silute (97-80) on August 11, the Italian Select (90-55) on August 13 and BBC Lausanne (68-47) on August 18 with losses to LCC?University (75-82) on August 10 and the Kosovo National Team (74-85) on August 16.
• The Wildcats averaged 80.8 points on 43.6 percent shooting (152-of-349) with 45.4 rebounds, 11.8 steals and 11.6 assists per game... Sophomore Kamau Stokes led the way in scoring at 10.8 points per game to go with a team-best 3.0 assists, 3.2 rebounds and 1.6 steals per outing... Stokes had a tour-high 20 points in the loss to the Kosovo National Team.
• Freshman Xavier Sneed, who scored in double figures in the first four contests, also averaged double figures at 10.4 points per game to go with 3.2 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game... Sophomore Dean Wade averaged 9.6 points and 6.2 rebounds per game, while senior D.J. Johnson led the way in rebounding at 6.8 per outing to go with an 8.0 points per game average on 69.6 percent shooting... Five other players averaged better than 5 points per game (Barry Brown (7.6 ppg.), Carlbe Ervin II (6.8 ppg.), Isaiah Maurice (6.2 ppg.), Brian Patrick (6.2 ppg.) and Wesley Iwundu (5.4 ppg.).

UP NEXT: PRAIRIE VIEW A&M (2-5)
• The Wildcats return home to Bramlage Coliseum on Tuesday, December 6, as the squad hosts Prairie View A&M (2-5) at 7 p.m. CT on FOX Sports Kansas City. Tickets available by calling (800) 221.CATS or online at www.kstatesports.com/tickets.

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