PREVIEW: K-State Welcomes Kruger, Oklahoma to Bramlage Coliseum Saturday

GAME PREVIEW

JAN 7, 2:05 PM

Bramlage Coliseum
Manhattan, KS

NR/NR
OKLAHOMA
SOONERS
6-7 (0-2 Big 12)

RV/RV
K-STATE
WILDCATS
12-2 (1-1 Big 12)

ESPNEWS
Sirius 93, XM 199

TELEVISION
ESPNEWS
• Mitch Holthus (play-by-play)
• Bryndon Manzer (analyst)
• Kevin Shank (producer)

RADIO
K-State Sports Network
• Wyatt Thompson (play-by-play)
• Stan Weber (analyst)
Satellite Radio: Sirius 93/XM 199

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

TICKETS
kstatesports.com
(800) 221.CATS
$25 (bench), $50 (chairbacks)
Wildcat 4-Pack: $75 (4 bench/GA)
Bramlage Bundle: $30 | $15 (12+group)

COACHES
Kansas State: Bruce Weber (Wis.-Milwaukee ’78)
Overall: 404-211/19th season
At K-State: 91-56/5th season
vs. Oklahoma: 6-2 (4-0 at home)

Oklahoma: Lon Kruger (Kansas State ‘75)
Overall: 596-368/31st season
At Oklahoma: 117-64/6th season
vs. Kansas State: 7-7 (3-4 on the road)

PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP
Kansas State (12-2, 1-1 Big 12)
G: #3 Kamau Stokes (10.9 ppg., 4.6 apg.)
G: #5 Barry Brown (12.1 ppg., 3.1 rpg.)
G: #25 Wesley Iwundu (12.3 ppg., 5.5 rpg.)
F: #32 Dean Wade (10.4 ppg., 5.6 rpg.)
F: #4 D.J. Johnson (11.6 ppg., 6.6 rpg.)

Oklahoma (6-7, 0-2 Big 12)
G: #1 Rashad Odomes (9.3 ppg., 2.5 rpg.)
G: #3 Christian James (11.5 ppg., 4.2 rpg.)
G: #13 Jordan Shepherd (4.4 ppg., 0.5 rpg.)
F: #11 Kristian Doolittle (7.0 ppg., 5.2 rpg.)
F: #12 Khadeem Lattin (8.8 ppg., 5.6 rpg.)

INSIDE THE SERIES
Overall: Oklahoma leads 106-97 (series began in 1920)
In Big 12 era: Oklahoma leads 14-12 (5-8 on the road)
In Manhattan: K-State leads 61-27 (last meeting - 2/6/2016)
Current Streak: K-State, 1
Last Meeting: K-State, 80-69, in Manhattan, Kan., on 2/6/2016
Weber vs. Oklahoma: 6-2 (4-0 at home)
Weber vs. Kruger: 7-2 (4-0 at home)

GAME 15 - QUICK HITTERS
• Kansas State (12-2, 1-1 Big 12)?returns to the friendly confines of home on Saturday, as the Wildcats welcome home one of their greatest all-time players and coaches - Lon Kruger - with a match-up against his Oklahoma Sooners (6-7, 0-2 Big 12) at Bramlage Coliseum at 2 p.m. CT on ESPNews.
• Kruger was both a player and coach at K-State, earning Big Eight Player of the Year honors (1973 & 1974) during his playing career for legendary coach Jack Hartman from 1971-74 before serving as an assistant coach to Hartman from 1977-82 and head coach from 1986-90.
• K-State is looking to rebound from just its second loss, as No. 3/2 Kansas held off a late Wildcat rally with a jumper at the buzzer, 90-88, to end a 7-game winning streak. Despite the loss, the 12-2 start ties for the best start under head coach Bruce Weber with the 2012-13 squad.
• The Wildcats had many positives in the setback, as it was the closest match-up with the Jayhawks at Allen Fieldhouse since its last win in 2006 while they scored the second-most points (88) in the building in the series and the most since a 91-72 victory in Feb. 7, 1962.
• Sophomore Dean?Wade, the Big 12’s leading scorer (19.0 ppg.) in league games, once again led the Wildcats with a career-tying 20 points at Kansas, as all 5 starters registered double figures for the fourth time under head coach Bruce Weber, including the second time this season.
• K-State is the only Big 12 team to have all 5 starters averaging in double figures and the lone school with 5 double-digit scorers. In all, the Wildcats have had 6 different leading scorers with those 6 players tallying at least 7 double-figure scoring games led by sophomore Barry Brown’s 11.
• K-State has won 10 straight at home venues (including 9 in a row at Bramlage Coliseum) dating back to last season with the last loss coming to Texas, 71-70, on
Feb. 22, 2016. The Wildcats went unbeaten at home (8-0) in non-conference play for the second consecutive season.
• K-State has won its 9 home games by an average of 16.8 points per game, while averaging 74.3 points on 48.1 percent shooting and holding opponents to just 57.6 points on 37.4 percent shooting. Sophomore Barry Brown (12.9 ppg.) is one of 4 players averaging in double figures at home.
• Oklahoma is one of three Big 12 schools to lead the all-time series with?K-State, as the Sooners are 106-97 in a rivalry that dates back to 1920. However, the Wildcats have won 10 of the last 15 meetings, including 6 of 10 match-ups with former player and coach Lon Kruger.

THE OPPONENT: OKLAHOMA (6-7, 0-2 Big 12)
• Oklahoma enters Saturday’s game with a 6-7 record after dropping a 60-57 decision at TCU?on Tuesday night... The Sooners have lost 5 in a row since starting the season and have lost both true road games (at Wisconsin and at TCU).
• The Sooners are averaging 76 points on 43.6 percent shooting, including 39 percent from 3-point range, on the season with 38.1 rebounds, 13.2 assists, 8.2 steals and 5.1 blocks per game... They are allowing opponent 72.2 points per game on 42.1 percent shooting, including 36.2 percent from beyond the arc... The team is shooting 69.3 percent from the free throw line.
• Oklahoma has 2 players averaging in double figures led by senior guard Jordan?Woodard, who has missed the last 3 games due to injury... Woodard is averaging a team-best 17.6 points on 43.2 percent shooting and has a team-best 26 3-pointers... Sophomore guard Christian James is averaging 11.5 points on 42.1 percent shooting and has 24 3-point field goals on 48 percent shooting... Fellow sophomore Rashard Odomes is averaging 9.3 points on 45.4 percent shooting, while junior forward Khadeem Lattin is averaging 8.8 points on 51.9 percent shooting to go with a team-hgh 5.6 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game.
• Oklahoma is led by 6th-year head coach Lon Kruger, who has a 117-64 record in his tenure... He has a 596-368 record in his 30th season as a head coach, which includes stints at Pan American (1982-86), Kansas State (1986-90), Florida (1991-96), Illinois (1996-2000), UNLV?(2004-11) and now Oklahoma... He is the only coach to take 5 different teams to the NCAA?Tournament.

BREAKING?DOWN?THE?SERIES
• This will be the 204th meeting between the two schools with Oklahoma leading the series, 106-97... The schools have met at least once every season since 1927, while the series dates to 1920... It is the 5th-most played rivalry in school history.
• Oklahoma is 1 of only 3 Big 12 schools (Kansas and West Virginia) to hold a series advantage over K-State.
• Oklahoma holds a 15-12 record in the Big 12 era, including a 14-12 mark in the regular season.
• K-State owns a 59-36 record at home against Oklahoma, including a 13-8 mark at Bramlage Coliseum.
• K-State has won 10 of the last 15 meetings since dropping 8 in a row from 2000-06.

LAST SEASON VS. OKLAHOMA
• K-State split its 2 meetings with Oklahoma in 2016, including an 80-69 upset of the top-ranked Sooners in the last meeting.
• Wesley Iwundu paced four Wildcats in double figures with a team-high 22 points, as K-State posted its third consecutive win over a No. 1 team at Bramlage Coliseum with an 80-69 victory over top-ranked Oklahoma on Feb. 6, 2016... The Wildcats connected on 52.9 percent from the field, including 46.2 percent from 3-point range, and held the lead for the final 14:35.
• Oklahoma won the first meeting of 2016 with an 86-76 win over K-State at home on Jan. 9, 2016, as National Player of the Year Buddy Hield scored a game-high 31 points... The Sooners connected on an opponent-high 56.5 percent, including 57.9 percent from 3-point range, and held the lead for all but 34 seconds... Barry Brown led the Wildcats with 19 points.
• Among those returning, Wesley Iwundu and Dean?Wade both averaged 14.5 points per game in 2 meetings with Oklahoma in 2016, while Barry Brown (14.0 ppg.) and D.J. Johnson (11.0 ppg.) also averaged double figures against the Sooners.
• In 6 career games vs. Oklahoma (all starts), Iwundu is averaging 10.5 points on 47.6 percent shooting with 3.7 rebounds.

HOME SWEET HOME
• K-State has a 148-28 (.841) record at Bramlage Coliseum over the past 10 seasons, including 63-23 (.732) mark in Big 12 play.
• K-State has a 349-108 record (.764) at Bramlage Coliseum, which are the 2nd-most wins behind the 378 at Ahearn Field House.
• The Wildcats need 2 more wins to post double-digit wins at Bramlage Coliseum for the 16th consecutive season, including the 24th time of its 29 seasons in the arena... The Wildcats are 8-0 this season with 9 consecutive wins dating back to last season.
• K-State has 4 wins over the No. 1 team in Bramlage Coliseum, including Missouri, 65-58, on Feb. 8, 1990, Texas, 71-62, on Jan. 18, 2010, Kansas, 84-68, on Feb. 14, 2011 and Oklahoma, 80-69, on Feb. 6, 2016.
• K-State is now 33-54 (.379) all-time against Top 25 foes at Bramlage Coliseum, including 18-14 (.563) since 2008.
• Head coach?Bruce Weber is 64-12 (.842) at Bramlage Coliseum, including 28-9 (.757) vs. Big 12 opponents.

OFF TO A GOOD START ON OFFENSE
• K-State is averaging 76.4 points on 48.3 percent shooting (378-of-782) and 37.4 percent from 3-point range (107-of-286), through the first 14 games with assists on 61.9 percent of its made field goals (234/378).
• The Wildcats are just 8th in the Big 12 in scoring offense, but they rank 5th in both field goal percentage and 3-point field goal percentage, 4th in 3-point field goals made (7.7) and 6th in assists (16.7).
• K-State ranks 3rd in the Big 12 in assists per field goals made (0.619), trailing just TCU (0.633) and Baylor (0.626).
• K-State is coming off one of its best offensive performances of the season in the loss at Kansas (1/3), scoring 88 points on 50.8 percent shooting, including 33.3 percent (7-of-21) from 3-point range, and 82.6 percent (19-of-23) from the free throw line... The 88 points were the second-most scored by the Wildcats against Kansas in Allen Fieldhouse and the most since scoring 91 in a win on?Feb. 7, 1962... It was the most in a Big 12 road game came since scoring 92 in overtime at Iowa State on Feb. 28, 1996.
• The Wildcats have scored 70 or more points in 10 of the first 14 games, including 80 or more points 7 times... The 9 games of 70 or more points were the most in a non-conference play under head coach Bruce Weber and the most since since posting 10 in 2011-12, while the 6 games of 80 or more points are the most under Weber and the most since totaling 7 in 2010-11.
• K-State has shot 43 percent or better in 13 of 14 games, including 50 percent or higher 6 times (vs. Omaha (11/15), Hampton (11/20), Green Bay (11/30), Saint Louis (12/3), Prairie View A&M (12/6) and Kansas (1/3)... The Wildcats 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 has connected on at least 50 percent of its field goals in at least one half of 12 of 14 games this season, including hitting the mark in both halves against Hampton (11/20), Green Bay (11/30) and Prairie View A&M (12/6).
• K-State has at least 15 assists in 11 of 14 games this season, including 20 or more 4 times... The Wildcats dished out 20 or more assists in 3 consecutive games (vs. Green Bay, Saint Louis and Prairie View A&M) for first time since 2010-11.
• K-State is averaging 32.3 points in the paint, 19.1 bench points, 18.4 points off of turnovers, 11.4 second-chance points and 11.8 fast-break points... The 165 fast-break points (11.8 ppg.) is an improvement of 3.7 ppg. from 2015-16 (7.1 ppg.).
• K-State is averaging 14.8 free throw makes per game and have nearly more makes (207) than opponents have attempts (220).
• During non-conference play, the Wildcats averaged 76.4 points per game, which was the highest scoring average since the 2011-12 team averaged 77.2 points, while the 49 percent field goal average and 38.8 percent 3-point field goal average were the highest in more than a decade in non-conference play... The 95 3-pointers were the most in non-conference play since posting 107 in 2010-11, while the 203 assists were the most since dishing out 208 in 2012-13.

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 37.4 percent (107-of-286) from 3-point range and is averaging 7.6 3-point field goals per game.
• K-State ranks 88th nationally in 3-point field goal percentage... The team is 5th in makes and 6th in percentage in the Big 12.
• K-State has at least 7 3-pointers in 10 games, including double digits vs. Western?Illinois (11/11), Hampton (11/15) and Prairie View A&M (12/6)... The Wildcats are 56-18 under Bruce Weber when connecting on at least 6 treys, including 9-1 this season.
• The Wildcats knocked down 10-of-14 3-point field goals in the opener with Western Illinois (11/11), including all 7 treys in the second half... The 71.4 3-point percentage 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.
• 11 Wildcats have at least one 3-pointer this season, including a team-best 25-of-63 start by Kamau Stokes... Stokes has at least 1 3-pointer in 12 of 14 games, including at least 2 in 9 games... Five players have 10 or more 3-pointers.
• Seven?Wildcats had at least one 3-pointer at Colorado State (12/17) for the 2nd time this season and the 1st time since Green?Bay (11/30)... Before this season, the last time 7 Wildcats had a 3-pointer in a game was against Iowa State on Feb. 12, 2011.
• K-State has made at least one 3-pointer in 286 consecutive games dating back to the start of the 2008-09 season.

OFFENSIVE BALANCE HAS BEEN KEY
• Five players are averaging in double figures, including 5 starters, led by senior Wesley Iwundu (12.3 ppg.) and sophomore Barry Brown (12.1 ppg.)... 4 of the top 8 scorers are shooting 50 percent or better from the field... 6 different players have led the team in scoring, including a team-best 4 by sophomore Dean Wade and 3 times each by Brown and Johnson.
• K-State is the only Big 12 team to have all 5 starters averaging double figures and the only one to have 5 double-digit scorers.
• At least 4 Wildcats have scored in double figures in 8 of 14 games, including at least 3 in 13 games... In all, 7 have at least 1 double-digit scoring game with 6 having at least 7 double-digit scoring games led by Brown’s 11 games of 10 or more points.
• All 5 starters scored in double figures against Kansas (1/3) for the 2nd time this season, while 6 scored double digits in the win over Colorado State (12/17)... It marked the 2nd time under Bruce Weber that 6 players registered double figures and the first time since Southern Utah on Nov. 14, 2014... It was the 4th time that all 5 starters scored in double digits under Weber.
• Nine Wildcats are shooting 45 percent or better from the field, including 3 of 5 starters... The starters are shooting a combined 48.4 percent from the field (285-of-589), including 36.4 percent (68-of-187) from 3-point range.

GETTING?DEFENSIVE
• K-State has put up some impressive defensive numbers under head coach Bruce Weber, leading the Big 12 in scoring defense twice in the past 5 seasons (60.4 ppg. in 2012-13; 65.4 ppg. in 2013-14).
• Since Weber’s arrival at K-State in 2012-13 (spanning 147 games), the Wildcats lead the Big 12 in scoring defense at 64.0 points per game (9,414)... The next closest team in that span is Baylor (64.9 ppg.) followed by Oklahoma State (65.3 ppg.).
• K-State ranks 15th nationally in scoring defense (61.0), 31st in FG percentage defense (39.0), 25th in steals (8.6) and 35th in turnovers forced (16.0)... The Wildcats are 3rd in the Big 12 in scoring defense, FG percentage defense and steals.
• Five opponents have been held to 55 points or less, while 9 of 14 foes have been held to 40 percent shooting or less.
• 55 opponents have been held to 60 points or less in?Weber’s tenure with the Wildcats boasting a 49-6 mark in those contests (losses to Kansas in 2012, Northern Colorado & Kentucky in 2013, Texas Southern & Georgia in 2014 and Texas & OSU in 2016).
• 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.
• K-State is 80-23 under Bruce Weber when holding an opponent to 69 points or less and 11-33 when allowing 70 or more.

TAKING ADVANTAGE OF TURNOVERS
• K-State ranks among the national leaders in steals (8.6 apg./25th) and turnovers forced (16.0/35th).
• K-State posted double-digit steals for the 5th time with 10 at Kansas and has a Big 12-best 22 steals through first 2 games.
• K-State has scored at least 14 points off turnovers in each of the first 14 games, including a season-high 26 vs. Omaha (11/15)... Five times the team has scored 20 or more points off turnovers, including on 4 occasions during the 7-game winning streak.
• The Wildcats has also forced 20 or more turnovers in 3 games, including a season-high 25 vs. Robert Morris (11/22).
• K-State has scored more than 2,000 points (2,178) off of turnovers under Bruce Weber, an average of 14.8 points per game.
• The current 8.6 steals per game average is on pace to be the 3rd-best average in school history and the highest since 1990-91.

MOMENTUM CHANGE
• K-State has been able to change the momentum by holding opponents without a field goal for stretches of 4 minutes or more in 9 of its 14 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 a season-best 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 6:49 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 has 15 stretches of holding opponents without points for at least 4 minutes, including 5 in the last 2 games.
• K-State continued its stellar defense against Texas, holding the Longhorns of droughts of 6:27 and 4:09 in the first half... The Wildcats turned in an 11-4 deficit into a 19-13 lead during the 6:27 drought, which including 13 straight missed field goals.

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 12 of 14 games by a combined score of 566-400.
• Senior D.J. Johnson has a team-best 98 points on the Play Hard Chart and has won the chart 5 times this season... He has 538 points in his career... 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 a team-high 6 times and is second to Johnson with 95 points.

JOHNSON A FORCE IN THE MIDDLE
• Senior D.J. Johnson has become a consistent force in the middle, averaging 11.6 points on a team-high 65 percent shooting with team-bests in rebounding (6.6 rpg.) and blocks (1.8 bpg.)... He has double figures in 8 games, including 2 20-point games.
• Johnson ranks among the Big 12’s Top 20 in 6 different categories, including scoring (20th), field goal percentage (1st), blocked shots (5th), rebounding (9th), offensive rebounds (8th/2.4) and defensive rebounds (13th/4.2).
• Johnson and teammate Wesley Iwundu are one of 8 Big 12 players to rank in the Top 20 in both scoring and rebounding.
• Johnson joined unique company in the win over Gardner-Webb (12/21), becoming just the 10th Wildcat to go 8-of-8 or better from the field in school history and the 1st since Luis Colon went 9-of-9 vs. Southern Miss at the Sprint Center on Dec. 11, 2008.
• 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.
• Johnson tallied his 3rd career double-double, including his 2nd this season, at Colorado State (12/17) with 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting with 10 rebounds... All 3 career double-doubles have come on road (at Texas Tech (3/5/16 and at Saint Louis (12/6/16).
• Five of his 6 career double-digit rebounding efforts have come this year, including a career-best 12 vs. Western Illinois (11/11).
• His 25 blocked shots nearly surpass his entire total from 2015-16 (29), while twice he has posted a career-best 4 blocks.
• Dating back to the win over No. 1 Oklahoma last season, Johnson is averaging 12.2 points on 61.6 percent shooting (114-of-185) in the last 25 games with 6.4 rebounds per game... He has 16 double-digit scoring in those games with 3 double-doubles.
• His career 59.2 field goal percentage ranks 1st in school history after shooting a school-record 60.8 percent as a junior.

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 35 points, 26 rebounds and 11 assists.
• Only Rolando Blackman recorded more than 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 300 assists in a career, as steals were not kept.
• Iwundu ranks 1st in scoring (12.3 ppg.), 2nd in assists (3.1 apg.) and 3rd in rebounding (5.5 rpg.) and steals (1.1 spg.).
• Iwundu ranks in 6 Big 12 categories, including scoring (15th), rebounding (17th), field goal percentage (47.6/12th), free throw percentage (78.0/5th), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.6/15th) and defensive rebounds (4.6/8th).
• Iwundu and teammate D.J. Johnson are one of 8 Big 12 players to rank in the Top 20 in both scoring and rebounding.
• Iwundu collected his 6th career double-double vs. Maryland (11/26), while he has scored in double figures 9 times.
• Iwundu is the leader in points (965), rebounds (474), assists (289), steals (102), minutes (3,026), games (111) and starts (103).
• Iwundu now ranks in Top 10 in career assists (8th) and minutes (9th) and needs just 1 steals to crack the Top 10 in steals (102).
• Iwundu ranks 30th on the scoring list and needs 35 points to become 4th Wildcat under Bruce Weber to post 1,000 points.
• Iwundu has played in 78 consecutive games, including a streak of 66 starts in a row... He became the 7th Wildcat to total 100 career starts against Colorado State (12/17) and is now 6th on the all-time starts list with 103.

WADE A BIG FACTOR
• Sophomore Dean Wade has broken out to become a major scoring factor for the Wildcats, registering double figures in 6 of the last 7 games... During that stretch, he has led the team in scoring 3 times, including a career-tying 20 points at Kansas (1/3).
• During this 7-game span, Wade is averaging 14.1 points on 55.0 percent shooting (33-of-60), including 35 percent (7-of-20) from 3-point range, and 81.3 percent (26-of-32) from the free throw line to go with 5.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.3 blocks.
• Wade is the current Big 12 leader in scoring in league games at 19.0 points per game on 59.1 percent shooting (13-of-22).
• Wade registered his 2nd career 20-point game at Kansas (1/3), going 6-of-12 from the field and 8-of-9 from the line.
• Wade was also stellar in the Big 12 opener against Texas (12/30), scoring 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting, including 2 treys.

STOKES ON POINT
• Sophomore Kamau?Stokes return from injury has been one of the biggest storylines to K-State’s 12-2 start to the season.
• After starting 20 of the first 21 games of his freshman season, Stokes went down with a season-ending knee injury against Ole Miss on Jan. 30, 2016, requiring him to miss the final 12 games of the season... At the time of his injury, he was averaging 9.4 points on 36.5 percent shooting with 2.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.0 steals in 26.9 minutes per game.
• Now fully healthy, Stokes has built on his success during the team’s European Tour this summer to start all 14 games and average 10.9 points per game to go with team-highs in assists (4.6 apg.), minutes (32.2) and assist-to-turnover ratio (2.1).
• Stokes currently ranks 1st in 3-point field goals (25), 3-point attempts (63) and percentage (39.7)... He has knocked down at least 2 treys in 9 of the team’s 14 games, including a season-high 3 vs. Omaha, Hampton, Maryland and Prairie View A&M.
• Stokes has scored in double figures 9 times, including in 4 consecutive games with a season-high 18 vs. Gardner-Webb.
• Stokes, who ranks in the Top 11 in the Big 12 in both assists (8th) and assist-to-turnover ratio (11th), has dished out 5 or more assists 8 times this season (after doing it 3 times in 21 games as a freshman), including a career-high 8 at Colorado State (12/17).
• Stokes has been even better handing the ball in the last 10 games, averaging 5.5 assists with a 2.6 assist-to-turnover ratio (55/21)... During the 7-game winning streak, he averaged 5.6 assists with a 2.78 assist-to-turnover ratio (39/14).

BROWN MORE THAN JUST A SCORING THREAT
• Sophomore Barry Brown has elevated his game to become more than just a scoring threat for the Wildcats, as he ranks among the national leaders in steals, placing 15th nationally in steals per game (2.29) and 22nd in total steals (32).
• Brown has at least 2 steals in 10 of 14 games, including a career-best 5 vs. Hampton (11/20)... He ranks 2nd in the Big 12.
• Brown’s 32 steals have nearly eclipsed his 40 from last season, which tied Jacob Pullen for the 4th-most ever by a freshman.
• Brown has also been a consistent scoring threat for the Wildcats, averaging 12.1 points on 42.9 percent (63-of-147) shooting, including 49.5 percent (46-of-93) from inside the 3-point line and 31.5 percent (17-of-54) from long range.
• Brown leads all Wildcats with 11 double-figure scoring games, including each of the first 7 games.
• 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).

SUPER SUB
• Freshman?Xavier Sneed has provided a big boost from the bench this season, averaging 9.4 points on 49.4 percent shooting (44-of-89), including 38.2 percent (21-of-55) from 3-point range, to go with 3.6 rebounds in 19.9 minutes per game.
• Sneed has scored in double figures 7 times, including a season-best 17 points in his debut vs. Western Illinois (11/11).
• Sneed ranks 2nd on the team in both 3-point FG makes (21) and attempts (55) and has knocked down at least 2 treys in 7 games with a season-best 4 against both Western Illinois (11/11) and at Saint Louis (12/3).

WEBER TOPS 400 CAREER WINS
• Head coach Bruce Weber recently reached a coaching milestone, as he earned his 400th career win in the Wildcats’ victory over Prairie View A&M, 74-55, on Dec. 6... He became the 131st Division I head coach to accomplish the feat, including the 51st active coach... He is the 4th current Big 12 coach to win 400 games, joining Bob Huggins, Bill?Self and Lon Kruger.
• Weber currently ranks 5th on the school’s all-time wins list with 91 victories after passing Lon Kruger (81, 1986-90), Jim Wooldridge (83, 2000-06), Tom Asbury (85, 1994-2000) and Charles Corsaut (89, 1923-33) earlier this season... His 91 wins now trail all-time wins leader Jack Hartman (295), Tex Winter (261), Jack Gardner (146) and Frank Martin (117).
• Interesting note, Weber is one of several K-State head coaches to earn milestones this season...Football coach Bill Snyder won his 200th game (all at K-State) vs. Kansas on Nov. 26, while volleyball coach Suzie Fritz won her 300th match (all at K-State) vs. Mississippi State on Sept. 9 and women’s basketball coach Jeff Mittie won his 500th game at Omaha on Dec. 4.

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: AT TEXAS TECH (12-2, 1-1 Big 12)
• K-State will make yet another quick turnaround with a road trip to play upstart Texas Tech (12-2, 1-1 Big 12) on Tuesday at 8:15 p.m. CT on ESPNews. Tickets are available for as low as $12 at TexasTech.com.