Game Preview // K-State Continues Homestand Tuesday vs. UMKC

GAME #2
KANSAS STATE (1-0) vs. UMKC (1-1)
Tuesday, November 14, 2017 >> 7:10 p.m. CT >> Bramlage Coliseum (12,528) >> Manhattan, Kan.

TELEVISION
FOX Sports Kansas City // K-StateHD.TV [free] // ESPN3

Ben Boyle (play-by-play)
Stan Weber (analyst)

Channel Listing: DirecTV 671-5 [HD] / Dish 445 or 412-33 / AT&T U-Verse 750 [SD] or 1750 [HD]

RADIO
K-State Sports Network

Wyatt Thompson (play-by-play)
Matt Walters (analyst)

Listen Online: TuneIn.com [free] // www.kstatesports.com/watch [free]
Satellite Radio: None

LIVE STATS
www.kstatesports.com
kstate.statbroadcast.com [media only]

TICKETS
www.kstatesports.com/tickets
(800) 221.CATS [2287]

Single Game       $10 (bench & GA)/$20 (chairback)
Wildcat 4 Pack   $30 (4 GA tickets)
Group (12+)        $5

COACHES
Kansas State: Bruce Weber (Wis.-Milwaukee '78)
Overall: 414-223/20^th season
At K-State: 101-68/6^th season
vs. UMKC: 2-0

UMKC: Kareem Richardson (Evansville '97)
Overall: 55-76/5th season
At UMKC: Same
vs. Kansas State: 0-1

PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP
Kansas State (1-0)
G: #3 Kamau Stokes
G: #5 Barry Brown, Jr.
G: #20 Xavier Sneed
F: #32 Dean Wade
F: #14 Makol Mawien

UMKC (1-1)
G: #0 Xavier Bishop
G: #2 Isaiah Ross
G: #10 Broderick Robinson
F: #5 Jordan Giles
F: #30 Aleer Leek

SERIES HISTORY
Overall: K-State leads 17-1
In Manhattan: K-State leads 11-0
Last Meeting: K-State, 83-73, 11/17/2014
Weber vs. Richardson: Weber leads 1-0

OPENING TIP

Kansas State (1-0) continues its 6-game homestand to start the 2017-18 season, as the Wildcats play host to UMKC (1-1) at 7 p.m., on Tuesday at Bramlage Coliseum. K-State has won 17 of the 18 meetings in the series, including the 11 played at home (10-0 at Bramlage Coliseum). The matchup will mark the second time in four years that the two teams have squared off in the second game of the season with K-State coming from behind to post a 83-73 win over the Kangaroos on Nov. 17, 2014.
Tuesday's contest will be the second of four home games in an 11-day span before the Wildcats embark upon their first road trip at the Las Vegas Invitational, Nov. 23-24, at the Orleans Arena against Arizona State (1-0), George Washington (1-0)?and No. 17/17 Xavier (1-0). The squad plays reigning Big West champion UC Irvine (1-1) on?Friday night before hosting Northern Arizona (0-1) on Monday, Nov. 20.
K-State is attempting to start 2-0 for 14th time in the last 15 seasons and have won its second game of the season 14 consecutive times. The Wildcats have started 2-0 or better 13 times in the last 14 seasons with the lone exception of the 2013-14 season when the squad lost their opener to Northern Colorado. Last season, the team started the season 5-0 before suffering their first loss to No. 23 Maryland.
The Wildcats have won 17 consecutive games against non-conference opponents in home venues (16 at Bramlage Coliseum). Overall, the school has an 88-5 (.946) record at home in non-conference play since 2006-07, including 86-4 (.956) in the regular season, and has won 77 of their last 80 non-conference home games.
K-State opened its 114th season on Friday night with a convincing 83-45 win over Patriot League for American, as the team dominated on both ends of the court. The Wildcats connected on 54.7 percent (29-of-53) of their field goals, including 54.5 percent (12-of-22) from 3-point range, while holding the Eagles to just 30.4 percent (17-of-56).
It was the largest victory in an opener since also winning by 38 points against Loyola Chicago on Nov. 13, 2009 and the fewest points allowed in an opener since also holding South Dakota to 45 points in a 50-point win on Nov. 29, 1986.
Junior Dean Wade was one of five Wildcats to register double figures with a game-high 17 points on 6-of-7 field goals, including all 3 treys, with 4 rebounds and 3 assists in just 24 minutes. Redshirt freshman Cartier Diarra and sophomore Makol Mawien had impressive debuts, as Diarra collected 13 points off the bench on 4-of-5 shooting with 4 assists and Mawien nearly had a double-double with 12 points (5-of-7 field goals) with a game-high 9 rebounds and 2 blocks in a start. Juniors Barry Brown, Jr., (10) and Kamau Stokes (10) also scored in double digits.
With the win, K-State is now 89-25 (.781) all-time in season openers, including a 77-9 (.895) mark at home. The team is now 26-4 (.867) at Bramlage Coliseum in home openers, including a 24-2 (.923) record in season openers. Head coach Bruce Weber is now 18-2 (.900) in his 20-year head coaching career in season openers (Southern Illinois, Illinois and K-State), including an 18-1 (.947) mark in home openers. He is 5-1 in season openers at K-State.

NOTES ON UMKC

UMKC enters Tuesday's game with a 1-1 record after posting a 110-59 victory over Haskell on Sunday afternoon. The Kangaroos connected on 50.6 percent (39-of-77) from the field and out-scored Haskell, 56-14, in the paint and 33-3 in points off turnovers (off 28 miscues). Sophomore Jordan Giles led all scorers with 21 points, while sophomore Xavier Bishop and junior Mo Ahmed finished with 18 each.
UMKC opened the year with a 109-57 setback at No. 7/8 Wichita State on Friday night, as the team hit on just 27.7 percent (18-of-65) from the field. The Shockers held a 47-4 advantage in the paint. Sophomore Isaiah Ross led with 12 points off the bench, while senior Broderick Robinson had 11 points and 5 rebounds.
The Kangaroos are averaging 83.5 points per game on 40.1 percent shooting, including 32.7 percent from 3-point range, with 37.5 rebounds, 12.0 assists, 13.0 steals and 2.5 blocks per game, while allowing opponents to average 84 points on 45.5 percent shooting, including 41.4 percent from long range. The team is strong from the free throw line, averaging 18.5 makes per game on 74.0 percent shooting. The squad is forcing 21 turnovers per game and 13.0 steals per contest.
Bishop is one of three players averaging in double figures for UMKC, as he leads the team with a 12.0 points per game average on 43.8 percent shooting to go with averages of 3.0 assists, 2.0 steals and 2.0 rebounds in 19.0 minutes per game. Giles is averaging 11.5 points on 47.1 percent shooting, while Ross is averaging 11.0 points on 29.2 percent shooting with a team-tying 4 treys. Robinson leads in rebounding at 6.0 per game to go with a 6.5 points per game average.
Head coach Kareem Richardson enters his fifth season at UMKC with a 55-76 (.420) overall record. He led the Kangaroos to a breakthrough season in 2016-17 with an 18-17 overall mark, the second-most victories in school history, and a trip to the CBI. It was the first postseason invitation in school history, which included a victory of Green Bay before ending the season at Wyoming. The team set program records six categories a year ago, including points (2,691), 3-pointers (315) and rebounds (1,213). He has been assistant at Wright State, UMKC, Drake, Xavier and Louisville.

FROM SOUTH SUDAN TO MANHATTAN

Tuesday's game will have the unique storyline of having two players with South Sudanese heritage facing off against each other. Sophomore forward Makol Mawien, whose parents are from South Sudan, was born in a refugee camp in Cairo, Egypt before eventually settling in West Valley?City, Utah, while UMKC?junior Aleer Leek is originally from Juba, South Sudan before eventually playing for IMG?Academy and Victory Rock Prep in Bradenton, Fla. Mawien's father - Mawien Arik - is an ambassador for South Sudan, which gained its independence from the Republic of Sudan in 2011.
The two players are among 10 known Division I?players with Sudanese heritage, which includes Deng Adel (Louisvile), Akoy Agau (SMU), Bul Ajang (Tulane), Koch Bar (Bradley), Wenyen Gabriel (Kentucky), Peter Jurkin (East Tennessee State), Buay Koku (Tulane)and Makuri Puou (New Orleans). Two current NBA?players - Luol Deng (L.A. Lakers) and Thon Maker (Milwaukee) - are both from South Sudan, while the country's most famous player would be the late Manute Bol, who played in the NBA with seven teams from 1985-95.
Mawien enjoyed a stellar debut in a Wildcat uniform, nearly collecting a double-double in a start with 12 points on 5-of-7 field goals and game-highs of 9 rebounds and 2 blocks in 19 minutes of action. A highly-regarded high school player in Utah, where he averaged 18.4 points and 9.7 rebounds as a senior in 2014-15 at Granger High School, started his career at Utah redshirting his freshman year in 2015-16. He eventually transferred to New Mexico Junior College, where he averaged 8.7 points on 49.2 percent shooting with 5.8 rebounds and 2.0 blocks as a redshirt freshmen in 2016-17.
Leek, who has seen action in 58 games in his UMKC, is averaging 5.0 points on 50 percent shooting with 3.0 rebounds in 18.5 minutes per game this season. He averaged 1.8 points and 1.3 rebounds in 7.8 minutes per game as a sophomore in 2016-17. He has three older brothers who played college basketball, including Deng at Norfolk State (mid '90s), Leek at Campbell (2012-14) and Deng at Southern Illinois (2014-16).

SERIES HISTORY

This will be the 19th meeting with UMKC on the hardwood with K-State holding a 17-1 advantage in a series that dates back to 1987. The Wildcats are 11-0 all-time in games played in Manhattan, Kan., including 10-0 at Bramlage Coliseum.
The average margin of victory in those 17 wins is 17.7 points (including eight by 20 or more points), but the last two meetings have been decided by 10 or less, including a 52-44 win on Dec. 29, 2012 and an 83-73 win on Nov. 17, 2014, both at Bramlage Coliseum.
K-State is 24-3 all-time against teams from the Western Athletic Conference (WAC), including 17-0 at home.

NON-CONFERENCE HISTORY

K-State has an 88-5 (.946) record at home venues (includes both home games played at Bramlage Coliseum and the Sprint Center) in non-conference game dating back to the 2006-07 season, including an 86-4 (.956) mark during the regular season. The Wildcats have won 77 of their last 80 non-conference home games, including their current 17-game winning streak in home non-conference games.

K-State went 8-0 in non-conference games played at home venues (7-0 at Bramlage Coliseum and 1-0 at the Sprint Center in Kansas City) with an average margin of victory of 19.1 points per game. The last home non-conference loss came in a 50-46 loss to Georgia on Dec. 31, 2014.
Overall, the Wildcats went 11-2 in non-conference play in 2016-17, which included a pair of road victories at Saint Louis (84-53) and Colorado State (89-70). The two setbacks came to No. 23 Maryland (69-68) on Nov. 26, 2016 at the Barclays Center Classic in Brooklyn, N.Y., and at Tennessee (70-58) in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge on Jan. 28, 2017. The team has won double-digit non-conference games each of the past two seasons (23 total/23-5 record) since posting a 7-6 record in non-conference play in 2014-15.

HISTORY AT BRAMLAGE COLISEUM

K-State has posted a 353-113 (.758) all-time record at Bramlage Coliseum since its opening during the 1988-89 season. The 353 victories are the second-most at a home venue for the Wildcats, trailing the 378 wins at Ahearn Field House (1950-88).
K-State has collected a 152-33 (.822) record at home over the past 12 seasons, including a 66-28 (.702) mark in Big 12 play. The 152 wins rank fourth among Big 12 schools in that span, while the 66 league victories at home are only surpassed by Kansas and Texas. In all, the school has earned double-digit victories in 24 of its 29 seasons in the arena, including a current streak of 16 consecutive seasons.
The Wildcats have a 213-56 (.792) record at home, including a 125-10 (.926) mark in non-conference action, since the 2001-02 season for an average of just over 13 home wins (13.3) per season. Last season, the team went 11-5 at home, including 7-0 in non-conference play.
Head coach Bruce Weber has a 68-17 (.800) record at Bramlage Coliseum since taking over at K-State in 2012-13 with non-conference home losses to Northern Colorado (2013), Texas Southern (2014) and Georgia (2014). The 17 losses (14 of which have come in Big 12 play) have come by a grand total of 99 points or just 5.8 points per game. Among the 67 victories are 12 over ranked teams, including top-ranked Oklahoma in 2016.

HISTORY OF STRONG STARTS

K-State is looking to continue a history of strong starts to season on Tuesday, as the Wildcats have jumped out to a 3-0 record or better 12 times in the last 14 years. After Friday's win over American, the team has now been at least 1-0 14 times in the last 15 seasons. K-State has won its second game 14 consecutive seasons.
The Wildcats have started 2-0 (2014-15), 4-0 (2015-16) and 5-0 (2016-17) in each of the last three seasons after dropping their opener to Northern Colorado in 2013. The 5-0 start last season was the best since the 2012-13 season. The squad has started 5-0 five times in the last 15 seasons, including 2004-05 (8-0), 2008-09 (5-0), 2011-12 (5-0), 2012-13 (5-0) and 2016-17 (5-0).
The best start in the last 15 seasons came in 2004-05 when K-State won each of its first eight games en route to a 10-1 start to the season. The best-ever start to a season came in 1918-19 when the squad opened the year 17-0 before losing their last two games to finish 17-2 and win the Missouri Valley Conference title under head coach Zora Clevenger for the second time in three seasons.
Other impressive starts to a season include 7-0 in 1915-16, 10-0 in 1947-48, 9-0 in 1957-58, 7-0 in 1961-62, 8-0 in 1979-80 and 9-0 in 1997-98.

OFFENSIVE BALANCE CONTINUES

One of the hallmarks of the 2016-17 NCAA?Tournament team was its offensive balance, as four of five starters averaged in double figures led by Wesley Iwundu (13.0 ppg.), Kamau Stokes (11.7 ppg.), Barry Brown (11.7 ppg.) and D.J. Johnson (11.3 ppg.). The last time K-State saw four players average in double digits was 2009-10, while you would have to go all the way back to 1980-81 to find four Wildcat starters in double figures.
That balance continued to start the 2017-18 season as four of the team's five starters tallied double figures in the Wildcats' 83-45 win over American on Friday night. In all, five players registered double figures as 10 posted at least one made field goal. Junior Dean Wade led all scorers with 17 points on 6-of-7 field goals, while redshirt freshman Cartier Diarra (13 points), sophomore Makol Mawien (12) and juniors Barry Brown, Jr. (10) and Kamau Stokes (10) each tallied double digits. The other starter - Xavier Sneed - nearly recorded double figures, finishing with 8 points.
The Wildcats also shared the ball well, dishing out 22 assists on 29 made field goals against American, including 7 from Stokes.
At least four Wildcats scored in double figures in 19 of 35 games in 2016-17, including at least three in 28 games. In all, nine players had at least one double-digit scoring game with six having at least 12 double-digit scoring games led by Iwundu's 26. The other four starters had at least 17 double-figure scoring games. In all, starters were responsible for 78 percent of the team's 2,523 points and 848 made field goals.

SOLID DEBUTS FOR DIARRA, MAWIEN

Redshirt freshman Cartier Diarra and sophomore Makol Mawien were impressive in their Wildcat debuts against American (11/10), as the duo joined juniors Dean Wade, Barry Brown, Jr., and Kamau Stokes in double figures.
Diarra, who missed the entire 2016-17 season due to an ACL?injury, scored 13 points off the bench on 4-of-5 field goals, including all four 3-pointers to go with 4 assists, 2 rebounds and 1 steal in 23 minutes. Mawien, who earned the start, nearly totaled a double-double with 12 points on 5-of-7 field goals and game-highs with 9 rebounds and 2 blocks.

RECAPPING EXHIBITION PLAY

K-State posted a 3-0 mark in exhibition play, beginning with a 78-62 win over Missouri State in a charity game on Oct. 21 followed by victories over Fort Hays State (79-56) on Oct. 29 and Emporia State (77-44) on Nov. 3.
With the wins, K-State is now 66-20 all-time in exhibition play, including 51-9 in home exhibition games. The Wildcats are 45-9 in exhibition games at Bramlage Coliseum with 23 consecutive wins dating back to 2003. Overall, the team has now won six straight in exhibition play since 2016.
The Wildcats averaged 78.0 points in exhibition play on 51.8 percent shooting (88-of-170), including 34.6 percent (18-of-52) from 3-point range, to go with 36.7 rebounds, 16.7 assists, 11.0 steals and 3.3 blocks per game. They hold their three opponents to 54 points on 33.1 percent shooting (52-of-157), including 31 percent (22-of-71) from 3-point range. The team forced their opponents into 55 turnovers (with 33 steals) and scored 77 points off those miscues.
K-State held advantages in points in the paint (34.7 to 17.3 per game), points off turnovers (25.7 to 14.3 per game), second-chance points (12.0 to 6.3 per game), fast-break points (13 to 4.0 per game) and bench points (28.0 to 23.1 per game).
Junior Dean Wade paced five players in double figures with a team-high 13.7 points per game average on 64 percent shooting (16-of-25) to go with a team-best 6.7 rebounds per game. Sophomore Xavier Sneed was second in both scoring (12.3 ppg.) and rebounding (5.3 rpg.), while juniors Barry Brown, Jr. (10.7 ppg., 4.7 rpg., 3.7 apg.) and Kamau Stokes (10.5 ppg., 3.5 apg.) and redshirt freshman Cartier Diarra (10.0 ppg., 3.7 apg.) also averaged double figures.

ONE OF THE YOUNGEST TEAMS

K-State is one of 14 schools nationally (Auburn, American, Bowling Green, The Citadel, Holy Cross, Kentucky, Louisiana Tech, Marquette, Montana, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Toledo and Wofford) to have one or fewer seniors on its roster in 2017-18, while the Wildcats' nine freshmen (true and redshirt) and sophomores ranks eighth nationally and are only surpassed by the 12 at Auburn and Kentucky and 10 each by American, The Citadel, Tennessee, Toledo and Wofford.

K-STATE WELCOMES SHAUN WILLIAMS

Head coach Bruce Weber announced the signing of Shaun Williams (St. Louis, Mo./Hazelwood Central) on the first day of the National Signing Period Wednesday.
A 6-foot-3, 170-pound guard, Williams led Hazelwood Central in 12 categories en route to helping the Hawks to a 17-11 record and a trip to the Class 5, District 3 Championship Game. He averaged a team-best 18.6 points on 47.4 percent shooting (155-of-237), including 35.2 percent (38-of-108) from 3-point range, to go with 3.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.6 steals per game. He connected on a team-best 83.8 percent (98-of-117) from the free throw line. He was a First Team Class 5 All-State selection by the Missouri Basketball?Coaches Association as a junior.

UP NEXT: UC IRVINE

K-State continues its homestand on Friday night, as the Wildcats play host to UC Irvine (1-1) on Friday, Nov. 17 at 8 p.m., in a women's and men's basketball double-header. Tickets are available starting at $10, while fans can take advantage of the Wildcat 4 Pack for just $30. The contest will be televised on FOX Sports Kansas City (state of Kansas, Kansas City area), K-StateHD.TV (free) and ESPN3 (outside of state of Kansas).

Game Preview // K-State Continues Homestand Tuesday vs. UMKC

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Barry Brown, Jr.

Cartier Diarra

Makol Mawien

Xavier Sneed

Kamau Stokes

Dean Wade

Kansas State University Athletics

Game Preview // K-State Continues Homestand Tuesday vs. UMKC

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Barry Brown, Jr.

Cartier Diarra

Makol Mawien

Xavier Sneed

Kamau Stokes

Dean Wade

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