Game Preview // K-State Plays Washington State in Spokane on Wednesday

GAME #12
KANSAS STATE (9-2) vs WASHINGTON STATE (7-3)
Wednesday, December 20, 2017 >> 10 p.m. CT >> Spokane Arena (12,210) >> Spokane, Wash.

TELEVISION
ESPN2 // ESPN3

Eric Rothman (play-by-play)
Caron Butler (analyst)
Bart Fox (producer)

RADIO
K-State Sports Network

Wyatt Thompson (play-by-play)
Stan Weber (analyst)

Listen Online: TuneIn.com [free] // www.kstatesports.com/watch [free]
Satellite Radio: Sirius 84 // XM 84 // Internet 84 [WSU broadcast]

LIVE STATS
www.wsucougars.com
wsu.statbroadcast.com [media only]

TICKETS
www.wsucougars.com
(800) GO.COUGS [462.6847]
www.ticketswest.com

Single Game $7-$57 (various locations)

COACHES
Kansas State: Bruce Weber (Wis.-Milwaukee '78)
Overall: 422-225/20^th season
At K-State: 109-70/6^th season
vs. Washington State: 1-0

Washington State: Ernie Kent (Oregon '77)
Career Record: 367-315/23^rd Year
Record at WSU: 42-61/4^th Year
vs. Kansas State: 2-1

PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP
Kansas State (9-2)
G: #3 Kamau Stokes
G: #5 Barry Brown, Jr.
G: #20 Xavier Sneed
F: #32 Dean Wade
F: #14 Makol Mawien

Washington State (7-3)
G: #4 Viont'e Daniels
G: #22 Malachi Flynn
G: #40 Kwinton Hinson
F: #3 Robert Franks
F: #43 Drick Bernstine

SERIES HISTORY
Overall: K-State leads 5-2
In Spokane: First meeting
In Pullman: Washington State leads 2-1
Last Meeting: W, 70-56, 12/10/2016
Weber vs. Kent: Weber leads 3-1

OPENING TIP

Kansas State (9-2) concludes the 2017 non-conference portion of its schedule on Wednesday, as the Wildcats travel to the Pacific Northwest to take on Pac-12 foe Washington State (7-3) at the Spokane Arena. The game, which is the second of a home-and-home series between the schools, will be shown nationally on ESPN2 at 8 p.m. CT with Eric Rothman (play-by-play) and Caron Butler (analyst).
Wednesday's game will be the last on the road in non-conference play, as K-State has gone 2-2 away from?Bramlage Coliseum this season. The Wildcats split games with undefeated Arizona State (90-92) and George Washington (67-59) at the Las Vegas Invitational before a true road win at Vanderbilt (84-79) and a loss to Tulsa (54-61) at Wichita's INTRUST Bank Arena. The team is attempting to win double-digit non-conference games for the 11th time in the last 12 seasons. K-State is 31-6 in non-conference play the last three seasons since posting a 7-6 mark in 2014-15.
K-State and Washington State will be playing for the eighth time on the hardwood, which includes five meetings since 2004. The schools are currently in the midst of their third home-and-home series, which includes true home games (Manhattan and Pullman) in 2004 and 2005 and 2009 and 2010. The Wildcats have won three straight in the series, including a 70-56 victory over the Cougars on Dec. 10, 2016 at Kansas City's Sprint Center. Although current Orlando Magic player Wesley Iwundu led with a game-high 15 points, three current Wildcats (Barry Brown, Jr., Dean?Wade and Xavier Sneed) scored in double figures, as the squad opened up a narrow 28-26 lead at halftime by shooting 51.6 percent in the second half.
K-State took out its weeklong frustration from the Tulsa game by connecting on a season-best 62.5 percent from the field in an 89-71 win over SE?Missouri?State on Saturday. The Wildcats, which have posted six games of 80 or more points this season, tallied season highs in four other categories, including field goals made (35), assists (25), points in the paint (44) and dunks (7). The 35 field goals made were one shy of the most in the Bruce Weber era, while the 25 assists were the most since dishing out 25 in a double-overtime loss at Baylor on?Feb. 15, 2014 and 44 points in the paint were the most since totaling 46 in a win over Iowa State on?Feb. 28, 2015.
Sophomore Xavier Sneed continued his impressive play of late with a career-best 23 points against SE?Missouri State, which came on 9-of-10 field goals, including 4-of-5 from long range. Sneed, who became the first Wildcat in recorded history to pace the team in five categories with 15 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals and 1 block against Tulsa (12/9), has scored in double figures in seven of 11 games, which includes a pair of 20-point games in the last four outings. He has upped his scoring average from 7.1 points as a freshman to 12.5 points this season.
K-State has been solid in taking care of the basketball this season, ranking among the national leaders in assist turnover ratio (1.6/10th), turnovers per game (10.6/12th), turnover margin (5.1/15th) and assists per game (17.0/37th). Since turning over the ball a season-high 17 in the opener against American (11/10), the Wildcats have averaged just 10.0 turnovers in the last 10 games, including six games of 10 turnovers or less.

NOTES ON WASHINGTON STATE

Washington?State enters Wednesday's contest with a 7-3 record after snapping a three-game skid with a 72-59 victory over IUPUI on Saturday. The Cougars connected on 54.9 percent from the field, including 50 percent or better in each half, as guard Malachi Flynn paced four players in double figures with 17 points. The team opened the year 6-0, which included wins over St. Joseph's (75-71), Saint Mary's (84-79) and San?Diego State (93-86) to win the Wooden Legacy?Championship at Thanksgiving for their first in-season tournament title since 2009.
The Cougars are averaging nearly 77 points per game on 45.9 percent shooting, including 39.3 percent from 3-point range, with 35.7 rebounds, 15.8 assists, 5.5 steals and 2.7 blocks per game, while allowing opponents to average 74.8 points on 43.2 percent shooting, including 34.4 percent from long range. They are averaging 11.7 3-point field goals per game, which ranks fifth nationally, have three players with 24 or more 3-point field goals. The team is shooting 72.8 percent from the line.
Junior forward Robert Franks and Flynn pack quite the 1-2 scoring punch at 18.3 and 15.4 points per game, respectively, while five other Cougars average 6 points or more per game. Frank has connected on 52.9 percent from the field, including 45.5 percent from 3-point range, to go with a team-best 7.1 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. Flynn, who leads three players with 24 or more treys with 28, has a team-best 42 assists and 11 steals. Junior guard Viont'e Daniels averages 9.4 points on 47.7 percent shooting, including 46.2 percent from 3-point range, in a team-best 34.5 minutes per game. Sophomore Jeff Pollard averages 7.0 points on a team-best 58.8 percent shooting, while senior Drick Bernstine averages 6.7 points on 51.9 percent shooting with 6.9 rebounds per game.
Washington State is led by fourth-year head coach Ernie Kent, who has a 42-61 record in his tenure. Overall, he has a 367-315 mark in his 23rd season as a head coach, which includes stints at Saint Mary's (1991-97) and Oregon (1997-2010). He has advanced to the NCAA?Tournament six times.

SERIES HISTORY

This will be eighth meeting between Kansas State and Washington?State on the hardwood with the Wildcats holding a 5-2 advantage, including wins in each of the last three matchups (2009, 2010 and 2016). The Cougars are 2-1 all-time in the state of Washington in the series, including a 47-22 win on Dec. 20, 1941 and a 58-57 victory on Dec. 3, 2005 (both in Pullman). The Wildcats won the last meeting in the state, 63-58, on Dec. 3, 2010.
Head coach Bruce Weber is 1-0 all-time against Washington State, which includes last meeting in Kansas City, in which, K-State posted a 70-56 win on Dec. 10, 2016. The Wildcats broke open a tight one in the second half, connecting on 51.6 percent from the field, while holding the Cougars to 32.1 percent. Senior Wesley Iwundu paced four players in double figures with a game-high 15 points, while current players Barry Brown, Jr. (14), Dean Wade (11) and Xavier Sneed (10) also scored in double digits. Kamau Stokes and Iwundu each dished out 5 assists.
K-State is 139-78 all-time against the Pac-12, including a 45-53 mark in games played on the road. The Wildcats are 0-1 against the Pac-12 this season having lost 92-90 to current No. 3 Arizona State on?Thanksgiving Day in Las Vegas.

NON-CONFERENCE HISTORY

K-State has a 97-6 (.941) record at home venues (includes home games played at Bramlage Coliseum, INTRUST?Bank Arena and the Sprint Center) in non-conference game dating back to the 2006-07 season, including an 89-5 (.946) mark at Bramlage Coliseum. The Wildcats have won 84 of their last 88 non-conference home games, including a 22-game non-conference winning streak at Bramlage Coliseum.
K-State went 8-0 in non-conference games played at home venues in 2016-17 (7-0 at Bramlage Coliseum and 1-0 at the Sprint Center) with an average margin of victory of 19.1 points per game. The last non-conference loss at Bramlage Coliseum 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 and is 31-6 (.838) in non-conference play since 2015-16.

NON-CONFERENCE ROAD GAMES UNDER BRUCE WEBER

K-State will be playing 10th non-conference road games under head coach Bruce Weber on Wednesday night, as the Wildcats boast a 5-4 mark in those matchups. The team has wins over George Washington (65-62, 2012), Georgia (68-66, 2015), Saint Louis (84-53, 2016), Colorado?State (89-70, 2016) and Vanderbilt (84-79, 2017), while their losses have come at Long Beach?State (60-69, 2014), Tennessee (64-65, 2014 and 58-70, 2017) and Texas A&M (68-78, 2015).
Last season, the Wildcats went 9-9 away from home (6-6 on the road and 3-3 at neutral sites). The nine wins were the most away from home since posting 10 such wins in 2012-13, while the six true road wins were also the most on the road since posting seven such wins in 2012-13. The four Big 12 road wins tied for the fourth-most in the Big 12 era, trailing the six in 2009-10 and 2012-13 and five in 2011-12.

LAST TIME OUT: K-STATE 89, SE MISSOURI STATE 71

K-State extended its non-conference winning streak to 22 games at Bramlage Coliseum on Saturday, as the Wildcats posted season-highs in several offensive categories, including field goals made (35), assists (25), points in the paint (44) and dunks (7), in an 89-71 win over SE Missouri State.
Sophomore Xavier Sneed posted his second 20-point game in four games with a career-high 23 points on 9-of-10 field goals, including 4-of-5 from long range, while juniors Dean Wade (19) and Kamau Stokes (12) as well as sophomore Makol Mawien (11) also registered double figures. Stokes had a near double-double with a career-best 9 assists, while fellow junior Barry?Brown, Jr., had a career-best 7 assists to go with 3 steals.

HISTORY OF STRONG STARTS

K-State is looking to continue a history of strong starts to a season on Wednesday, as the Wildcats have jumped out to a 9-2 record. The 9-2 mark is the second-best start under head coach Bruce Weber and ties the 2005-06, 2010-11, 2012-13 and 2015-16 squads for the second-best start in the last 15 seasons.
K-State's best start after 11 games has been a 10-1 mark, which has been done on four occasions, including 2004-05, 2009-10, 2011-12 and 2016-17.
The Wildcats have started 2-0 (2014-15), 4-0 (2015-16), 5-0 (2016-17) and 4-0 (2017-18) in each of the last four seasons since 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 2016-17 when K-State won each of its first five games en route to a 12-1 start (which included a 7-game winning streak). The best-ever start to a season came in 1918-19 when the squad opened 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.

DEFENSIVE PROWESS

K-State has been solid on the defensive end to start the season, allowing 62.0 points while holding its opposition to 38.4 percent shooting (218-of-567), including 33.2 percent (81-of-244) from 3-point range. The team ranks among the Top 30 in both scoring defense (17th) and field goal percentage defense (27th), while they are third in the Big 12 in scoring defense, field goal percentage defense, turnover margin (+5.1) and steals (8.3) and seventh in 3-point field goal percentage defense.
In all, the Wildcats rank among the Top 50 in six defensive categories, including 15th in turnover margin, 17th in scoring defense and 27th in field goal percentage defense. The team is 69th in turnovers forced at 15.7 per game.
Only four times in the modern era (since 1953-54) has a K-State team allowed 60 points or less six times to the first 11 opponents, as the 2017-18 squad joins the 1981-82, 1984-85 and 2005-06 teams to accomplish the feat. If you remove the Arizona State (11/26), Vanderbilt (12/3) and SE?Missouri games (12/16), the Wildcats are allowing just 55.0 points on 34.8 percent shooting, including 28.8 percent from 3-point range.
The Wildcats have held six of the 11 opponents to 45, 51, 49, 58, 59 and 49 points, respectively, as they have now held 64 opponents to 60 points or less under head coach Bruce Weber's direction with the squad boasting a 57-7 (.891) record in those contests. The squad has held 17 opponents to 50 points or less under Weber (16-1 record), which includes a Weber era-best 26 points allowed to Alabama-Huntsville on Nov. 13, 2012.
K-State has held all but one opponent (Vanderbilt) to below its scoring average and has held its opponents to an average of 12.2 points below its season scoring average. The Wildcats held UMKC (11/14)?to 32.5 points under its scoring average, while UC?Irvine (11/17) and USC?Upstate (12/5) were held to 27 and 26 points, respectively, below its average. Five opponents (Arizona State, George Washington, Vanderbilt, Tulsa and SE?Missouri State) have shot better than 40 percent from the field with the Colonials and Golden Hurricane barely eclipsing the mark at 40.7 and 40.4 percent.
K-State has put up some impressive defensive numbers under Weber, leading the Big 12 in scoring defense twice in the past five seasons (60.4 ppg., in 2012-13 and 65.4 ppg., in 2013-14). Since his arrival in 2012-13, the Wildcats are allowing opponents just 64.5 points per game (11,482 points) on 42.4 percent shooting (3964-9343), including 31.8 percent (1021-3215) from 3-point range.
Under Weber's direction, K-State has a 92-26 (.780) record when holding an opponent to 69 points or less since 2012-13 and a 17-44 (.279) mark when allowing an opponent to score 70 or more points.

OFFENSE OFF TO A GOOD START

K-State is averaging 77.5 points on 49 percent shooting, including 36.5 percent from 3-point range, to go with a solid 73.8 percent clip from the free throw line through 11 games. The Wildcats have scored 80 or more points six times and have eclipsed the 75-point barrier six times in the last eight games. The 853 points are the most points through 11 games since scoring 903 (82.1 ppg.) in the first 11 games of the 2009-10 season.
The Wildcats scored a season-high 90 points vs. Arizona State (11/26) on 57.6 percent shooting, which tied for the fourth-most points ever scored in a loss and the most since a 112-95 loss at No. 4 Oklahoma on Feb. 13, 1988. The 84 points at Vanderbilt (12/3) were the most in a road game since scoring 96 at Oklahoma State on Jan. 18, 2017 and the most in a non-conference road game since also scoring 84 at Saint Louis on Dec. 3, 2016.
K-State has connected on better than 50 percent from the field in six games, including a season-best 62.5 percent (35-of-56) in the win over SE?Missouri State (12/16). The team has hit on 50 percent or better in both halves in four games (Arizona State, Vanderbilt, USC?Upstate and SE?Missouri State).
The Wildcats posted season-highs for field goals made (35), assists (25), points in the paint (44) as well as dunks (7) vs. SE?Missouri State. It was the most assists in a game since dishing out 25 at Baylor on Feb. 15, 2014, while it was the most points in the paint since posting 46 in a win over Iowa State on Feb. 28, 2015. The 35 made field goals was one shy of the record in the Bruce Weber era of 36 vs. Oklahoma State on Jan. 18, 2017.

TAKING CARE OF THE BALL

K-State has solid taking care of the basketball this season, averaging a Big 12-low 10.6 turnovers per game. In contrast, the Wildcats have also forced their opponents into 15.7 turnovers per game, which ranks fifth in the league just behind West Virginia (20.6), Texas Tech (19.2), Oklahoma State (17.3) and Texas (16.1). The squad ranks 15th nationally and third in the Big 12 in turnover margin (+5.1), while they are 32nd nationally in fewest turnovers.
K-State has posted 12 turnovers or less in nine of 11 games, including single-digit turnovers on four occasions (UC Irvine, George Washington, Oral Roberts, Vanderbilt). The team is averaging just 8.8 turnovers over the last six games (53). Since turning over the ball a season-high 17 in the opener against American (11/10), the Wildcats have averaged just 10.0 turnovers in the last 10 games, including six games of 10 turnovers or less.
K-State is averaging 17.0 assists per game on 27.8 made field goals per game, which ranks sixth in the Big 12. However, when comparing it to the low turnover average, the team ranks 10th nationally and second in the league in assist turnover ratio at 1.6. They have dished out 20 or more assists four times, including a season-best 25 against SE?Missouri State (12/16) and 22 against American (11/10) and Northern Arizona (11/20).

SUCCESS BEYOND THE ARC

K-State has been successful to start the season from 3-point range, averaging 8.4 treys per game on 36.5 percent shooting (92-of-252). Junior Kamau Stokes is one of five players to connect on at least eight 3-pointers this season, as he leads all players with 28 treys on 43.8 percent shooting (28-of-64) this season. Stokes hit a career-high 7 3-point field goals against Arizona State (11/23), which tied for the fourth-most in school history.
Stokes has hit on at least two treys in eight games. Sophomore Xavier Sneed is second in 3-pointers with 19 on a 38 percent clip, while junior Barry Brown, Jr. (13), redshirt freshman Cartier Diarra (8) and junior Dean Wade (8) all have more than eight 3-point makes this season.
K-State has hit on six or more 3-pointers in eight of 11 games this season, including double-digits against American (12), Arizona State (15), USC Upstate (12) and SE?Missouri?State (11). The 15 makes against the Sun Devils tied for the second-most in school history and were the most since also converting on 15 3-pointers against Nebraska on Jan. 8, 2000. Overall, the Wildcats hit on 46.9 percent from beyond the arc against ASU with the 32 attempts the third-most ever in a game and the most since attempting a school-record 37 at Texas on Feb. 12, 2005.

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, Jr. (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 has continued to start the 2017-18 season, as four of the team's five starters (Stokes, Brown, Dean Wade and Xavier Sneed) are all currently averaging in double figures. Stokes (14.6 ppg.), Brown (13.6 ppg.), Wade (13.5 ppg.) and Sneed (12.5 ppg.) are all averaging at least 12 points per game through 11 games, as K-State joins Kansas as the only Big 12 schools to have at least four players averaging 12 points per game, while the Wildcats are one of just four Big 12 teams (along with Kansas, Texas and TCU) to have four starters averaging in double figures so far this season.
The trio of Brown, Stokes and Wade have all scored in double figures in 14 career games, including six of 11 this season. The Wildcats boast a 10-4 record in those games, including 5-1 this season. The three are averaging 41.8 points per game on 48 percent shooting, including 38.7 percent from 3.
At least three of the five starters have tallied double figures in nine of 11 games this season, including four in the opener against American (11/10), Northern Arizona (11/20), Tulsa (12/9) and SE Missouri?State (12/16). In all, five players registered double figures as 10 posted at least one made field goal in the season-opening win. Wade led all scorers with 17 points on 6-of-7 field goals, while redshirt freshman Cartier Diarra (13 points), sophomore Makol Mawien (12), Brown (10) and Stokes (10) each tallied double digits. Sneed nearly recorded double figures, finishing with 8 points.
K-State saw four players scored in double figures in the win over UMKC (11/14), as Brown scored a game-high 14 points followed by Sneed's first double-digit outing of the year with 13 points to go with 11-point efforts from Wade and junior Mawdo Sallah. Three players registered double figures against UC?Irvine (11/17) led by Stokes' game-high 14 points, joining Sneed (12) and Diarra (10).
Just like the opener, four of the five starters tallied double figures in the win over Northern Arizona (11/20) with Brown recording his fifth career 20-point game on 9-of-13 field goals, while Stokes (16 points), Wade (15) and Sneed (12) also registered double-digit points.
K-State had multiple 20-point scorers for the first time this season against Arizona State (11/23), as Brown and Stokes combined for 50 of the team's 90 points... Brown had a career-high 27 points, while Stokes was one short of his career-high with 23 points on 7-of-10 shooting (all 3-pointers).
K-State again had multiple 20-point scorers in the win at Vanderbilt (12/3) to go with an 18-point effort by Brown, as the trio combined to score 59 of the 84 points on 58.8 percent shooting (20-of-24). Sneed posted a career-high 21 points, while Stokes earned his sixth career 20-point game.
K-State had four players in double figures vs.?SE Missouri?State (12/16) with Sneed posting a career-best 23 points, while Wade (19), Stokes (12) and Mawien (11) all tallied double digits.
In all, the Wildcats have seen seven players total 38 double-digit scoring games this season with 12 different players registering at least one made field goal. Stokes has posted double-figure points in 10 of 11 games, while Brown and Wade have done it eight times each.
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.

NIGHT TO REMEMBER

K-State enjoyed quite the memorable night on defensive end against Northern?Arizona (11/20), as the Wildcats tied the school record with 19 steals while forcing 31 total turnovers and enjoying a 38-15 edge in points off turnovers in the convincing 80-58 win.
The 19 steals tied the original school mark set against Tulane on Jan. 10, 1976 at Ahearn Field House. The 31 turnovers tied for the fifth-most by an opponent and were the most since also forcing 31 against Kentucky (at Orleans Arena) on Nov. 28, 2008. The 38 points off of turnovers were the fourth-most since the stat began being recorded in 2000-01 and the most since totaling 39 against Washington State on Dec. 5, 2009.
In all, five different Wildcats had at least two steals, including a career-best 6 by junior Barry?Brown, Jr., and 5 by junior Dean?Wade. The 6 steals by Brown tied nine other players for the eighth-most steals in a game. He now has 133 in his career, which ties him for third-place with Askia Jones (1989-94) on the all-time list. Junior Kamau Stokes also had 3 steals, while sophomore Xavier Sneed and freshman Cartier Diarra had two each.

SOLID DEBUTS FOR NEWCOMERS

Redshirt freshman Cartier Diarra and transfers Makol Mawien, Mawdo Sallah and Amaad Wainright have each been impressive to start the season.
Diarra and Mawien each posted double figures against American (11/10), as Diarra scored 13 points off the bench on 4-of-5 field goals, including all four 3-pointers, to go with 4 assists, while Mawien nearly had a double-double with 12 points on 5-of-7 field goals and game-highs with 9 rebounds.
It was Sallah's turn against UMKC (11/14), as he came off the bench to miss a double-double by one rebound with 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting with a game-high 9 rebounds. Diarra turned in his second double-digit game with 10 points against UC?Irvine (11/17).
Mawien posted double figures for the second time vs. SE?Missouri?State (12/16), while Wainright had a near double-double with 7 points and 9 rebounds vs. the?Redhawks.

ONE OF THE YOUNGEST TEAMS

K-State is one of 15 schools nationally (Auburn, American, Bowling Green, UC Irvine, 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 nine nationally and are only surpassed by the 12 at Auburn and Kentucky, 11 by UC Irvine, 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 on Nov. 8.
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: AT IOWA STATE (8-2)

K-State opens Big 12 play on Friday, Dec. 29, as the Wildcats travel to Ames, Iowa to take on surging Iowa State (8-2) at Hilton Coliseum at 8 p.m., CT on ESPNU.

Kansas State University Athletics

Game Preview // K-State Plays Washington State in Spokane on Wednesday

Players Mentioned

Barry Brown, Jr.

Cartier Diarra

Wesley Iwundu

D.J. Johnson

Makol Mawien

Mawdo Sallah

Xavier Sneed

Kamau Stokes

Dean Wade

Amaad Wainright

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