Game Preview // K-State Begins Homestand Tuesday vs. No. 4/6 Oklahoma

GAME #18
KANSAS STATE (12-5, 2-3 Big 12) vs. 4/6 OKLAHOMA (14-2, 4-1 Big 12)
Tuesday, January 16, 2018 >> 8 p.m. CT >> Bramlage Coliseum (12,528) >> Manhattan, Kan.

TELEVISION
ESPNU // WatchESPN // ESPN3

Matt Schick (play-by-play)
Jason Capel (analyst)
Brett Wilensky (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

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

TICKETS
www.kstatesports.com/tickets
(800) 221.CATS [2287]
Single Game: $15 (bench & GA)/$35 (chairback)
Wildcat 4 Pack: $50 (4 GA tickets)
Group (12+): $10

COACHES
Kansas State: Bruce Weber (Wis.-Milwaukee '78)
Overall: 425-228/20^th season
At K-State: 112-73/6^th season
vs. Oklahoma: 7-3 (5-0 at home)

Oklahoma: Lon Kruger (Kansas State '75)
Career Record: 615-383/31^st Year
Record at Oklahoma: 136-79/7^th Year
vs. Kansas State: 7-8 (2-5 on the road)

PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP
Kansas State (12-5, 2-3 Big 12)
G: #2 Cartier Diarra
G: #5 Barry Brown, Jr.
G: #20 Xavier Sneed
F: #32 Dean Wade
F: #14 Makol Mawien

4/6 Oklahoma (14-2, 4-1 Big 12)
G: #0 Christian James
G: #1 Rashard Odomes
G: #11 Trae Young
F: #3 Khadeem Lattin
F: #35 Brady Manek

SERIES HISTORY
Overall: Oklahoma leads 107-98
Big 12 era: Oklahoma leads 15-13
In Manhattan: K-State leads 60-36
In Norman: Oklahoma leads 62-27
Active Streak: Oklahoma, 1
Weber vs. Oklahoma: 7-3 (5-0 at home)
Kruger vs. K-State: 7-8 (2-5 on the road)
Weber vs. Kruger: 8-3 (5-0 at home)

OPENING TIP

Kansas State (12-5, 2-3 Big 12) begins a key stretch of consecutive home games against ranked Big 12 opponents, as the Wildcats play host to K-State legend Lon Kruger and his fourth-ranked Oklahoma Sooners (14-2, 4-1 Big 12) on Tuesday night at 8 p.m., CT. Oklahoma is currently tied atop of the Big 12 standings with Kansas, Texas Tech and West Virginia at 4-1, while K-State is tied for fifth with Oklahoma State and Texas at 2-3. The contest will air nationally on ESPNU and the WatchESPN?app with Matt Schick (play-by-play) and Jason Capel (analyst) on the call.
K-State will play four of its next five games in the friendly confines of Bramlage Coliseum, including back-to-back Big 12 home games for the first time since 2016, after navigating four road games in a six-game stretch to start conference play. The contest against No. 4/6 Oklahoma will mark the second of three consecutive games against Top 25 opponents, which started in Saturday's loss at No. 12/12 Kansas and continues this Saturday against No. 24/25 TCU (13-4, 1-4 Big 12). It will mark the first time since February 2017 that the team has played three straight ranked foes.
Kruger is one of 10 Wildcats to have their jerseys raised to the rafters, as the Silver Lake, Kan., native was a two-time Big Eight Player of the Year (1973, 1974) and two-time Academic All-American for K-State from 1971-74. Coached by legendary head coach Jack Hartman, Kruger led the Wildcats to 61-22 (.735) record during his career, which included two Big Eight titles and pair of NCAA?Tournament appearances. He later served as assistant coach (1978-82) for Hartman before succeeding him as head coach in 1986 where he became the first head coach in school history to lead the Wildcats to four consecutive NCAA?Tournaments, posting an 81-46 (.638) record.
K-State and Oklahoma will meet for the 206th time on the hardwood with the Sooners holding a 107-98 advantage in a series that dates back to 1920. Oklahoma holds a slight 15-13 edge since the start of the Big 12, while K-State has won seven of the last 10 meetings, including five in a row at Bramlage Coliseum. The teams split their two meetings a year ago with each winning on their home court, including an 81-51 victory by the Sooners in the last matchup. This will mark the sixth meeting with a ranked Oklahoma squad in the last eight matchups with K-State winning four of those previous five games (2014, 2015 (twice), 2016), including three at home.
K-State is 34-57 (.374) all-time against Top 25 teams at Bramlage Coliseum, which includes 16 over teams ranked in the Top 10. The school is 31-54 (.365) against ranked Big 12 teams (since 1997), including a 19-17 (.528) mark since 2008. Since winning 10 of 13 matchups against Top 25 teams at home from 2013 to 2015, the Wildcats have just two victories (No. 1 Oklahoma in 2016 and No. 7 West Virginia in 2017) in their last 10 meetings with ranked teams at Bramlage Coliseum. The team is 0-3 vs. ranked opponents this season (No. 6 West Virginia, No. 18 Texas Tech and No. 12 Kansas) with its last such win coming against No. 9 Baylor in the Big 12 Tournament. The Wildcats are 2-15 (.118) all-time vs. the AP's No. 4 team with 14 straight losses.

NOTES ON 4/6 OKLAHOMA

No. 4/6 Oklahoma enters Tuesday's game with a 14-2 overall record and a 4-1 mark in Big 12 play after knocking off nationally-ranked TCU, 102-97, for the second time this season in overtime. Six-time Big 12 Player of the Week and the frontrunner for National Player of the Year honors, Trae Young continued his torrid scoring pace with 43 points on 15-of-27 field goals, including 10-of-18 from 3-point range, to go with a near triple-double of 11 rebounds and 7 assists in 40 minutes. Fellow freshman Brady Manek added 22 points on 7-of-13 shooting, which included six treys.
K-State will once again face one of the nation's top scoring teams in Oklahoma, as the Sooners lead the country in scoring offense at 93.6 points per game, which has included six 100-point outputs (two in Big 12 play). The team ranks sixth in 3-point field goals per game (11.4), 15th in 3-point field goal percentage (41.1) and assists per game (18.1) and 22nd in field goal percentage (49.5). They also excel on the defensive end, ranking sixth nationally in defensive rebounds (29.94), 17th in blocked shots per game (5.7) and 36th in total rebounds per game (39.88).
The Sooners are led by Young, who leads the country in both scoring (30.1 ppg.) and assists (10.0 apg.), while connecting on 45.8 percent from the field, including 40.7 percent from 3-point range, and 83.2 percent from the free throw line. He also averages 4.3 rebounds and 1.9 steals in 33.4 minutes per game. Junior sharp-shooter Christian James averages 12.4 points on 50.7 percent shooting, including 42.9 percent from 3-point range, while freshman Brady Manek averages 11.3 points on 51.9 percent shooting, including 44.3 percent from long range. The trio have totaled 136 3-point field goals this season on 42.1 percent shooting. Three other players (Kameron McGusty, Khadeem Lattin and Jamuni McNeace) all average better than 6.4 points per game, while Lattin is tops in rebounding (6.8 rpg.) and blocked shots (2.3 bpg.).
Oklahoma is led by soon-to-be Hall of Fame head coach Lon Kruger, who has a 136-79 (.633) record in his seventh season leading the Sooners. Overall, he is 615-383 (.616) in his 31st season as a head coach leading Pan American (1982-86), K-State (1986-90), Florida (1990-96), Illinois (1996-2000), UNLV (2004-11) and now Oklahoma. He is the first and only head coach to lead five different schools to the NCAA?Tournament.

K-STATE/OKLAHOMA CONNECTIONS

Aside from his playing career for K-State from 1971-74, Oklahoma head coach Lon Kruger is one of 10 former K-State players or coaches who currently serve as a head coach at the Division I level (13 when including Division II), including four current head coaches who played for the Wildcats. Kruger, who had his jersey honored in 2006, led the Wildcats to an 81-46 record from 1986-90, which included four NCAA?Tournament appearances.
Oklahoma director of operations Mike Shepherd is a 1992 K-State graduate and a former manager for Kruger during his stint in Manhattan.

SERIES HISTORY

This will be 206th meeting between Kansas State and Oklahoma on the hardwood, including the 29th in the Big 12 era, with the Sooners holding a 107-98 advantage in a series that dates to 1920. Oklahoma is one of just two Big 12 opponents to hold a series advantage over K-State with the 107 wins the third-most by an opponent, following Kansas (194) and Missouri (116). The Wildcats own a 60-36 lead at home.
K-State has won seven of the last 10 meetings, including five straight at Bramlage Coliseum. The Wildcats have beaten a ranked Sooner squad three times in the last five games at home, including 72-66 in 2014, 59-56 in 2015 and 80-69 in 2016 when Oklahoma was the nation's No. 1 team.
A dominant first-half performance paired with five players scoring in double figures led K-State to a 75-64 victory over Oklahoma in the teams' last meeting at Bramlage Coliseum on Jan. 7, 2017. The Wildcats got an early lead and never looked back en route to the 11-point victory, as all five starters scored in double figures with a team-high 16 from senior Wesley Iwundu. The Wildcats shot lights out for the entire 40 minutes, shooting 53.6 percent (15-of-28) in the first half and 55 percent (11-of-20) in the second half to finish at 54.2 percent (26-of-48) for the game.
Oklahoma enacted revenge in the teams' latest meeting on Feb. 25, 2017, as K-State could not shake a poor shooting night in an 81-51 win by the Sooners at the Lloyd Noble Center. The Wildcats connected on 25 percent (14-of-56) from the field, including 24.2 percent (8-of-33) in the first half. It was the sixth-lowest field goal percentage in school history and the lowest since hitting on just 23.4 percent against Nebraska on Jan. 11, 2006.
Head coach Bruce Weber is 7-3 all-time against Oklahoma, including 5-0 at home.

HISTORY AT BRAMLAGE COLISEUM

K-State has posted a 360-114 (.759) all-time record at Bramlage Coliseum since its opening during the 1988-89 season. The 360 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 159-34 (.824) record at home over the past 12 seasons, including a 67-29 (.698) mark in Big 12 play. The 159 wins rank fourth among Big 12 schools in that span, while the 67 league victories at home are only surpassed by Kansas and Texas. In all, the school has earned double-digit wins in 24 of its 29 seasons in the arena, including a current streak of 16 straight seasons.
The Wildcats are 34-57 (.378) all-time at Bramlage Coliseum against ranked teams, including 31-54 (.369) against ranked Big 12 opponents. The team is 19-17 (.543) against ranked opponents at home since 2008, which included a stretch of 10 wins in 13 matchups from 2013 to 2015. Since a double-overtime loss to No. 19 West Virginia on Jan. 2, 2016, K-State has won just two of its last 10 meetings with ranked opponents at home.
Head coach Bruce Weber has a 75-18 (.806) record at Bramlage Coliseum since taking over at K-State in 2012-13 with the 18 losses (15 of which have come in Big 12 play) coming by 107 points or 5.9 points per game. Among the 75 victories are 12 over ranked teams, including five against teams ranked in the Top 10 (No. 6 Oklahoma State and No. 7 Kansas in 2014, No. 8 Kansas in 2015, No. 1 Oklahoma in 2016 and No. 7 West Virginia in 2017).

LAST TIME OUT: 12/12 KANSAS 73, K-STATE 72

Junior Barry Brown, Jr.'s off-balanced 3-pointer missed at the buzzer, as No. 12/12 Kansas held on for a 73-72 win over Kansas State in the 287th edition of Dillon's Sunflower Showdown before a sold-out crowd at Allen Fieldhouse on Saturday. The two teams battled through eight ties in the final 8:28 of the game before redshirt sophomore Malik Newman converted on the second of two free throws to give Kansas a 73-72 lead with 15 seconds remaining. Brown inbounded the ball and took a contested 3-pointer as time expired. It marked the second consecutive season that K-State fell in dramatic fashion to Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse, where the Wildcats have now lost 12 consecutive games dating back to 2007.
Junior Dean Wade led K-State with a team-high 22 points on 8-of-14 shooting to go with 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block and 1 steal in 38 minutes. It marked the third consecutive 20-point game for Wade against Kansas. Redshirt freshman Cartier Diarra tallied a career-high in points for the second consecutive game with 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting, including 3-of-5 from long range, while sophomore Xavier Sneed and Brown added 14 and 12 points, respectively. Brown dished out a game-high 6 assists, while Sneed corralled a team-high 7 rebounds.
The Wildcats scored 72 points on 49.1 percent shooting (27-of-55), including 38.1 percent (8-of-21) from 3-point range, and connected on 90.9 percent (10-of-11) from the free throw line. The team has now shot 49 percent or better in nine games this season. The 90.9 percent clip from the free throw line was the second highest this season and the second time shooting 90 percent or better from the line. K-State had four players score in double figures for the sixth game this season, including consecutive games for the first time since the first two games of the season.
K-State held a slight 27-25 edge in rebounding, marking just the seventh time this season better than an opponent on the boards and the second time in Big 12 play. The Wildcats scored 18 points off of 13 Jayhawk turnovers, which marked the eighth time that the squad has had at least 18 points off of opponent miscues and the second most in Big 12 play. The team scored 13 second-chance points off of 9 offensive rebounds, which marked the 11th time with double-digit second-chance points. The 13 second-chance points were the fifth-highest total this season.

OFFENSE OFF TO A GOOD START

K-State is averaging 76.3 points on 48.1 percent shooting, including 36.2 percent from 3-point range, to go with a solid 73.4 percent clip from the free throw line through 17 games. The Wildcats have scored 80 or more points eight times, including a pair of 90-point efforts against Arizona State (11/23) and Iowa State (12/29), and have eclipsed the 75-point barrier eight times in the last 14 games. It is the most 90-point and 80-point games in the first 17 games since 2009-10 (which had 13 80-point and 4 90-point games), while the 1,297 points are the most points through 17 games since scoring 1,412 (83.1 ppg.) in the same span to start the 2009-10 season. The 91 points at ISU were the most in a Big 12 opener since 2000.
The Wildcats scored a season-best 91 points at Iowa State (12/29) on 55.2 percent shooting (32-of-58), including 50 percent (13-of-26) from 3-point range. It was the most points in a Big 12 opener since scoring 97 at home against Nebraska on Jan. 8, 2000, while it was the most in a Big 12 opener on the road since scoring 92 at Colorado on Jan. 21, 1987. The 91 points were the most in a Big 12 road game overall since scoring 96 at Oklahoma State on Jan. 18, 2017. The Wildcats connected on 50 percent or better in both halves for the sixth time this season. The 13 3-point field goals tied for the ninth-most makes in school history and most in a Big 12 game since hitting 14 against the Cyclones at Hilton Coliseum on Feb. 5, 2011.
K-State also posted 90 points vs. Arizona State (11/23), 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 non-conference road game since also scoring 84 at Saint Louis on Dec. 3, 2016. The squad also has 80-point efforts vs. American (11/10), NAU?(11/20), USC?Upstate (12/5), SE Missouri State (12/16) and Oklahoma State (1/10). The 86 points against the Cowboys were the most in a Big 12 home game since scoring 89 vs. OSU on Jan. 23, 2016. The Wildcats' 53 points after halftime were the most scored in a second half and tied for the most in any half this season (53 vs. SE?Missouri State and Iowa State).
K-State has connected on better than 50 percent from the field in eight 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 six games (American, Arizona State, Vanderbilt, USC?Upstate, SE Missouri State and Iowa 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. 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 field goals were one shy of the record in the Bruce Weber era of 36 vs. OSU on Jan. 18, 2017.

TRIPLE SCORING THREAT

Even without junior Kamau Stokes, K-State still has a trio of scoring threats in juniors Barry Brown, Jr. (16.6 ppg.) and Dean Wade (15.0 ppg.) and sophomore Xavier Sneed (11.5 ppg.). They rank fifth, 14th and 26th in scoring in the Big 12, as the three are averaging 43.1 points per game on 48.9 percent shooting, including 35.7 percent from long range, and 76.9 percent from the free throw line. Since the injury to Stokes, the trio have averaged 49.3 points per game on 47.1 percent shooting, including 31.3 percent from long range, and 79.2 percent from the free throw line.
The trio of Brown, Wade and Sneed have all scored in double figures in 10 career games, including six this season. The three combined for 50 or more points twice this season, including 51 against No. 6/5 West Virginia (1/1) on 50 percent shooting (16-of-32) and 59 against Oklahoma State (1/10) on 55.2 percent shooting (16-of-29). They combined for 48 points against No. 12/12 Kansas (1/13) on 46.2 percent shooting. They have combined for 37 double-digit scoring games, including Brown's team-high 14 this season.
Brown is averaging 21.8 points on 50.0 percent shooting (35-of-70), including 39.1 percent (9-of-23) from 3-point range, through the first five Big 12 games. His scoring average ranks third in the Big 12 behind Oklahoma's Trae Young (33.0 ppg.) and Kansas' Devonte' Graham (22.4 ppg.). His 109 points are the third-most by a Wildcat though the first five Big 12 games, trailing Michael Beasley (140, 2008) and Rodney McGruder (117, 2012). Brown's career-best 38 points vs. Oklahoma State (1/10) were the most by a Wildcat since Jacob Pullen also scored 38 against Wisconsin on March 19, 2011 and the most in a home game since Pullen's 38 against Kansas on Feb. 14, 2011. It was also the fifth-most by a junior in school history. Brown leads the Wildcats with 10 career 20-point games, including a team-best six this season (with four in the last six outings). Brown, who ranks third in the Big 12 in steals with 35 on the season, tied his career-high with 6 vs. OSU, which were the most by a Wildcat ever in a Big 12 game and the most since Elliot Hatcher vs. Colorado on Jan. 13, 1996. The school record of 7 steals in a conference game came against Nebraska in 1989.
Wade is not far behind Brown in Big 12 games, averaging 19.4 points on 63.6 percent shooting (35-of-55), including 57.1 percent (8-of-14) from 3-point range, to go with 6.6 rebounds through the first five league contests. The average ranks fifth in the league, while Wade is second in 3-point field goal percentage, third in field goal percentage and ninth in rebounding. His 97 points are the sixth-most by a Wildcat through the first five Big 12 games. He scored a game-high 22 points against No. 12/12 Kansas (1/13), which marked the third consecutive 20-point game against the Jayhawks.
Sneed is starting to heat back up with three double-figure scoring games in the last four outings and has registered double-digit points 10 times this season, including three 20-point games (Vanderbilt, SE Missouri State and West Virginia). He is now the leader in 3-point field goals with Stokes out with 29, which includes a career-best 6-of-9 effort in the setback to the Mountaineers on New Year's Day. He collected his first career double-double in the win over Oklahoma State (1/10) with a career-best 12 rebounds to go with 11 points.

IMPRESSIVE SCORING FEAT, PART 1

In the Big 12 opener at Iowa State, Dean Wade (34), Kamau Stokes (23) and Barry Brown, Jr. (21) combined for 78 of the team's 91 points on 62.8 percent shooting (27-of-43), including 64.7 percent (11-of-17) from 3-point range. It marked just the second time that the Wildcats had a 30-point scorer and two 20-point scorers in the same game since Chuckie Williams (34), Daryl Winston (23) and Mike Evans (20) accomplished the feat in a 108-93 victory at Iowa State on Jan. 29, 1975. It was also the most combined points for three players in a game since Michael Beasley (44), Bill Walker (31) and Clent Stewart (5) combined for 80 points in a loss a Baylor on Feb. 23, 2008. In addition, it was the first time K-State had three 20-point scorers (Jacob Pullen, Denis Clemente and Curtis Kelly) since the 2010 NCAA West Regional Semifinal against Xavier on March 25, 2010.
Wade became the first 30-point scorer since Marcus Foster also scored 34 vs. Texas on Feb. 8, 2014, while it was the most points by in a Big 12 road game since Clemente scored 44 at Texas on Jan. 31, 2009 and most in a Big 12 opener since Beasley had 32 at Oklahoma on Jan. 12, 2008.

IMPRESSIVE SCORING FEAT, PART 2

Barry Brown, Jr., enjoyed a special night with a career-high 38 points in the Wildcats' 86-82 win over Oklahoma State on Jan. 10. The 38-point scoring output by Brown was the most by a Wildcat since Jacob Pullen also scored 38 points against Wisconsin in the NCAA?Tournament on March 19, 2011, while it was most in a Big 12 home game since Pullen's 38 against top-ranked Kansas on Feb. 14, 2011. Brown, who scored 20 or more points in the fourth time in a five-game stretch, connected on 12-of-17 from the field to go with an 11-of-16 effort from the free throw line. He scored 26 of his 38 points after halftime on 8-of-10 field goals and 9-of-13 free throw line. He also added 6 steals, which were the most by a Wildcat in a Big 12 game.
The Wildcats' leader with 14 double-figure scoring games, Brown paces the team with 10 career 20-point games, which includes six this season. Brown scored a then career-best 27 points in a loss to Arizona State (11/26) and also has 20-point efforts against Northern Arizona (11/20), Washington State (12/20), Iowa State (12/29) and Texas Tech (1/6) to go with the 38-point effort vs. Oklahoma State (1/10).

TAKING CARE OF THE BALL

K-State has been solid taking care of the basketball this season, averaging a Big 12-low 11.1 turnovers per game. The average ranks 12th nationally, while the 188 total turnovers also ranks 20th in the nation. In contrast, the Wildcats have also forced their opponents into 14.9 turnovers per game, which ranks fourth in the league. The team ranks 23rd nationally and third in the Big 12 in turnover margin (+3.8).
K-State has posted 12 turnovers or less in 13 of 17 games, including single-digit turnovers on five occasions (UC Irvine, George Washington, Oral Roberts, Vanderbilt and Oklahoma State). The team is averaging just 10.3 turnovers over the last 12 games (124). Since turning over the ball a season-high 17 vs. American (11/10), the Wildcats have averaged just 10.7 turnovers in the last 16 games, including eight games of 10 turnovers or less.
K-State is averaging 15.2 assists per game on 26.8 made field goals per game, which ranks seventh in the Big 12. However, when comparing it to the low turnover average, the team ranks 32nd nationally and fourth in the league in assist turnover ratio at 1.37. 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 8.1 treys per game on 36.2 percent shooting (137-of-378). Junior Kamau Stokes is one of five players with double-digit 3-point field goals, as he leads all players with 33 treys on 41.3 percent shooting (33-of-80) this season. Xavier Sneed is second in 3-point field goals with 29 on a 34.5 percent clip, while Barry Brown, Jr. (23), Dean Wade (16), Cartier Diarra (16), Brian Patrick (9) and Amaad Wainright (8) all have more than eight 3-point makes. Wade (ISU) and Sneed (West Virginia) both hit a career-high 6 treys recently, while Brown had a career-best 4 against Arizona State (11/23) and Diarra had 4 vs. American (11/10).
K-State has hit on six or more 3-pointers in 12 of 17 games this season, including double-digits against American (12), Arizona State (15), USC Upstate (12), SE?Missouri?State (11), Iowa State (13) and West Virginia (10). 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.

DEFENSIVE PROWESS

K-State has been solid on the defensive end to start the season, allowing 66.4 points while holding its opposition to 41.8 percent shooting, including 33.0 percent from 3-point range. The team ranks among the Top 35 in turnover margin (23rd), steals per game (31st) and scoring defense (51st), while they are third in the Big 12 in turnover margin and fourth in scoring defense, 3-point field goal percentage defense, turnover margin and steals.
The Wildcats have held six of the 17 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 two opponents (Vanderbilt and Oklahoma State) to below its scoring average and has held its opponents to an average of 11 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.
K-State has put up some impressive defensive numbers under Weber, leading the Big 12 in scoring defense twice in his tenure (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 (11,928 points). K-State has a 93-26 (.782) record when holding a foe to 69 points or less since 2012-13 and a 19-47 (.292) mark when allowing an opponent to score 70 or more.

A 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 school mark set against Tulane on Jan. 10, 1976 at Ahearn Field House. The 31 turnovers tied for the fifth most and were the most since also forcing 31 against Kentucky on Nov. 28, 2008. The 38 points off of turnovers were the fourth-most 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 Barry?Brown, Jr., and 5 by Dean?Wade. The 6 steals by Brown tied nine other players for the eighth-most steals in a game. He now has 150 in his career, which ranks third on the all-time list. Kamau Stokes also had 3 steals, while sophomore Xavier Sneed and redshirt freshman Cartier Diarra had 2 each.

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: 24/25 TCU (13-4, 1-4 Big 12)

K-State continues Big 12 play on Saturday afternoon when the Wildcats play host to No. 24/25 TCU (13-4, 1-4 Big 12) at 3 p.m., on ESPNU, on Throwback Day.

Game Preview // K-State Begins Homestand Tuesday vs. No. 4/6 Oklahoma

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Game Preview // K-State Begins Homestand Tuesday vs. No. 4/6 Oklahoma

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