Game Preview // 25/24 K-State, Georgia State Meet Saturday at Bramlage Coliseum

GAME 9
25/24 KANSAS STATE (6-2) vs. GEORGIA STATE (7-3)
Saturday, December 15, 2018 >> 7:07 p.m. CT >> Bramlage Coliseum (12,528) >> Manhattan, Kan.

TELEVISION
FOX Sports Kansas City / FOX Sports App/Watch / ESPN3

Ben Boyle (play-by-play)
Stan Weber (analyst)
Bridget Howard (sideline reporter)

Channel Listing: DirecTV 671-5 [HD] / Dish 440 or 412-28 / AT&T U-Verse 750 or 1750 [HD]
FOX Sports App Link
ESPN3 Link

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: Sirius 211 / XM 210 / Internet 965

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

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

Operation Santa Claus: $5
In exchange for a toy donation, fans will be able to purchase a single-game ticket for just $5

Wildcat 4 Pack: $30
Bramlage Bundle: $25
Single Game: $10 (bench/GA)/$20 (chairback)
Group (12+): $5

COACHES
Kansas State: Bruce Weber (Wis.-Milwaukee '78)
Overall: 444-237/21^st season
At K-State: 131-82/7^th season
vs. Georgia State: 0-0

Georgia State: Ron Hunter (Miami [Ohio] '86)
Overall: 428-307/25^th season
At GSU: 154-88/8^th season
vs. Kansas State: 0-1

PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP
Kansas State (6-2)
G: #3 Kamau Stokes
G: #5 Barry Brown, Jr.
G/F: #20 Xavier Sneed
F: #32 Dean Wade
F: #14 Makol Mawien

Georgia State (7-3)
G: #1 Damon Wilson
G: #12 Kane Williams
G: #15 D'Marcus Simonds
F: #2 Malik Benlevi
F: #30 Jeff Thomas

SERIES HISTORY
Overall: K-State leads 2-0
In Manhattan: K-State leads 1-0
Last Meeting: W, 74-61 (11/29/1999)
Weber vs. Hunter: First Meeting

OPENING TIP

Kansas State (6-2) returns home to Bramlage Coliseum on Saturday, as the Wildcats host Sun Belt Conference favorite Georgia State (7-3) at 7 p.m., CT. The contest is the first of four straight games at home venues, which includes contests against Southern Miss on Dec. 19 and George Mason on Dec. 29 at Bramlage Coliseum and Vanderbilt at the Sprint Center on Dec. 22.
Boasting one of the nation's top scorers in D'Marcus Simonds (22.0 ppg.), Georgia State has won 4 of its last 5 games, including a 21-point rally to beat SEC foe Alabama, 83-80, on Dec. 4. Additionally, the Panthers have a road win at Tulane (80-76) and a neutral site victories over 2018 NCAA Tournament team St. Bonaventure (75-65) and in-state rival Georgia (91-67).
This will be the third meeting between K-State and Georgia State on the hardwood with the Wildcats sweeping a home-and-home series in 1998 and 1999.
K-State has won 26 consecutive games against non-conference opponents at Bramlage Coliseum since the start of the 2015-16 season. Overall, the school has an 98-6 (.941) record at home in non-conference play since 2006-07, including 96-5 (.950) in the regular season, and has won 88 of their last 92 non-conference home games.
Since starting the season at 6-0, K-State has dropped consecutive road games, first, at Marquette, 83-71, and most recently, at Tulsa, 47-46. During this stretch, the Wildcats averaged just 58.5 points on 36 percent shooting, including just 26.8 percent from 3-point range. In the first six games, the team averaged 73 points on 45.5 percent shooting.
Seniors Barry Brown, Jr., Kamau Stokes and Dean Wade, who have combined for 3,633 career points, have averaged just 20 points per game in the last two games on 24.6 percent shooting (14-of-57), including 15.8 percent (3-of-19) from 3-point range. In the first six games, the trio averaged 40.8 points per game on 46.3 percent shooting (93-of-201).
Despite the offensive woes, the Wildcats had an opportunity to escape Tulsa with a victory, as Brown and Stokes both saw their lay-ups rim off in the waning seconds, as the Golden Hurricane survived 47-46 to claim victory in back-to-back seasons. The squad posted season lows in nearly every offensive category, including points (46) and field goal percentage (30.5). It was the fewest points since scoring a Bruce Weber-low 42 at Baylor on Feb. 21, 2015.
K-State has been strong on the defensive end to start the season, holding opponents to 58.5 points on 39.8 percent shooting, including 28.4 percent from 3-point range, while forcing opponents into 17.4 turnovers per game. The Wildcats rank 10^th nationally in scoring defense, 18^th in turnover margin (+5.1) and 27^th in turnovers forced.

NOTES ON GEORGIA STATE

Georgia State (7-3) enters Saturday's game with wins in 4 of its last 5 contests, including a 95-88 victory over Chattanooga at home on Wednesday night. The team's lone losses have come on the road at Montana (81-74) and Liberty (78-52) and to Creighton (93-68) at a neutral site.
The Panthers return seven lettermen, including four starters (Malik Benlevi, Devin Mitchell, D'Marcus Simonds and Jeff Thomas) for a squad that posted a 24-11 overall record and finished second in the Sun Belt with a 12-6 mark.
Georgia State was picked as the preseason favorite in the Sun Belt, collecting 144 points and all 12 first-place votes. Simonds was named the preseason Sun Belt Player of the Year and was a unanimous First Team All-Sun Belt selection.
The Panthers are averaging 75.4 points on 45.4 percent shooting, including 37.6 percent from 3-point range, to go with 34.2 rebounds, 11.9 assists, 8.0 steals and 4.9 blocks per game, while allowing 75.6 points on 44.5 percent shooting, including 35.5 percent from the free throw line. The team is connecting on 62.9 percent from the free throw line.
Georgia State ranks among the leaders in both steals (59^th) and blocks per game (45^th).
Simonds, who ranks 23rd nationally in scoring at 22.0 points per game, is among four players averaging in double figures, as he connects on 45.6 percent of his field goals, including 34.4 percent from 3-point range, to go with 4.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 36.0 minutes per game. Benlevi is the team leader in 3-pointers (2.4 per game), rebounding (5.9 rpg.), steals (1.8 spg.) and blocks (1.3 bpg.), while averaging 12.7 points on 48 percent shooting, including 42.9 percent from 3-point range. Sophomore Kane Williams (11.2 ppg.) and Thomas (11.1 ppg.) also both average in double figures for the Panthers.
Georgia State is led by veteran head coach Ron Hunter, who has posted a 154-88 record in his eighth season at the helm of the Panthers. He has led the school to five 20-win seasons and five postseason appearances, including NCAA Tournament bids in 2015 and 2018. Among these is a notable 25-win campaign in 2015, in which, the Panthers dramatically knocked off Big 12 foe Baylor in the first round. Overall, he is in his 25^th season as a head coach, which includes a stint at IUPUI (1994-2011). He is 428-307 in his career.
Hunter has faced K-State just once in his career, as his IUPUI squad lost a 70-57 decision to the Wildcats on Nov. 28, 2009 at the Sprint Center in Kansas City.

SERIES HISTORY

K-State and Georgia State will meet for the third time on the hardwood with the Wildcats sweeping a home-and-home series with a 78-71 victory at Bramlage Coliseum on Nov. 29, 1998 and a 74-61 victory in Atlanta on Nov. 29, 1999.
K-State is 12-0 all-time against the Sun Belt Conference, including games against Little Rock (1-0), Arkansas State (1-0), Georgia Southern (1-0), Georgia State (2-0), Louisiana (1-0), UT-Arlington (2-0), Texas State (2-0) and Troy (2-0).
This will be the first meeting against a Sun Belt team since a 72-43 victory over Troy at Bramlage Coliseum on Dec. 15, 2013.

LAST TIME OUT: TULSA 47, K-STATE 46

No. 16/15 Kansas State had consecutive shots rim out in the final seconds, as the Wildcats dropped a defensive slugfest to Tulsa, 47-46, at the Donald W. Reynolds Center on Saturday.
Tulsa now leads the series, 7-1, including 4-0 in games played at home (1967, 1972, 1990, 2018).
In a game where neither team shot particularly well from the field, the Wildcats were notably unproductive on offense, connecting on a season-low 30.5 percent (18-of-59) of their field goals, including 26.3 percent (5-of-19) from 3-point range. The 46 points were the fewest since scoring 42 at Baylor on Feb. 21, 2015, while it was the lowest field goal percentage since shooting 25 percent (14-of-56) at Oklahoma on Feb. 25, 2017.
Trailing 45-40 with 4:19 remaining, K-State got back-to-back 3-pointers from junior Xavier Sneed to take a one-point lead at 46-45 with 2:24 to play. Junior Martins Igbanu gave Tulsa (7-3) what turned out to be the game-winning jumper on the next possession at the 1:53 mark.
After a rebound by Sneed on a missed lay-up by Sterling Taplin with 23 seconds left and two called timeouts, a lay-up by senior Barry Brown, Jr., and the subsequent follow by fellow senior Kamau Stokes both rimmed out.
K-State also set season-lows for first-half points (25), first-half field goal percentage (31.0), second-half points (21) and second-half field goal percentage (30.0).
K-State also tied a season-high with 16 turnovers.
Sneed collected his second career double-double with a team-high 13 points and a game-high 10 rebounds, while sophomore Cartier Diarra added 9 points and 7 rebounds off the bench.

K-STATE TUMBLES IN POLLS

After its second consecutive loss, K-State dropped in both polls, falling nine spots to a tie for No. 25 in The Associated Press poll and nine spots in the USA Today Coaches poll to No. 24 on Monday. The team had moved into the Coaches Top 10 for the first time since 2010 on Nov. 26.
It marked the first time since the 2010-11 season that K-State has been ranked in the first six weeks of the AP poll and the eighth time overall in school history (1951-52, 1952-53, 1957-58, 1958-59, 1961-62, 1972-73 and 2010-11).
K-State has a 263-104 record as an AP ranked team, including an 8-4 mark as the No. 25 team.
K-State opened the 2018-19 season in the Top 15 in both major polls, as the Wildcats earned a No. 11 ranking in the preseason USA Today Coaches poll to go with a No. 12 ranking in the preseason Associated Press poll.
It marks the first time that K-State has started with preseason rankings in both polls since the 2010-11 campaign when the school opened at No. 3 in the AP and USA Today Coaches polls.

NON-CONFERENCE SUCCESS

K-State has a 101-6 (.944) record at home venues (includes home games played at Bramlage Coliseum, INTRUST?Bank Arena in Wichita and the Sprint Center in Kansas City) in non-conference play since the 2006-07 season, including a 93-5 (.949) mark at Bramlage Coliseum
The Wildcats have won 88 of their last 92 non-conference home games, including a 26-game winning streak at Bramlage Coliseum. The last home non-conference loss came against Georgia, 50-46, on Dec. 31, 2014.
K-State has posted a 136-33 (.805) record in non-conference play since the 2006-07 season, which includes an 11-2 (.846) mark in 2017-18. The team has posted double-digit non-conference wins in 11 of the last 12 years, averaging 10.8 non-conference wins in that span, and went a program-best 13-1 in non-conference play during the 2009-10 season.
Since going 7-6 in non-conference in 2014-15, which included back-to-back losses to Texas Southern and Georgia, the Wildcats has won double-digit non-conference games each of the past three seasons and is 38-8 (.826) in non-conference play since the start of 2015-16 season. It is during this span that the school has won 26 consecutive games at Bramlage Coliseum.

A LOOK AT THE 26 STRAIGHT NON-CONFERENCE WINS AT BRAMLAGE COLISEUM

Below is a closer look at K-State's current 26-game non-conference winning streak at Bramlage Coliseum, which dates to the start of the 2015-16 season. During this span, the Wildcats have averaged 75.7 points per game, while holding their opponents to 56.9 points and winning by nearly 19 points per game.

11/13/15 -- Maryland-Eastern Shore, 80-53
11/16/15 -- Columbia, 81-71
11/20/15 -- South Dakota, 93-72
11/29/15 -- South Carolina State, 68-66
12/9/15 -- Coppin State, 83-58
12/22/16 -- North Dakota, 63-49
12/29/16 -- Saint Louis, 75-47
1/30/16 -- Ole Miss, 69-64 (Big 12/SEC Challenge)
11/11/16 -- Western Illinois, 82-55
11/15/16 -- Omaha, 81-68
11/20/16 -- Hampton, 89-67
11/22/16 -- Robert Morris, 61-40
11/30/16 -- Green Bay, 80-61
12/6/16 -- Prairie View A&M, 74-55
12/21/16 -- Gardner-Webb, 67-54
11/10/17 -- American, 83-45
11/14/17 -- UMKC, 72-51
11/17/17 -- UC Irvine, 71-49
11/20/17 -- Northern Arizona, 80-58
11/29/17 -- Oral Roberts, 77-68
12/5/17 -- USC?Upstate, 86-49
12/16/17 -- SE?Missouri State, 89-71
1/27/18 -- Georgia, 56-51 (Big 12/SEC Challenge)
11/9/18 – Kennesaw State, 56-41
11/12/18 – Denver, 64-56
11/24/18 – Lehigh, 77-58

HISTORY AT BRAMLAGE COLISEUM

K-State has posted a 369-116 (.761) record at Bramlage Coliseum since its opening during the 1988-89 season. The 369 wins are the second-most at a home venue, trailing the 378 wins at Ahearn Field House (1950-88).
K-State has registered a 168-36 (.824) record at home over the past 14 seasons, including a 72-31 (.699) mark in Big 12 play. The 168 wins rank fourth among all Big 12 schools in that span, while the 72 league victories at home are only surpassed by Kansas and Texas. In all, the program has earned double-digit victories in 25 of its 30 seasons in the arena, including a current streak of 17 straight seasons.
K-State has a 229-59 (.795) record at home, including a 135-10 (.931) mark in non-conference action, since the 2001-02 season for an average of just over 13 home wins (13.3) per season.
Head coach Bruce Weber has tallied an 84-20 (.808) 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 20 losses (17 of which have come in Big 12 play) have come by a grand total of 140 points or just 7.0 points per game.

3-POINT WOES

K-State has struggled from 3-point line this season, connecting on just 28.2 percent (42-of-149) of its attempts from long range and averaging just 5.3 makes per game.
This comes on the heels of a record-setting 2017-18 season from 3-point range, in which, the Wildcats set both single-season marks for makes (254) and attempts (745), while five different players posted 30 or more 3-point field goals led by Xavier Sneed's 65 makes.

'CATS HAVE BEEN STELLAR ON DEFENSE UNDER WEBER

K-State has put up some impressive defensive numbers under head coach Bruce Weber, leading the Big 12 in scoring defense twice in the last 6 years (60.4 ppg., in 2012-13 and 65.4 ppg., in 2013-14). Last season, the Wildcats held opponents to 67 points on 42.5 percent shooting.
K-State is holding opponents to 58.5 points on 39.8 percent shooting, including 28.4 percent from 3-point range, while forcing opponents into 17.4 turnovers per game. The Wildcats rank 10^th nationally in scoring defense, 18^th in turnover margin (+5.1) and 27^th in turnovers forced.
K-State has held 5 of 8 opponents to 60 points or less this season with just one eclipsing 70. The squad has now held 74 opponents to 60 points or less in Weber's tenure, boasting a 66-8 mark (losses to Kansas in 2012, Northern Colorado and Kentucky in 2013, Texas Southern and Georgia in 2014, Texas and Oklahoma State in 2016, West Virginia in 2017 and Tulsa in 2018).
K-State has a 110-29 (.791) record under Weber when holding a foe to 69 points or less and a 21-53 (.288) when allowing 70 or more points.

POINTS OFF TURNOVERS

Nearly a third of K-State's points (157/555) this season have come off turnovers, as the Wildcats are averaging 19.6 points off 17.4 opponent mistakes per game. The squad ranks 18^th nationally in turnover margin (+5.1) and 27^th in turnovers forced (17.4).
The Wildcats scored 20 or more points off turnovers in 5 of 8 games, including a season-high 24 in the win over Eastern Kentucky (11/16/18). They have also put up 20 points or more off turnovers against Kennesaw State (20), Denver (23), Penn (22) and Marquette (22).
Even in the other three games, K-State has scored 18 points off turnovers against Lehigh (11/24/18), 16 against Missouri (11/19/18) and 12 against Tulsa (12/8/18).
K-State has scored more than 3,000 points (3,257) off turnovers during Weber's tenure, an average of 15.3 points per game. In 2017-18, the Wildcats averaged 17.3 points per game off turnovers, including 15.9 points per game in Big 12 play, and outscored opponents, 639-423. The team scored at least 20 points off opponent turnovers in 13 games with a school-record 38 vs. Northern Arizona on Nov. 20, 2017 and 36 vs. USC?Upstate on Dec. 5, 2017.
A?year ago, K-State ranked eighth nationally in total steals (294) and 18th in steals per game (7.9), while the school was one of just 5 nationally (Georgia State, Nicholls State, Purdue and Stephen F. Austin) with three players (Barry Brown, Jr., Dean Wade and Xavier Sneed) with 40 or more steals.

OFFENSIVE SPARK

K-State's offense gained a spark during the run to the Paradise Jam Championship, averaging 80.3 points on 50.6 percent (91-of-180) shooting, including 37.5 percent (18-of-48) from 3-point range, after averaging just 60 points on 40 percent (48-of-120) shooting, including 17.5 percent (7-of-40) from long range, after the first two games.
Including the game against Lehigh (11/24) and Marquette (12/1), K-State has now scored 70 or more points in 4 of the last 6 games on a collective 47.0 percent shooting from the field.
The Wildcats connected on 50 percent or better from the field in five of six halves at the tournament, hitting on 55.2 percent (37-of-67) against Eastern Kentucky (11/16/18) and 53.6 percent (30-of-56) against Missouri (11/19/18).
K-State scored a season-high 95 points in the first-round win over Eastern Kentucky (11/16/18), hitting on 55.2 percent (37-of-67) from the field, as five players scored in double figures led by junior Xavier Sneed's game-high 16 points.
After hitting on just 4 of their first 19 attempts in the first 13 minutes against Penn (11/18/18), the Wildcats connected on 52.6 percent (20-of-38) in the last 27 minutes in a 64-48 victory. Three players scored in double figures led by Dean Wade's 17 points.
K-State connected on 50 percent or better in each half in the win over Missouri (11/19/18), hitting on 53.6 percent for the game, including 50 percent (12-of-24) from 3-point range. Four players scored in double figures, including 21 from Wade and 19 from Barry Brown, Jr.
The 12 3-point field goals were the most since hitting 13 at Iowa State (12/29/17).

OFFENSIVE BALANCE KEY TO SUCCESS

Much like 2017-18, balance has been key to K-State's offensive success this season, as five players are averaging at least 7.7 points per game, including three (Dean Wade, Barry Brown, Jr., and Xavier Sneed) in double figures.
Four different players (Wade, Brown, Sneed and Makol Mawien) have led the Wildcats in scoring, while six players have at least one double-digit scoring game.
Since Weber took over as head coach in 2012-13, K-State has posted a 55-19 record when four or more players score in double figures, including a 3-1 mark in 2018-19. The Wildcats are 11-2 (9-1 in 2017-18) when Makol Mawien scores in double figures, while the team is 9-2 (8-2 in 2017-18) when Cartier Diarra reaches double-digits.

GAME OF RUNS

The Paradise Jam was a tournament of runs for K-State, as the Wildcats put together decisive runs, particularly at the end of the first half, en route to double-digit wins.
Leading 23-22 against Eastern Kentucky with 5:57 before halftime, K-State used a 12-2 run to take a 37-28 lead into halftime. After the Colonels had closed to within 43-37 with 16:14 to play, the Wildcats rattled off a 20-6 run to take a 63-43 lead at the 11:28 mark. The lead was never less than 17 the rest of the way and actually grew to 30 with 4:13 remaining.
Down 19-11 to Penn at the 7:16 mark of the first half, K-State erupted for a 17-2 run to take a 28-21 lead into halftime. Again, after the Quakers had closed to 46-40 with just under 10 to play, the Wildcats used a 14-4 run to push ahead en route to a 14-point win.
After an early lead evaporated into a 27-all tie with 4:17 before halftime against Missouri, K-State scored 20 of the next 22 points, including a 13-0 run to end the half. After the Tigers had closed to 60-47 midway through the second half, a 10-4 spurt by the Wildcats pushed the lead back up to 19 points en route to a 15-point win.
Even though K-State slowly took control early in the second half in the 77-58 win over Lehigh (11/24), the Wildcats used a 20-7 run late to blow the game open, extending a 57-48 lead with less than eight minutes to play to 77-55 with 2:22 remaining.

WADE CONTINUES TO PRODUCE

Senior Dean Wade has continued where he left off before his injury in 2017-18, as he averages a team-best 13.8 points on 52.4 percent shooting (43-of-82) to go with team-best 7.6 rebounds in 30.5 minutes per game. He is second in assist average at 3.3 per game.
Wade has scored in double figures in 7 of 8 games this season, leading the Wildcats in scoring 4 times, in rebounding 3 times and in assists 3 times.

Wade, who is the tallest player in school history with 200 career assists at the Paradise Jam, recently became just the fourth Wildcat with 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 200 assists, joining Ed Nealy, Wesley Iwundu and Rolando Blackman.
In 2017-18, Wade was one of just 15 players in the Big 12 era to average at 15 points, 5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.5 steals in a single-season, joining the likes of Iowa State's Curtis Stinson, Oklahoma State's Tony Allen, Texas' P.J. Tucker and Oklahoma State's Marcus Smart. He was one of just three Big 12 players to accomplish the feat since 2012-13, joining Smart (2012-13 and 2013-14) and Kansas' Josh Jackson.
Wade was the fourth Wildcat to shoot 50 percent or better from the field, 40 percent or better from the 3-point line and 75 percent from the free throw line in a single season and the first double-digit scorer to do it since Mitch Richmond and Will Scott did it in 1987-88.

BROWN CLOSING IN ON SEVERAL CAREER MARKS

Senior Barry Brown, Jr., has a chance to become the school's all-time steals leader, as he trails career leader Jacob Pullen (210, 2007-11) by a mere 5 steals. Brown has 205 career steals in 113 games played, which ties for second on the career per game (1.81) list.
Brown set the school single-season mark with 82 as a sophomore in 2016-17, while his 67 a season ago tied Pullen for the second-most on the single season list.
Brown also ranks among the leaders in games played, as his current streak of 113 consecutive games played ranks sixth in school history, while his 91 consecutive starts ranks fourth. With 113 career games played, he has a chance to eclipse the school record of 135 set by Jacob Pullen (2007-11) and Rodney McGruder (2009-13).

STOKES AIMING FOR 1,000 POINTS;
ATTEMPTING TO BECOMING FIRST TRIO TO TOP 1,000 POINTS

Senior Kamau Stokes needs 53 points to become the 30th player in school history to post 1,000 in a career and join fellow seniors Barry Brown, Jr., and Dean Wade in achieving the milestone. If Stokes achieves the mark, the trio would become the first senior class in school history to each top 1,000 career points in a career.
Brown (1,390 points) and Wade (1,297 points) each eclipsed the mark as juniors and currently rank 9th and 13th, respectively, on the all-time scoring list. Brown cracked the school's Top 10 during the Paradise Jam and passed Chuckie Williams (1,364 points; 1972-76) for ninth place with 16-point effort vs. Lehigh (11/24/18), while Wade needs 71 points to join the Top 10.
Stokes already ranks in the career Top 10 for both 3-point field goals made (149/8th) and attempted (444/7th), while he is one of just eight players in school history with 300 or more assists in a career. His current total of 332 assists ranks fifth on the all-time list.

DON'T?FORGET?SNEED

With all the attention paid to the three seniors, the accomplishments of junior Xavier Sneed have somehow been overlooked. The St. Louis native enjoyed a career best year in 2017-18, averaging 11.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 31.4 minutes per game while starting all 37 games. He was named to the NCAA South Regional All-Tournament team after averaging 19 points and 7.5 rebounds in games against Kentucky and Loyola Chicago.
Since missing the opener with Kennesaw State (11/9), Sneed has scored in double figures in 6 of the last 7 games, including a season-high 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting, including 3-of-4 from 3-point range, against Eastern Kentucky (11/16). His 12 treys pace the team, as he has connected on 11 of his last 23 attempts after going 1-of-7 in his first game vs. Denver (11/12/18).
Sneed collected his second career double-double and first of the season at Tulsa (12/8/18), posting a team-best 13 points on 5-of-14 shooting, including 3-of-6 from 3-point range, to go with a game-high 10 rebounds in 35 minutes.
Sneed ranks second on the team with 13 steals, snagging at least 2 in 4 of 6 games, including a game-high 4 against Penn (11/18/18).

K-STATE WINS PARADISE JAM; FIRST TITLE SINCE 2011

Included in K-State's 6-0 start to season was a 3-game sweep to win the 19^th annual U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam in St. Thomas, U.S.V.I., Nov. 16-19, as the Wildcats knocked off Eastern Kentucky (95-68), Penn (64-48) and Missouri (82-67).
The tournament championship marked the 14^th in school history and the first since winning the 2011 Diamond Head Classic in Honolulu, Hawai'i. It was also the sixth career tournament title for head coach Bruce Weber and his first with the Wildcats.
Senior Dean Wade was named the tournament's most valuable player after averaging 17.3 points on 61.8 percent (21-of-34) shooting with 6.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists in three games, including a team-high 21 points in the title game against the Tigers, while fellow senior Barry Brown, Jr., was one of five players selected as Paradise Jam Tournament All-Stars.

MORE ABOUT K-STATE

The Wildcats return 10 lettermen, including six players (Barry Brown, Jr., Cartier Diarra, Makol Mawien, Xavier Sneed, Kamau Stokes and Dean Wade) that combined to start all 37 games a season ago, for a team that posted a 25-12 overall record (10-8 in Big 12 play) and advanced to the Elite Eight for the 12th time in school history and the first time since 2010.
It marked just the sixth 25-win campaign in school history, including the second under head coach Bruce Weber, while the school advanced to the NCAA?Tournament for the fourth time in six seasons and 30th time overall.
K-State returns 185 combined starts from 2017-18, which is the most of any Division I team in the country, and ahead of other schools which return all of its starts, including George Mason (165), Iowa (165), Lipscomb (165) and North Florida (165).
K-State returns 93.2 percent (2,452 of 2,630 points) of its offense from 2017-18, which ranks 11th among Division I teams (trailing George Mason, Harvard, Wofford, Washington, Brown, Iowa, Wisconsin, UC Irvine, Syracuse and St.?Francis). The Wildcats also returns more than 90 percent of their field goals made (869/92.7%), 3-point field goals made (232/91.3%), free throws made (482/96%), assists (476/93.3%) and steals (266/90.5%) as well as 80 or better percent of their minutes (6,558/85%), rebounds (905/80%) and blocks (98/89%).
K-State returns seven of its top-8 scorers from last season, including three with double-digit averages [Wade (16.2 ppg.), Brown (15.9 ppg.) and Sneed (11.1 ppg.). Other returners include Kamau Stokes (9.0 ppg.), Cartier Diarra (7.1 ppg.), Makol Mawien (6.8 ppg.) and Mike McGuirl (3.3 ppg.). The Wildcats return their individual leader in scoring (Wade), rebounding (Wade), assists (Brown), steals (Brown) and blocks (Mawien).

'CATS EARN PRESEASON RANKINGS

K-State opened the 2018-19 season in the Top 15 in both major polls, as the Wildcats earned a No. 11 ranking in the preseason USA Today Coaches poll to go with a No. 12 ranking in the preseason Associated Press poll.
It marks the first time that K-State has started with preseason rankings in both polls since the 2010-11 campaign when the school opened at No. 3 in the AP and USA Today Coaches polls.
K-State appeared in the Preseason AP poll for the 17th time in school history, while it was the highest preseason ranking since starting the 2010-11 campaign at No. 3. It was also the 12th time debuting in the AP Top 15 (1951-52, 1952-53, 1953-54, 1956-57, 1957-58, 1958-59, 1961-62, 1964-65, 1965-66, 1975-76 and 2010-11).
The Wildcats have received several preseason rankings, including No. 11 by NBCSports.com, Yahoo! Sports, Street & Smith's, Lindy's and Athlon, No. 12 by ESPN.com, CBSSports.com, USA Today, Stadium, No. 13 by The Athletic, Blue Ribbon Yearbook and No. 14 by SI.com.
K-State was one of four Big 12 teams to place in both Top 25 polls, as Kansas was the unanimous No. 1 team. West Virginia was No. 13 in both polls, while TCU was ranked No. 20 (Coaches) and No. 21 (AP), respectively.

'CATS PICKED SECOND IN BIG 12 PLAY; WADE NAMED PRESEASON POY

K-State was picked to finish second by the league coaches in the annual Big 12 Preseason poll released on Oct. 19, as the Wildcats received 72 points and two first-place votes. Kansas was selected first, while West Virginia, TCU and Texas rounded out the Top 5.
The second-place selection was the second-highest by a K-State team in the history of the poll, following the 2010-11 team which was picked to finish first with 119 points. In fact, the Wildcats have been picked to finish fifth or better on just six other occasions in the poll, including fourth in 2007-08, 2009-10 and 2014-15 and fifth in 2006-07, 2012-13 and 2013-14.
Senior Dean Wade became just the second Wildcat to ever be selected the Preseason Big 12 Player of the Year by the league coaches, while Wade and Barry Brown, Jr., were both named to the Preseason All-Big 12 Team. The duo was joined on the team by Kansas' Dedric Lawson, Iowa State's Lindell Wigginton and West Virginia's Sagaba Konate.
Wade's selection marked the second time that a K-State player has been named the preseason Player of the Year and the first since Jacob Pullen in 2010-11. It also was just the second time that two Wildcats appeared on the Preseason All-Big 12 Team, following Pullen and Curtis Kelly in 2010-11. Wade and Brown are just the sixth and seventh players in school history to earn recognition to the Preseason All-Big 12 (since 1996-97), following Manny Dies in 1998-99, Kelly and Pullen in 2010-11, Rodney McGruder in 2012-13 and Marcus Foster in 2014-15.

NEXT UP: SOUTHERN MISS (7-3)

K-State continues its homestand on Wednesday, December 19, as the Wildcats play host to Conference USA foe Southern Miss (7-3) at 7 p.m., CT. Tickets start at just $5 for advanced bench and general admission with $3 tickets available for groups of 12 or more fans. The game will be broadcast on FOX Sports Kansas City (state of Kansas and Kansas City area) as well as on the FOX Sports app and ESPN3 (outside of Kansas).

Game Preview // 25/24 K-State, Georgia State Meet Saturday at Bramlage Coliseum

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Barry Brown, Jr.

Cartier Diarra

Makol Mawien

Mike McGuirl

Xavier Sneed

Kamau Stokes

Dean Wade

Kansas State University Athletics

Game Preview // 25/24 K-State, Georgia State Meet Saturday at Bramlage Coliseum

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Barry Brown, Jr.

Cartier Diarra

Makol Mawien

Mike McGuirl

Xavier Sneed

Kamau Stokes

Dean Wade

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