Game Preview // K-State Continues Homestand Wednesday vs. Southern Miss

Wednesday, December 19

Manhattan, Kan.

7 p.m.

Kansas State University

Southern Miss

Buy Tickets

Game Preview // K-State Continues Homestand Wednesday vs. Southern Miss

Dec 18, 2018 | Men's Basketball

Buy Tickets K-State Notes (.pdf)Southern Miss Notes (.pdf)Watch Listen Live Stats

Game Preview // K-State Continues Homestand Wednesday vs. Southern Miss

GAME 10
KANSAS STATE (7-2) vs. SOUTHERN MISS (7-3)
Wednesday, December 19, 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 448 or 412-36 / 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 146 / XM 199 / Internet 953

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

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

Advanced Single Game: $5 (bench/GA)
Single Game: $10 (bench/GA)/$20 (chairback)
Group (12+): $3

COACHES
Kansas State: Bruce Weber (Wis.-Milwaukee '78)
Overall: 445-237/21^st season
At K-State: 132-82/7^th season
vs Southern Miss: 0-0

Southern Miss: Doc Sadler (Arkansas '82)
Overall: 192-191/13^th season
At USM: 43-84/5^th season
vs. Kansas State: 3-7

PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP
Kansas State (7-2)
G: #2 Cartier Diarra
G: #3 Kamau Stokes
G: #5 Barry Brown, Jr.
G/F: #20 Xavier Sneed
F: #14 Makol Mawien

Southern Miss (7-3)
G: #0 Dominic Magee
G: #1 Cortez Edwards
G: #20 Kevin Holland
G: #55 Tyree Griffin
F: #32 Leonard Harper-Baker

SERIES HISTORY
Overall: K-State leads 4-3
In Manhattan: Southern Miss leads 2-0
Last Meeting: W, 70-64 (3/5/2012)
Weber vs. Sadler: 1-1

OPENING TIP

Kansas State (7-2) continues its homestand on Wednesday night, as the Wildcats host Conference USA foe Southern Miss (7-3) at 7 p.m., CT. The contest is the second of four straight games at home venues to end non-conference play, which includes Saturday's game against Vanderbilt (7-2) at the Sprint Center in Kansas City and a Dec. 29 matchup with George Mason (5-6) at Bramlage Coliseum.
Led by former Nebraska coach Doc Sadler, Southern Miss enters Wednesday's game with a 7-3 record, which includes road wins at SMU (74-64) and Troy (81-66) and a home victory over South Alabama (71-67). The Golden Eagles saw their 3-game winning streak end in Saturday's 63-60 loss at Wichita State. Sadler has slowly rebuilt a Southern Miss program that was rocked by NCAA scandal, going from 3 wins in his first season in 2014-15 to 16 last season. The team is led by the duo of seniors Cortez Edwards (14.2 ppg.) and Oklahoma State transfer Tyree Griffin (13.6 ppg.).
K-State holds a narrow 4-3 lead in the all-time series with Southern Miss, including a current 3-game winning streak (1993, 2008, 2012). However, the Golden Eagles have won both meetings in Manhattan, including 71-69 at Ahearn Field House on Dec. 17, 1987 and 74-60 at Bramlage Coliseum on Nov. 27, 1993. This will be the first meeting between the schools since the 2012 NCAA?East Regional in Pittsburgh.
K-State has won 27 consecutive games against non-conference opponents at Bramlage Coliseum since the 2015-16 season. Overall, the school has a 102-6 (.944) record at home venues (includes home games played at Bramlage Coliseum, INTRUST?Bank?Arena in Wichita and the Sprint Center in Kansas City), including a 94-5 mark at Bramlage Coliseum. The Wildcats have won 89 of their last 93 non-conference home games, which includes the current 27-game winning streak.
K-State snapped a 2-game losing streak on Saturday, as the Wildcats used a 21-6 run in the last nine minutes to post a 71-59 victory over Sun Belt favorite Georgia State at Bramlage Coliseum. Down 53-50 with just under 10 minutes to play, the team erupted for 12 consecutive points, including 8 from senior Barry Brown, Jr., to start the 21-6 run that turned a 3-point deficit into a 14-point lead (71-57) with 1:22 remaining. Brown led four Wildcats in double figures with his 17th career 20-point game with a game-high 21 points, while senior Kamau Stokes (15), junior Xavier Sneed (14) and senior Dean Wade (12) also registered double digits.
The K-State offense got back on track against Georgia State, as the Wildcats tied a season-high with 12 made 3-point field goals, connecting on 47.2 percent (25-of-53) from the field, including 46.2 percent (12-of-26) from 3-point range. Five players had at least 3 assists, as the team recorded an assist on 23 of its 25 made field goals. The performance came on the heels of averaging just 58.5 points on 36 percent shooting in the back-to-back loss at Marquette and Tulsa.
Saturday's win was tempered by injuries to Stokes and Wade, who both left the game in the second half due to injuries. Wade is expected to be out for an undetermined period of time, while Stokes is considered day-to-day.

NOTES ON SOUTHERN MISS

Southern Miss (7-3) enters Wednesday's game with wins in 3 of its last 4 contests, including home victories over South Alabama (71-67), Rust (106-46) and Millsaps (81-47), before Saturday's road loss at Wichita State (63-60). The Golden Eagles have road wins over SMU?(74-64) and Troy (81-66).
Southern Miss was picked seventh (out of the 14-team league) in the Conference USA Coaches preseason poll with Western Kentucky tabbed as the favorite with nine first-place votes.
The Golden Eagles return seven lettermen, including three starters (Cortez Edwards, Tyree Griffin and Dominic Magee) from a squad that posted a 16-18 record and finished tied for ninth in C-USA with a 7-11 mark.
USM is averaging 77.2 points on 46.9 percent shooting, including 36.3 percent from 3-point range, to go with 39.3 rebounds, 18.2 assists, 8.5 steals and 4.3 blocks per game, while allowing 62.4 points on 38.6 percent shooting, including 31.7 percent from 3-point range. The team is connecting on 60.9 percent from the free throw line.
Edwards paces three players averaging in double figures at 14.2 points per game on 45.5 percent shooting to go with 6.0 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.2 steals per game, while Griffin, a Oklahoma State transfer, is averaging 13.6 points on 43.1 percent shooting, including 35.8 percent from 3-point range, to go with a team-best 6.8 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game. Magee also averages double figures at 10.3 points per game on 50.7 percent shooting, including 45.9 percent from 3-point range, to go with 3.7 rebounds. Two others (LaDavius Draine and Leonard Harper-Baker) are averaging better than 8 points per game for the Golden Eagles, while Harper-Baker grabs 7.6 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per outing.
USM is led by veteran head coach Doc Sadler, who has posted a 43-84 record in his fifth season at the helm of the Golden Eagles. He has rebuilt a program rocked by NCAA scandal under former coach Donnie Tindall to move from 3 wins in his first season in 2014-15 to 8 in year two to 9 in year three to 16 last season. Overall, Sadler is 192-191 in his 13th season as head coach, which includes stints at UTEP (2004-06) and Nebraska (2006-12).

SERIES HISTORY

K-State and Southern Miss will meet for the eighth time in their histories on Wednesday with the Wildcats holding a narrow 4-3 edge. The series dates back nearly 30 years to a meeting at Ahearn Field House on Dec. 17, 1987, in which, the Golden Eagles posted a 71-69 victory.
K-State has won the last 3 meetings between the schools (1993, 2008 and 2012). The Wildcats earned a 74-55 win over the Golden Eagles at the Sprint Center in Kansas City on Dec. 11, 2008 before earning a 70-64 victory in the 2012 NCAA?East Regional at CONSOL Energy Arena in Pittsburgh.
Southern Miss is 2-0 all-time in meetings in Manhattan, posting a 71-69 in the first matchup on Dec. 17, 1987 at Ahearn Field House and a 74-60 win on Nov. 27, 1993 at Bramlage Coliseum. The 1993 victory is one of just four losses in a home season opener in the arena's 30-year history.
K-State is 25-8 all-time against schools from Conference USA, including a 16-2 mark at home. The other matchups have come against Charlotte (0-1), Louisiana Tech (1-0), Marshall (3-1), North Texas (6-1), Old Dominion (1-1), Southern Miss (4-3), UTEP?(3-1), UTSA (4-0) and Western Kentucky (3-0).
The last meeting with a Conference USA?opponent came on Nov. 21, 2013 at the Puerto Rico Tipoff, in which, Charlotte earned a 68-61 victory.

LAST TIME OUT: K-STATE 71, GEORGIA STATE 59

No. 25/24 Kansas State outscored Georgia State, 21-6, in the last nine minutes to post a 71-59 victory and snap a 2-game losing streak on Saturday night in front of 9,563 fans at Bramlage Coliseum.
With the win, K-State has now 27 consecutive non-conference games at Bramlage Coliseum. The Wildcats have won seven in a row at home dating back to last season, including all four to start the season.
Down 53-50 to the preseason Sun Belt Conference favorite Panthers with just under 10 minutes to play, the Wildcats erupted for 12 consecutive points, including 8 from senior Barry Brown, Jr., to start a 21-6 run that turned a 3-point deficit into a 14-point lead (71-57) with 1:22 remaining. Brown and junior Xavier Sneed combined for 18 of the team's final 21 points.
Brown finished the day with a game-high 21 points on 8-of-10 field goals, including 4-of-5 from 3-point range. He led four Wildcats in double figures, along with senior Kamau Stokes (15), Sneed (14) and senior Dean Wade (12). Five different players had at least 3 assists, as K-State totaled a season-high 23 assists on 25 made field goals.
The Wildcats played most of the second half without Wade and Stokes, who both left the game in the second half with injuries. Wade, who finished with a near double-double of 12 points and a game-high 9 rebounds to go with 3 assists and 2 steals, played just 6 minutes in the second half, while Stokes played 10 minutes after halftime and posted 15 points on 5-of-9 field goals, including 4 made 3s, to go with 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 steals.
K-State held a potent Georgia State offense to 59 points on 43.1 percent shooting, including 25.8 percent from 3-point range. The Panthers entered the game averaging 75.4 points on 45.4 percent shooting, including 37.6 percent from long range. Brown held D'Marcus Simonds, who entered averaging 22.0 points a game, to just 10 points on 4-of-11 shooting.
K-State has now held 75 opponents to 60 points or less under head coach Bruce Weber with the Wildcats boasting a 67-8 (.893) mark in those games including 6 of 9 opponents this season. The team is now 111-29 (.793) under Weber when holding opponents to 69 points or less.

K-STATE FALLS OUT OF THE POLLS

Despite its 71-59 win over Georgia State, K-State dropped out of both polls on Monday, collecting 90 points in The Associated Press poll and 45 in the USA?Today Coaches poll to be among those receiving votes.
K-State fell nine spots to a tie for No. 25 in the AP poll and nine spots in the Coaches poll to No. 24 on Dec. 10 after its 47-46 loss at Tulsa. 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 now has a 264-104 record as an AP ranked team, which includes a 7-2 mark in 2018-19.
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 102-6 (.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 dating back to the 2006-07 season, including a 94-5 (.949) mark at Bramlage Coliseum
The Wildcats have won 89 of their last 93 non-conference home games, including a 27-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 137-35 (.797) 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 37-8 (.822) in non-conference play since 2015-16. It is during this span that the school has won 27 consecutive non-conference games at Bramlage Coliseum.

A LOOK AT THE 27 STRAIGHT NON-CONFERENCE WINS AT BRAMLAGE COLISEUM

Below is a closer look at K-State's current 27-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 75.1 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
12/15/18 – Georgia State, 71-59

HISTORY AT BRAMLAGE COLISEUM

K-State has posted a 370-116 (.761) record at Bramlage Coliseum since its opening during the 1988-89 season. The 370 wins are the second-most at a home venue, trailing the 378 wins at Ahearn Field House (1950-88).
K-State has registered a 169-36 (.824) record at home over the past 13 seasons, including a 72-31 (.699) mark in Big 12 play. The 169 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 230-59 (.796) record at home, including a 136-10 (.932) mark in non-conference action, since the 2001-02 season for an average of just over 13 home wins (13.3) per season in that span.
Head coach Bruce Weber has tallied an 85-20 (.810) 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 30.9 percent (54-of-175) of its attempts from long range and averaging just 6.0 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 58.6 points on 40.1 percent shooting, including 30.9 percent from 3-point range, while forcing foes into 17.3 turnovers per game. The Wildcats rank 10th in scoring defense, 22nd in 3-point field goal defense, 24th in turnover forced, 25th in turnover margin (+4.3), 40th in steals (8.4 spg.) and 41st in rebounding margin (+6.1). The team leads the Big 12 in steals and turnovers forced, while is second in scoring defense, total steals (76), turnover margin and rebounding margin.
K-State has held 6 of 9 opponents to 60 points or less this season with one eclipsing 70. The squad has now held 75 opponents to 60 points or less in Weber's tenure, boasting a 67-8 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).
The 41 points allowed to Kennesaw State in the opener were the fewest-ever in an opener at Bramlage Coliseum and the fewest in any home opener since holding Northern Iowa to 38 points on?Dec. 1, 1979. The Owls' 14 points second-half points were the fewest in any half since allowing 14 to Missouri in the first half of a 66-42 win on Nov. 23, 2015.
K-State has a 111-29 (.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 total points (172/626) this season have come off turnovers, as the Wildcats are averaging 19.1 points off 17.3 opponent mistakes per game. The team ranks 24th nationally in turnovers forced (17.3), 25th in turnover margin (+4.3) and 40th in steals (8.4).
The Wildcats scored 20 or more points off opponent turnovers in 5 of 9 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 opponent turnovers against Kennesaw State (20), Denver (23), Penn (22) and Marquette (22).
K-State has scored more than 3,000 points (3,272) off turnovers during Weber's tenure, an average of 15.3 points per game. In 2017-18, the Wildcats averaged 17.3 points off turnovers, outscoring opponents, 639-423.
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 6.7 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 56-19 record when four or more players score in double figures, including a 4-1 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

K-State's use of runs have been particularly effective this season, as the Wildcats have totaled 23 runs of at least 7 or more points, including 14 runs of 10 or more points. The team posted five such runs in the win over Georgia State (12/15/18), including runs of 8-0, 16-4, 13-2, 12-0 and 9-1.
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 13.6 points on 52.2 percent shooting (47-of-90) to go with team-best 7.8 rebounds in 29.8 minutes per game. He is second in assist average at 3.22 per game.
Wade has scored in double figures in 8 of 9 games this season, leading the Wildcats in scoring 4 times, in rebounding 4 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 4 steals. Brown has 206 career steals in 114 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 114 consecutive games played ranks sixth in school history, while his 92 consecutive starts ranks fourth. With 114 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 38 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 (1,411 points) and Wade (1,309 points) each eclipsed the mark as juniors and currently rank 9th and 12th, 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 (153/8th) and attempted (450/6th), while he is one of just eight players in school history with 300 or more assists in a career. His current total of 336 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 7 of the last 8 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 14 treys pace the team, as he has connected on 13 of his last 28 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 14 steals, snagging at least 2 in 4 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: VANDERBILT (7-2)

K-State will make the short drive to Kansas City, as the Wildcats will host SEC foe Vanderbilt (7-2) at 6 p.m., CT on Saturday at the Sprint Center. The game will air nationally on ESPN2.