Game Preview // K-State, Vanderbilt Face Off in Wildcat Classic Saturday

GAME 11
KANSAS STATE (8-2) vs. VANDERBILT (7-2)
Wildcat Classic
Saturday, December 22, 2018 >> 6:01 p.m. CT >> Sprint Center (18,972) >> Kansas City, Mo.

TELEVISION
ESPN2

Dave LaMont (play-by-play)
Jon Sundvold (analyst)
Steve Kurtenbach (producer)

ESPN3 – http://www.espn.com/watch/_/id/3449178/vanderbilt-vs-25-kansas-state

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 109 / XM 199 / Internet 953

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

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

Lower Ends/Upper Sides: $15
Lower Corner/Lower Sides: $25/$50
Wildcat 4 Pack: $50/$75
Group (10+): $5

COACHES
Kansas State: Bruce Weber (Wis.-Milwaukee '78)
Overall: 446-237/21^st season
At K-State: 133-82/7^th season
vs Vanderbilt: 3-0

Vanderbilt: Bryce Drew (Valparaiso '98)
Overall: 162-87/8^th season
At VU: 38-38/3^rd season
vs. Kansas State: 0-1

PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP
Kansas State (8-2)
G: #2 Cartier Diarra
G: #3 Kamau Stokes
G: #5 Barry Brown, Jr.
G/F: #20 Xavier Sneed
F: #14 Makol Mawien

Vanderbilt (7-2)
G: #0 Saben Lee
G: #2 Joe Toye
F: #8 Matthew Moyer
F: #32 Matt Ryan
F: #11 Simisola Shittu

SERIES HISTORY
Overall: K-State leads 6-4
In Kansas City: First meeting
Last Meeting: W, 84-79 (12/3/17)
Weber vs. Drew: 1-0

OPENING TIP

Kansas State (8-2) makes the familiar trek to Kansas City on Saturday night, as the Wildcats play host to SEC?foe Vanderbilt (7-2) at 6 p.m., CT in the ninth Wildcat Classic at the Sprint Center. Despite its distance from the K-State campus, the contest will count as a home game, as the school controls the tickets and game operations.
This will be the ninth Wildcat Classic (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014 and 2016), but the first since K-State earned a 70-56 victory over Washington State on Dec. 10, 2016. The Wildcats are 7-1 all-time in the Wildcat Classic at the Sprint Center, earning wins over Florida A&M (87-60) in 2007, Southern Miss (74-55) in 2008, IUPUI (70-57) in 2009, Alabama (71-58) in 2011, Florida (67-61) in 2012 and Texas A&M (71-64) in 2014. The lone loss came to UNLV, 63-59 on Dec. 21, 2010.
K-State has a long history in Kansas City, which dates back to a 45-26 loss to the Kansas City Athletic Club on Feb. 23, 1926. Overall, the school has played in 192 games in the city with a 111-81 (.578) mark in those contests. The Wildcats are 16-14 all-time in the Sprint Center, which includes the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship, the CBE?Hall of Fame Classic (2010, 2015) and the 2013 NCAA?Tournament.
Saturday's game marks the return of a home-and-home series between the two schools after K-State earned an 84-79 win over Vanderbilt on Dec. 3, 2017 at Memorial Gym in Nashville. Xavier Sneed and Levi Stockard III connected on clutch free throws in the final minute to help the Wildcats to their first win in Nashville since 1977. Sneed and Kamau Stokes led the way with 21 and 20 points, respectively.
K-State leads the all-time series with Vanderbilt, 6-4, including a 4-0 mark in games played at home venues (1969, 1970, 1976, 1988). This will be the first meeting in Kansas City and the first location outside of Manhattan and Nashville since the Commodores posted a 82-76 win in the 1994 Postseason NIT in New York.
K-State had to rally from a 16-point second-half deficit to post a 55-51 win over a pesky Southern Miss team on Wednesday night at home to extend its winning streak in home non-conference games at Bramlage Coliseum to 28. The 16-point deficit overcome for victory tied for the third-largest in school history, including the largest since coming from 16 points down to defeat New Mexico on Nov. 23, 2005.
Stokes scored 16 of his season-high 18 points in the second half, as he ignited a 24-2 run with 13 consecutive points off his own, turning a 35-19 deficit into a 43-37 lead with 7:57 remaining. The Golden Eagles closed to within a possession on several occasions down the stretch, but a pair of Barry Brown, Jr., free throws with 11 seconds closed out the victory.
K-State held Southern Miss to just 51 points on 31.7 percent shooting (20-of-63), including 21.2 percent (7-of-33) from 3-point range, marking the seventh time in 10 games that the Wildcats have held an opponent to 60 points or less this season. The team ranks sixth nationally in scoring defense (57.8 ppg.), 13th in 3-point field goal percentage defense (27.0) and 37th in field goal percentage defense (39.1). K-State has now held 76 opponents to 60 points or less in the Bruce Weber era with the Wildcats boasting a 68-8 (.895) mark in those contests.

NOTES ON VANDERBILT

Vanderbilt (7-2) enters Saturday's game with victories in 3 of its last 4 contests, including consecutive home wins over Middle Tennessee State (79-51) and No. 18 Arizona State (81-65). The Commodores' 2 losses have come at home to Kent State (77-75) -- the same game they lost freshman point guard Darius Garland for the season -- and to N.C. State (80-65) in Miami.
Vanderbilt was picked eighth (out of the 14-team league) in the SEC?media preseason poll with Kentucky tabbed as the favorite.
The Commodores return eight lettermen, including a pair of starters (Saben Lee and Joe Toye)?from a squad that posted a 12-20 overall record and finished 13th in the SEC with a 6-12 mark. The team welcomed the best recruiting class in school history, which includes consenus 5-star prospects Darius Garland and Simisola Shittu and 4-star prospect Aaron Nesmith.
Vanderbilt is averaging 83.6 points on 47.5 percent shooting, including 36.5 percent from 3-point range, to go with 41.0 rebounds, 14.8 assists, 5.1 steals and 5.2 blocks per game, while allowing 71.0 points on 39.6 percent shooting, including 30.3 percent from 3-point range. The team is connecting on 70.2 percent from the free throw line.
With Garland out, the Commodores are led by Shittu, who paces the team in both scoring (15.1 ppg.) and rebounding (7.7 rpg.), while connecting on 54.6 percent from the field. Lee is second in scoring at 12 points per game on 43.1 percent shooting to go with 3.8 assists and 3.6 rebounds, while Toye and transfer Matt Ryan are averaging 10.2 and 10.0 points per game.
Vanderbilt is led by third-year head coach Bryce Drew, who has a 38-38 overall record with a NCAA?Tournament appearance in 2017. He is 162-87 in his eighth season as a head coach, having spent five years at his alma mater Valparaiso (2011-16). He guided the Crusaders to five trips to the postseason, including two NCAA Tournament bids. He is the son of longtime Valpo head coach Homer Drew and brother to Baylor head coach Scott Drew.

SERIES HISTORY

K-State and Vanderbilt will meet for the 11th time in their histories on Saturday with the Wildcats holding a narrow 6-4 edge. The series dates back nearly 50 years to the day of a meeting at Memorial Gym in Nashville on Dec. 21, 1968, in which, the Commodores posted a 92-80 victory.
Vanderbilt has won 3 of the last 5 meetings after K-State won 4 straight. The Commodores won home matchups in 1986 (79-72) and 1989 (91-81) and a game in the Postseason NIT in 1994 (82-76). Last season, the Wildcats won for the first time in Nashville since 1977 with an 84-79 victory on Dec. 3, 2017. Saturday's game is a return of that 2017 matchup.
K-State is 4-0 all-time in games played at home with the Wildcats winning matchups in Manhattan in 1969 (91-78), 1970 (81-74), 1976 (89-66) and 1988 (71-62). This will be the first meeting in Kansas City.
K-State is 165-149 against current schools in the SEC, including a 86-49 mark in games played at home venues. The Wildcats have faced Alabama (2-1), Arkansas (8-3), Auburn (1-0), Florida (1-1), Georgia (3-1), Kentucky (1-9), Ole Miss (1-3), Mississippi State (3-0), Missouri (121-116), South Carolina (0-1), Tennessee (0-2) and Texas A&M (18-8).
The Wildcats already have a win over SEC?foe Missouri, an 82-67 win in the title game of the Paradise Jam on Nov. 19, and will play at Texas A&M in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge on Jan. 26, 2019. The team has won 4 in a row over SEC opponents and is 3-0 all-time vs. the SEC at the Wildcat Classic.

LAST TIME OUT: K-STATE 55, SOUTHERN MISS 51

Senior Kamau Stokes scored 16 of his season-high 18 points in the second half, as Kansas State overcame a 16-point deficit to top Southern Miss, 55-51, on Wednesday night at Bramlage Coliseum.
The 16-point deficit overcome for victory tied for the third-largest in school history, including the largest since coming from 16 points down to defeat New Mexico on Nov. 23, 2005. It was the largest second-half deficit overcome for victory since trailing 57-41 at La Salle on Jan. 5, 1994.
K-State went on a 24-2 run over 8:08 in the second half to take over the game, as the Wildcats held the Golden Eagles scoreless for 5:24 during the span. The run came after scoring a season-low 19 points in the first half, the fewest points in any half since scoring 15 vs. TCU on Feb. 15, 2015.
Stokes went 6-of-8 from the field, including 4-of-5 from 3-point range, and was joined in double digits by fellow senior Barry Brown, Jr., who scored 15 points. Junior Xavier Sneed pulled down a career-high 14 boards to lead all players and give the Wildcats a 38-32 edge on the glass.
As a team, K-State shot 45.5 percent (20-of-44) from the field, which included a great disparity from the first half to the second half. The Wildcats hit on a season-low 30.8 percent (8-of-26) in the first half then connected on a season-best 66.7 percent (12-of-18) in the second half.
K-State has now held 76 opponents to 60 points or less under head coach Bruce Weber with the Wildcats boasting a 68-8 (.895) mark in those games including 7 of 10 opponents this season. The team is now 112-29 (.794) under Weber when holding opponents to 69 points or less.
Southern Miss was held to 51 points on just 31.7 percent shooting (20-of-63), including 21.2 percent (7-of-33) from 3-point range. The team scored 20 points after halftime on 22.9 percent shooting (8-of-35), including 11.1 percent (2-of-18) from long range.
With the win, K-State has now 28 consecutive non-conference games at Bramlage Coliseum. The Wildcats have won eight in a row at home dating back to last season, including all five to start the season.

NON-CONFERENCE SUCCESS

K-State has a 103-6 (.945) 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 95-5 (.950) mark at Bramlage Coliseum.
The Wildcats have won 90 of their last 94 non-conference home games, including a 28-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 138-35 (.798) 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 2015-16. It is during this span that the school has won 28 consecutive non-conference games at Bramlage Coliseum.

HISTORY AT THE?SPRINT?CENTER

K-State has posted a 16-14 (.533) record at the Sprint Center, including a 7-1 (.875) mark as the host of the Wildcat Classic. The Wildcats have played a majority of its game in the arena as part of the annual Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship (17), while they have also participated in two CBE?Hall of Fame Classics (2010, 2015) and the 2013 NCAA?Tournament.
This will be the ninth Wildcat Classic (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2016) at Sprint Center and the first since a 70-56 win over Pac-12 foe Washington?State on Dec. 10, 2016. The Wildcat Classic began with an 87-60 win over Florida A&M on Dec. 4, 2007. The last loss in the Classic came to UNLV, 63-59, on Dec. 21, 2010, while it has wins over SEC foes Alabama (2011), Florida (2012) and Texas A&M (2014) in 3 of the last four matchups.
Head coach Bruce Weber is 9-8 (.529) all-time in the Sprint Center, which includes a 3-0 mark in the Wildcat Classic (2012, 2014, 2016).
K-State has a long history in Kansas City, which dates back to a 45-26 loss to the Kansas City Athletic Club on Feb. 23, 1926. Overall, the school has played 192 games in the city with a 111-81 (.578) record.

Wildcat Classic [7-1]
12/17/2007         K-State 87, Florida A&M 60
12/11/2008         K-State 74, Southern Miss 55
11/28/2009         K-State 70, IUPUI 57
12/21/2010         UNLV 63, No. 6 K-State 59
12/17/2011         K-State 71, No. 23 Alabama 58
12/22/2012         K-State 67, No. 8 Florida 61
12/20/2014         K-State 71, No. 21 Texas A&M 64
12/10/2016         K-State 70, Washington?State 56

Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship [7-10]
3/14/2008            Texas A&M 63, K-State 60
3/11/2010            No. 9 K-State 83, Oklahoma State 64
3/12/2010            No. 9 K-State 82, No. 21 Baylor 75
3/13/2010            No. 1 Kansas 72, No. 9 K-State 64
3/10/2011            Colorado 87, No. 19 K-State 75
3/8/2012              No. 12 Baylor 82, K-State 74
3/14/2013            No. 11 K-State 66, Texas 49
3/15/2013            No. 11 K-State 68, No. 14 Oklahoma State 57
3/16/2013            No. 7 Kansas 70, No. 11 K-State 54
3/13/2014            No. 16 Iowa State 91, K-State 85
3/11/2015            TCU 67, K-State 65
3/9/2016              K-State 75, Oklahoma State 71
3/10/2016            1/1 Kansas 85, K-State 63
3/9/2017              K-State 70, 9/10 Baylor 64
3/10/2017            11/11 West Virginia 51, K-State 50
3/8/2018              K-State 66, TCU 64 (OT)
3/9/2018              9/9 Kansas 83, K-State 67

CBE?Hall of Fame Classic [2-2]
11/22/2010         No. 4 K-State 81, No. 18 Gonzaga 64
11/23/2010         No. 1 Duke 82, No. 4 K-State 68
11/23/2015         K-State 66, Missouri 42
11/24/2015         No. 9 North Carolina 80, K-State 70

NCAA Tournament [0-1]
3/22/2013            La Salle 63, No. 12 K-State 61

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.

'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 57.8 points on 39.1 percent shooting, including 27.0 percent from 3-point range, while forcing foes into 16.4 turnovers per game. The Wildcats rank 6th in scoring defense, 13th in 3-point field goal defense, 36th in field goal percentage defense, 43rd in turnover forced, 45th in rebounding margin (+6.0) and 51st in steals (8.1 spg.). The team leads the Big 12 in steals, while is second in scoring defense, 3-point field goal percentage defense, turnovers forced and rebounding margin.
K-State has held 7 of 10 opponents to 60 points or less this season with one eclipsing 70. The squad has now held 76 opponents to 60 points or less in Weber's tenure, boasting a 68-8 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 112-29 (.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 (183/681) this season have come off turnovers, as the Wildcats are averaging 18.3 points off 16.4 opponent mistakes per game. The team ranks 43rd nationally in turnovers forced (16.4), 51st in steals (8.1) and 60th in turnover margin (+3.0).
The Wildcats scored 20 or more points off opponent turnovers in 5 of 10 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 (3,283) 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. The trio plus Kamau Stokes each have 100 or more steals in their careers.

OFFENSIVE BALANCE KEY TO SUCCESS

Much like 2017-18, balance has been key to K-State's offensive success this season, as four players (Barry Brown, Jr., Dean Wade, Xavier Sneed and Kamau Stokes) are averaging in double figures.
Five different players (Wade, Brown, Sneed, Stokes and Makol Mawien) have led the Wildcats in scoring, while six players have at least one double-digit scoring game, including eight by Wade, seven by Brown, Sneed and Stokes and three by Mawien.
Since Weber took over 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 when Mawien scores in double digits, while the team is 9-2 (8-2 in 2017-18) when Cartier Diarra reaches double-digits.

3-POINT WOES

K-State struggled from the 3-point line this season, connecting on just 30.4 percent (58-of-191) of its attempts from long range and averaging just 5.8 makes per game. The Wildcats rank 300th in 3-point field goal percentage, 323th in 3-pointers per game and 324th in 3-pointers attempted.
Senior Kamau Stokes, who has knocked down 8 treys in the last 2 games, leads all Wildcats with 17 made 3-pointers this season, while junior Xavier Sneed has 14. Senior Barry Brown, Jr., has 9 treys on the season.
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.

GAME OF RUNS

K-State's use of runs have been particularly effective this season, as the Wildcats have totaled 25 runs of at least 7 or more points, including 15 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, while they produced the biggest run (24-2) in the comeback win over Southern Miss (12/19/18), which was the largest comeback (down 16 points) since 2005.
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 against Eastern Kentucky (11/16/18), Penn (11/18/18) and Missouri (11/19/18) in the title game.
K-State had runs of 12-2 and 20-6 against EKU to take control, while the Wildcats erupted for a 17-2 run right before halftime against Penn then had another 14-4 run to break it back open after the Quakers had closed to within 6 points. Against Missouri, the squad scored 20 of the next 22 points after a 27-all tie then used a 10-4 spurt to push the lead back out to 19 points.

WADE OUT FOR UNDETERMINED PERIOD OF TIME DUE?TO?INJURY

Senior Dean Wade went down with a foot injury in the second half of the win over Georgia State (12/15/18) and will be out for an undetermined period of time. The timetable depends on the rehab process.
Although a different injury, Wade has been through the injury process before, as he was injured in the second half of the quarterfinal game with TCU (3/8/18) in the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship, which caused him to miss the semifinal game with No. 9 Kansas (3/9/18) and most of the NCAA?Tournament run to the Elite Eight.

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 2 steals. Brown has 208 career steals in 115 games played. He set the school single-season mark with 82 as a sophomore in 2016-17.
Brown places among a number of career offensive rebounds, including eighth in field goals attempted (1,224), ninth in scoring (1,426) and 3-point field goals attempted (434) and 10th in field goals made (504) and double-digit scoring games (70). He is approaching the Top 10 in 3-point field goals made (140), free throws made (278) and attempted (395) and assists (272).
Brown also ranks among the leaders in games played, as his current streak of 115 consecutive games ties for fifth in school history, while his 93 straight starts ranks fourth. He is sixth in career minutes played (3,600). 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 21 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. The trio would become the first senior class in school history to each top 1,000 career points in a career.
Brown (1,426 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, while Stokes ranks 32nd with 980 points.
Stokes already ranks in the career Top 10 for both 3-point field goals made (157/7th) and attempted (456/6th), while he ranks fifth with 336 assists and is one of just eight players in school history with 300 or more assists..

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 9 games, including a season-high 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting against Eastern Kentucky (11/16/18).
Sneed collected his second career double-double and first of the season at Tulsa (12/8/18), posting a team-best 13 points to go with a game-high 10 rebounds. He grabbed a career-best 14 boards vs. Southern Miss (12/19/18).

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: GEORGE MASON (4-5)

K-State will play its last home non-conference game on Saturday, Dec. 29, as the Wildcats host George Mason (4-5) in the second game of a men's and women's basketball doubleheader at Bramlage Coliseum. This will be just the second all-time meeting between the schools and the first since George Mason posted an 87-77 victory at the Old Spice Classic on Nov. 22, 2007 in Orlando, Fla.

Game Preview // K-State, Vanderbilt Face Off in Wildcat Classic Saturday

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Players Mentioned

Barry Brown, Jr.

Cartier Diarra

Makol Mawien

Mike McGuirl

Xavier Sneed

Levi Stockard III

Kamau Stokes

Dean Wade

Kansas State University Athletics

Game Preview // K-State, Vanderbilt Face Off in Wildcat Classic Saturday

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Barry Brown, Jr.

Cartier Diarra

Makol Mawien

Mike McGuirl

Xavier Sneed

Levi Stockard III

Kamau Stokes

Dean Wade

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