Game Preview // K-State, George Mason Wrap Up 2018 Saturday

GAME 12
KANSAS STATE (9-2) vs. GEORGE MASON (6-6)
Saturday, December 29, 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 442 or 412-30 / 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 135 / XM 210 / Internet 966

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

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

Single Game: $10 (bench/GA)/$20 (chairback)
Group (12+): $5
Bramlage Bundle: $20
($10 concession voucher & gift)
Holiday Mini-Plan: $25
(includes WBB game vs. Northern Iowa and MBB game vs. Texas)

COACHES
Kansas State: Bruce Weber (Wis.-Milwaukee '78)
Overall: 447-237/21^st season
At K-State: 134-82/7^th season
vs. George Mason: 2-0

George Mason: Dave Paulsen (Williams '87)
Overall: 449-272/26^th season
At George Mason: 53-58/4^th season
vs. K-State: 0-0

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

George Mason (6-6)
G: #1 Justin Kier
G: #4 Otis Livingston II
G: #23 Javon Greene
F: #0 Goanar Mar
F: #31 Jarred Reuter

SERIES HISTORY
Overall: George Mason leads 1-0
In Manhattan: First meeting
Last Meeting: L, 87-77 (11/22/2007)
Weber vs. Paulsen: First meeting

OPENING TIP

Kansas State (9-2) wraps up the 2018 portion of its schedule on Saturday, as the Wildcats host Atlantic 10 foe George Mason (6-6) at 7 p.m., CT in the second game of a men's and women's basketball doubleheader at Bramlage Coliseum. The K-State women (8-3) entertain Northern Iowa at 1 p.m., and fans can purchase the Holiday Mini-Plan for $25, which includes both games and the Big 12 opener on Jan. 2.
The Wildcats are in the midst of a 5-game homestand, which started in the 71-59 win over Georgia State on Dec. 15 and has included the 55-51 come-from-behind victory over Southern Miss on Dec. 19 and the 69-58 win over Vanderbilt on Dec. 22 in the Wildcat Classic at the Sprint Center in Kansas City. The homestand runs until Wednesday, Jan. 2 when the team hosts Texas (7-4) in the Big 12 opener.
George Mason enters Saturday's game with wins in 6 of its last 9 outings, including 4 of its last 5, after starting the season with 3 consecutive defeats. The Patriots, much like the Wildcats, returned all 12 lettermen in 2018-19, including all 5 starters, and were picked to finish fourth in the preseason Atlantic 10 poll. The squad's only losses in the last 9 games have come to Cincinnati (71-55) and Baylor (72-61) at the Emerald Coast Classic and to reigning America East champion Vermont (72-67) at home.
K-State has won 28 consecutive games against non-conference opponents at Bramlage Coliseum since the 2015-16 season. Overall, the school has a 104-6 (.946) 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 95-5 (.950) mark at Bramlage Coliseum. The Wildcats have won 91 of their last 95 non-conference home games, which includes the current 28-game winning streak.
K-State ran its winning streak to 3 games with an impressive defensive effort in the 69-58 victory over high-flying Vanderbilt to win the Wildcat Classic for the eighth time in nine tries at the Sprint Center, as the Wildcats held the Commodores to nearly 26 points under their scoring average (83.6 ppg.). The squad never trailed in jumping out to a 21-7 lead and pushed that advantage to 22 points early in the second half.
K-State, which entered the game ranking sixth nationally in scoring defense (57.8 ppg.), held Vanderbilt to a season-low 58 points, including just 20 points in the first half, on just 31.9 percent shooting (15-of-47) and 28 percent (7-of-25) from 3-point range. The Wildcats have now held 8 of 11 opponents this season to under 60 points.
Junior Makol Mawien paced four Wildcats in double figures with a game-high 15 points, as he continued to his impressive play inside the Sprint Center, where he is averaging 20 points on 72.2 percent (26-of-36) in his 3 appearances in the building. He was joined in double figures by seniors Barry Brown, Jr., (12) and Kamau Stokes (12) and sophomore Cartier Diarra (10), as the Wildcats moved to 57-19 (.750) under head coach Bruce Weber when four or more players score in double figures.
Brown became the school's all-time steals leader with 3 against Vanderbilt, eclipsing the previous mark of 210 set by Jacob Pullen (2007-11).

NOTES ON GEORGE MASON

George Mason (6-6) enters Saturday's game with victories in 4 of its last 5 contests, including consecutive home wins over James Madison (66-53) and Navy (84-63). The Patriots opened the year with 3 straight losses before winning 6 of their last 9 games. The only defeats during that stretch are to Cincinnati (71-55), Baylor (72-61) and Vermont (72-67).
George Mason was picked fourth in the 14-team preseason Atlantic 10 poll with Saint Louis tabbed as the favorite. Senior Otis Livingston II?was selected to the Preseason All-Atlantic 10 First Team.
The Patriots returned all 12 lettermen, including all 5 starters, from a squad that posted a 16-17 overall record and finished fifth in the Atlantic 10.
George Mason is averaging 73.7 points on 46.9 percent shooting, including 32.9 percent from 3-point range, to go with 33.2 rebounds, 12.3 assists, 6.7 steals and 4.0 blocks per game, while allowing 72.2 points on 45.1 percent shooting, including 33.5 percent from 3-point range. The team is connecting on 71.5 percent from the free throw line.
Livingston paces five players averaging 9 or more points, including three in double figures, at 14.4 points per game on 42.7 percent shooting, to go with a team-best 4.8 assists, while junior Justin Kier adds 13.5 points on 52.6 percent shooting and a team-best 5.1 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game. Senior Jaire Grayer averages 10 points per game on 41.2 percent shooting, while sophomore Javon Greene (9.5 ppg.) and junior Jarred Reuter (9.3 ppg.) average better than 9 points per game.
George Mason is led by fourth-year head coach Dave Paulsen, who has a 53-58 overall record with a trip to the College Basketball Invitational in 2017. He is 449-272 in his 25th season as a head coach, which includes stints at St. Lawrence (1994-97), Le Moyne (1997-2000), Williams (2000-08) and Bucknell (2008-15). He led Williams to back-to-back Final Fours (2003, 2004), including the Division III?national title in 2003, while he guided Bucknell to four Patriot League titles and NCAA Tournaments in 2011 and 2013.

SERIES HISTORY

K-State and George Mason will meet for the second time in their histories on Saturday with the Patriots winning the only meeting, 87-77, at the Old Spice Classic (now the Advocare Invitational) on Nov. 22, 2007.
An experienced Patriots team, which started three seniors, a fourth-year junior and a freshman, defeated the youthful Wildcats, which started four freshmen, including Michael Beasley, and one senior. Beasley led all scorers with 30 points on 13-of-20 field goals, to go with 10 rebounds, while fellow freshman Jacob Pullen added 14 points.
K-State is 22-13 against current schools in the Atlantic 10, including a 9-3 in games played at home. The Wildcats have faced Davidson (1-0), Dayton (1-0), George Mason (0-1), George Washington (4-1), La Salle (3-1),?St. Joseph's (2-1), Saint Louis (10-9) and VCU?(1-0).
This will be the first meeting with an A-10 school since defeating George Washington, 67-59, in the consolation of the Las Vegas Invitational on Nov. 24, 2017, while it will be the first home game since defeating Saint Louis, 75-47, on Dec. 29, 2015, in the first game of a home-and-home series.

LAST TIME OUT: K-STATE 69, VANDERBILT 58

Kansas State put on an impressive defensive performance, holding high-flying Vanderbilt to nearly 26 points under its season average, as the Wildcats never trailed in winning the Wildcat Classic for the eighth time in 9 tries at the Sprint Center, 69-58, over the Commodores on?Dec. 22.
K-State, which entered the game sixth nationally in scoring defense (57.8 ppg.), held Vanderbilt to a season-low 58 points on 31.9 percent shooting (15-of-47), including 28 percent (7-of-25) from 3-point range. The Wildcats held the Commodores to just 20 points in the first half on 30.8 percent (8-of-26) shooting, including 23.1 percent (3-of-13) from long range.
K-State has now held 77 opponents to 60 points or less under head coach Bruce Weber with the Wildcats boasting a 69-8 (.896) mark in those games including 8 of 11 opponents this season. The team is now 113-29 (.796) under Weber when holding opponents to 69 points or less.
Junior Makol Mawien continued his impressive play in the Sprint Center with a game-high 15 points on 7-of-10 shooting to pace four Wildcats in double figures, including 12 each from seniors Barry Brown, Jr., and Kamau Stokes and 10 from sophomore Cartier Diarra. He is averaging 20 points in 3 career games at the Sprint Center on 72.2 percent shooting.
Brown became the school's all-time leader in steals (211) with 3 against Vanderbilt, surpassing the 210 by All-American Jacob Pullen (210; 2007-11). In the process, he helped the Wildcats force the Commodores into 15 turnovers, which led to a 16-3 advantage in points off turnovers.
Although far from perfect on the offensive end, K-State jumped out to a 21-7 lead and pushed it to as many as 22 points early in the second half before playing Vanderbilt even down the stretch. The Wildcats, which had averaged 16.3 turnovers in the previous 4 games, turned it over a season-best 7 times.
K-State is now 8-1 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, Texas A&M (71-64) in 2014 and Washington?State (70-56) in 2016. The Wildcats also sweep the 2-game series with the Commodores.

NON-CONFERENCE SUCCESS

K-State has a 104-6 (.946) 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 91 of their last 95 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 139-35 (.799) record in non-conference play since the 2006-07 season, which includes a 9-2 (.818) mark in 2018-19. The team has registered 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 39-8 (.830) 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.

A LOOK AT THE 28 STRAIGHT NON-CONFERENCE WINS AT BRAMLAGE COLISEUM

A closer look at K-State's current 28-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 74.4 points per game, while holding their opponents to 56.7 points and winning by more than 17 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
12/19/18 -- Southern Miss, 55-51

HISTORY AT BRAMLAGE COLISEUM

K-State has posted a 371-116 (.762) record at Bramlage Coliseum since its opening during the 1988-89 season. The 371 wins are the second-most at a home venue, trailing the 378 wins at Ahearn Field House (1950-88).
K-State has registered a 170-36 (.825) record at home over the past 13 seasons, including a 72-31 (.699) mark in Big 12 play. The 170 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 231-59 (.797) record at home, including a 137-10 (.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 86-20 (.811) 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.

IMPRESSIVE COMEBACK

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, in the last game at Bramlage Coliseum on Dec. 19.
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 to second halves. The Wildcats hit on a season-low 30.8 percent (8-of-26) in the first half then made a season-best 66.7 percent (12-of-18) in the second half. Southern Miss was held to 51 points on 31.7 percent shooting, including 21.2 from 3-point range.

3-POINT WOES

K-State struggled from the 3-point line this season, connecting on just 30.3 percent (63-of-208) of its attempts from long range and averaging just 5.7 makes per game. The Wildcats rank 303rd in 3-point field goal percentage, 323rd in 3-pointers per game and 327th in 3-pointers attempted.
Senior Kamau Stokes, who has knocked down 8 treys in the last 3 games, leads all Wildcats with 17 made 3-pointers this season, while junior Xavier Sneed has 15. Senior Barry Brown, Jr., has 10 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.

'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 38.5 percent shooting, including 27.1 percent from 3-point range, while forcing foes into 16.3 turnovers per game. The Wildcats rank 5th in scoring defense, 13th in 3-point field goal defense, 26th in field goal percentage defense, 46th in turnover forced, 56th in steals (8.0 spg.) and 63rd in rebounding margin (+5.4). The team leads the Big 12 in steals, while is second in scoring defense, 3-point field goal percentage defense, turnovers forced and total steals (88).
K-State has held 8 of 11 opponents to 60 points or less this season with one eclipsing 70. The squad has now held 77 opponents to 60 points or less in Weber's tenure, boasting a 69-8 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 113-29 (.796) 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 (199/750) this season have come off turnovers, as the Wildcats are averaging 18.1 points off 16.3 opponent mistakes per game. The team ranks 39th nationally in turnover margin (+3.5), 46th in turnovers forced (16.3) and 56th in steals (8.0).
The Wildcats scored 20 or more points off opponent turnovers in 5 of 11 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 (3,299) 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 Brown, Stokes and Wade, seven by Sneed, four by Mawien and two by sophomore Cartier Diarra.
Since Weber took over in 2012-13, K-State has posted a 57-19 (.750) record when four or more players score in double figures, including a 5-1 mark in 2018-19. The Wildcats are 12-2 when Mawien scores in double digits, while the team is 10-2 (8-2 in 2017-18) when Diarra reaches double-digits.

GAME OF RUNS

K-State's use of runs have been particularly effective this season, as the Wildcats have totaled 27 runs of at least 7 or more points, including 17 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 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.

STEALS LEADER BROWN CLOSING IN ON SEVERAL OTHER MARKS

Senior Barry Brown, Jr., registered a significant milestone in the win over Vanderbilt (12/22/18), becoming the school's all-time steals leader with 3 against the Commodores to eclipse Jacob Pullen (210, 2007-11). Brown now has 211 career steals in 116 games played.
Brown places among a number of career offensive rebounds, including eighth in field goals attempted (1,236), ninth in scoring (1,438) and 3-point field goals attempted (437) and 10th in field goals made (509) and double-digit scoring games (71). He is approaching the Top 10 in 3-point field goals made (141), free throws made (279) and attempted (397) and assists (274).
Brown also ranks among the leaders in games played, as his current streak of 116 consecutive games ranks fifth in school history, while his 94 straight starts ranks fourth. He is sixth in career minutes played (3,634). 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 8 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 (1,438 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 30th with 992 points.
Stokes already ranks in the career Top 10 for both 3-point field goals made (157/7th) and attempted (460/6th), while he ranks fifth with 341 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 10 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 10 rebounds. He has tallied at least 9 rebounds in 3 of the last 4 games, including 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: TEXAS (7-4)

K-State opens up Big 12 play on Wednesday, Jan. 2, as the Wildcats host Texas (7-4) at 8 p.m., CT at Bramlage Coliseum. It marks the second time in 3 seasons that K-State has played host to Texas in the Big 12 opener after posting a 65-62 win over the Longhorns on Dec. 30, 2016.
K-State is 52-53 all-time in conference openers, including 36-19 in those openers played at home. The Wildcats are 9-13 in Big 12 openers.
Texas wraps up its 2018 slate on Friday night with a home game against UT-Arlington. The Longhorns have dropped 4 of their last 6 games after starting the season 5-0. Senior Kerwin Roach II (14.3 ppg.)?paces four players in double figures for a Texas team that averages 73.9 points per game.

Game Preview // K-State, George Mason Wrap Up 2018 Saturday

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 // K-State, George Mason Wrap Up 2018 Saturday

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Barry Brown, Jr.

Cartier Diarra

Makol Mawien

Mike McGuirl

Xavier Sneed

Kamau Stokes

Dean Wade

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