Game Preview // 15/16 K-State Travels to Tulsa Saturday

GAME 8
16/15 KANSAS STATE (6-1) at TULSA (6-3)
Saturday, December 8, 2018 >> 3:35 p.m. CT >> Donald W. Reynolds Center (8,355) >> Tulsa, Okla.

TELEVISION
CBS Sports Network

Rich Waltz (play-by-play)
Steve Lappas (analyst)
Scott Brandwein (producer)

CBS Sports Network App – www.cbssports.com/cbs-sports-network/

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 211 / XM 199 / Internet 953

LIVE STATS
tulsahurricane.com
tulsa.statbroadcast.com [media only]

TICKETS
tulsahurricane.com/tickets
(918) 631.GoTU [4688]

Various Locations: $15-$44

COACHES
Kansas State: Bruce Weber (Wis.-Milwaukee '78)
Overall: 444-236/21^st season
At K-State: 131-81/7^th season
vs. Tulsa: 2-1

Tulsa: Frank Haith (Elon '88)
Overall: 270-184/15^th season
At Tulsa: 83-55/5^th season
vs. Kansas State: 1-2

PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP
Kansas State (6-1)
G: #3 Kamau Stokes
G: #5 Barry Brown, Jr.
G/F: #20 Xavier Sneed
F: #32 Dean Wade
F: #14 Makol Mawien

Tulsa (6-3)
G: #4 Sterling Taplin
G: #5 Lawson Korita
G: #23 Zeke Moore
G/F: #2 DaQuan Jeffries
F: #1 Martins Igbanu

SERIES HISTORY
Overall: Tulsa leads 6-1
In Tulsa: Tulsa leads 3-0
Last Meeting: L, 61-54, 12/9/2017 [Wichita, Kan.]
Weber vs. Haith: 0-1

OPENING TIP

No. 16/15 Kansas State (6-1) concludes its road swing this weekend, as the Wildcats travel to Tulsa, Oklahoma to face American Athletic Conference foe Tulsa (6-3) at 3:30 p.m., CT on Saturday afternoon at the Donald W. Reynolds Center. It will be K-State's fourth visit to Tulsa (1967, 1972, 1990) and the first in nearly 30 seasons.
The contest is the second in a three-game series between K-State and Tulsa that began last year in Wichita and will conclude in 2019 with a contest at Bramlage Coliseum. The Golden Hurricane held the Wildcats to just 31.6 percent shooting (18-of-57), including 12.5 percent (4-of-32) from 3-point range, in a 61-54 victory at INTRUST Bank Arena on Dec. 9, 2017.
Tulsa owns a decisive 6-1 advantage in a series that dates to 1965, including 3-0 in games played at home. The lone victory by K-State in the series came 75-69 at home on Dec. 14, 1989.
The Wildcats saw their best start in 14 seasons come to an end on Dec. 1, as Marquette got a season-high 45 points from National Player of the Week Markus Howard to knock the Wildcats from the ranks of the unbeatens with an 83-71 victory at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee. Overall, the Golden Eagles connected on 56.8 percent (25-of-44) from the field, including 68.4 percent (13-of-19) in a pivotal first half, when the squad scored 27 of the last 40 points of the half.
The 6-1 start still matches the best start under head coach Bruce Weber, which has been done four other times (2012-13, 2015-16, 2016-17 and 2017-18), including each of the last four seasons. The 6-0 start was the 14^th in school history and just the seventh such start in the last 50 seasons (1977-78, 1979-80, 1984-85, 1986-87, 1997-98 and 2004-05).
K-State struggled during a pivotal stretch against Marquette, as a four and subsequent technical on senior Barry Brown, Jr., ignited a 10-0 run by Howard that turned a 20-17 lead into a 27-20 deficit with 6:35 remaining before halftime. The Golden Eagles ended the half on a 27-13 run.
For a Wildcat defense that entered the game seventh nationally in scoring defense (56.3 ppg.) and 28^th in field goal percentage defense (37.7), the 83 points and 56.8 field goal percentage were the most allowed this season.
The teams were whistled for 53 combined personal fouls, including a season-high 29 by K-State as senior Dean Wade and junior Makol Mawien both fouled out. Due to foul issues, the starting five of Wade, Mawien, Brown, Kamau Stokes and Xavier Sneed were only on the court together for all of four minutes and 26 seconds.

Despite the poor showing against Marquette, K-State has been strong on the defensive end to start the season, holding opponents to 60.1 points on 40.0 percent shooting, including 29.5 percent from 3-point range, while forcing opponents into 17.7 turnovers per game. The Wildcats rank among the Top 35 in several defensive categories, including 19th in scoring defense, 11^th in turnover margin (+6.0) and 19^th in turnovers forced.

NOTES ON TULSA

Tulsa (6-3) enters Saturday's game with wins in two of its last three outings, including a 74-71 win over Big 12 foe Oklahoma State on Wednesday night. The three losses have come on a neutral site to Nevada (96-86) and Southern Illinois (79-69) and at Utah (69-64).
The Golden Hurricane is a perfect 6-0 at home, including four in a row to start the season. They have won their six home games by an average of 11.5 points per game.
Tulsa returns eight lettermen, including three starters (Martins Igbanu, Sterling Taplin and Darien Jackson) from a squad that posted a 19-12 overall record, including a fourth-place finish in the American with a 12-6 mark.
The Golden Hurricane was picked ninth in the preseason American Athletic Conference coaches' poll with 48 points, while UCF was selected as the favorite. Taplin was named to the Preseason All-American Athletic Conference Second Team.
Tulsa is averaging 75.8 points on 46.3 percent shooting, including 31.5 percent from 3-point range, to go with 34.7 rebounds, 12.3 assists, 5.7 steals and 2.4 blocks per game, while allowing 70.9 points on 42.6 percent shooting, including 34.9 percent from long range. The team is connecting on 72.5 percent from the free throw line.
Senior DaQuan Jeffries paces three players in double figures at 13.4 points per game on 56.6 percent shooting, including 34.2 percent from 3-point range, to go with 5.2 rebounds in 25.6 minutes per game, while junior Martins Igbanu averages 12.4 points on 59.1 percent shooting to go with a team-best 5.8 rebounds in 26.2 minutes per game. Taplin averages 10.3 points on 42.7 percent shooting and paces the team in both assists (5.5 apg.) and steals (1.1 spg.).
Head coach Frank Haith is in his 15^th season as a head coach, including his fifth at Tulsa. He boasts a 270-184 overall record, which includes stints at Miami (2004-11) and Missouri (2011-14), while he is 83-55 at the helm of the Golden Hurricane.

SERIES HISTORY

K-State and Tulsa will meet for the eighth time on the hardwood in a series that dates to 1965. More than half of the meetings (four) came between 1965 and 1972 when the Golden Hurricane swept a pair of home-and-home series. The other meeting before 2017 came in a home-and-home series during the 1989-90 and 1990-91 seasons.
Tulsa leads the all-time series, 6-1, including a 3-0 mark in Tulsa (1967, 1972, 1990).
The Golden Hurricane have won each of the last two meetings, including a 72-61 victory at home on Dec. 12, 1990 and a 61-54 victory in Wichita on Dec. 9, 2017.
K-State is 39-34 all-time against the American Athletic Conference, including an 8-18 mark in road matchups. These matchups include Cincinnati (1-7), Houston (5-3), Memphis (1-2), SMU (6-2), Temple (1-2), Tulane (2-2), Tulsa (1-6), UCF (2-0) and Wichita State (20-11).

MORE MEETINGS TO COME

Saturday's game will be the second of a 3-game series between K-State and Tulsa, as the schools will at a date to be determined at Bramlage Coliseum in 2019.
Aside from Tulsa, K-State will also welcome Marquette in the return of a home-and-home series that will also start the newly-inked Big 12 and BIG EAST four-year scheduling agreement as well as an opponent to be determined in the Big 12/SEC Challenge in 2019-20.

LAST MEETING: TULSA 61, K-STATE 54

K-State found the defense it needed in the final minutes but couldn't find the shots in a 61-54 loss to Tulsa in its last meeting on Dec. 9, 2017 at Wichita's INTRUST Bank Arena.
The Wildcats missed their last eight attempts and didn't have a field goal in the final five minutes, curbing any rally and ending a 23-game winning streak against non-conference foes at home venues.
K-State connected on just 31.6 percent (18-of-57) of its field goals, including 12.5 percent (4-of-32) from 3-point range and had nearly as many free throws (14) as field goals made (18). Leading 30-27 at half, the Wildcats scored just 24 points on 25.9 percent shooting, including just 7.1 percent from 3-point range, after halftime.
Four Wildcats reached double figures, including a team-best 15 points from Xavier Sneed on 4-of-13 field goals. Joining Sneed in double figures were Dean Wade (13), Kamau Stokes (11) and Barry Brown, Jr. (10).
Sneed became the first Wildcat in some time to lead in all five major categories, including points (15), rebounds (8), assists (4), steals (3) and blocks (1).
Junior Etou led all scorers with 22 points for Tulsa on 7-of-14 field goals, including 5-of-8 from 3-point range, while Igbanu and Taplin added 10 and 9 points, respectively.

K-STATE TUMBLES IN THE POLLS

After its first loss of the season, K-State dropped in both polls, falling four spots to No. 16 in The Associated Press poll and five spots in the USA Today Coaches poll to No. 15 on Monday. The Wildcats 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 five weeks of the AP poll and the seventh time overall in school history (1951-52, 1952-53, 1957-58, 1958-59, 1961-62 and 2010-11).
K-State has a 263-103 record as an AP ranked team, including a 5-2 mark as the No. 15 team.
K-State opened the 2018-19 season in the Top 15 in both major polls, as the Wildcats earned a No. 11 ranking in the preseason USA Today Coaches poll to go with a No. 12 ranking in the preseason Associated Press poll.
It marks the first time that K-State has started with preseason rankings in both polls since the 2010-11 campaign when the school opened at No. 3 in the AP and USA Today Coaches polls.

LAST TIME OUT: MARQUETTE 83, K-STATE 71

On the strength of a season-high 45 points from junior Markus Howard, Marquette knocked No. 12/10 Kansas State from the ranks of the unbeaten with an 83-71 victory on Dec. 1 in front of 15,517 fans at the brand-new Fiserv Forum.
The 45 points by Howard were the second-most surrendered to a single opponent in school history and the most since Siena's Doremus Bennerman went for a school-record 51 points in the consolation game of the NIT on March 30, 1994. The junior connected on 11-of-17 from the field, including 4-of-10 from 3-point range, and hit on 19-of-21 attempts from the line.
Marquette (6-2) connected on 56.8 percent (25-of-44) from the field, including 68.4 percent (13-of-19) in a pivotal first half, in which, the Golden Eagles used a key technical on senior Barry Brown, Jr., to ignite a 10-0 run (all by Howard) that gave them the lead for good.
For a Wildcat squat that entered the game 7^th nationally in scoring defense (56.3 ppg.) and 28^th in field goal percentage defense (37.7), the 83 points and 56.8 field goal percentage were the most allowed this season.
Junior Makol Mawien and Xavier Sneed led four players in double figures with a team-high 12 points, while seniors Dean Wade and Kamau Stokes scored 11 and 10 points, respectively.
In tightly-called contest, the teams combined for 53 personal fouls, including season-high 29 on K-State.

K-STATE WINS PARADISE JAM; FIRST TITLE SINCE 2011

Included in K-State's 6-0 start is 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.

'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 60.1 points on 40 percent shooting, including 29.5 percent from 3-point range, while forcing opponents into 17.7 turnovers per game. The Wildcats rank 19^th nationally in scoring defense, 11^th in turnover margin (+6.0) and 19^th in turnovers forced.
K-State has held 4 of 7 opponents to 60 points or less this season with just one eclipsing 70 on the season. The squad has now held 73 opponents to 60 points or less in Weber's tenure, boasting a 66-7 mark (losses to Kansas in 2012, Northern Colorado and Kentucky in 2013, Texas Southern and Georgia in 2014, Texas and Oklahoma State in 2016 and West Virginia in 2017).
K-State has a 110-28 (.797) record under Weber when holding a foe to 69 points or less and a 21-53 (.288) when allowing 70 or more points.

POINTS OFF TURNOVERS

Nearly a third of K-State's points (145/509) this season have come off turnovers, as the Wildcats are averaging 20.7 points off 17.7 opponent mistakes per game. The squad ranks 11^th nationally in turnover margin (+6.0) and 19^th in turnovers forced (17.7) and first in the Big 12 in both categories.
The Wildcats scored 20 or more points off turnovers in 5 of 7 games, including a season-high 24 in the win over Eastern Kentucky (11/16/18). They have also put up 20 points or more off turnovers against Kennesaw State (20), Denver (23), Penn (22) and Marquette (22).
Even in the other two games, K-State has scored 18 points off turnovers against Lehigh (11/24) and 16 against Missouri (11/19).
K-State has scored more than 3,000 points (3,245) off turnovers during Weber's tenure, an average of 15.3 points per game. In 2017-18, the Wildcats averaged 17.3 points per game off turnovers, including 15.9 points per game in Big 12 play, and outscored opponents, 639-423. The team scored at least 20 points off opponent turnovers in 13 games with a school-record 38 vs. Northern Arizona on Nov. 20 and 36 vs. USC?Upstate on Dec. 5, 2017.
A?year ago, K-State ranked eighth nationally in total steals (294) and 18th in steals per game (7.9), while the school was one of just 5 nationally (Georgia State, Nicholls State, Purdue and Stephen F. Austin) with three players (Barry Brown, Jr., Dean Wade and Xavier Sneed) with 40 or more steals.

OFFENSIVE SPARK

K-State's offense gained a spark during the run to the Paradise Jam Championship, averaging 80.3 points on 50.6 percent (91-of-180) shooting, including 37.5 percent (18-of-48) from 3-point range, after averaging just 60 points on 40 percent (48-of-120) shooting, including 17.5 percent (7-of-40) from long range, after the first two games.
Including the game against Lehigh (11/24) and Marquette (12/1), K-State has now scored 70 or more points in 4 of the last 5 games on a collective 47.0 percent shooting from the field.
The Wildcats connected on 50 percent or better from the field in five of six halves at the tournament, hitting on 55.2 percent (37-of-67) against Eastern Kentucky (11/16/18) and 53.6 percent (30-of-56) against Missouri (11/19/18).
K-State scored a season-high 95 points in the first-round win over Eastern Kentucky (11/16/18), hitting on 55.2 percent (37-of-67) from the field, as five players scored in double figures led by junior Xavier Sneed's game-high 16 points.
After hitting on just 4 of their first 19 attempts in the first 13 minutes against Penn (11/18/18), the Wildcats connected on 52.6 percent (20-of-38) in the last 27 minutes in a 64-48 victory. Three players scored in double figures led by Dean Wade's 17 points.
K-State connected on 50 percent or better in each half in the win over Missouri (11/19/18), hitting on 53.6 percent for the game, including 50 percent (12-of-24) from 3-point range. Four players scored in double figures, including 21 from Wade and 19 from Barry Brown, Jr.
The 12 3-point field goals were the most since hitting 13 at Iowa State (12/29/17).

OFFENSIVE BALANCE KEY TO SUCCESS

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

GAME OF RUNS

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

NON-CONFERENCE SUCCESS

K-State will be playing its 12^th non-conference road game under head coach Bruce Weber, as the Wildcats boast a 6-5 mark in those matchups. The team has wins over George Washington (65-62, 2012), Georgia (68-66, 2015), Saint Louis (84-53, 2016), Colorado State (89-70, 2016), Vanderbilt (84-79, 2017) and Washington State (68-65, 2017), while their losses in that span have come at Long Beach State (60-69, 2014), Tennessee (64-65, 2014 and 58-70, 2017), Texas A&M (68-78, 2015) and Marquette (71-83, 2018).
K-State has posted a 136-34 (.800) 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 39-7 (.848) in non-conference play since the start of 2015-16 season. It is during this span that the school has won 26 consecutive games at Bramlage Coliseum.
K-State has a 101-6 (.943) record at home venues (includes home games played at Bramlage Coliseum, INTRUST?Bank Arena in Wichita and the Sprint Center in Kansas City) in non-conference play since the 2006-07 season, including a 93-5 (.948) mark at Bramlage Coliseum.
The Wildcats have won 88 of their last 92 non-conference home games, including a 26-game winning streak at Bramlage Coliseum. The last home non-conference loss came against Georgia, 50-46, on Dec. 31, 2014.

WADE CONTINUES TO PRODUCE

Senior Dean Wade has continued where he left off before his injury in 2017-18, as he averages a team-best 15.4 points on 55.3 percent shooting (42-of-76) to go with team-highs in both rebounding (7.7 rpg.) and assists (3.6 apg.) in a team-best 31.7 minutes per game.
Wade is one of three players in the Big 12 to lead their team in scoring, rebounding and assists, joining Kansas' Dedric Lawson (19.0/10.7/3.1) and Texas Tech's Jarrett Culver (18.3/5.5/4.5).
Wade has scored in double figures in all 7 games this season, leading the Wildcats in scoring 4 times, in rebounding 3 times and in assists 3 times.

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

BROWN CLOSING IN ON STEALS MARK

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 8 steals. Brown has 202 career steals in 112 games played, which ties for second on the career per game (1.82) 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 112 consecutive games played ranks sixth in school history, while his 90 consecutive starts ranks fourth. With 112 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 57 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 (1,384 points) and Wade (1,295 points) each eclipsed the mark as juniors and currently rank 9th and 13th, respectively, on the all-time scoring list. Brown cracked the school's Top 10 during the Paradise Jam and passed Chuckie Williams (1,364 points; 1972-76) for ninth place with 16-point effort vs. Lehigh (11/24), while Wade needs 71 points to join the Top 10.
Stokes already ranks in the career Top 10 for both 3-point field goals made (149/8th) and attempted (440/7th), while he is one of just eight players in school history with 300 or more assists in a career. His current total of 328 assists ranks sixth 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 5 of the last 6 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 9 treys pace the team, as he has connected on 8 of his last 17 attempts from long range after going just 1-of-7 in his first game against Denver (11/12/18).
Sneed ranks second on the team with 12 steals, snagging at least 2 in 4 of 6 games, including a game-high 4 against Penn (11/18/18).

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: GEORGIA STATE (6-3)

K-State returns home to Bramlage Coliseum on Saturday, December 15, as the Wildcats play host to Sun Belt Conference favorite Georgia State (6-3) at 7 p.m., CT. The Panthers have already knocked off SEC foes Georgia and Alabama, including coming from 21 points down to defeat the Crimson Tide on Tuesday. The game will air on FOX Sports Kansas City, FOX Sports App and ESPN3.

Game Preview // 15/16 K-State Travels to Tulsa 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 // 15/16 K-State Travels to Tulsa Saturday

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Barry Brown, Jr.

Cartier Diarra

Makol Mawien

Mike McGuirl

Xavier Sneed

Kamau Stokes

Dean Wade

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