Game Preview // K-State, UMBC Face Off for Sweet 16 Berth Sunday

GAME #35
(9) KANSAS STATE (23-11, 10-8 Big 12) vs. (16) UMBC (25-10, 12-4 America East)
NCAA South Regional Second Rounds
Sunday, March 18, 2018 >> 6:45 p.m. CT >> Spectrum Center (19,077) >> Charlotte, N.C.

TELEVISION
truTV // NCAA March Madness Live

Jim Nantz (play-by-play)
Grant Hill (analyst)
Bill Raferty (analyst)
Tracy Wolfson (sideline reporter)

NATIONAL RADIO
Westwood One
Listen Online: March Madness Live App [free] / www.ncaa.com/marchmadnesslive [free]
Satellite Radio: Sirius 138 / XM?202 / Internet 963

Kevin Kugler (play-by-play)
John Thompson (analyst)

RADIO
K-State Sports Network

Wyatt Thompson (play-by-play)
Stan Weber (analyst)

Listen Online: TuneIn.com [free] // www.kstatesports.com/watch [free]

LIVE STATS
http://ncaa.com/mediastats

TICKETS
Vivid Seats (www.vividseats.com/)
Prices: $66 (upper level)/$100 (lower level)

COACHES
Kansas State: Bruce Weber (Wis.-Milwaukee '78)
Overall: 436-234/20^th season
At K-State: 123-79/6^th season
NCAA Tournament: 13-11 [12 trips]

UMBC: Ryan Odom (Hampden Sydney '96)
Career Record: 75-44/4^th season
Record at UMBC: 46-23/2^nd season
NCAA Tournament: 1-0 [1 trip]

PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP
Kansas State (23-11, 10-8 Big 12)
G: #2 Cartier Diarra
G: #3 Kamau Stokes
G: #5 Barry Brown, Jr.
G: #20 Xavier Sneed
F: #14 Makol Mawien

UMBC (25-10, 12-4 America East)
G: #11 K.J. Maura
G: #10 Jairius Lyles
F: #13 Joe Sherburne
F: #30 Daniel Akin
F: #33 Arkel Lamar

SERIES HISTORY
Overall: First meeting
At NCAA Tournament: First meeting
At Neutral Sites: First meeting
In Charlotte: First meeting
In Manhattan: n/a
In Baltimore: n/a
Active Streak: n/a
Weber vs. UMBC: First meeting
Odom vs. K-State: First meeting
Weber vs. Odom: First meeting

OPENING TIP

Kansas State (23-11, 10-8 Big 12) will be making its first appearance in the Round of 32 since 2012, as the Wildcats play 16-seed UMBC (25-10, 12-4 America East) in the NCAA South?Regional Second Round at 6:45 p.m., CT on Sunday evening at the Spectrum Arena in?Charlotte. The Wildcats are attempting to advance to the Sweet 16 for the 17th time in school history and the first time since 2010. Sunday's game will air nationally on truTV with Jim Nantz (play-by-play), Grant Hill and Bill Raftery (analysts) and Tracy Wolfson (reporter) on the call.
K-State used a complete team effort to win an NCAA?Tournament game for the sixth time in its last eight appearances on Friday night, as the Wildcats knocked off No. 8 seed Creighton (21-12), 69-59. The Wildcats held the high-flying Bluejays, who ranked among the nation's Top 15 in six offensive categories, to a season-low 59 points on 33.8 percent shooting (23-of-68), including 26.5 percent (9-of-34) from 3-point range. The team is now 102-28 under coach?Bruce Weber when holding an opponent to 69 points or less since his first season in 2012-13, including 42-7 when holding an opponent to 59 points or less (5-0 this season).
Junior guard Barry Brown, Jr., who held two-time All-BIG?EAST pick Marcus Foster, to his lowest point total of his Creighton career (5 points on 2-of-11 shooting), was among three Wildcats in double figures with a game-high 18 points to go with 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks and 2 steals, while freshman reserve Mike McGuirl scored in double figures for the first time in his career with 17 points on 6-of-10 field goals, including 3-of-5 from 3-point range. Junior Kamau Stokes added 11 points on 5-of-9 shooting after starting for the second straight game in place of All-Big 12 First Team selection Dean?Wade, who was held out due to a foot injury.
K-State will face a UMBC squad (25-10), who became the first 16-seed to knock off a No. 1 seed in its 74-54 win over Virginia on?Friday night, for the first time in both schools' respective histories. The Wildcats have faced an America East opponent just once in their history, defeating Vermont, 59-57, in the first round of the Postseason NIT on March 14, 2007, which was Bob Huggins' last win as K-State head coach.
The winner of the Sunday's game will advance to play the winner of Saturday's game between No. 5 seed Kentucky (25-10) and No. 13 Buffalo (27-8) in the South Regional Semifinal on Thursday, March 22 at Philips Arena in Atlanta.
K-State is making its 37th postseason appearance, which includes 30 in the NCAA Tournament and seven in the NIT. The Wildcats have posted a 35-33 all-time record in NCAA?Tournament play, including a 6-5 mark in the second round. The school is making its third appearance (1987, 2014, 2018) as a No. 9 seed with a 2-2 all-time record. K-State has not advanced to the Sweet 16 since a run to the Elite Eight in 2010 when the Wildcats defeated North Texas, BYU and Xavier before falling to Butler in the West Regional Final. Weber has not gone to the Sweet 16 since taking Illinois to back-to-back appearances in 2004 and 2005 and the Final Four in 2005.

POSTGAME NOTES: K-STATE 69, CREIGHTON 59

K-State improves to 23-11 this season, which is the most wins in a single season since winning 27 in head coach Bruce Weber's first season in 2012-13… It is the 29^th 20-win season in school history and the fourth in six seasons under Weber.
K-State is now 35-33 all-time in NCAA Tournament play, in this, its 30^th all-time appearance… The Wildcats are 11-5 in the first round, including 2-2 as a No. 9 seed, in this, the third such appearance (1987, 2014, 2018)… The team is now 2-2 vs. a No. 8 seed (1982, 1987, 2014, 2018)… Overall, K-State is now 41-41 all-time in postseason play, its 37^th appearance (30 NCAAs and 7 NITs).
K-State earned its first victory against a lower seed in the NCAA Tournament since defeating No. 6 USC, as the No. 11 seed in the first round of the 2008 Midwest Region, 80-67… The Wildcats have now won an opening tournament game for the sixth time in their last eight NCAA appearances… The 10-point victory was the largest in the tournament since defeating BYU, 84-72, in the 2010 West Region Second Round.
Head coach Bruce Weber is now 436-234 overall in his 20^th season, including a 123-79 mark in his sixth season at K-State… The 123 victories rank fourth all-time in school history and are the most wins since Jack Hartman retired as the winningest coach in school history in 1986 with 295 career victories… Weber is the fifth different head coach to lead K-State to at least four NCAA Tournament appearances.
Weber is now 13-11 all-time in the NCAA Tournament as a head coach, in this, his 12^th trip to the NCAA Tournament (Southern Illinois, Illinois and K-State), which includes a 2-3 mark at K-State.
K-State evened the all-time series with Creighton, 8-8, including a 1-1 mark at neutral sites… This was the first meeting in the NCAA Tournament and the first overall since 1987.

K-State is now 42-7 under Weber when the team holds an opponent to 59 points or less, including 5-0 this season… The Wildcats are also 23-6 when holding the opponent to under 50 percent from the field.

Junior Barry Brown, Jr., scored 18 points on 5-of-14 field goals and 7-of-10 from the free throw line… He has now scored in double figures in 60 career games, including his 26^th time this season and seventh consecutive... He has now led the Wildcats in scoring 12 times this season…. He also reached a career-high in rebounds with six.
Freshman Mike McGuirl scored a career-high 17 points on 6-of-10 field goals and 3-of-5 from three… It is his first career double-digit scoring game… He also reached a career-high in minutes with 22 in the game.
Junior Kamau Stokes scored 11 points on 5-of-9 field goals… He has now scored in double figures in 49 career games, including 13 this season.

Game Preview // K-State, UMBC Face Off for Sweet 16 Berth Sunday

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Barry Brown, Jr.

Cartier Diarra

Makol Mawien

Mike McGuirl

Xavier Sneed

Kamau Stokes

Kansas State University Athletics

Game Preview // K-State, UMBC Face Off for Sweet 16 Berth Sunday

Related News

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Barry Brown, Jr.

Cartier Diarra

Makol Mawien

Mike McGuirl

Xavier Sneed

Kamau Stokes

Related Videos