Game Preview // K-State Plays 9/9 Kansas in Phillips 66 Big 12 Semifinals Friday

Friday, March 9

Kansas City, Mo.

6 p.m.

Kansas State University

Kansas

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Game Preview // K-State Plays 9/9 Kansas in Phillips 66 Big 12 Semifinals Friday

Mar 09, 2018 | Men's Basketball

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Game Preview // K-State Plays 9/9 Kansas in Phillips 66 Big 12 Semifinals Friday

GAME #33
KANSAS STATE (22-10, 10-8 Big 12) vs. 9/9 KANSAS (25-7, 13-5 Big 12)
Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship Semifinals
Friday, March 9, 2018 >> 6 p.m. CT >> Sprint Center (18,972) >> Kansas City, Mo.

TELEVISION
ESPN // WatchESPN // ESPN3

Bob Wischusen (play-by-play)
Fran Fraschilla (analyst)
Holly Rowe (sideline reporter)
Scott Gustafson (producer)

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 145 // XM 199 // Internet 953

LIVE STATS
big12.statbroadcast.com [media only]

TICKETS
sprintcenter.com/events
(816) 949.7100
All Session: $195

COACHES
Kansas State: Bruce Weber (Wis.-Milwaukee '78)
Overall: 435-233/20^th season
At K-State: 122-78/6^th season
vs. Kansas: 2-13 (0-3 at neutral sites)

Kansas: Bill Self (Oklahoma State '85)
Career Record: 648-200/25^th season
Record at Kansas: 441-94/15^th season
vs. Kansas State: 27-5 (5-0 at neutral sites)

PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP
Kansas State (22-10, 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

Kansas (25-7, 13-5 Big 12)
G: #2 Lagerald Vick
G: #4 Devonte' Graham
G: #10 Svi Mykhailiuk
G: #14 Malik Newman
F: #44 Mitch Lightfoot

SERIES HISTORY
Overall: Kansas leads 195-93
Big 12 era: Kansas leads 48-5
At Big Eight/12 Championship: Kansas leads 15-7 (9-0 in Big 12 era)
In Kansas City: Kansas leads 28-11
In Manhattan: Kansas leads 78-47
In Lawrence: Kansas leads 89-35
Active Streak: Kansas, 7
Weber vs. Kansas: 2-13 (0-3 neutral sites)
Self vs. K-State: 27-5 (5-0 neutral sites)
Weber vs. Self: 3-14 (0-3 neutral sites)

OPENING TIP

Kansas State (22-10, 10-8 Big 12) looks to advance to its third Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship Final on Friday evening, as the Wildcats play No. 9/9 Kansas (25-7, 13-5 Big 12) in the first semifinal game at 6 p.m., CT at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo. The game will air on ESPN?with Bob Wischusen (play-by-play), Fran Fraschilla (analyst) and Holly Rowe (sideline reporter) on the call.
K-State advanced to the tournament semifinals for the sixth time in the Big 12 era, including the second consecutive season, after outlasting No. 5 seed TCU, 66-64, in overtime on Thursday afternoon. The Wildcats have now won a tournament game in each of the last three seasons. Overall, the team is 34-39 all-time in the Big Eight/12 Championship dating back to 1977, including 14-21 mark in the Big 12 era.
This is the ninth time that the Wildcats have been the No. 4 seed, including the fourth time in the Big 12 era, with a 2-3 mark heading into Friday's semifinal game. The school is 2-12 all-time against the No. 1 seed, losing its last seven meetings (all against Kansas) with the last win coming against the Jayhawks by a score of 74-67 in the second round of the 1993 Big Eight Tournament at Kemper Arena.
Kansas is 15-7 all-time against K-State in the Big Eight/12 Championship with wins in each of the last 12 meetings, including all nine in the Big 12 era. The Wildcats have not beaten the Jayhawks at the Championship since the aforementioned 74-67 win in the 1993 Big Eight Second Round. Before the current 12-game skid, the squad had won seven of 10 meetings in the series at the tournament championship.
Kansas won both regular season meetings against K-State this season, including 73-72 at home on Jan. 13 and 70-56 at Bramlage Coliseum on Jan. 29. Overall, the Jayhawks have won the last seven meetings, including the last matchup (85-63) in the Big 12 Championship in 2016. The last Wildcat win came at home, 70-63, on Feb. 23, 2015. Overall, Kansas leads the series, 195-93, including 28-11 at neutral sites.
The rivalry ranks as the eighth-longest continuously played in the country (have met at least twice every season since 1912) with the sixth-most gamed played (288). Kansas' 195 wins are the most against one opponent in NCAA?history, while K-State's 93 victories are the most by any Kansas opponent. The series dates back to a 54-39 win by the Jayhawks at home on Jan. 25, 1907.
K-State enters Friday's semifinals with its most wins (22) in five seasons since winning 27 in head coach?Bruce Weber's first season in 2012-13. The Wildcats have already clinched a 20-win season for the 29th time in school history, including the 10th in the last 12 seasons and the fourth in six seasons under Weber. The 10 Big 12 wins were the most in a single season since also winning 10 in 2013-14, while the fourth-place finish was the highest since tying for the Big 12 title in 2012-13. The squad won six Big 12 home games for the first time since posting seven in 2014-15 and clinched a winning home record in league play for the first time since 2014-15.
K-State head into Friday's semifinals with wins in five of its last seven games, including a 66-64 overtime victory over TCU in the quarterfinals. It marked the second win in three meetings this season with the Horned Frogs, including its first in four tries in the postseason. Four Wildcats scored in double figures led by a team-high 16 points from sophomore forward Makol Mawien.
Balanced scoring has been a key to K-State's success under Bruce Weber, as the Wildcats are 52-18 (.739) when four or more players score in double figures, including 11-2 (.833) this season. The team averages 77.9 points on 51 percent shooting with 16.8 assists in games (13 total) where four or more players score in double figures, while they are averaging just 59.1 points on 38.5 percent shooting with 12.0 assists in games (7 total) where only two or less players register double digits.

POSTGAME NOTES FROM THE TCU WIN

K-State scored 66 points on 46.4 percent shooting (26-of-56), including 20 percent (3-of-15) from 3-point range, and 64.7 percent (11-of-17) from the free throw line.
Four Wildcats scored in double figures for the 13^th time this season… Since head coach Bruce Weber took over in 2012-13, the Wildcats have posted a 52-18 overall record when four or more players score in double figures, including an 11-2 mark this season… The team is now 8-0 this season, including 5-0 against Big 12 opponents, when sophomore Makol Mawien scores in double figures.
K-State held TCU to less than 70 points in all three meetings (68, 66 and 64), as the Horned Frogs connected on 46.3 percent (25-of-54), including 41.2 percent (7-of-17) from 3-point range, and just 50 percent (7-of-14) from the free throw line… The Wildcats were the only Big 12 team to hold the Frogs to less than 70 points in both regular-season meetings.
K-State is now 101-28 under Weber when the team holds an opponent to 69 points or less, including 15-3 this season… In comparison, the Wildcats are 21-50 under Weber when allowing 70 or more points.
K-State out-scored TCU, 32-30, in the paint, which marked the 22^nd time this season the Wildcats possessed advantage over the opponent.
K-State posted just 11 turnovers against TCU, as the team has 12 turnovers or less in 24 of 32 games this season, including single-digit turnovers on 10 occasions.

Sophomore Makol Mawien scored a team-high 16 points on 6-of-7 field goals and 4-of-4 from the free throw line to go with a career-tying 9 rebounds and a career-best 3 blocks in 30 minutes of action… He has now scored in double figures in eight career games… K-State is 8-0 when he registers double digits… It marked the first career time leading the team in scoring and just the fourth time in rebounding.
Junior Dean Wade scored 12 points on 5-of-9 field goals, including 2-of-2 from 3-point range, to go with 3 rebounds and 2 steals in 41 minutes… He has now scored in double figures in 62 career games, including a team-best 28 this season… He has now posted double-digit points in 20 consecutive games.
Sophomore Xavier Sneed scored 12 points on 4-of-12 field goals, including 1-of-7 from 3-point range, and 3-of-6 from the free throw line, to go with 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals in a career-best 42 minutes… He has now scored in double figures in 32 games, including 18 this season.
Junior Barry Brown, Jr., scored 11 points on 4-of-11 field goals and 3-of-5 from the free throw line to go with 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal in a career-best 44 minutes of action… He has now scored in double figures in 59 career games, including 25 this season.
Both Brown and Wade played in their 100^th career games at K-State.