Game Preview // K-State Begins Road Stretch at Oklahoma State Saturday

GAME 21
KANSAS STATE (15-5, 5-2 Big 12) at OKLAHOMA STATE (9-11, 2-5 Big 12)
Saturday, February 2, 2019 >> 5:05 p.m. CT >> Gallagher-Iba Arena (13,611) >> Stillwater, Okla.

TELEVISION
ESPNU/ESPN3 (link)

Chuckie Kempf (play-by-play)
Reid Gettys (analyst)
Brian Boyle (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: XM 391 / Internet 982

LIVE STATS
www.okstate.com
okstate.statbroadcast.com [media only]

TICKETS
www.okstate.com/tickets
(877) ALL-4-OSU [255.4678]

COACHES
Kansas State: Bruce Weber (Wis.-Milwaukee '78)
Overall: 453-240/21^st season
At K-State: 140-85/7^th season
vs. Oklahoma State: 9-5 (2-4 on the road)

Oklahoma State: Mike Boynton, Jr. (South Carolina '03)
Overall: 30-26/2^nd season
At Oklahoma State: 30-26/2^nd season
vs. Kansas State: 0-2 (0-1 at home)

PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP
Kansas State (15-5, 5-2 Big 12)
G: #3 Kamau Stokes
G: #5 Barry Brown, Jr.
G/F: #20 Xavier Sneed
F: #32 Dean Wade
F: #14 Makol Mawien

Oklahoma State (9-11, 2-5 Big 12)
G: #4 Thomas Dziagwa
G: #13 Isaac Likekele
G: #21 Lindy Waters III
F: #12 Cameron McGriff
F: #14 Yor Anei

SERIES HISTORY
Overall: K-State leads 80-53
Current Streak: K-State, 2
In Stillwater: Oklahoma State leads 33-26
At Gallagher-Iba Arena: Oklahoma State leads 30-24
Last Meeting: W, 82-72, 2/14/18
Weber vs. Boynton, Jr.: 2-0 (1-0 on the road)

OPENING TIP

Kansas State (15-5, 5-2 Big 12) returns to Big 12 play on Saturday evening, as the Wildcats travel to Stillwater, Okla., to take on Oklahoma State (9-11, 2-5 Big 12) at historic Gallagher-Iba Arena. The game will tip at 5:05 p.m., CT on ESPNU with Chuckie Kempf (play-by-play) and Reid Gettys (analyst) on the call.

K-State enters February with the trip to Oklahoma State, which begins a stretch of road games in 4 of its first 6 contests and includes back-to-back trips to Baylor (14-6, 5-2 Big 12) and Texas (12-9, 4-4 Big 12) in a 4-day span on Feb. 9 and 12. The home games in that span include visits from nationally-ranked squads from Kansas (16-5, 5-3 Big 12) and Iowa State (16-5, 5-3 Big 12). After a trip to West Virginia (9-12, 1-7 Big 12), the Wildcats will finish with 3 of their last 5 games at home.
K-State enters Saturday's contest in a two-way tie for first place in the Big 12 with a surging Baylor squad, which has won 6 of its last 7 games, as both sit just a half-game ahead of No. 16/15 Texas Tech (17-4), No. 20/20 Iowa State and No. 11/12 Kansas, which all 5-3 in league play. Not far from the pack is Texas, at 4-4, and TCU (15-5, 3-4 Big 12) and Oklahoma (15-6, 3-5) with 3 wins each.
K-State still carries a 5-game winning streak in Big 12 into Saturday's contest, but did see its overall winning streak end in the 65-53 loss at Texas A&M in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge on Jan. 26, in which, the Aggies used an 18-6 run in the first 10 minutes of the second half to ignite an offense that connected on 51 percent shooting. It marked just the second time that the Wildcats have allowed an opponent to shoot better than 50 percent from the field and the first since Marquette connected on an opponent-high 56.8 percent (25-of-44) on December 1. Despite the loss, the team finished non-conference play with at least 10 wins for the fourth straight season.
Oklahoma State enters Saturday's game with huge momentum after dispatching of a hot South Carolina team, 74-70, to garner a point for the Big 12 in helping the league secure the Challenge title for the first time since 2016. The Cowboys are the Big 12's best 3-point shooting team at 8.8 makes per game on 37.9 percent, as two players (Lindy Waters III?and Thomas Dziagwa) rank among the Top 5 in both 3-point percentage and makes per game. Waters (12.5 ppg.) and Dziagwa (10.6 ppg.) are among a trio averaging in double figures led by junior Cameron McGriff, who leads the team in scoring (13.5 ppg.), rebounding (7.9 rpg.) and steals (1.3 spg.).
K-State and Oklahoma State will meet for the 134th time on Saturday in a series that dates all the way back to 1922. The Wildcats hold an 80-53 all-time lead in the series, however, the Cowboys are 33-26 at home with wins in 12 of the last 15 meetings at Gallagher-Iba Arena. K-State swept the series a season ago for the first time since 2012, winning 86-82 at home on Jan. 10 before an 82-72 victory in Stillwater on Feb. 14.
Despite a disappointing defensive effort at Texas A&M, K-State still ranks among the nation's best in several defensive categories, including fourth in scoring defense (58.8 ppg.), 35th in turnover margin (+3.4), 37th in 3-point field goal percentage defense (30.5) and 54th in both field goal percentage defense (40.8) and turnover forced (15.5). The Wildcats have now held 12 of their 20 opponents to 60 points or less, while 3 of the last 5 opponents (Iowa State, TCU and Texas Tech) have been held to its season-low in points.

NOTES ON OKLAHOMA STATE

Oklahoma State (9-11, 2-5 Big 12) ended a 3-game losing streak with an impressive 74-70 win over a surging South Carolina team in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge on Saturday, as junior Thomas Dziagwa paced three Cowboys in double figures with a game-high 19 points that included 5 3-pointers.
Oklahoma State is averaging 69.6 points on 43.0 percent shooting, including a Big 12-best 37.9 percent from 3-point range, to go with 36.1 rebounds, 13.7 assists, 6.0 steals and 4.3 blocks per game, while allowing 69.8 points on 40.9 percent shooting, including 33.1 percent from 3-point range. The team is connecting on 68.4 percent from the line. The Cowboys also rank first in the Big 12 with an average of 8.8 3-pointers per game.
Oklahoma State is averaging 66.0 points in Big 12 play on 39.7 percent shooting, including 36.3 percent from 3-point range, while allowing 70.4 points on 40.8 percent shooting, including 31.6 percent from 3-point range.
The youthful Cowboys are led by a trio of underclassmen, including junior Cameron McGriff, who paces three players in double figures at 13.5 points on 39.8 percent shooting, including 34.6 percent from 3-point range, to go with a team-best 7.9 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game. Fellow juniors Lindy Waters III and Dziagwa are averaging 12.5 and 10.6 points per game and rank among the Top 5 in 3-pointers per game. Dziagwa is averaging a Big 12-best 3.1 per game, while Waters is fourth at 2.2 per contest.
Oklahoma State is led by head coach Mike Boynton, Jr., who has posted a 30-26 (.536) record in his second season, which includes a 21-win season and trip to the NIT quarterfinals in his inaugural season. Boynton has been an assistant coach at Coastal Carolina (2005-07), Wofford (2007-08), South Carolina (2008-13), Stephen F. Austin (2013-16) and OSU (2016-17).

SERIES HISTORY

K-State and Oklahoma State will meet for the 134th time in their histories with the Wildcats holding an 80-53 advantage in a series that dates to 1922. The Cowboys are 33-26 all-time in games played at home, including wins in 12 of the last 15 meetings at Gallagher-Iba Arena.
K-State has won 6 of the last 8 meetings with Oklahoma State, including back-to-back wins in Stillwater for the first time since the 1987 and 1988 seasons. Last season, the?Wildcats swept the series for the first time since 2012, winning 86-82 at home on Jan. 10 before an 82-72 win at Gallagher-Iba on Feb. 14. Barry Brown, Jr., led the way in both match-ups, scoring a career-high 38 points in Manhattan before a 25-point effort in?Stillwater.
Brown has averaged 16.4 points on 48.2 percent shooting, including 39.3 percent from 3-point range, in 7 career games against OSU with 6 starts, while fellow seniors Dean Wade and Kamau Stokes have each averaged 11.3 points in their respective careers against the Cowboys.
Head coach Bruce Weber is 9-5 all-time against OSU, including a 2-4 mark on the road, while Weber is 2-0 vs. head coach Mike Boynton, Jr.

ON THE ROAD

K-State has a 55-129 (.299) all-time record on the road since the start of Big 12 play in 1997. However, the Wildcats have been considerably better on the road since the 2006-07 season, having posted a 43-58 (.426) record away from home after going just 10-70 (.125) from 1997 to 2006.
K-State has a 2-4 record away from home this season, including a 2-1 mark in Big 12 play. The Wildcats lost at No. 11/11 Texas Tech to start Big 12 play, but has since recorded consecutive Top 25 road wins at No. 20/21 Iowa State (58-57) and No. 20/19 Oklahoma (74-61).

LAST TIME OUT: TEXAS A&M 65, K-STATE 53

An 18-6 run in the first 10 minutes of the second half helped ignite an explosive Texas A&M offense, as the Aggies connected on 58.3 percent after halftime in ending Kansas State's 5-game winning streak with a 65-53 win in the sixth annual SEC/Big 12 Challenge on Jan. 26 at Reed Arena.
Texas A&M erupted for 39 points in the second half on 58.3 percent (14-of-24) shooting from the field, including 50 percent (5-of-10) from 3-point range. The Aggies were led by junior Wendell Mitchell, who scored all of his game-high 22 points in the second half on 7-of-9 field goals, including 4-of-5 from 3-point range. Mitchell also added a game-tying 4 steals.
The stingy K-State defense was blitzed for 51 percent shooting (25-of-49) for game, including 40 percent (8-of-20) from 3-point range. It marked just the second time this season that the Wildcats have allowed an opponent to shoot better than 50 percent from the field and first since Marquette hit on an opponent-high 56.8 percent (25-of-44) on December 1.
K-State's struggles weren't just on the defensive end, as the Wildcats shot just 32.8 percent (20-of-61), including 22.6 percent (7-of-31) from 3-point range. It was the third-lowest field goal percentage of the season and the fourth time this season that the Wildcats have shot worse than 35 percent. The team led 30-26 at the break behind 44.4 percent shooting (12-of-27), but were held to just 23 points on 23.5 percent (8-of-34) in the second half.
Senior Dean Wade led three Wildcats in double figures with 17 points on 7-of-15 field goals, including 3-of-6 from 3-point range, to go with a game-tying 7 rebounds, while sophomore Cartier Diarra and senior Barry Brown, Jr., added 14 and 11 points, respectively. Diarra had a solid all-around effort with 4 rebounds, 3 assists and a career-tying 3 steals. Senior Kamau Stokes dished out a game-high 6 assists.
Joining Mitchell in double figures for Texas?A&M were sophomores T.J. Starks (12) and Savion Flagg (11), while Flagg grabbed a double-double with a game-high 12 rebounds, all on the defensive end.
K-State falls to 3-3 all-time in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge, including 0-3 in road contests (twice at Tennessee and now at Texas A&M).

'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).
K-State is holding opponents to 58.8 points on 40.8 percent shooting, including 30.5 percent from 3-point range, while forcing 15.5 turnovers per game. The Wildcats rank 4th in scoring defense, 35th in turnover margin (+3.4), 37th in 3-point field goal percentage defense and 54th in field goal percentage defense. The team leads the Big 12 in rebounding defense (31.7) and steals (7.6), while is second in scoring defense and turnovers forced (15.5), third in 3-point field goal percentage defense.
K-State has held 12 of 20 opponents to 60 points or less this season with one eclipsing 70. The squad has now held 81 opponents to 60 points or less in Weber's tenure, boasting a 73-8 mark in those contests.
K-State has held its opponents to an average of 15.2 points per game under their scoring average, including 16.4 points in Big 12 play. Eight foes have been held to 20 or more points under their average, including Penn (35.3), Tulsa (28.8), Texas Tech (26.6), Southern Miss (26.2), Vanderbilt (25.6), TCU?(25.4), Iowa State (24.3) and Eastern Kentucky (20.3).
In Big 12 play, K-State is allowing a league-best 59.6 points per game on 43 percent shooting, including 34.8 percent from 3-point range, while forcing opponents into a Big 12-high 15.0 turnovers per game and scoring an average of 16.9 points off those turnovers. The Wildcats have held three league foes (Iowa State, TCU and Texas Tech) to less 60 points.
In the 58-45 win over No. 14/13 Texas Tech on Jan. 22, the Wildcat defense lived up to their billing, holding the Red Raiders to their lowest point total (45) under head coach Chris Beard and the lowest since scoring 44 in a loss against Loyola Chicago on Dec. 22, 2014. The team was held to a season-low 32.7 field goal percentage (16-of-49), including just 21.7 percent (5-of-23) from 3-point range.
The 45 points were the fewest surrendered a conference opponent under Weber and the fewest since holding No. 23 Texas Tech to 44 points on January 11, 2003. The Wildcats have held 3 of the last 5 opponents (Iowa State, TCU and Texas Tech) to its season-low in points.

POINTS OFF TURNOVERS

More than a quarter of K-State's total points (349/1292) this season have come off opponent turnovers, as the Wildcats are averaging 17.5 points off 15.5 opponent mistakes per game. The team ranks 35th nationally in turnover margin (+3.4), 54th in turnovers forced (15.5) and 66th in steals (7.6).
The Wildcats scored 20 or more points off turnovers in 8 games, including a season-high 25 in the come-from-behind 71-69 win over West Virginia (1/9/19) and at Texas A&M (1/26/19). They have also put up 20 points or more off opponent turnovers against Kennesaw State (20), Denver (23), Eastern?Kentucky (24), Penn (22), Marquette (22) and TCU?(21).
K-State has scored more than 3,000 points (3,449) 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.
Led by all-time steals leader Barry Brown, Jr., who recently broke the record with 211st steal against Vanderbilt (12/22/18), the Wildcats have 3 other players with 100 or more steals, including Kamau Stokes (118), Xavier Sneed (117) and Dean Wade (109). Stokes and Sneed rank seventh and 10th in career steals, while Wade could also join the career Top 10.
Brown currently ranks seventh in Big 12 history with 229 career steals, which is 18 shy of Kansas' Russell Robinson (2004-08) for sixth place.

IMPROVED REBOUNDING

One of the big emphasis in the off-season was rebounding, as the Wildcats finished 10th in the Big 12 in every rebounding categories, including overall rebounding (30.7), offensive rebounds (8.2), defensive rebounds (22.5) and rebounding margin (-3.4). The 30.7 rebounding average was the lowest by a K-State team since averaging just 30.0 per game in 1984-85.
K-State is averaging 34.7 rebounds per game, which ranks ninth in the Big 12, to go with averages of 9.7 offensive (eighth) and 25.0 defensive (eighth) rebounds per game. On the positive side, the Wildcats are allowing opponents a Big 12-low 31.7 rebounds per game and hold a Big 12-best 77.8 defensive rebounding percentage.
K-State has out-rebounded 13 of 20 opponents, including 4 in 7 Big 12 games. In comparison, the Wildcats out-rebounded just 10 opponents in 2017-18 in 37 games, including 4 Big 12 foes.
K-State added one of the top rebounders in the community college ranks in junior Austin Trice, as he is averaging 3.1 rebounds per game in just 8.6 minutes game. Trice ranked among the Top 10 in 4 rebounding categories in the community college ranks in 2017-18, including 4th in average (12.1 rpg.).
In addition to Trice, the entire team has collectively elevated their efforts in rebounding this season, including Dean Wade (6.2 to 6.6 rpg.), Xavier Sneed (5.1 to 5.6 rpg.), Makol Mawien (3.4 to 4.4 rpg.), Barry Brown,?Jr., (3.1 to 4.2 rpg.) and Cartier Diarra (2.5 to 3.4 rpg.).

OFFENSIVE STRUGGLES

K-State is averaging a Big 12-low 64.6 points on 42.2 percent shooting (469-of-1112), including 30.7 percent (123-of-401) from 3-point range, and 65.3 percent (231-of-354) from the free throw line. The Wildcats rank 330th among 351 Division I?teams in scoring offense, 281st in field goal percentage, 317th in 3-point field goal percentage and 316th in free throw percentage.
In the Big 12, K-State ranks ninth in field goal percentage and 10th in scoring offense, 3-point field goal percentage and free throw percentage.
The Wildcats have scored 70 or more points on just 6 occasions, including a season-high 95 points in the win over Eastern Kentucky (11/16/18), while they have only connected on 45 percent from the field in 8 games and 40 percent or better from the 3-point line on 4 occasions.
In Big 12 play, K-State is averaging 61.4 points on 41.4 percent shooting (151-of-365), including 31.4 percent (44-of-140) from 3-point range, and 67.7 percent (84-of-124) from the free throw line. The Wildcats rank 10th in scoring offense and seventh in field goal and 3-point field goal percentage.
The struggles from the 3 are particularly noticeable after a record-setting 2017-18 season from 3-point range, in which, the Wildcats set single-season marks for makes (254) and attempts (745). Five different players posted 30 or more 3-point field goals led by Xavier Sneed's 65 makes.
Stokes (175/7th) and Brown (153/9th) rank among the school's career Top 10 in 3-point field goals made (and attempted), while Sneed (129) and Wade (116) also have 100 makes in their careers from long range.

'CATS HAVE FIRST 5-GAME WIN STREAK IN BIG 12 PLAY SINCE 2013

Since starting Big 12 play 0-2 for the first time since 2011, K-State has rattled off 5 consecutive victories, which started with the come-from-behind win over West Virginia (71-69) and includes back-to-back Top 25 road wins over No. 20/21 Iowa State (58-57) and No. 20/19 Oklahoma (74-61) and home wins over TCU?(65-55) and No. 14/13 Texas Tech (58-45). It is just the Wildcats' seventh winning streak of 5 or more games in Big 12 play and the first since winning 6 in a row from Feb. 18 to March 5, 2013.
During the winning streak, K-State is averaging 65.2 points on 45 percent (115-of-256) shooting, including 34.3 percent (34-of-99) from 3-point range, to go with 72.1 percent (62-of-86) from the free throw line, while averaging 12.6 assists and just 10.4 turnovers per game. In losing the first 2 Big 12 games, the team averaged just 52 points on 33 percent (36-of-109), including 24.4 percent (10-of-41) from 3-point range, with 12.5 turnovers per game.
On the defensive end, the Wildcats are allowing just 57.4 points in the win streak on 41.8 percent (102-of-244) shooting, including 31.2 percent (34-of-109) from 3-point range, while averaging 16.2 points off 15 opponent turnovers. In those first 2 Big 12 games, the team allowed 65 points on 46.5 percent (40-of-86), including 43.5 percent (20-of-46) from 3-point range.
During the win streak, senior Barry Brown, Jr., has averaged a team-best 20.4 points on 52.6 percent (40-of-76) shooting, which includes 3 straight 20-point performances, while fellow senior Dean Wade, who has played in 4 of the 5 games, is averaging 12.8 points on 47.1 percent (16-of-34) shooting. Four others (Xavier Sneed, Kamau Stokes, Makol Mawien and Mike McGuirl) are averaging between 6.0 and 9.2 points per game. Brown averaged just 12.0 points in the first 2 Big 12 games.

BETTER WITH DEAN WADE

It's stating the obvious that K-State is a better team when the Wildcats have their Preseason Big 12 Player of the Year Dean Wade on the floor. The team is 11-3 this season with Wade, who missed 6 games from Dec. 19 to Jan. 9 with a foot injury, in the lineup and just 4-2 with him out of it.
K-State is averaging 66.7 points on 43 percent shooting, including 30.5 percent from 3-point range, in the 14 games with Wade in the lineup, while the team is averaging just 59.7 points on 40.2 percent shooting, including 31.1 percent from 3-point range, in the 6 games without him.
Three Wildcats (Barry Brown, Jr., Dean Wade and Xavier Sneed) are averaging in double figures in the 14 games with Wade in the lineup, while three other players (Kamau Stokes, Makol Mawien and Cartier Diarra) are averaging betwen 5.8 and 8.9 points per game. In comparison, only two Wildcats (Brown/15.3 ppg., and Stokes/13.8 ppg.) are averaging in double figures in the 6 games without Wade.

GAME OF RUNS

K-State's use of runs have been particularly effective this season, as the Wildcats have totaled 44 runs of at least 7 or more points, including 23 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 before the West Virginia game. The team had a 17-0 run to close the gap against the Mountaineers.
The Paradise Jam was a tournament of runs for K-State, as the Wildcats put together decisive runs en route to victories against EKU (11/16/18), Penn (11/18/18) and Missouri (11/19/18) in the title game. The team had runs of 12-2 and 20-6 against EKU, while the Wildcats erupted for a 17-2 run against Penn. Against Missouri, the squad scored 20 of 22 points after a 27-all tie.
In addition, K-State used a 21-7 to jump out ahead of Vanderbilt (12/22/18) en route to building a 22-point lead in the second half, while the Wildcats had 17-0 and 20-8 runs in the comeback against West Virginia (1/9/19) and ended the Iowa State (1/12/19) game on a 10-2 run.

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 7 players have at least one double-digit scoring game, including 16 by Brown, 12 by Wade, 11 by Stokes, 10 by Sneed, 6 by Mawien, 4 by Cartier Diarra and 1 by Mike McGuirl.
Since Weber took over in 2012-13, K-State has posted a 58-19 (.750) record when four or more players score in double figures, including a 6-1 mark in 2018-19. The Wildcats are 12-4 when Mawien scores in double digits, while the team is 10-4 (8-2 in 2017-18) when Diarra reaches double-digits.

NON-CONFERENCE SUCCESS

Although it ended in a loss to Texas A&M on Jan. 26, K-State enjoyed a success non-conference season, posting a 10-3 (.769) mark which included a 7-0 mark at home venues (Bramlage Coliseum and the Sprint Center. It marked the fourth consecutive season with at least 10 non-conference wins.
K-State has posted a 140-36 (.795) record in non-conference play since the 2006-07 season, which includes a 105-6 (.946) mark at home venues. The team has registered double-digit non-conference wins in 12 of the last 13 years, averaging 10.8 non-conference wins in that stretch, 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 four seasons and is 40-9 (.816) in non-conference play since 2015-16.
K-State has a 105-6 (.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 96-5 (.950) mark at Bramlage Coliseum.
The Wildcats have won 92 of their last 96 non-conference home games, including a 29-game winning streak at Bramlage Coliseum. The last home non-conference loss came against Georgia, 50-46, on Dec. 31, 2014.

HISTORIC COMEBACK

K-State overcame its largest deficit ever when senior Barry Brown, Jr., laid in the go-ahead bucket with 29 seconds left to cap a 50-point second half by the Wildcats in a 71-69 defeat of West Virginia (1/9/19).
K-State trailed by as many as 21 points a little more than a minute into the second half before a 17-0 run cut the deficit to 42-38 with 13:07 left. A 4-point play by junior Xavier Sneed gave the Wildcats their first lead with 2:30 remaining before the Mountaineers regained the advantage, 69-68, on a Lamont West free throw a minute later. In the final 60 seconds, Brown put the Wildcats ahead 70-69 with a layup with 29 seconds remaining.
West Virginia missed a shot in the paint with 5 seconds and Sneed came down with the rebound and was sent to the line, where he hit one free throw. The Mountaineers were unable to get a final shot up at the buzzer.
Brown led K-State behind a season-high 29 points on 9-of-14 field goals and a 10-of-12 effort from the line to go with a career-tying 6 steals. It was his highest point total since scoring 34 points at Baylor on Jan. 22, 2018. In the process, he became the ninth Wildcat to eclipse 1,500 career points.
Brown was joined in double figures by a career night from sophomore Mike McGuirl, who scored a career-high 18 points on 7-of-12 field goals, including 4-of-6 from 3-point range, while senior Kamau Stokes and Xavier Sneed added 12 and 10 points, respectively. It was McGuirl's second career double-digit scoring game and his first since the 2018 NCAA Tournament.
K-State scored its 50 points after halftime on 62.1 percent (18-of-29) shooting, including 63.6 percent (7-of-11) from 3-point range, compared to just 21 in the first half on 29.2 percent (7-of-24) shooting, including 16.7 percent (2-of-12) from long range. In addition, the Wildcats scored 25 points off 17 Mountaineers turnovers, while only turning the ball over 6 times.
It marked the second time this season that K-State had rallied from a double-digit deficit at home, as the Wildcats came from 16 points down to defeat Southern Miss, 55-51, on?Dec. 19 at home. Senior Kamau?Stokes scored 16 of his season-high 18 points in the second half.
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.

BROWN, WADE BACK-TO-BACK BIG 12 PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

Seniors Barry Brown, Jr., and Dean Wade became the first Wildcats since 2013 to capture Phillips 66 Big 12 Player of the Week honors in back-to-back weeks, as the duo has helped the squad to 4 consecutive victories.
Brown earned his first-ever Big 12 Player of the Week honor on Jan. 14, as he averaged 26 points on 52.9 percent shooting (18-of-34), including a pair of game-winners, in K-State's victories over West Virginia and No. 20/21 Iowa State, while Wade averaged 18 points and 3.5 assists in the wins over No. 20/19 Oklahoma and TCU this past week.
Brown helped K-State engineer a school-record 21-point comeback in the victory over the Mountaineers. He scored a season-high 29 points on 9-of-14 field goals and 10-of-12 free throws to go with a career-tying 6 steals, 1 assist, 1 block and 1 rebound in 38 minutes. He scored a game-high 23 points in the win over the Cyclones, including game-winner with 4 seconds left.
Just 2 games removed from missing 6 games due to injury, Wade earned just his second 20-point game of the season with 20 points on 8-of-14 field goals in the Wildcats' first win at Oklahoma since 2015, while he added 16 points and a game-high 6 assists in the victory over TCU.

BROWN AMONG CAREER LEADERS

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 229 career steals in 125 games played.
Brown's 229 career steals currently rank seventh in Big 12 history, trailing Kansas' Russell Robinson (247; 2004-08) for sixth place by 18 steals. Brown also ranks fourth among active Division I players in career steals, trailing just Washington's Matisse Thybulle (269), Oregon's Ehab Amin (252) and Purdue Fort Wayne's John Koncher (247).
Brown places among several career offensive records, including 5th in field goals attempted (1,361), 6th in double-digit scoring games (79), 7th in scoring (1,587), field goals made (565) and 3-point field goals attempted (478) and 9th in 3-point field goals made (153) and assists (305). He is also closing in on the Top 10 in free throw made (304) and attempted (433).
Brown also ranks among the leaders in games played, as his streak of 125 consecutive games ranks second (just 2 shy of Steve Henson's school record) and his 103 straight starts ranks second (just 15 shy of Henson's school record). He has a chance to top the school record of 135 games played, which is held by Jacob Pullen and Rodney McGruder.
Brown ranks third in minutes played (3,966) in school history, needing 509 to pass Steve Henson (4,474; 1987-90). He needs just 34 minutes to become just the second Wildcat to eclipse 4,000 career minutes.

STOKES ECLIPSES 1,000 CAREER POINTS

With 20 points against George Mason (12/29/18), senior Kamau Stokes became the 30th player to post 1,000 points and joined fellow seniors Barry Brown, Jr., and Dean Wade in achieving the milestone. The trio became the first class in school history to each top 1,000 career points in a career.
Brown (1,587 points) and Wade (1,377 points) each eclipsed the mark as juniors and currently rank 7th and 10th, respectively, on the all-time scoring list, while Stokes ranks 23rd with 1,073 points. The trio has combined to score 4,037 points in their careers.
Stokes ranks among the all-time leaders in several categories, including 4th in assists (372), 5th in 3-point field goals attempted (511), 7th in 3-point field goals made (175) and steals (118), while he is just outside the Top 10 in minutes played (3,137).
Needing just 28 assists, Stokes could become just the third Wildcat in school history to eclipse 400 assists, joining all-time leader Steve Henson (582; 1986-90) and Jacob Pullen (455; 2007-11).

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 10 of the last 19 games, including a season-high 18 points on 6-of-9 field goals in the win over TCU (1/19).
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 grabbed 5 or more rebounds in 10 games, including double-digit boards twice with a season-high 14 vs. Southern Miss (12/19).

WELCOME GOODNEWS

K-State got some unexpected "good news" on New Year's Eve when recent signee Goodnews Kpegeol joined the team and filled the 13th and final scholarship for the reminder of the 2018-19 season.
An NCAA?qualifier prior to enrolling at TaylorMade Academy in Pensacola, Florida for the 2018-19, Kpegeol is immediately eligible after enrolling for the spring semester and has been cleared to play by the NCAA. He is expected to redshirt the reminder of the season.
A 6-foot-6, 180-pound guard from St. Paul, Minnesota, Kpegeol spent the first half of the 2018-19 season as a postgraduate at TaylorMade after finishing his four-year prep career at North High School. He led the Polars to the Class 4A State Tournament for the first time in 17 years as a sophomore in 2015-16 before the school to a 22-5 record with a 15-1 mark in conference play as a senior in 2017-18. He averaged a team-best 18.2 points in 19 games played as a senior, which included nine 20-point games.

K-STATE WINS PARADISE JAM; FIRST TITLE SINCE 2011

Included in K-State's 6-0 start to the 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: 11/12 KANSAS (16-5, 5-3 Big 12)

K-State returns home on Tuesday night, as the Wildcats play host to No. 11/12 Kansas (16-5, 5-3 Big 12) in the first edition of the Dillons Sunflower Showdown at Bramlage Coliseum. The rivalry, which dates to 1907, is one of the oldest in the country with 289 meetings, including 125 in Manhattan. The Jayhawks have won the last 8 meetings in the series with the last Wildcat win coming at home on Feb. 23, 2015.

Game Preview // K-State Begins Road Stretch at Oklahoma State Saturday

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Players Mentioned

Barry Brown, Jr.

Cartier Diarra

Goodnews Kpegeol

Makol Mawien

Mike McGuirl

Xavier Sneed

Kamau Stokes

Austin Trice

Dean Wade

Kansas State University Athletics

Game Preview // K-State Begins Road Stretch at Oklahoma State Saturday

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Barry Brown, Jr.

Cartier Diarra

Goodnews Kpegeol

Makol Mawien

Mike McGuirl

Xavier Sneed

Kamau Stokes

Austin Trice

Dean Wade

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