Game Preview // K-State Concludes Homestand Wednesday vs. Alabama State

GAME 9
KANSAS STATE (5-3) vs. ALABAMA STATE (1-7)
Wednesday, December 11, 2019 >> 7:02 p.m. CT >> Bramlage Coliseum (12,528) >> Manhattan, Kan.

TELEVISION
Big 12 Now on ESPN+

Ben Boyle (play-by-play)
Stan Weber (analyst)
Bridget Howard (sideline reporter)

RADIO
K-State Sports Network
Flagships: // KMAN 1350 & WIBW 580
Online: TuneIn.com [free] / www.kstatesports.com/watch [free]
Internet 972

Wyatt Thompson (play-by-play)
Matt Walters (analyst)

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

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

Advanced Single Game: $5 (bench & GA)
Gameday: $10 (bench & GA)/$20 (chairback)
Group (12+): $3

COACHES
Kansas State: Bruce Weber (Wis.-Milwaukee '78)
Overall: 468-247/22^nd season
At K-State: 155-92/8^th season
vs. Alabama State: 0-0 (0-0 at home)

Alabama State: Lewis Jackson (Alabama State '84)
Overall: 200-245/15^th season
At Alabama State: 200-245/15^th season
vs. Kansas State: 0-0 (0-0 on the road)

PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP
Kansas State (5-3)
G: #00 Mike McGuirl
G: #2 Cartier Diarra
G/F: #20 Xavier Sneed
F: #11 Antonio Murphy
F: #14 Makol Mawien

Alabama State (1-7)
G: #0 D.J. Keith
G: #24 Kevion Stewart
G/F: #1 Leon Daniels
G/F: #5 Tobi Twuosho
F: #21 Mike Stone

SERIES HISTORY
Overall: K-State leads 1-0
Current Streak: K-State, 1
In Manhattan: K-State leads 1-0
At Bramlage Coliseum: K-State leads 1-0
Last Meeting: W, 99-81 [12/14/91 in Manhattan]
Weber vs. Jackson: First meeting

OPENING TIP

Kansas State (5-3) concludes a 3-game homestand on Wednesday night, as the Wildcats play host to Alabama State (1-7) at 7 p.m., CT at Bramlage Coliseum. It will be the last game at Bramlage Coliseum for 18 days, as K-State will travel to Newark, N.J., this Saturday to play Mississippi State (6-2) in the Never Forget Tribute Classic at the Prudential Center followed by a game against Saint Louis (8-1) in the Wildcat Classic on Saturday,?Dec. 21 at the Sprint Center in Kansas City.
K-State will look to get back on track after seeing its 33-game winning streak against non-conference opponents at Bramlage Coliseum end in?Saturday's 73-65 loss to Marquette in the inaugural Big East/Big 12 Challenge. It was the first non-conference loss at Bramlage Coliseum since a 50-46 loss to Georgia on Dec. 31, 2014. The Wildcats have lost 3 of their last 4 games after opening the season at 4-0. During that 4-game stretch, the team is allowing opponents to average 66.8 points on 45.7 percent shooting, including 37.5 percent from 3-point range, while averaging 65 points on 41 percent shooting, including just 33.3 percent from long range.
Despite seeing its 33-game non-conference winning streak end on Saturday, the Wildcats have still been an impressive 109-7 (.940) at home venues in non-conference play since 2006-07, including 100-6 (.943) at Bramlage Coliseum, with wins in 96 of their last 101 non-conference home games. The team has not lost consecutive home games in non-conference play in nearly 5 years since losing to Texas Southern (56-58) on?Dec. 28 and Georgia (46-50) on Dec. 31, 2014.
K-State could not sustain the momentum from its best offensive game of the year in the 76-58 win over Florida A&M on Dec. 2, as the Wildcats connected on a season-low 32.3 percent (20-of-62) from the field in the loss to Marquette, which included season-lows for points in paint (16), fast-break points (4) and field goal percentage in a half (26.5). The team connected on just 33.3 percent (13-of-39) from inside the arc and missed 12 of their 30 free throw attempts. On the defensive end, the Golden Eagles set opponent highs for points (73), field goals made (25) and attempted (59), total rebounds (45), assists (18) and second-chance points (18).
Four Wildcats scored in double figures for the first time this year against the Golden Eagles, as junior Cartier Diarra led the way in points (14), rebounds (8) and assists (5) for the first time in his career. Senior Xavier Sneed became the 13th Wildcat to join the 1,000-point/500-rebound club with his first rebound of the game, as he now has 1,124 career points and 504 rebounds. Two freshmen performed well on the big stage, as DaJuan Gordon posted his second double figure scoring game with 10 points to go with 5 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks, while Antonio Gordon added team-highs in rebounds (8) and steals (3).
With the offense continuing to develop, K-State has had to rely on its defensive foundation. The Wildcats are allowing 60.3 points on 41.1 percent shooting, including 31.9 percent from 3-point range, while posting league-bests in steals (10.4 spg.) and turnovers forced (19.5). The team ranks 29th nationally in scoring defense, while they place 10th in both steals per game and turnovers forced and 18th in turnover margin (+5.3).

NOTES ON ALABAMA STATE

Alabama State is coming off a 73-59 loss at South Dakota on Monday night, as the Hornets connected on just 35 percent from the field while the Coyotes shot 50 percent, including 56.7 percent in the second half. Junior Tobi Ewuosho had a near double-double with 11 points and 8 rebounds.
Alabama State is in the midst of a 15-game road trip to start the season and won't play a home game until hosting Mississippi Valley State on Jan. 11, 2020. The Hornets have lost at Gonzaga (64-95), Missouri State (50-59), Houston (56-84), Tennessee (41-76) and VCU?(62-78) before splitting neutral site games to Chattanooga (56-74) and Chicago State (67-54). The team still has games at Boise State (Dec. 13), the St. Petersburg Classic (Dec. 20-21), Oregon (Dec. 29), Jackson State (Jan. 4) and Grambling (Jan. 6).
Alabama State is averaging 57 points on 36.5 percent shooting, including 29.4 percent from 3-point range, with 29.6 rebounds, 8.4 assists, 6.8 steals and 2.3 blocks per game, while allowing 74.1 points on 47.7 percent shooting, including 35.6 percent from 3-point range. The team has connected on 69.3 percent from the free throw line.
Ewuosho is the lone Hornet to average in double figures at 13.8 points on 50 percent shooting, including 41.7 percent from 3-point range, to go with a team-best 6.3 rebounds per game. Four other players (Jacoby Ross, Brandon Battle, Leon Daniels and Kevion Stewart) are all averaging between 5.3 and 7.3 points per game. Daniels has a team-high 10 3-point field goals, while junior Kevin Holston leads the way with 20 assists.
Alabama State returns 7 lettermen, including 2 starters, from a team that posted a 12-19 overall record, including a 9-9 mark in SWAC play, in head coach Lewis Jackson's 14th season.
Jackson is his 15th season as a head coach at Alabama State, leading the Hornets to a 200-245 record. He has led the team to five winning seasons, including 20-win seasons in 2007-08 and 2008-09. He has gone to the NCAA?Tournament twice in 2009 and 2011.

SERIES HISTORY

K-State and Alabama State will meet for the second time on Wednesday night, as the Wildcats won the first and only meeting nearly 28 years ago in a 99-81 victory at Bramlage Coliseum on Dec. 14, 1991.
This will be the first meeting for coach Bruce Weber against Alabama State as well as the first for ASU head coach Lewis Jackson.
K-State is 10-1 against teams with the SWAC with all 11 matchups coming at home. This will be the second meeting with a SWAC?opponent this season after dispatching of Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 62-51, on Nov. 19. The last loss to SWAC opponent came against Texas Southern on Dec. 28, 2014.

LAST TIME OUT: MARQUETTE 73, K-STATE 65

Down by as many as 14 points early in the second half, K-State closed to within one point of Marquette with 12:55 to play, but could not complete the comeback, as the Golden Eagles posted a 73-65 win before 10,073 fans at Bramlage Coliseum on Saturday night.
The Golden Eagles, led by the nation's top scorer in Markus Howard, did most of their damage beyond the arc, knocking down 12 of 22 attempts on 54.5 percent shooting. Six different players had at least one triple on the night, including 3 each by Howard and reserves Jamal Cain and Greg Elliott. Marquette connected on 42.4 percent (25-of-59) for the game, but just 35.1 percent (13-of-37) from inside the arc.
Howard, who was averaging 26 points per game, led all scorers with 19 points on 6-of-16 field goals, including 3-of-6 from 3-point range, while Cain added 17 points and a game-high 9 rebounds off the bench. Cain, who was averaging 4.5 points per game, hit on 6-of-9 shots, including 3-of-4 from long range. Senior Sacar Anim scored 13 points on 5-of-13 shooting.
Trailing 42-28 just 90 seconds into the second half, the Wildcats used a 16-3 run to close to within 45-44 on a jumper by junior Levi Stockard III at the 12:55 mark. However, the Golden Eagles responded with a 7-0 run to quickly push the lead back to 52-44 with 10 minutes to play.
Although K-State got to within 52-49 behind a 3-pointer from junior Mike McGuirl and a pair of free throws by senior Xavier Sneed, Marquette again answered with 7 straight points to push the lead to 10 points with 7:03 to play. The Wildcats never got closer than 6 points the rest of the way.
K-State struggled on the offensive end, hitting on a season-low 32.3 percent (20-of-62), including 30.4 percent (7-of-23) from 3-point range, and missed 12 free throws. The Wildcat defense turned the Golden Eagles over 18 times, but managed to score just 14 points off those miscues.
Junior Cartier Diarra was among 4 Wildcats in double figures with 14 points to go with team-highs in rebounds (8) and assists (5) in 33 minutes, while senior Makol Mawien and Sneed each chipped 11 points and rookie DaJuan Gordon added 10 points. Freshman Antonio Gordon grabbed a season-high 8 rebounds to go with 3 steals.

LEADING WITH DEFENSE

K-State continued its reputation as one of the top defensive teams in the country under head coach Bruce Weber to start the season, holding its first 8 opponents to 60.3 points on 41.1 percent shooting (172-of-418), including 31.9 percent (51-of-160) from 3-point range, while posting conference-bests in steals (10.4 spg.) and turnovers forced (19.5).
K-State ranks among Top 50 in 5 different defensive categories, including 29th in scoring defense, 10th in steals per game, 18th in turnover margin (5.3), 34th in total steals (83) and 10th in turnovers forced (19.5).
K-State has held 23 of its last 42 opponents to 60 points or less with just four eclipsing 70 (with 3 occurring in the last 9 games). The squad has held 92 opponents to 60 points or less in Bruce Weber's tenure, boasting an 84-8 mark in those contests.
K-State had one of the top defensive teams in the country in 2018-19, holding opponents to 59.6 points on 41.5 percent shooting, including 31.4 percent from 3-point range, while forcing 14.8 turnovers per game and averaging 7.5 steals per game. The Wildcats ranked among the nation's best in a number of defensive categories, including fourth in scoring defense, 16th in turnover margin (+3.5), 36th in 3-point field goal percentage defense, 43rd in total steals (256) and 48th in steals per game.
The 59.6 points per game average was the lowest opponent scoring average since the introduction of the shot clock in 1985-86, surpassing the 60.4 points per game average in 2012-13, while it was the sixth-lowest all-time and the lowest since the 1982-83 team allowed 58.4 points per game. Only eight other teams (1948-49, 1949-50, 1950-51, 1961-62, 1980-81, 1981-82, 1982-83) allowed less than 60 points per game in school history.
K-State held foes to an average of 14.5 points under their average in 2018-19, including a 14.6 average in Big 12 play. Eleven opponents (6 Big 12 foes) were held to 20 or more points under their average, most notably Texas Tech (26.6), TCU?(25.4 and 23.5), Iowa State (24.3) and OSU?(21.8).
In Big 12 play, K-State allowed 59.6 points per game on 42.6 percent shooting, including 33.8 percent from 3-point range. It is the school's lowest defensive scoring average in a Big 12 season and a tie for the ninth-best in a conference season and the lowest since 1961-62. The Wildcats held Big 12 opponents (Iowa State, TCU [twice], Texas Tech, Oklahoma State [twice], West Virginia, Baylor and Oklahoma) to 60 points or less on 9 occasions.

NON-CONFERENCE HISTORY

K-State has a 109-7 (.940) 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 100-6 (.943) mark at Bramlage Coliseum.
Despite seeing their 33-game winning streak end at Bramlage Coliseum with a loss to Marquette on?Dec. 7, the Wildcats have still won 96 of their last 101 non-conference home games. The last home non-conference loss before Marquette came against Georgia, 50-46, on Dec. 31, 2014.
K-State has posted a 145-39 (.788) record in non-conference play since the 2006-07 season, which includes a 10-3 (.769) mark in 2018-19. The team has posted double-digit non-conference wins in 12 of the last 13 years.
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 48-12 (.800) in non-conference play since the start of 2015-16 season.

HISTORY AT BRAMLAGE COLISEUM

K-State has posted a 382-119 (.764) all-time record at Bramlage Coliseum since its opening during the 1988-89 season. The 382 wins are the most at a home venue for the Wildcats, surpassing the 378 wins at Ahearn Field House (1950-88). It is the school's third home venue.
K-State has registered a 182-39 (.827) record at home over the past 14 seasons, including a 79-33 (.705) mark in Big 12 play. The 182 wins rank fourth among all Big 12 schools in that span, while the 79 league victories at home are only surpassed by Kansas and Texas. In all, the program has earned double-digit victories in 26 of its 31 seasons in the arena, including a current streak of 18 straight seasons.
K-State has a 242-62 (.799) record at home, including a 142-11 (.934) 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 a 98-23 (.817) 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 23 losses (19 of which have come in Big 12 play) have come by a grand total of 182 points or just 7.9 points per game.

WEBER NAMED USA BASKETBALL CO-NATIONAL COACH OF THE YEAR

After leading Team USA to a gold medal at the FIBA U19 World Cup this past summer, K-State men's basketball coach Bruce Weber was selected as the co-recipient of the 2019 USA Basketball National Coach of the Year award.
Weber shared the honor with Louisville women's basketball coach Jeff Walz, who also led the USA Women's U19 World Cup Team to a gold medal on July 20-28 in Bangkok, Thailand.
Since 1996, USA Basketball has awarded its National Coach of the Year honor to a USA Basketball head coach, who during the year of the award, made a significant impact on the success of the individual athlete and team performance at the highest levels of competition in a manner consistent with the highest ethical, professional and moral standards.
Weber, who served as a head coach in the USA Basketball system for the first time in his career, led Team USA to their seventh gold medal at the FIBA (International Basketball Federation) U19 World Cup, including the first since 2015, with a perfect 7-0 record. Team USA capped their perfect performance with a 93-79 win over Mali in the gold-medal game in Greece on July 7.
Team USA averaged better than 100 points per game and won the tournament by an average of 28.7 points per game, including victories over New Zealand (111-71), Lithuania (102-84) and Senegal (87-58) to capture Group A then wins over Latvia (116-66) in the group of 16, Russia (95-80) in the medal round, Lithuania (102-67) in the semifinals and Mali (93-79) in the finals. The team ranked first in points per game (100.9), field goal percentage (.475), assists per game (28.6 apg.) and steals per game (15.9 spg.).

SCORING INSIDE THE 3-POINT LINE

With its struggles from the 3-point line to start the year, K-State is getting much of its scoring from inside the arc. Of the 522 points scored so far, 276 have come from 2-point field goals, including 224 inside the paint. The team is averaging 28 points per game in the paint.
The Wildcats are connecting on 48.3 percent (138-of-286) inside the 3-point line compared to just 29.5 percent (52-of-176) from 3-point range. Both Xavier Sneed (49.0/25-of-51) and Cartier Diarra (46.4/26-of-56) are shooting 50 percent or better from the field inside the 3-point arc.

POINTS OFF TURNOVERS

K-State is once again using its defense to generate offense this season, as the Wildcats are forcing a Big 12-best 19.5 turnovers per game, including a league-high 10.4 steals per game, while averaging 18.4 points per game off those opponent turnovers.
K-State has scored 20 or more points in 5 of the last 6 games off opponent turnovers, including a season-high 24 against Pittsburgh on Nov. 25. The team has also scored 20 or more points off turnovers against Monmouth (21), Arkansas-Pine Bluff (20), Bradley (22) and Florida A&M (20).
K-State has forced 4 of its 8 opponents into 20 or more turnovers, including a season-best 25 turnovers by UNLV and Monmonth.

SNEED GETTING HOT

Senior Xavier Sneed has led the Wildcats in scoring in 5 of the last 7 games, averaging 15.3 points on 40.5 percent shooting (34-of-84), including 30.8 percent (12-of-39), which includes wins against UNLV, Monmouth, Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Florida A&M.
Sneed scored a then season-high 19 points in the overtime win over the Runnin' Rebels, including the go-ahead jumper with 28 seconds left, then followed that up with a 15-point effort in the win over Monmouth on Nov. 13 before posting his season-high of 21 against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Nov. 19. His 18-point effort against Florida A&M on Dec. 2 lifted him to the Top 20 scoring in school history, passing Willie Murrell (1962-64).
With his first rebound against Marquette on Dec. 7, Sneed became the 13th player in school history with at least 1,000 career points and 500 career rebounds. He currently has 1,124 points in 113 career games to go with 504 rebounds. He joins a 1,000-point/500-rebound list that includes legends Dick Knostman, Jack Parr, Bob Boozer, David Hall, Steve Mitchell, Rolando Blackman, Ed Nealy, Jamar Samuels, Rodney McGruder, Thomas Gipson, Wes Iwundu and Dean Wade.
Sneed is currently one of 9 players to rank in the Big 12's Top 20 in both scoring and rebounding, as he ranks 11th in scoring (14.5 ppg.) and 19th in rebounding (5.5 rpg.). He joins the likes of Iowa State's Tyrese Haliburton, Oklahoma's Austin Reaves, Kristian Doolittle and Brady Manek, Kansas' Udoka Azubuike, West Virginia's Oscar Tshiebwe and Jermaine Haley and Texas Tech's Jahmi'us Ramsey. Sneed also ranks in 12th in free throw percentage (73.0), seventh in steals (1.75) and ninth in minutes (32.2 mpg.).

DIARRA PROVING TO BE A SOLID PG

Junior Cartier Diarra is proving to be a solid point guard for the Wildcats, averaging 11.8 points on 36.2 percent (34-of-94) shooting with 6.6 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 2.6 steals in 32.7 minutes per game. He has led the team in assists in 8 consecutive games to start the season.
Diarra's 53 assists are the most by a Wildcat in the first 8 games since assists began being kept in 1976-77, surpassing the previous 8-game high of 47 done by (current UTSA?head coach) Steve Henson in 1988-89. He has at least 5 assists in each game, including a career-high 8 against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Nov. 19 and Bradley on Nov. 27.
Diarra and Iowa State's Tyrese Haliburton are the only two players in the nation to rank in the Top 20 in both assists and steals. Haliburton ranks fourth in assists (8.2 apg.) and 16th in steals (2.67 spg.), while Diarra is 14th in assists (6.6 apg.) and 17th in steals (2.6 spg.).
Diarra was the only player to score in double figures in the first two games, including a career-best 23 points in the season opener against North Dakota State on Nov. 5, connecting on 8-of-21 field goals, including 2-of-8 from 3-point range, and went a perfect 5-of-5 from the free throw line to go with 6 rebounds and 6 assists in 32 minutes. He followed that with 12 points before fouling out in the overtime win at UNLV on Nov. 9. He has since scored 3 times in double figures, including 13 vs. Pittsburgh on Nov. 25, 11 against Florida A&M on Dec. 2 and a team-best 14 points against Marquette on Dec. 7.
Diarra has at least 1 steal in 7 of 8 games this season, including a career-best 5 in back-to-back games against Bradley and Florida A&M.

FRESHMEN PLAYING A MAJOR ROLE

Three freshmen (DaJuan Gordon, Antonio Gordon and Montavious Murphy) are playing major roles for the Wildcats, as each are averaging 20 or more minutes this season, including 4 starts by Antonio Gordon and 3 by Murphy before he was injured against Monmouth on Nov. 14.
The Gordons (who are not related) have played in all 8 games this season and have combined for 96 points on 43.8 percent shooting, including 27.8 percent from 3-point range, with 60 rebounds, 16 steals and 6 blocks. DaJuan has two double-digit scoring games (12 vs. Pittsburgh and 10 vs. Marquette), while Antonio has twice scored a season-high 9 points.
Murphy, who became the first true freshmen to start an opener since 2015, started each of the first 3 games of the season before his injury on Nov. 13. He had 8 points against Monmouth, while he has 6 rebounds in 2 others.

'CATS EARN FIRST OVERTIME ROAD WIN SINCE 2015

Senior Xavier Sneed scored a season-high 19 points, including 4 of the team's last 6 points in overtime, to help propel K-State to a 60-56 come-from-behind victory at UNLV on Nov. 9 at the Thomas and Mack Center.
Playing in their first overtime in more than a year, the Wildcats went back and forth with the Runnin' Rebels in the extra session before a jumper by Sneed with 28 seconds left gave the team the lead for good at 56-54. A deflection off a missed shot by senior Amauri Hardy went the way of K-State with 18 seconds, and junior Mike McGuirl calmly sank a pair of free throws to extend the lead to 58-54 with 13 seconds remaining.
Freshman DaJuan Gordon blocked a desperation 3-pointer by junior Jonah Antonio on the next Rebel possession with 7 seconds to play and Sneed finished off the Wildcat scoring with two free throws for a 60-54 lead with 4 seconds. A lay-up Hardy at the buzzer closed the scoring at 60-56.
Playing in their earliest road game in school history, the Wildcats claimed their first non-conference true road victory in close to two years, snapping a 3-game losing streak, and earned their first overtime victory in a road venue since a 66-63 win at No. 16 Oklahoma on Jan. 10, 2015.

'CATS WIN OPENER AGAIN

K-State opened the season with a hard-fought 67-54 win over preseason Summit League favorite North Dakota State on Nov. 5. Behind the play of junior Cartier Diarra who scored a career-high 23 points, the Wildcats used a second-half resurgence to break open a tight game.
K-State is now 91-25 (.784) all-time in season openers dating to the first season in 1903, including a 79-9 (.898) mark at home. The Wildcats have a 26-2 (.929) record in season openers played at Bramlage Coliseum. Overall, the team is now 28-4 (.875) at Bramlage Coliseum in home openers. Head coach Bruce Weber is now 7-1 (.875) in season openers at K-State.
It marked the first time the school has opened a season against an NCAA?Tournament opponent in nearly 20 seasons (an 88-69 loss at Arizona on Nov. 16, 1999) and the first time at home since hosting Purdue (with then head coach and K-State alum Gene Keady and assistant coach Bruce Weber) in the first-ever game at Bramlage Coliseum on Nov. 26, 1988.

A QUICK LOOK AT K-STATE

The Wildcats return nine lettermen, including four players (Xavier Sneed, Makol Mawien, Cartier Diarra and Mike McGuirl) who registered starts, in 2019-20 from a squad that posted a 25-9 overall record a year ago and earned a share of the Big 12 regular-season championship for the second time under head coach Bruce?Weber. The 25-win season was the seventh in school history, including the first time in consecutive seasons. K-State is one of just 24 schools -- 15 in power conferences -- and 3 in the Big 12 (Kansas and Texas Tech) -- with 25 wins in each of the last 2 seasons.
All-Big 12 honorable mention Xavier Sneed (10.6 ppg., 5.5 rpg.), fellow senior Makol Mawien (7.0 ppg., 4.9 rpg.) and key reserve and junior Cartier Diarra (6.8 ppg., 3.3 rpg.) form the core of a group returning for the Wildcats, who must replace their top three scorers in Barry Brown, Jr. (14.6 ppg.), Dean Wade (12.9 ppg.) and Kamau?Stokes (11.0 ppg.). All three have played pivotal roles with the consecutive 25-win seasons, including 71 and 70 starts, respectively, by Mawien and Sneed and major minutes by Diarra.
Sneed is the team's top returner in nearly every stat category, including scoring (349), rebounding (182), assists (64), steals (45) and minutes (1014). He enters his senior season ranking 29th on the school's all-time scoring list with 1,008 points having seen action in 105 career games with starts in 70 of the last 71 games. Mawien, who has started every game of his K-State career, has the fifth-highest career field goal percentage (56.1; 204-of-364) in school history after posting the sixth-highest (59.8; 104-of-174) field goal percentage in a single season as a junior in 2017-18. Diarra scored in double figures in four consecutive games, including three in Big 12 play, before missing eight games due to a broken finger. He did come back to play in the last three games with Wade out for the season, including a 15-point effort against Iowa State in the semifinals of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship and a 9-point effort in the NCAA?Tournament.
The Wildcats also return rising senior Pierson McAtee (0.5 ppg., 0.5 rpg.), juniors Mike McGuirl (3.6 ppg., 1.5 rpg.), Levi Stockard III (1.8 ppg., 1.5 rpg.) and James Love III (0.3 ppg., 0.4 rpg.), sophomores Nigel Shadd (0.2 ppg., 0.4 rpg.) and Shaun?Williams [was Neal-Williams] (1.4 ppg., 1.1 rpg.).

'CATS WELCOME FIVE NEWCOMERS

The Wildcats will welcome five newcomers in 2019-20, including a pair of junior college transfers (David Sloan and Joe Petrakis) and three true freshmen (Antonio Gordon, DaJuan Gordon and Montavious Murphy).
Sloan was regarded as one of the top community colleges players in the country (and a Top 150 player out of high school) in 2018-19 after helping John A. Logan College to a 27-5 overall record as a sophomore. The NJCAA All-American twice led the NJCAA ranks in both total assists and assists per game, including 10.2 assists per game a year ago.
The freshmen were all consensus Top 200 prospects, as the recruiting class was a consensus Top 40 class nationally by a number of recruiting services, ranking No. 39 by Rivals.com and No. 40 by 247Sports.com. DaJuan Gordon was a consensus Top 150 player by both recruiting services.
Antonio Gordon scored nearly 1,600 points in his high school career at Eisenhower High School in Lawton, Okla., and averaged 26.3 points and 10.1 rebounds as a senior in 2018-19. DaJuan Gordon was the Chicago Sun-Times City Player of the Year after averaging 17.6 points in leading Curie to the school's first city title. Murphy was one of the best players in Houston and a finalist for the Guy V. Lewis Award, averaging 19 points and 10 rebounds as a senior at Concordia Lutheran.

'CATS PICKED NINTH IN BIG 12 POLL;
SNEED NAMED HONORABLE MENTION ALL-BIG 12

K-State was picked to finish ninth by the league coaches in the annual Big 12 Preseason poll released on Oct. 17, as the Wildcats received 23 points. Kansas was selected first for the ninth consecutive season, while Baylor, Texas Tech, Texas and West Virginia rounded out the Top 5.
The ninth-place selection tied for the lowest by a K-State team in the history of the 10-team poll, joining the 2016-17 team which was also picked to finish ninth by the league coaches. The team has been picked to finish eighth or worse 13 times in the history of the 24-year poll, including eighth in 2001-02, 2003-04, 2008-09, 2015-16 and 2017-18, ninth in 1996-97, 2004-05, 10th in 1999-2000, 11th in 2002-03 and 2005-06 and 12th in 1997-98 and 2000-01.
Senior Xavier Sneed was one of eight players to be selected to the honorable mention All-Big 12 preseason team, along with Oklahoma's Kristian Doolittle, Oklahoma State's Yor Anei, Texas' Matt?Coleman, Texas Tech's Chris Clarke, Davide Moretti and Jahmi'us Ramey and West Virginia's Derek Culver.
Kansas' Udoka Azubuike and Devon Dotson, along with Baylor's Tristan Clark, Iowa State's Tyrese Haliburton and TCU's Desmond Bane were named to the Preseason All-Big 12 team. Azubuike was the Preseason Player of the Year, while Chris Clarke was the Preseason Newcomer of the Year and West Virginia's Oscar Tshiebwe was the Preseason Freshman of the Year.

SNEED NAMED CANDIDATE FOR JULIUS ERVING AWARD

Senior Xavier Sneed was named one of 20 watch list members for the 2020 Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award, as announced by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame on Oct. 16.
Sneed was one of two Big 12 players named to the watch list, including Texas Tech transfer Chris Clarke. Other candidates include Arizona's Josh Green, Duke's Matthew Hurt, Florida's Scottie Lewis, Gonzaga's Corey Kispert, Harvard's Seth Towns, Kentucky's Kahlil Whitney, Louisville's Jordan Nwora, Memphis' Precious Achiuwa, Oregon State's Tres Tinkle, Providence's Alpha Diallo, Purdue's Nojel Eastern, St. John's L.J. Figueroa, Syracuse's Elijah Hughes, Vermont's Anthony Lamb, Villanova's Saddiq Bey, Washington's Jaden McDaniels, Washington State's C.J. Elleby and Xavier's Naji Marshall.
Wade is the first K-State player to be a preseason candidate for the Wooden Award since Rodney McGruder in 2012. Jacob Pullen, who was a preseason candidate in 2010, was the last Wildcat to earn recognition to the Wooden All-American team, while Michael Beasley (2008) was the last finalist.
The 20-member watch list for the Erving Award will be narrowed to just 10 by mid-February. In March, five finalists will be presented to Julius Erving and the Hall of Fame's selection committee. The winner will be presented at The College Basketball Awards presented by Wendy's on April 10, 2020.

UP NEXT: NEVER FORGET CLASSIC

Kansas State will meet SEC foe Mississippi State in the fourth annual Never Forget Tribute Classic presented by United Rentals, which is set for Saturday at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. The matchup between the Wildcats and Bulldogs will be part of doubleheader in the Classic, which also includes a contest between reigning Big East champion Villanova and Delaware.
The Classic, which began in 2016, serves as a partner with SoldierStrong, which was created in 2009 to support the men and women of the armed forces in the wake of the events on September 11, 2001. SoldierStrong helps to service American veterans by providing resources that aid both mental and physical rehabilitation, as well as assisting with scholarship grants for domestic and foreign affair grants.

MISSISSIPPI STATE (6-2)

Mississippi State has had the week off after losing to Louisiana Tech, 74-67, at home on Dec. 5. The Bulldogs won their first 5 games of the season before suffering a 83-76 loss to Villanova at the Myrtle Beach Invitational on Nov. 22. The team has three players averaging in double figures led by Tyson Carter (17.9 ppg.), Reggie Perry (14.6 ppg.) and Robert Woodard II (11.6 ppg.). Perry is averaging a near double-double with 9.5 rebounds per game.

Game Preview // K-State Concludes Homestand Wednesday vs. Alabama State

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Barry Brown, Jr.

Antonio Gordon

James Love III

David Sloan

Dean Wade

Kansas State University Athletics

Game Preview // K-State Concludes Homestand Wednesday vs. Alabama State

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Barry Brown, Jr.

Antonio Gordon

James Love III

David Sloan

Dean Wade

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