Game Preview // K-State Faces Mississippi State in Never Forget Classic Saturday

GAME 10
KANSAS STATE (6-3) vs. MISSISSIPPI STATE (6-2, 0-0 SEC)
Saturday, December 14, 2019 >> 10:30 a.m. CT >> Prudential Center (19,500) >> Newark, N.J.

FOURTH ANNUAL NEVER FORGET TRIBUTE CLASSIC
The Never Forget Tribute 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 of September 11, 2001.

TELEVISION
ESPNU

Doug Sherman (play-by-play)
Tim Welsh (analyst)
Matt Bartley (producer)

RADIO
K-State Sports Network
Flagships: // KMAN 1350 & WIBW 580
Online: TuneIn.com [free] / www.kstatesports.com/watch [free]
Satellite Radio: XM 375 / Internet 375

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

LIVE STATS
neverforget.statbroadcast.com

TICKETS
prucenter.com/events
Single Game: $38-$68

COACHES
Kansas State: Bruce Weber (Wis.-Milwaukee '78)
Overall: 469-247/22^nd season
At K-State: 156-92/8^th season
vs. Mississippi State: 0-0 (0-0 at a neutral site)

Mississippi State: Ben Howland (Weber State '79)
Overall: 485-264/24^th season
At Mississippi State: 84-58/5^th season
vs. K-State: 0-0 (0-0 at a neutral site)

PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP
Kansas State (6-3)
G: #00 Mike McGuirl
G: #2 Cartier Diarra
G/F: #20 Xavier Sneed
F: #11 Antonio Murphy
F: #14 Makol Mawien

Mississippi State (6-2)
G: #23 Tyson Carter
G: #5 Iverson Molinar
G: #12 Robert Woodard II
F: #1 Reggie Perry
F: #24 Abdul Ado

SERIES HISTORY
Overall: K-State leads 3-0
Current Streak: K-State, 3
In Newark, N.J.: First meeting
At Prudential Center: First meeting
Last Meeting: W, 78-67 [3/17/94 in Manhattan]
Weber vs. Howland: First meeting

OPENING TIP

Kansas State (6-3) travels to the East Coast this weekend, as the Wildcats will meet SEC foe Mississippi State (6-2) in the fourth annual Never Forget Tribute Classic presented by United Rentals on Saturday at 10:30 a.m., CT at the Prudential?Center in Newark, N.J. The game will be the first of a doubleheader in the Classic, as Delaware (9-1) and Villanova (7-2) will follow in the second game at noon CT. The Classic 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.
K-State, which will be playing its first game in the Garden?State since 2006, has yet to win on a neutral court this season after dropping games to Pittsburgh (59-63) and Bradley (60-73) at the Fort Myers Tipoff on Nov. 25 and 27. The Wildcats do have a road win (in overtime) at UNLV on Nov. 9, while the other 6 games have come at Bramlage Coliseum, including a 73-65 loss to Marquette last Saturday.
K-State is coming off its most complete performance of the season in Wednesday's wire-to-wire 86-41 victory over Alabama State, as the Wildcats set season-highs in 11 offensive categories, including their highest assist total (29) in more than a decade. The team, which was coming off a season-low 32.3 percent shooting performance in the loss to Marquette, jumped out to a 20-2 advantage en route to a 52-point first half and led by as many as 47 in the second half. The Wildcats notched season-highs for points (86), field goals made (35), field goal percentage (62.5), 3-point field goals (12), points in the paint (42) and points off turnovers (26), among others.
The 29 assists tied for the fourth-most in school history and were the most by a Wildcat team since dishing out 30 in a win over Gardner-Webb on Dec. 14, 2008. The 29 assists came on 35 made field goals, as seven players had at least one and four (Cartier Diarra, Mike McGuirl, Xavier Sneed and David Sloan) had at least four assists. Diarra recorded the first 10-assist game by a Wildcat since Marcus Foster in 2014. He ranks among the top 15 in assists per game (7.0 apg.) and total assists (63).
All 9 Wildcats who saw action had at least two made field goals on night, as senior Xavier Sneed led all scorers with 20 points on 8-of-10 field goals, including 4-of-6 from 3-point range, to go with 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals in 25 minutes. He scored 16 of his 20 in the first half, including 14 of the team's first 25 points. Freshmen Antonio Gordon and DaJuan Gordon each scored in double figures for the first time in the same game with 13 points each. Antonio Gordon had his best all-around game with a game-high 8 rebounds to go with 3 assists, 2 steals and 1 block.
With the offense continuing to develop, K-State has had to rely on its defensive foundation. The Wildcats are allowing a Big 12-best 58.1 points on 39.5 percent shooting, including 31.5 percent from 3-point range, while posting league-bests in steals (10.2 spg.) and turnovers forced (19.1). The team ranks 17th in scoring defense, while they place 10th in turnovers forced, 13th in steals and 19th in turnover margin (+5.3).

NOTES ON MISSISSIPPI STATE

Mississippi State enters Saturday's game having not played since suffering a 74-67 loss at home to Louisiana Tech on Dec. 5. The Bulldogs had won their first 5 games of the season over FIU (77-69), Sam Houston State (67-58), UL-Monroe (62-45), New Orleans (82-59) and Tulane (80-66) before falling to Villanova, 83-76, in the semifinals of the Myrtle Beach Classic on Nov. 22. The team rebounded to beat host Coastal?Carolina, 81-56, before the La Tech loss.
Mississippi State is averaging 74 points on 49.4 percent shooting, including 38.2 percent from 3-point range, with 37.9 rebounds, 16.3 assists, 6.5 steals and 4.5 blocks per game, while allowing 63.8 points on 42.1 percent shooting, including 33.3 percent from 3-point range. The team has connected on 66.7 percent from the free throw line.
A balanced team with 5 players (Tyson Carter, Reggie Perry, Robert Woodard II, Iverson Molinar and D.J. Stewart) averaging 9.6 points or better this season. Senior Tyson Carter paces 3 Bulldogs in double figures at 17.9 points per game on 43 percent shooting, including 37.1 percent from 3-point range, to go with a team-high 23 3-point field goals, 37 assists and 15 steals. Sophomore Reggie Perry nearly averages a double-double with 14.6 points on 55.6 percent shooting to go with 9.5 rebounds per game, while fellow sophomore Robert Woodard II averages 11.6 points on 46.7 percent shooting. Two others (Iverson Molinar (9.9 ppg.) and D.J.?Stewart 9.6 ppg.) average better than 9 points per game.
Mississippi State returns 9 lettermen, including 2 starters, from a team that posted a 23-11 overall record, including a 10-6 mark in SEC play, and lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to Liberty. The Bulldogs played in the same regional site (San Jose,?Calif.) as the Wildcats in 2019.
Head coach Ben Howland is in his 24th season as a head coach, including his fifth at Mississippi State. He has a 485-264 record in his career, including an 84-58 mark at MSU. He entered the season with 48 wins over the last two seasons, which was tied for the second-most in program history and the fourth most among SEC schools during that span. He aslso been a head coach at Northern Arizona (1995-99), Pittsburgh (2000-03) and UCLA (2004-13), famously leading the Bruins to three consecutive Final Four appearances.

SERIES HISTORY

K-State and Mississippi State will meet for the fourth time on Saturday with the Wildcats winning the previous 3 meetings, all at home venues. The Wildcats swept a home-and-home series in 1984 and 1985, winning 67-58 in Manhattan on Dec. 5, 1984 and 63-58 in?Starkville on Dec. 14, 1985. The last meeting came in the Postseason NIT, as K-State earned a 78-67 win at home in the first round en route to advancing to the NIT Final?Four.
This will be the first meeting for both head coaches against each school in their respective careers. This will also be the first matchup between Weber and Howland on the hardwood.
K-State is 166-150 all-time against teams from the SEC, including a 30-17 mark at a neutral site. This will be the first of two matchups with the SEC this season, as the Wildcats travel to Alabama on Saturday, Jan. 25 to play in the Crimson Tide in the Big 12/SEC Challenge.

K-STATE/MISSISSIPPI STATE CONNECTIONS

Mississippi State assistant coach Ernie Zeigler was an assistant coach at K-State for one season for head coach Tom Asbury in 1999-2000. He was on a coaching staff that also included current Cal head coach Mark Fox.
Although Saturday's game will be the first for head coaches Bruce Weber (716) and Ben?Howland (749) against each other, but they have known each other for a long time and Weber's brother, Dave, served as an assistant coach alongside Howland at UC Santa Barbara.
Head coach Bruce Weber coached Mississippi State's Reggie Perry at the FIBA?U19 World Cup this summer, as the two helped guide Team USA?to their seventh gold medal at the World Cup with a perfect 7-0 record. Perry was named the most valuable player after averaging 13.1 points and 7.9 rebounds.

LAST TIME OUT: K-STATE 86, ALABAMA STATE 41

K-State set season-highs in 11 offensive categories, including its highest assist total (29) in more than a decade, as the Wildcats led wire-to-wire in wrapping up a three-game homestand with an 86-41 win over Alabama State at Bramlage Coliseum on Wednesday night.
K-State, which connected on a season-low 32.3 percent (20-of-62) in its home loss to Marquette on Saturday, jumped out to a 20-2 advantage en route to a 52-point first half and led by as many as 47 in the second half to Alabama State, which is in the midst of a 15-game road trip.
The Wildcats notched season-highs for points (86), field goals (35), field goal percentage (62.5), 3-point field goals (12), 3-point field goal percentage (54.5), assists (29), points in the paint (42), points off turnovers (26), bench points (34), first-half points (52) and first-half field goal percentage (71.4). The 71.4 field goal percentage (20-of-28) in the first half was the best in a half since hitting on 76.2 percent (16-of-21) at Texas on Feb. 18, 2017.
The 29 assists tied for the fourth-most in school history and were the most since dishing out 30 in a win over Gardner-Webb on Dec. 14, 2008. The total was a high of the Bruce Weber era.
All nine Wildcats who saw action had at least two made field goals on the night, as senior Xavier Sneed led all scorers with 20 points on 8-of-10 field goals, including 4-of-6 from 3-point range, to go with 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals in 25 minutes. Sneed scored 14 of the team's first 25 points and finished with 16 in the first half.
Freshmen Antonio Gordon and DaJuan Gordon each tallied a season-high 13 points, while juniors Cartier Diarra and Levi Stockard III each added 8 points. Diarra became the first Wildcat with a 10-assist game since Marcus Foster in 2014, as he dished out a career-best 10 assists. Antonio Gordon had the best all-around game of his career with a game-high 8 rebounds to go with 3 assists, 2 steals and 1 block in 28 minutes.
Alabama State was held to a season-low 41 points on 27.3 percent (15-of-55) shooting, including 28.6 percent (6-of-21) from 3-point range, as K-State has now held 93 opponents to 60 points or less in the Weber era with the Wildcats boasting an 84-8 mark in those contests.

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 9 opponents to 58.1 points on 39.5 percent shooting (187-of-473), including 31.5 percent (57-of-181) from 3-point range, while posting conference-bests in steals (10.2 spg.) and turnovers forced (19.1).
K-State ranks among Top 50 in 5 different defensive categories, including 17th in scoring defense, 13th in steals per game, 19th in turnover margin (5.0), 26th in total steals (92) and 10th in turnovers forced (19.1).
K-State has held 24 of its last 43 opponents to 60 points or less with just four eclipsing 70 (with 3 occurring in the last 10 games). The squad has held 93 opponents to 60 points or less in Bruce Weber's tenure, boasting an 85-8 mark in those contests. Alabama State was held to a season-low 41 points.
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 110-7 (.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 101-6 (.944) 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 97 of their last 102 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 146-39 (.789) 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 49-12 (.803) in non-conference play since the start of 2015-16 season.
K-State has not lost back-to-back non-conference games since 2015.

HISTORY AT BRAMLAGE COLISEUM

K-State has posted a 383-119 (.764) all-time record at Bramlage Coliseum since its opening during the 1988-89 season. The 383 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 183-39 (.827) record at home over the past 14 seasons, including a 79-33 (.705) mark in Big 12 play. The 183 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 243-62 (.799) record at home, including a 143-11 (.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 99-23 (.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.).

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 19.1 turnovers per game, including a league-high 10.2 steals per game, while averaging 19.2 points per game off those opponent turnovers.
K-State has scored 20 or more points in 6 of the last 7 games off opponent turnovers, including a season-high 26 against Alabama State on?Dec. 11. The team has also scored 20 or more points off turnovers against Monmouth (21), Arkansas-Pine Bluff (20), Pittsburgh (24) Bradley (22) and Florida A&M (20).
K-State has forced 4 of its 9 opponents into 20 or more turnovers, including a season-best 25 turnovers by UNLV and Monmonth.

SCORING INSIDE THE 3-POINT LINE

Despite knocking down a season-best 12 triples in Wednesday's win over Alabama State, K-State is getting much of its scoring from inside the arc. Of the 608 points scored so far, 322 have come from 2-point field goals, including 266 inside the paint. The team is averaging 29.6 points per game in the paint.
The Wildcats are connecting on 50.3 percent (161-of-320) inside the 3-point line compared to just 32.3 percent (64-of-198) from 3-point range. Both Xavier Sneed (52.7/29-of-55) and Cartier Diarra (48.3/29-of-60) are shooting 48 percent or better from the field inside the 3-point arc.
The 266 points in the paint are comparable to last season's start, in which, the Wildcats scored 276 points in the paint through the first 9 games.

SNEED GETTING HOT

Senior Xavier Sneed has led the Wildcats in scoring in 6 of the last 8 games, averaging 15.9 points on 44.7 percent shooting (42-of-94), including 35.6 percent (16-of-45) from 3-point range, which includes wins against UNLV, Monmouth, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Florida A&M and Alabama State.
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, passing Willie Murrell (1962-64). He claimed his second 20-point game with 20 against Alabama State on?Dec. 11 on 8-of-10 shooting.
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 1,144 points in 114 career games to go with 510 rebounds. He joins a 1,000-point/500-rebound list that includes 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 one of 9 players to rank in the Big 12's Top 20 in both scoring and rebounding, as he ranks eighth in scoring (15.1 ppg.) and 16th in rebounding (5.6 rpg.). He joins Iowa State's Tyrese Haliburton, Oklahoma's Austin Reaves, Kristian Doolittle and Brady Manek, Kansas' Udoka Azubuike and West Virginia's Oscar Tshiebwe and Jermaine Haley. Sneed also ranks eighth in field goal percentage (43.8), 12th in free throw percentage (69.2), sixth in steals (1.78) and 11th in minutes (31.4 mpg.).

DIARRA PROVING TO BE A SOLID PG

Junior Cartier Diarra is proving to be a solid point guard for the Wildcats, averaging 11.3 points on 37.4 percent (37-of-99) shooting with 7.0 assists, 4.9 rebounds and 2.4 steals in 32.3 minutes per game. He has led the team in assists in 9 consecutive games to start the season.
Diarra's 63 assists are the most by a Wildcat in the first 9 games since assists began being kept in 1976-77, surpassing the previous 9-game high of 50 done by (current UTSA?head coach) Steve Henson in 1988-89. He has at least 5 assists in each game, including a career-high 10 against Alabama State on?Dec. 11. He became the first Wildcat with a 10-assist game since Marcus Foster (at Baylor) on Feb. 15, 2014.
Diarra ranks among the top 10 nationally in both assists (eighth/7.0 apg.) and total assists (14th/63). He also places among the top 30 in steals (27th/2.4 spg.) and total steals (31st/22).
Diarra was the only player to score in double figures in the first two games, including a career-best 23 points in the 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 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.

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 5 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 9 games this season and have combined for 122 points on 47.1 percent shooting, including 35.6 percent from 3-point range, with 71 rebounds, 19 steals and 7 blocks. Both scored in double figures in the same game for the first time with 13 points each against Alabama State on Dec. 11. DaJuan now has three double-digit scoring games (12 vs. Pittsburgh and 10 vs. Marquette).
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 eight 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.) and sophomore Nigel Shadd (0.2 ppg., 0.4 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.

SAINT LOUIS (8-1)

K-State will take a week off for final exams before returning to action on Saturday, Dec. 21 by hosting reigning Atlantic 10 Tournament champion Saint Louis (8-1) in the Wildcat Classic at the Sprint Center in Kansas City.

Game Preview // K-State Faces Mississippi State in Never Forget Classic Saturday

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Players Mentioned

Barry Brown, Jr.

Cartier Diarra

Antonio Gordon

DaJuan Gordon

James Love III

Makol Mawien

Pierson McAtee

Mike McGuirl

Montavious Murphy

Joe Petrakis

Nigel Shadd

David Sloan

Xavier Sneed

Levi Stockard III

Dean Wade

Kansas State University Athletics

Game Preview // K-State Faces Mississippi State in Never Forget Classic Saturday

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Barry Brown, Jr.

Cartier Diarra

Antonio Gordon

DaJuan Gordon

James Love III

Makol Mawien

Pierson McAtee

Mike McGuirl

Montavious Murphy

Joe Petrakis

Nigel Shadd

David Sloan

Xavier Sneed

Levi Stockard III

Dean Wade

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