Game Preview // K-State, Saint Louis to Tangle in 10th Wildcat Classic Saturday

GAME 11
KANSAS STATE (6-4) vs. SAINT LOUIS (9-2)
Saturday, December 21, 2019 >> 6:02 p.m. CT >> Sprint Center (18,972) >> Kansas City, Mo.
10^th Wildcat Classic

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 977

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]

Gameday: $15 (ends/upper side)/$20-$50 (lower level)
Wildcat 4-Pack: $50 / $75
Group (10+): $5

COACHES
Kansas State: Bruce Weber (Wis.-Milwaukee '78)
Overall: 469-248/22^nd season
At K-State: 165-93/8^th season
vs. Saint Louis: 5-2 (3-0 at home)

Saint Louis: Travis Ford (Kentucky '94)
Overall: 406-309/23^rd season
At Saint Louis: 61-52/4^th season
vs. Kansas State: 7-10 (1-6 on the road)

PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP
Kansas State (6-4)
G: #00 Mike McGuirl
G: #2 Cartier Diarra
G/F: #20 Xavier Sneed
F: #11 Antonio Murphy
F: #14 Makol Mawien

Saint Louis (9-2)
G: #1 Yuri Collins
G: #15 Demarius Jacobs
G: #0 Jordan Goodwin
F: #11 Hasahn French
F: #32 Jimmy Bell, Jr.

SERIES HISTORY
Overall: K-State leads 10-9
Current Streak: K-State, 2
In Kansas City: First meeting
At Sprint Center: First meeting
Last Meeting: W, 84-53 [12/3/16 in St. Louis]
Weber vs. Ford: Weber leads 7-4

OPENING TIP

Kansas State (6-4) makes the familiar trek to Kansas City on Saturday night, as the Wildcats play host to defending Atlantic 10 Tournament champion and NCAA Tournament participant Saint Louis (9-2) at 6 p.m., CT in the 10th Wildcat Classic at the Sprint Center. Despite its distance from the K-State campus, the contest will count as a home game, as the school controls the tickets and game operations.
This will be the 10th Wildcat Classic (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2018) and the first since a 69-58 victory over Vanderbilt on Dec. 22, 2018. K-State is 8-1 in the Wildcat Classic at the Sprint Center, earning wins over Florida A&M (87-60) in 2007, Southern Miss (74-55) in 2008, IUPUI (70-57) in 2009, Alabama (71-58) in 2011, Florida (67-61) in 2012, Texas A&M (71-64) in 2014 and Washington?State (70-56) in 2016. The lone loss came to UNLV, 63-59 on Dec. 21, 2010.
K-State has a long history in Kansas City, which dates back to a 45-26 loss to the Kansas City Athletic Club on Feb. 23, 1926. Overall, the school has played in 195 games in the city with a 113-82 (.580) mark in those contests. The Wildcats are 18-15 all-time in the Sprint Center, which includes the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship, the CBE?Hall of Fame Classic (2010, 2015) and the 2013 NCAA?Tournament.
Bragging rights will be on the line for St. Louis natives Xavier Sneed and Levi Stockard III as well as recent prep signees Davion Bradford and Luke Kasubke, as K-State and Saint Louis meet for the 20th time. The Wildcats hold a narrow 10-9 edge in the series, which dates to 1929. The team has won 6 of the last 7 matchups with the Billikens, including a sweep of a home-and-home series in 2015 and 2016. This will be the first meeting in a location other than Manhattan and St. Louis.
K-State had its first extended break between games this week with finals week, as the Wildcats are coming off a 67-61 loss to Mississippi State at the fourth annual Never Forget Tribute Classic at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., on Dec. 14. The Wildcats led for nearly 23 minutes before a 7-0 run by the Bulldogs out of the last media timeout gave them the necessary push to earn the first victory in the series.
With K-State's 3-point field goal percentage consistent in both wins (32.1) and losses (32.9), it has been the Wildcats' ability to knock down shots inside the arc that has played the biggest difference. The Wildcats are connecting on 46.7 percent (158-of-338) from the field in their wins, including 56.4 percent (115-of-204) of their 2-point field goals, while they are hitting on just 36.3 percent (81-of-223) of their field goals in losses, including 38.3 percent (54-of-141) from inside the arc.
With the offense continuing to develop, K-State has had to rely on its defensive foundation. The Wildcats are allowing a Big 12-best 59.0 points on 39.5 percent shooting, including 31.1 percent from 3-point range, while posting league-bests in steals (9.7 spg.) and turnovers forced (18.3). The team ranks 21st in scoring defense, while they place 15th in turnovers forced, 16th in steals and 33rd in turnover margin.

NOTES ON SAINT LOUIS

Saint Louis (9-2) enters Saturday's contest with wins in 6 of its last 7 games, including a 82-69 victory over Maryville on Tuesday night at home. The lone 2 losses have come to 2019 NCAA?Tournament teams in Seton Hall (66-83) at home on Nov. 17 and Auburn (61-67) at a neutral site on Dec. 14. The Billikens are 7-1 at home and 1-0 on the road (Boston?College).
Saint Louis is averaging 73.4 points on 44.4 percent shooting, including 34.6 percent from 3-point range, with 42.7 rebounds, 14.6 assists, 7.5 steals and 4.4 blocks per game, while allowing 63.8 points on 39.5 percent shooting, including 35.4 percent from 3-point range. The team has connected on 55.4 percent from the free throw line.
The Billikens are one of the top rebounding teams in the country, ranking eighth nationally in offensive rebounds (14.73), 11th in rebounds per game (42.73), 26th in total rebounds (470) and 31st in rebounding margin (+7.7). They have 2 players (Jordan Goodwin and Hasahn French) who ranks among the top 20 nationally in rebounds per game at 11.5 and 10.5 rebounds per game, while Goodwin is also ninth in defensive rebounds (8.18), 10th in offensive rebounds (4.00) and 11th in double-doubles (6).
Three players (Jordan Goodwin, Hasahn French, Gibson Jimerson) are averaging in double figures this season, as Goodwin and French are both averaging a double-double. Goodwin is averaging a team-best 15.6 points on 49.3 percent shooting to go with 11.5 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game, while French is averaging 13.8 points on 53.6 percent shooting to go with 10.5 rebounds and 2.6 rebounds per game. Jimerson, who is averaging 10.8 points per game, has a team-high 24 made 3-point field goals.
Saint Louis returns 7 lettermen, including 2 starters, from a team that posted a 23-13 overall record, including a 10-8 mark in Atlantic 10 play, and lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to Virginia Tech. The Billikens played in the same regional site (San Jose,?Calif.) as the Wildcats in 2019.
Head coach Travis Ford is in his 23rd season as a head coach, including his fourth at Saint Louis. He has a 406-309 record in his career, including a 61-52 mark at SLU. He also been a head coach at Campbellsville (1997-2000), Eastern Kentucky (2000-05), Massachusetts (2005-08) and most notably, Oklahoma State (2008-16), which he led to 6 postseason appearances.

SERIES HISTORY

K-State and Saint Louis will meet for the 20th time on Saturday with the Wildcats winning 6 of the last 7 meetings after the Billikens won 8 of the first 12 meetings. This will be just the 7th meeting since 1998 with a majority of the series (13 games) contested between 1929 and 1963. K-State won the last 2 meetings, including a 75-47 win at home on Dec. 29, 2015 and an 84-53 win in St. Louis in the last meeting on Dec. 3, 2016.
Head coach Bruce Weber is 5-2 all-time against Saint Louis in his career, including 3-0 in home games and 1-0 during his time at K-State, while SLU head coach Travis Ford is 7-10 all-time against K-State.
K-State is 23-13 all-time against teams from the Atlantic 10, including a 10-3 mark at a home. This will be the first matchup with an Atlantic 10 foe since a 59-58 win over George Mason at home on Dec. 29, 2018.

HISTORY AT THE SPRINT CENTER

K-State will be playing its 34th game in the Sprint Center since the arena opened in 2007, including its 10th in the Wildcat Classic. The Wildcats have an 18-15 all-time record in the arena, including an 8-1 mark in the Wildcat Classic, which started with an 87-60 win over Florida A&M on Dec. 17, 2007. The team has won 5 straight in the Wildcat Classic dating to 2011.
A majority of the 33 previous meetings in the Sprint Center have come in the annual Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship, which has been contested 2008 and every year since 2010. The Wildcats are 8-11 all-time in the arena in the Big 12 Championship, including a 1-1 mark in 2019.
The Wildcats have also played in the Sprint Center in the CBE?Hall of?Fame Classic (2010 and 2015) and the 2013 NCAA Tournament.

LAST TIME OUT: MISSISSIPPI STATE 67, K-STATE 61

A 7-0 run by Mississippi State out of the last media timeout provided the necessary push to lift the Bulldogs to a 67-61 win over K-State in the fourth annual Never Forget Tribute Classic at the Prudential Center on Dec. 14. It marked MSU's first win in the series against the Wildcats.
Leading 58-55 after a pair of free throws by junior Cartier Diarra with 3:51 to play, freshman D.J. Stewart connected on buckets on consecutive possessions to give Mississippi State the lead for good at 59-58 with 3:11 to play. A jumper by senior Tyson Carter and a free throw by sophomore Robert Woodard II finished off the 7-0 run that gave the Bulldogs a 62-58 lead with 2:04 to play.
K-State had one last opportunity, trailing 64-61 with 50 seconds to play, but a turnover by freshman Antonio Gordon after he grabbed the rebound on a missed shot by Carter ended any hopes of a comeback.
MSU scored 22 of the game's last 31 points, including 12 of the last 15, to win a game at the Never Forget Classic for the second consecutive season.
The Wildcats were hampered by a more than 9-minute second-half field goal drought, which included 9 consecutive misses starting at the 7:52 mark and lasting until junior Mike McGuirl's layup with 50 seconds.
For the game, K-State connected on just 32.6 percent (14-of-43) from the field, including 27.3 percent (6-of-22) in the second half. The Wildcats did take advantage of their opportunities at the free throw line, knocking down a season-high 27 of 36 attempts from the stripe for a 75 percent clip.
Diarra scored a game-high 20 points, including 12 in the second half, on 5-of-10 field goals and 8-of-12 free throws, while McGuirl was the other Wildcat in double figures with 14 points on 4-of-7 field goals, including 3-of-5 from 3-point range. McGuirl did most of his damage in the first half with 12 points on 3-of-3 shooting.
Carter's 14 points led a balanced attack for the Bulldogs, as four players scored in double figures, along with junior Abdul Ado (13), Woodard (12) and Stewart (10). Woodard also registered a game-high 10 rebounds for the double-double, while Ado nearly missed a double-double with 9 rebounds.

LEADING WITH DEFENSE

K-State has continued its reputation as one of the top defensive teams in the country under head coach Bruce Weber, holding its first 10 opponents to Big 12-best 59 points on 39.5 percent shooting (210-of-531), including 31.1 percent (61-of-196) from 3-point range, while posting conference-bests in steals (9.7 spg.) and turnovers forced (18.3).
K-State ranks among Top 50 in 5 different defensive categories, including 21st in scoring defense, 16th in steals per game, 33rd in turnover margin (4.0) and total steals (97) and 15th in turnovers forced (18.3).
K-State has held 24 of its last 44 opponents to 60 points or less with just four eclipsing 70 (with 3 occurring in the last 11 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 146-40 (.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 49-13 (.803) in non-conference play since the start of 2015-16 season.
K-State has not lost two non-conference home games since 2015.

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.).

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 18.3 turnovers per game, including a league-high 9.7 steals per game, while averaging 18.3 points per game off those opponent turnovers.

K-State has scored 20 or more points in 6 of the last 8 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 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 the win over Alabama State, K-State is getting much of its scoring from inside the arc. Of the 669 points scored so far, 338 have come from 2-point field goals, including 280 inside the paint. The team is averaging 28 points per game in the paint.
The Wildcats are connecting on 49 percent (169-of-345) inside the 3-point line compared to just 32.4 percent (70-of-216) from 3-point range. Both Xavier Sneed (47.6/30-of-63) and Cartier Diarra (50/32-of-64) are hitting 47 percent or better from the field inside the 3-point arc.
The 280 points in the paint are comparable to last season's start, in which, the Wildcats scored 296 points in the paint through the first 10 games.

2-POINTERS ARE KEY

With its 3-point percentage nearly identical in wins (32.1; 43-of-134) as in losses (32.9; 27-of-82), K-State's 2-point field goal percentage has been a key factor in its wins this season. On the year, the Wildcats are connecting on 49 percent (169-of-345) from inside the 3-point line.
K-State is connecting on 46.7 percent (158-of-338) of its field goals in the 6 wins, including 56.4 percent (115-of-204) from inside the arc, while the team is hitting just 36.3 percent (81-of-223) of their field goals in the 4 losses, including 38.3 percent (54-of-141) from inside the arc.
This has been illustrated in the last 2 losses, as K-State connected on just 32.3 percent (20-of-62) of its field goals, including 33.3 percent (13-of-39) from inside the arc, in the 73-65 loss to Marquette on Dec. 7 and 32.6 percent (14-of-43) of its field goals, including 32 percent (8-of-25) from inside the arc, in the 67-61 loss to Mississippi State on Saturday.
No 2 players have been as impactful in this statistic, as senior Xavier Sneed and junior Cartier Diarra. Sneed is averaging a team-best 17 points on 50.7 percent (36-of-71) shooting, including 61.8 percent (21-of-34) from inside the arc, in the 6 wins, while he is averaging 10.5 points on just 26.7 percent (12-of-45) shooting in the 4 losses, including 31 percent (9-of-29) from inside the arc. Diarra is averaging 11.5 points on 39.4 percent (26-of-66) shooting, including 53.7 percent (22-of-41) from inside the arc, in the 6 wins, while he is averaging 13.3 points on 37.2 percent (16-of-43) shooting, including 43.5 percent (10-of-23) from inside the arc, in the 4 losses.

SNEED GETTING HOT

Senior Xavier Sneed has led the Wildcats in scoring in 6 of the last 9 games, averaging 15 points on 41.9 percent shooting (44-of-105), including 35.4 percent (17-of-48) from 3-point range, which includes wins against UNLV, Monmouth, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Florida A&M and Alabama State.
Sneed scored 19 points in the overtime win over UNLV, 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 a season-high 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, while he claimed his second 20-point game with 20 against Alabama State on?Dec. 11.
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 1,152 points in 115 career games to go with 512 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 one of 9 players to rank in the Big 12's Top 20 in both scoring and rebounding, as he ranks ninth in scoring (14.4 ppg.) and 20th in rebounding (5.2 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 fourth in steals (1.80), 10th in minutes (31.97), 13th in 3-point field goals made (1.8) and 14th in free throw percentage (69.8).

DIARRA PROVING TO BE A SOLID PG

Junior Cartier Diarra is proving to be a solid point guard for the Wildcats, averaging 12.2 points on 38.5 percent (42-of-109) shooting with 6.3 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 2.2 steals in 32.6 minutes per game. He has led the team in scoring 4 times, including twice in the last 3 games, while has led in assists in 9 of 10 games to start the season.
Diarra's 63 assists are the most by a Wildcat in the first 10 games since assists began being kept in 1976-77, surpassing the previous 10-game high of 54 done by (current UTSA?head coach) Steve Henson in 1988-89. He has at least 5 assists in 9 of 10 games, 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 30 nationally in both assists (19th/6.3 apg.) and total assists (26th/63). He also places among the top 50 in steals (47th/2.2 spg.) and total steals (51st/22).
Diarra ranks second in the Big 12 in assists and steals, while he is eighth in assist/turnover ratio (1.97) and minutes (32.55) and 17th in scoring.
Diarra was the only player to score in double figures in the first 2 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.
Diarra has scored in double figures in 4 times in the last 6 games, including team-highs against Marquette (14) and Mississippi State (20). During that span, he is averaging 12 points on 41.4 percent shooting to go with 6.0 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 2.8 steals in 32.7 minutes per game.

MCGUIRL STEPPING UP

Junior Mike McGuirl is starting to become a consistent offensive weapon for the Wildcats, as he has scored in double figures in 3 of the last 5 games, including a season-high 16 points vs. Florida A&M on Dec. 2. During that 5-game span, he is averaging 10.2 points on 54.8 percent (17-of-31) shooting, including 50 percent (11-of-22) from 3-point range.
McGuirl averaged just 3.5 points in the first 4 games on 33.3 percent (4-of-12) shooting, including 28.6 percent (2-of-7) from 3-point range. He has averaged 9.5 points in the last 6 games on 54.3 percent (19-of-35) shooting, including 52 percent (13-of-25) from 3-point range.
McGuirl is connecting on 49 percent (23-of-47) from the field, including 46.9 percent (15-of-32) from 3-point range. He ranks second on the team in 3-point field goals (15) and 3-point field goal percentage, while he is just 3 triples away from equaling his entire 3-point total (18) from 2018-19.

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 6 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 10 games this season and have combined for 129 points on 45.9 percent shooting (50-of-109), including 33.3 percent (16-of-48) from 3-point range, with 82 rebounds, 20 steals and 8 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 3 double-digit scoring games (12 vs. Pittsburgh and 10 vs. Marquette). Antonio, who ranks third on the team in rebounds (50), has totaled 25 in just the last 3 games (8.3 rpg.) while leading the team in each game.
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.

VS. TULSA (8-3)

K-State will wrap up the 2019 portion of its schedule on Sunday, December 29, as the Wildcats will play host to Tulsa (8-3) at 5 p.m., CT at Bramlage Coliseum. The game will air on Big 12 Now on ESPN+. Tickets are available through the K-State Athletics Ticket Office.

Game Preview // K-State, Saint Louis to Tangle in 10th Wildcat 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

Kansas State University Athletics

Game Preview // K-State, Saint Louis to Tangle in 10th Wildcat Classic Saturday

Related News

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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