Game Preview // K-State Begins 2-Game Road Swing at Baylor Saturday

GAME 23
KANSAS STATE (17-5, 7-2 Big 12) at BAYLOR (15-7, 6-3 Big 12)
Saturday, February 9, 2019 >> 5:05 p.m. CT >> Ferrell Center (10,284) >> Waco, Texas

TELEVISION
ESPN2 / ESPN3

Rich Hollenberg (play-by-play)
Tim Welsh (analyst)
Brian Boyle (producer)

RADIO
K-State Sports Network

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

Listen Online: TuneIn.com [free] // www.kstatesports.com/watch [free]
Satellite Radio: XM 381 / Internet 972

LIVE STATS
www.baylorbears.com
baylor.statbroadcast.com [media only]

TICKETS
www.baylorbears.com/tickets
(254) 710-1000
Single Game: $20

COACHES
Kansas State: Bruce Weber (Wis.-Milwaukee '78)
Overall: 455-240/21^st season
At K-State: 142-85/7^th season
vs. Baylor: 7-6 (3-3 on the road)

Baylor: Scott Drew (Butler '93)
Overall: 331-213/17^th season
At Baylor: 311-202/16^th season
vs. Kansas State: 11-14 (5-5 at home)

PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP
Kansas State (17-5, 7-2 Big 12)
G: #3 Kamau Stokes
G: #5 Barry Brown, Jr.
G/F: #20 Xavier Sneed
F: #32 Dean Wade
F: #14 Makol Mawien

Baylor (15-7, 6-3 Big 12)
G: #10 Makai Mason
G: #3 King McClure
G: #12 Jared Butler
G/F: #11 Mark Vital
G/F: #4 Mario Kegler

SERIES HISTORY
Overall: K-State leads 21-18
Current Streak: K-State, 4
In Waco: Baylor leads 8-7
At Ferrell Center: Baylor leads 7-6
Last Meeting: W, 77-67, 3/3/18
Weber vs. Drew: 7-6 (3-3 on the road)

OPENING TIP

Kansas State (17-5, 7-2 Big 12) begins the second half of Big 12 play with a trip to Waco, Texas on Saturday night to take on fellow Big 12 challenger Baylor (15-7, 6-3 Big 12) at the Ferrell Center. The game will tip at 5:05 p.m., CT on ESPN2 with Rich Hollenberg (play-by-play) and Tim Welsh (analyst) on the call. It is the first of back-to-back road games in a 4-game span for the Wildcats, which plays at Texas (13-10, 5-5 Big 12) on Tuesday night at the Frank Erwin Center.

K-State enters Saturday's game in first place in the Big 12, just a half-game ahead of No. 17/16 Iowa State (18-5, 7-3 Big 12), one game ahead of Baylor and a game and a half ahead of No. 18/18 Texas Tech (18-5, 6-4 Big 12) and No. 13/14 Kansas (17-6, 6-4 Big 12). Seven of the 10 Big 12 schools have at least 4 league wins, as all teams have reached the midway point of the 18-game schedule.
Paced by senior Barry Brown, Jr.'s game-tying 18 points, four Wildcats scored in double figures to help end an 8-game losing streak to archrival and No. 13/14 Kansas by a score of 74-67 on Tuesday night at Bramlage Coliseum. K-State has now won 7 consecutive games in Big 12 play for the first time in nearly 10 years and the first time since also winning 7 in a row from Feb. 2 to Feb. 27, 2010 to tie for the most consecutive league games won in the Big 12 era. It not only marked the first win by senior class of Brown, Kamau?Stokes and Dean Wade against the Jayhawks, it represented the 80th of their careers (80-47) since joining the program in 2015-16.
A Brown 3-pointer gave K-State the lead for good nearly 4 minutes into the second half, but Kansas challenged several times down the stretch, including 64-61 with 1:42 remaining. The Wildcats responded each time, including a corner 3-pointer by junior Xavier Sneed with 75 seconds to play that ignited a 7-0 run to finish off the victory. Although, they allowed Kansas to scored 67 points on 46.2 percent shooting, the squad scored 22 points off an opponent-high 23 turnovers. It marked the ninth time this season that the Wildcats have scored 20 or more points off turnovers.
Baylor saw its 6-game winning streak come to an end in its 84-72 loss at Texas on Wednesday night, as the hot-shooting Longhorns connected on 55.1 percent from the field. One of the more inspiring stories in college basketball, the Bears have found the right mix of players after injuries derailed its non-conference season to win 6 of its last 8 Big 12 games. They are led by Big 12 Newcomer of the Year candidate Makai Mason, who leads the way in both scoring (16.1 ppg.) and assists (3.0 apg.).
The K-State/Baylor series has been one of the most competitive with the Bears holding a narrow 17-16 edge since the start of Big 12 play in 1997. Although the Wildcats have won 4 straight in the series, including consecutive games at the Ferrell?Center, the two teams have split the last 10 meetings. Eight of the last 13 meetings in Waco have been decided by 3 points or less, while 3 of those meetings have gone to overtime.
K-State, which has struggled from the 3-point line this season ranking ninth in the Big 12 in both makes per game (6.8) and percentage (32.8), has found its rhythm from long range in the last 2 games, knocking down a combined 26 treys on 53 attempts (49.1 percent). The 26 made 3-pointers are the most in a 2-game stretch since connecting on 32 in games against Fresno State (school-record 23) and Vanderbilt (9) on March 24 and 28, 1994.

NOTES ON BAYLOR

Baylor (15-7, 6-3 Big 12) saw its 6-game winning streak end at Texas on Wednesday, as the hot-shooting Longhorns connected on 55.1 percent from the field in an 84-72 victory. The Bears shot nearly 50 percent (49.1) and saw 4 players score in double figures led by sophomore Mark Vital's 14 points.
Baylor is averaging 73.2 points on 45.4 percent shooting, including 33.7 percent from 3-point range, to go with 37.9 rebounds, 14.4 assists, 6.8 steals and 5.1 blocks per game, while allowing 64.5 points on 41.5 percent shooting, including 33.3 percent from 3-point range. The team is connecting on 66.3 percent from the free throw line. The Bears lead the Big 12 in rebounding

defense (31.3), rebounding margin (+6.6) and blocked shots (5.1).

Baylor is averaging a Big 12-best 76.9 points in Big 12 play on 46.2 percent shooting, including 40.1 percent from 3-point range, while allowing 69.7 points on 45 percent shooting, including 40.1 percent from 3-point range.
The Bears are led by Big 12 Newcomer of the Year candidate Makai Mason, who leads the team in both scoring (16.1 ppg.) and assists (3.0 apg.). The former Yale standout is averaging 18.4 points on 47.7 percent shooting, including 45 percent from 3-point range, in Big 12 play. He was named Big 12 Player of the Week last week after a 40-point effort in the win over TCU. Six other players are averaging better than 5.6 points per game, including senior King McClure (9.9 ppg.) and sophomore transfer Mario Kegler (9.2 ppg.). Sophomore Mark Vital paces one of the league's top rebounding teams at 7.1 per game, as 4 players are averaging better than 3.5 boards.
Baylor is led by 16th-year head coach Scott Drew, who has posted a 311-202 (606) record, which includes 7 trips to the NCAA?Tournament and 2 Elite Eights. He is 331-213 (.609) in his 17th season as a head coach.

SERIES HISTORY

K-State and Baylor will meet for the 40th time in their histories with the Wildcats holding a 21-18 advantage in a series that dates to 1948. The Bears are 8-7 all-time in games played in Waco, including 7-6 at Ferrell Center. The Bears own a slight 17-16 edge in the Big 12 era.
K-State has won 4 consecutive games against Baylor, including a season sweep last season for the first time since 2013. The Wildcats earned a 90-83 victory at the Ferrell Center on Jan. 22 before finishing the regular season with a 77-67 win at home on March 3.
Barry Brown, Jr., has averaged 15.0 points on 47.7 percent shooting, including 44.8 percent from 3-point range, in 7 career games (6 starts) against Baylor to go with 3.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.3 steals per game, while senior Kamau Stokes has averaged 12.2 points on 40 percent shooting in 5 career games against the Bears. Senior Dean Wade has averaged 11.4 points on 50 percent shooting in 7 career games (6 starts).
Head coach Bruce Weber is 7-6 all-time against Baylor, including a 3-3 mark on the road, while he is 7-6 against head coach Scott Drew.

ON THE ROAD

K-State has a 56-129 (.303) all-time record on the road since the start of Big 12 play in 1997. However, the Wildcats have been considerably better on the road since the 2006-07 season, having posted a 44-58 (.431) record away from home after going 10-70 (.125) from 1997-2006. The team is 27-44 (.380) under Bruce Weber on the road, including 21-35 (.375) in the Big 12.
K-State has a 3-4 record away from home this season, including a 3-1 mark in Big 12 play. The Wildcats lost at No. 11/11 Texas Tech to start Big 12 play, but has since recorded consecutive Top 25 road wins at No. 20/21 Iowa State (58-57) and No. 20/19 Oklahoma (74-61) to go along with the 75-57 win over Oklahoma State last Saturday.

LAST TIME OUT: K-STATE 74, 13/14 KANSAS 67

The senior trio of Barry Brown, Jr. (18), Dean Wade (12) and Kamau Stokes (9) combined for 39 points to lift the Wildcats to a 74-67 win over No. 13/14 Kansas in the 290th edition of the Dillons Sunflower Showdown in front of a sold-out crowd of 12,528 at Bramlage Coliseum on Tuesday.
With the win, K-State ends an 8-game skid against Kansas, winning its first contest against the Jayhawks since 2015. The Wildcats have now won 7 consecutive games in Big 12 play for the first time in nearly 10 years and the first time since also winning 7 in a row from Feb. 2 to Feb. 27, 2010.
K-State used a resilient effort that saw the Wildcats lead for nearly 29 minutes, that included a clutch effort in the waning minutes. With under two minutes left, junior Xavier Sneed knocked down a contested 3-pointer in the corner that gave the Wildcats a 6-point lead (67-61) with 1:15 left before sophomore Cartier Diarra came through with a steal and windmill dunk in transition that would essentially put the game away with 48 seconds.
Four players scored in double figures, as the Wildcats connected on 43.1 percent (25-of-58) from the field, including 41.7 percent (10-of-24) from 3-point range. The team knocked down 10 3-pointers for the fifth time this year, including the second consecutive game.
Brown had a game-high 18 points on 5-of-10 field goals to go with a game-tying 5 assists, 4 rebounds and 2 steals in playing all 40 minutes, while Wade added a near double-double with 12 points and a game-high 9 rebounds to go along with a game-tying 5 assists. Joining Brown and Wade in double figures were Sneed (14) and Diarra (11), as the Wildcats moved to 7-1 this season when four players or more scored double digits.
Although the defense allowed Kansas to scored 67 points on 46.2 percent (24-of-52) shooting, K-State scored 22 points off an opponent-high 22 turnovers. It marked the ninth time this season, including the fourth time in Big 12 play, that the Wildcats have scored 20 or more points off turnovers.
The win was the first against Kansas since a 70-63 victory at home on Feb. 23, 2015 and the first by the senior class of Brown,?Stokes and Wade. They became the 19th class to acheive at least 80 wins in a career.

'CATS HAVE BEEN STELLAR ON DEFENSE UNDER WEBER

K-State has put up some impressive defensive numbers under head coach Bruce Weber, leading the Big 12 in scoring defense twice in the last 6 years (60.4 ppg., in 2012-13 and 65.4 ppg., in 2013-14).
K-State is holding opponents to 59.1 points on 41 percent shooting, including 31.7 percent from 3-point range, while forcing 15.5 turnovers per game. The Wildcats rank 4th in scoring defense, 32nd in turnover margin (+3.4), 55th in field goal percentage defense and 68th in 3-point field goal percentage defense. The team leads the Big 12 in turnover margin (+3.4) and steals (7.7), while is second in scoring defense, rebounding defense (31.6) and turnovers forced and third in 3-point field goal percentage defense.
K-State has held 13 of 22 opponents to 60 points or less this season with one eclipsing 70. The squad has now held 82 opponents to 60 points or less in Weber's tenure, boasting a 74-8 mark in those contests.
K-State has held its opponents to an average of 15.3 points per game under their scoring average, including 15.2 points in Big 12 play. Eight foes have been held to 20 or more points under their average, including Penn (35.3), Tulsa (28.8), Texas Tech (26.6), Southern Miss (26.2), Vanderbilt (25.6), TCU?(25.4), Iowa State (24.3) and Eastern Kentucky (20.3).
In Big 12 play, K-State is allowing a league-best 60.1 points per game on 43.1 percent shooting, including 36.9 percent from 3-point range, while forcing opponents into 15.1 turnovers per game and scoring an average of 16.7 points off those turnovers. The Wildcats have held four league foes (Iowa State, TCU, Texas Tech and Oklahoma State) to less 60 points.
In the 58-45 win over No. 14/13 Texas Tech on Jan. 22, the Wildcat defense lived up to their billing, holding the Red Raiders to their lowest point total (45) under head coach Chris Beard and the lowest since scoring 44 in a loss against Loyola Chicago on Dec. 22, 2014. The team was held to a season-low 32.7 field goal percentage (16-of-49), including just 21.7 percent (5-of-23) from 3-point range.
The 45 points were the fewest surrendered a conference opponent under Weber and the fewest since holding No. 23 Texas Tech to 44 points on January 11, 2003. The Wildcats have held 3 of the last 5 opponents (Iowa State, TCU and Texas Tech) to its season-low in points.

POINTS OFF TURNOVERS

More than a quarter of K-State's total points (381/1441) this season have come off opponent turnovers, as the Wildcats are averaging 17.3 points off 15.5 opponent turnovers per game. The team ranks 32nd in turnover margin (+3.4), 50th in turnovers forced (15.5) and 58th in steals (7.7).
The Wildcats scored 20 or more points off turnovers in 9 games, including a season-high 25 in the come-from-behind 71-69 win over West Virginia (1/9/19) and at Texas A&M (1/26/19). They have also put up 20 points or more off opponent turnovers against Kennesaw State (20), Denver (23), Eastern?Kentucky (24), Penn (22), Marquette (22), TCU?(21) and Kansas (22).
K-State has scored more than 3,000 points (3,481) off turnovers during Weber's tenure, an average of 15.3 points per game. In 2017-18, the Wildcats averaged 17.3 points off turnovers, outscoring opponents, 639-423.
A?year ago, K-State ranked eighth nationally in total steals (294) and 18th in steals per game (7.9), while the school was one of just 5 nationally (Georgia State, Nicholls State, Purdue and Stephen F. Austin) with three players (Barry Brown, Jr., Dean Wade and Xavier Sneed) with 40 or more steals.
Led by all-time steals leader Barry Brown, Jr., who recently broke the record with 211st steal against Vanderbilt (12/22/18), the Wildcats have 3 other players with 100 or more steals, including Kamau Stokes (121), Xavier Sneed (119) and Dean Wade (111). Stokes is tied for sixth and Sneed is eighth in career steals, while Wade could also join the career Top 10. Brown currently ranks seventh in Big 12 history with 233 career steals, which is 14 shy of Kansas' Russell Robinson (2004-08) for sixth place.

IMPROVED REBOUNDING

One of the big emphasis in the off-season was rebounding, as the Wildcats finished 10th in the Big 12 in every rebounding categories, including overall rebounding (30.7), offensive rebounds (8.2), defensive rebounds (22.5) and rebounding margin (-3.4). The 30.7 rebounding average was the lowest by a K-State team since averaging just 30.0 per game in 1984-85.
K-State is averaging 34.5 rebounds per game, which ranks ninth in the Big 12, to go with averages of 9.6 offensive (eighth) and 24.9 defensive (eighth) rebounds per game. On the positive side, the Wildcats are allowing opponents 31.6 rebounds per game (second in the Big 12) and hold a Big 12-best 77.2 defensive rebounding percentage.
K-State has out-rebounded 14 of 22 opponents, including 5 in 9 Big 12 games. In comparison, the Wildcats out-rebounded just 10 opponents in 2017-18 in 37 games, including 4 Big 12 foes.
K-State added one of the top rebounders in the community college ranks in junior Austin Trice, as he is averaging 3.1 rebounds per game in just 8.6 minutes game. Trice ranked among the Top 10 in 4 rebounding categories in the community college ranks in 2017-18, including 4th in average (12.1 rpg.).
In addition to Trice, the entire team has collectively elevated their efforts in rebounding this season, including Dean Wade (6.2 to 6.8 rpg.), Xavier Sneed (5.1 to 5.7 rpg.), Makol Mawien (3.4 to 4.2 rpg.), Barry Brown,?Jr., (3.1 to 4.1 rpg.) and Cartier Diarra (2.5 to 3.3 rpg.).

OFFENSE STILL STRUGGLING BUT IMPROVEMENT

K-State is averaging a Big 12-low 65.5 points on 42.7 percent shooting (520-of-1219), including 32.8 percent (149-of-454) from 3-point range, and 64.6 percent (252-of-390) from the free throw line. The Wildcats rank 326th among 351 Division I?teams in scoring offense, 271st in field goal percentage, 257th in 3-point field goal percentage and 326th in free throw percentage.
In the Big 12, K-State ranks ninth in field goal percentage and 3-point field goal percentage and 10th in scoring offense and free throw percentage.
The Wildcats have scored 70 or more points on just 8 occasions, while they have only connected on 45 percent from the field in 9 games and 40 percent or better from the 3-point line on 6 occasions.
In Big 12 play, K-State is averaging 64.3 points on 42.8 percent shooting, including 36.3 percent from 3-point range, and 65.6 percent from the line. The Wildcats rank 10th in scoring offense and free throw percentage, fifth in 3-point field goal percentage and seventh in field goal percentage.
The struggles from the 3 are particularly noticeable after a record-setting 2017-18 season from 3-point range, in which, the Wildcats set single-season marks for makes (254) and attempts (745). Five different players posted 30 or more 3-point field goals led by Xavier Sneed's 65 makes.
There has been offensive improvement in the last 2 games, as K-State is averaging 74.5 points on 47.7 percent (51-of-107) shooting, including 49.1 percent (26-of-53) from 3-point range, with 36 assists on the 51 made field goals. In addition, there has been assists on 25 of the 26 made 3-pointers.

'CATS HAVE FIRST 7-GAME WIN STREAK IN BIG 12 PLAY SINCE 2010

Since starting Big 12 play 0-2 for the first time since 2011, K-State has rattled off 7 consecutive victories, which started with the come-from-behind win over West Virginia (71-69) and includes back-to-back Top 25 road wins over No. 20/21 Iowa State (58-57) and No. 20/19 Oklahoma (74-61) and wins over TCU?(65-55), No. 14/13 Texas Tech (58-45), Oklahoma State (75-57) and No. 13/14 Kansas (74-67). It ties for the longest winning streak in Big 12 since the team also won 7 in a row from Feb. 2 to Feb. 27, 2010.
During the win streak, K-State is averaging 67.9 points on 45.7 percent (166-of-363) shooting, including 39.5 percent (60-of-152) from 3-point range, to go with 68 percent (83-of-122) from the line, while averaging 14.1 assists and just 10.7 turnovers per game. In losing the first 2 Big 12 games, the team averaged just 52 points on 33 percent (36-of-109), including 24.4 percent (10-of-41) from 3-point range, with 12.5 turnovers per game.
On the defensive end, the Wildcats are allowing 58.7 points in the win streak on 42.3 percent (148-of-350) shooting, including 34.9 percent (52-of-149) from 3-point range, while averaging 17.3 points off 15.1 opponent turnovers. In those first 2 Big 12 games, the team allowed 65 points on 46.5 percent (40-of-86), including 43.5 percent (20-of-46) from 3-point range.
During the win streak, senior Barry Brown, Jr., has averaged a team-best 19.7 points on 52.6 percent (51-of-97) shooting, which includes 3 straight 20-point performances, while fellow senior Dean Wade, who has played in 6 of the 7 games, is averaging 14.5 points on 51.7 percent (30-of-58) shooting. Four other players (Xavier Sneed, Kamau Stokes, Makol Mawien and Mike McGuirl) are averaging between 5.3 and 9.3 points per game. Brown averaged just 12.0 points in the first 2 Big 12 games.

BETTER WITH DEAN WADE

It's stating the obvious that K-State is a better team when the Wildcats have their Preseason Big 12 Player of the Year Dean Wade on the floor. The team is 13-3 this season with Wade, who missed 6 games from Dec. 19 to Jan. 9 with a foot injury, in the lineup and just 4-2 with him out of it.
K-State is averaging 67.7 points on 43.5 percent shooting, including 33.4 percent from 3-point range, in the 16 games with Wade in the lineup, while the team is averaging just 59.7 points on 40.2 percent shooting, including 31.1 percent from 3-point range, in the 6 games without him.
Three Wildcats (Barry Brown, Jr., Dean Wade and Xavier Sneed) are averaging in double figures in the 16 games with Wade in the lineup, while three other players (Kamau Stokes, Makol Mawien and Cartier Diarra) are averaging betwen 5.8 and 8.6 points per game. In comparison, only two Wildcats (Brown/15.3 ppg., and Stokes/13.8 ppg.) are averaging in double figures in the 6 games without Wade.

GAME OF RUNS

K-State's use of runs have been particularly effective this season, as the Wildcats have totaled 49 runs of at least 7 or more points, including 25 runs of 10 or more points. The team posted five such runs in the win over Georgia State (12/15/18), including runs of 8-0, 16-4, 13-2, 12-0 and 9-1, while they produced the biggest run (24-2) in the comeback win over Southern Miss (12/19/18), which was the largest comeback before the West Virginia game. The team had a 17-0 run to close the gap against the Mountaineers.
The Paradise Jam was a tournament of runs for K-State, as the Wildcats put together decisive runs en route to victories against EKU (11/16/18), Penn (11/18/18) and Missouri (11/19/18) in the title game. The team had runs of 12-2 and 20-6 against EKU, while the Wildcats erupted for a 17-2 run against Penn. Against Missouri, the squad scored 20 of 22 points after a 27-all tie.
K-State used a 21-7 to jump out ahead of Vanderbilt (12/22/18), while the Wildcats had 17-0 and 20-8 runs in the comeback against West Virginia (1/9/19) and ended the Iowa State (1/12/19) game on a 10-2 run. The team used a 19-0 run that spanned both halves to break open the game at OSU.

OFFENSIVE BALANCE KEY TO SUCCESS

Much like 2017-18, balance has been key to K-State's offensive success this season, as four players (Barry Brown, Jr., Dean Wade, Xavier Sneed and Kamau Stokes) are averaging in double figures.
Five different players (Wade, Brown, Sneed, Stokes and Makol Mawien) have led the Wildcats in scoring, while 7 players have at least one double-digit scoring game, including 18 by Brown, 14 by Wade, 11 by Sneed and Stokes, 6 by Mawien and Cartier Diarra and 1 by Mike McGuirl.
Since Weber took over in 2012-13, K-State has posted a 59-19 (.756) record when four or more players score in double figures, including a 7-1 mark in 2018-19. The Wildcats are 12-4 when Mawien scores in double digits, while the team is 12-4 (8-2 in 2017-18) when Diarra reaches double-digits.

NON-CONFERENCE SUCCESS

Although it ended in a loss to Texas A&M on Jan. 26, K-State enjoyed a success non-conference season, posting a 10-3 (.769) mark which included a 7-0 mark at home venues (Bramlage Coliseum and the Sprint Center. It marked the fourth consecutive season with at least 10 non-conference wins.
K-State has posted a 140-36 (.795) record in non-conference play since the 2006-07 season, which includes a 105-6 (.946) mark at home venues. The team has registered double-digit non-conference wins in 12 of the last 13 years, averaging 10.8 non-conference wins in that stretch, and went a program-best 13-1 in non-conference play during the 2009-10 season.
Since going 7-6 in non-conference in 2014-15, which included back-to-back losses to Texas Southern and Georgia, the Wildcats has won double-digit non-conference games each of the past four seasons and is 40-9 (.816) in non-conference play since 2015-16.
K-State has a 105-6 (.946) record at home venues (includes home games played at Bramlage Coliseum, INTRUST?Bank Arena in Wichita and the Sprint Center in Kansas City) in non-conference play dating back to the 2006-07 season, including a 96-5 (.950) mark at Bramlage Coliseum.
The Wildcats have won 92 of their last 96 non-conference home games, including a 29-game winning streak at Bramlage Coliseum. The last home non-conference loss came against Georgia, 50-46, on Dec. 31, 2014.

HISTORIC COMEBACK

K-State overcame its largest deficit ever when senior Barry Brown, Jr., laid in the go-ahead bucket with 29 seconds left to cap a 50-point second half by the Wildcats in a 71-69 defeat of West Virginia (1/9/19).
K-State trailed by as many as 21 points a little more than a minute into the second half before a 17-0 run cut the deficit to 42-38 with 13:07 left. A 4-point play by junior Xavier Sneed gave the Wildcats their first lead with 2:30 remaining before the Mountaineers regained the advantage, 69-68, on a Lamont West free throw a minute later. In the final 60 seconds, Brown put the Wildcats ahead 70-69 with a layup with 29 seconds remaining.
West Virginia missed a shot in the paint with 5 seconds and Sneed came down with the rebound and was sent to the line, where he hit one free throw. The Mountaineers were unable to get a final shot up at the buzzer.
Brown led K-State behind a season-high 29 points on 9-of-14 field goals and a 10-of-12 effort from the line to go with a career-tying 6 steals. It was his highest point total since scoring 34 points at Baylor on Jan. 22, 2018. In the process, he became the ninth Wildcat to eclipse 1,500 career points.
Brown was joined in double figures by a career night from sophomore Mike McGuirl, who scored a career-high 18 points on 7-of-12 field goals, including 4-of-6 from 3-point range, while senior Kamau Stokes and Xavier Sneed added 12 and 10 points, respectively. It was McGuirl's second career double-digit scoring game and his first since the 2018 NCAA Tournament.
K-State scored its 50 points after halftime on 62.1 percent (18-of-29) shooting, including 63.6 percent (7-of-11) from 3-point range, compared to just 21 in the first half on 29.2 percent (7-of-24) shooting, including 16.7 percent (2-of-12) from long range. In addition, the Wildcats scored 25 points off 17 Mountaineers turnovers, while only turning the ball over 6 times.
It marked the second time this season that K-State had rallied from a double-digit deficit at home, as the Wildcats came from 16 points down to defeat Southern Miss, 55-51, on?Dec. 19 at home. Senior Kamau?Stokes scored 16 of his season-high 18 points in the second half.
K-State went on a 24-2 run over 8:08 in the second half to take over the game, as the Wildcats held the Golden Eagles scoreless for 5:24 during the span. The run came after scoring a season-low 19 points in the first half, the fewest points in any half since scoring 15 vs. TCU on Feb. 15, 2015.

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

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

BROWN AMONG CAREER LEADERS

Senior Barry Brown, Jr., registered a significant milestone in the win over Vanderbilt (12/22/18), becoming the school's all-time steals leader with 3 against the Commodores to eclipse Jacob Pullen (210, 2007-11). Brown now has 233 career steals in 127 games played.
Brown's 233 career steals currently rank seventh in Big 12 history, trailing Kansas' Russell Robinson (247; 2004-08) for sixth place by 14 steals. Brown also ranks fourth among active Division I players in career steals, trailing just Washington's Matisse Thybulle (276), Oregon's Ehab Amin (256) and Purdue Fort Wayne's John Koncher (252).
Brown places among several career offensive records, including 5th in field goals attempted (1,382), 6th in double-digit scoring games (81) and field goals (576), 7th in scoring (1,623) and 3-point field goals attempted (492), 8th in 3-point field goals made (159), 9th in assists (313) and 10th in free throw attempted (446).
Brown also ranks among the leaders in games played, as his streak of 127 consecutive game played ties Steve Henson's school record of 127 set from 1986-90, while his 104 straight starts ranks second (just 14 shy of Henson's school record). He has a chance to top the school record of 135 games played, which is held by Jacob Pullen and Rodney McGruder.
Brown ranks second in minutes (4,036) in school history, needing 439 to pass Steve Henson (4,474; 1987-90). He becomes the second Wildcat to eclipse 4,000 minutes as well as the 19th player to do so in the Big 12 era with a 40-minute performance vs. No. 13/14 Kansas (2/5/19).

SENIOR CLASS HAS 4,000+ POINTS

With 20 points against George Mason (12/29/18), senior Kamau Stokes became the 30th player to post 1,000 points and joined fellow seniors Barry Brown, Jr., and Dean Wade in achieving the milestone. The trio became the first class in school history to each top 1,000 career points in a career.
The trio have accounted for 4,121 points in their respective careers, which currently ranks eighth nationally among senior classes, trailing South Dakota State (4,760/Mike Daum, David Jenkins, Skyler Flatten), Lipscomb (4,530/Garrison Mathews, Rob Marberry, Nate Moran), Campbell (4,488/Chris Clemons, Andrew Eudy, Marcus Burk), Marshall (4,453/Jon Elmore, C.J. Burks, Rondale Watson), Georgia Southern (4,354/Tookie Brown, Ike Smith, Montae Glenn) and Buffalo (4,149/C.J. Massinburg, Nick Perkins, Jeremy Harris).
Brown (1,623 points) and Wade (1,413 points) each eclipsed the 1,000-point mark as juniors and currently rank 7th and 10th, respectively, on the all-time scoring list, while Stokes ranks 21st with 1,085 points.

STOKES AMONG THE BEST ALL-TIME IN ASSISTS

Just like fellow seniors Barry Brown, Jr., and Dean Wade, Kamau Stokes ranks among the all-time leaders in several statistical categories, including 4th in assists (379), 5th in 3-point field goals attempted (520), 6th in steals (121), 7th in 3-point field goals made (178), while he is just outside the Top 10 in minutes played (3,200).
Needing just 21 assists, Stokes could become just the third Wildcat in school history to eclipse 400 assists, joining all-time leader Steve Henson (582; 1986-90) and Jacob Pullen (455; 2007-11).

DON'T?FORGET?SNEED

With all the attention paid to the three seniors, the accomplishments of junior Xavier Sneed have somehow been overlooked. The St. Louis native enjoyed a career best year in 2017-18, averaging 11.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 31.4 minutes per game while starting all 37 games.
Since missing the opener with Kennesaw State (11/9), Sneed has scored in double figures in 11 of the last 21 games, including a season-high 18 points on 6-of-9 field goals in the win over TCU (1/19).
Sneed collected his second career double-double and first of the season at Tulsa (12/8/18), posting a team-best 13 points to go with 10 rebounds. He has grabbed 5 or more rebounds in 12 games, including double-digit boards twice with a season-high 14 vs. Southern Miss (12/19).

WELCOME GOODNEWS

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

K-STATE WINS PARADISE JAM; FIRST TITLE SINCE 2011

Included in K-State's 6-0 start to the season was a 3-game sweep to win the 19^th annual U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam in St. Thomas, U.S.V.I., Nov. 16-19, as the Wildcats knocked off Eastern Kentucky (95-68), Penn (64-48) and Missouri (82-67).
The tournament championship marked the 14^th in school history and the first since winning the 2011 Diamond Head Classic in Honolulu, Hawai'i. It was also the sixth career tournament title for head coach Bruce Weber and his first with the Wildcats.
Senior Dean Wade was named the tournament's most valuable player after averaging 17.3 points on 61.8 percent (21-of-34) shooting with 6.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists in three games, including a team-high 21 points in the title game against the Tigers, while fellow senior Barry Brown, Jr., was one of five players selected as Paradise Jam Tournament All-Stars.

MORE ABOUT K-STATE

The Wildcats return 10 lettermen, including six players (Barry Brown, Jr., Cartier Diarra, Makol Mawien, Xavier Sneed, Kamau Stokes and Dean Wade) that combined to start all 37 games a season ago, for a team that posted a 25-12 overall record (10-8 in Big 12 play) and advanced to the Elite Eight for the 12th time in school history and the first time since 2010.
It marked just the sixth 25-win campaign in school history, including the second under head coach Bruce Weber, while the school advanced to the NCAA?Tournament for the fourth time in six seasons and 30th time overall.
K-State returns 185 combined starts from 2017-18, which is the most of any Division I team in the country, and ahead of other schools which return all of its starts, including George Mason (165), Iowa (165), Lipscomb (165) and North Florida (165).
K-State returns 93.2 percent (2,452 of 2,630 points) of its offense from 2017-18, which ranks 11th among Division I teams (trailing George Mason, Harvard, Wofford, Washington, Brown, Iowa, Wisconsin, UC Irvine, Syracuse and St.?Francis). The Wildcats also returns more than 90 percent of their field goals made (869/92.7%), 3-point field goals made (232/91.3%), free throws made (482/96%), assists (476/93.3%) and steals (266/90.5%) as well as 80 or better percent of their minutes (6,558/85%), rebounds (905/80%) and blocks (98/89%).
K-State returns seven of its top-8 scorers from last season, including three with double-digit averages [Wade (16.2 ppg.), Brown (15.9 ppg.) and Sneed (11.1 ppg.). Other returners include Kamau Stokes (9.0 ppg.), Cartier Diarra (7.1 ppg.), Makol Mawien (6.8 ppg.) and Mike McGuirl (3.3 ppg.). The Wildcats return their individual leader in scoring (Wade), rebounding (Wade), assists (Brown), steals (Brown) and blocks (Mawien).

'CATS EARN PRESEASON RANKINGS

K-State opened the 2018-19 season in the Top 15 in both major polls, as the Wildcats earned a No. 11 ranking in the preseason USA Today Coaches poll to go with a No. 12 ranking in the preseason Associated Press poll.
It marks the first time that K-State has started with preseason rankings in both polls since the 2010-11 campaign when the school opened at No. 3 in the AP and USA Today Coaches polls.
K-State appeared in the Preseason AP poll for the 17th time in school history, while it was the highest preseason ranking since starting the 2010-11 campaign at No. 3. It was also the 12th time debuting in the AP Top 15 (1951-52, 1952-53, 1953-54, 1956-57, 1957-58, 1958-59, 1961-62, 1964-65, 1965-66, 1975-76 and 2010-11).
The Wildcats have received several preseason rankings, including No. 11 by NBCSports.com, Yahoo! Sports, Street & Smith's, Lindy's and Athlon, No. 12 by ESPN.com, CBSSports.com, USA Today, Stadium, No. 13 by The Athletic, Blue Ribbon Yearbook and No. 14 by SI.com.
K-State was one of four Big 12 teams to place in both Top 25 polls, as Kansas was the unanimous No. 1 team. West Virginia was No. 13 in both polls, while TCU was ranked No. 20 (Coaches) and No. 21 (AP), respectively.

'CATS PICKED SECOND IN BIG 12 PLAY; WADE NAMED PRESEASON POY

K-State was picked to finish second by the league coaches in the annual Big 12 Preseason poll released on Oct. 19, as the Wildcats received 72 points and two first-place votes. Kansas was selected first, while West Virginia, TCU and Texas rounded out the Top 5.
The second-place selection was the second-highest by a K-State team in the history of the poll, following the 2010-11 team which was picked to finish first with 119 points. In fact, the Wildcats have been picked to finish fifth or better on just six other occasions in the poll, including fourth in 2007-08, 2009-10 and 2014-15 and fifth in 2006-07, 2012-13 and 2013-14.
Senior Dean Wade became just the second Wildcat to ever be selected the Preseason Big 12 Player of the Year by the league coaches, while Wade and Barry Brown, Jr., were both named to the Preseason All-Big 12 Team. The duo was joined on the team by Kansas' Dedric Lawson, Iowa State's Lindell Wigginton and West Virginia's Sagaba Konate.
Wade's selection marked the second time that a K-State player has been named the preseason Player of the Year and the first since Jacob Pullen in 2010-11. It also was just the second time that two Wildcats appeared on the Preseason All-Big 12 Team, following Pullen and Curtis Kelly in 2010-11. Wade and Brown are just the sixth and seventh players in school history to earn recognition to the Preseason All-Big 12 (since 1996-97), following Manny Dies in 1998-99, Kelly and Pullen in 2010-11, Rodney McGruder in 2012-13 and Marcus Foster in 2014-15.

NEXT UP: AT TEXAS (13-10, 5-5 Big 12)

K-State continues its road stretch with a trip to Austin, Texas to take on Texas (13-10, 5-5 Big 12) at 8 p.m., CT on Tuesday at the Erwin Center. The Longhorns won the first matchup, 67-47, in the Big 12 opener on Jan. 2.

Game Preview // K-State Begins 2-Game Road Swing at Baylor Saturday

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Barry Brown, Jr.

Cartier Diarra

Goodnews Kpegeol

Makol Mawien

Mike McGuirl

Xavier Sneed

Kamau Stokes

Austin Trice

Dean Wade

Kansas State University Athletics

Game Preview // K-State Begins 2-Game Road Swing at Baylor Saturday

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Barry Brown, Jr.

Cartier Diarra

Goodnews Kpegeol

Makol Mawien

Mike McGuirl

Xavier Sneed

Kamau Stokes

Austin Trice

Dean Wade

Related Videos