Game Preview // 15/14 K-State to Play TCU at Big 12 Championship

GAME 32
15/14 KANSAS STATE (24-7) vs. TCU (20-12)
Thursday, March 14, 2019 >> 1:30 p.m. CT >> Sprint Center (18,972) >> Kansas City, Mo.
Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship Quarterfinals

TELEVISION
ESPN2 / ESPN3

Bob Wischusen (play-by-play)
Fran Fraschilla (analyst)
Holly Rowe (sideline reporter)
Stan Weber (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: Sirius 135 / XM 199

LIVE STATS
big12statbroadcats.com

TICKETS
www.sprintcenter.com
(816) 949.7100
All-Session: $195

COACHES
Kansas State: Bruce Weber (Wis.-Milwaukee '78)
Overall: 462-242/21^st season
At K-State: 149-87/7^th season
vs. TCU: 12-4 (1-1 at neutral sites)
vs. Oklahoma State: 11-5 (2-0 at neutral sites)

TCU: Jamie Dixon (TCU '87)
Overall: 393-162/16^th Year
At TCU: 65-38/3^rd Year
vs. Kansas State: 3-5 (1-1 at neutral sites)

PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP
Kansas State (24-7, 14-4 Big 12)
G: #3 Kamau Stokes
G: #5 Barry Brown, Jr.
G/F: #20 Xavier Sneed
F: #32 Dean Wade
F: #14 Makol Mawien

TCU (20-12, 7-11 Big 12)
G: #25 Alex Robinson
G: #1 Desmond Bane
F: #12 Kouat Noi
F: #15 J.D. Miller
C: #21 Kevin Samuel

CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY
Overall: 35-41
Big 12 Championship: 14-22
As a No. 1 seed: 3-0 (last time: 1977)
Quarterfinals: 6-10
In Kansas City: 33-35
At Sprint Center: 7-10
Last Time: L, Kansas, 67-83, 3/9/18 (semifinals)
vs. TCU: Tied 1-1 (last meeting: W, 66-64 (OT), 3/8/18)

OPENING TIP

No. 15/14 Kansas State (24-7, 14-4 Big 12) will open play as the No. 1 seed in the 23rd annual Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship on Thursday against No. 8 seed TCU (20-12, 7-11 Big 12) at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo. TCU defeated No. 9 seed Oklahoma State, 73-70, in the first game on Wednesday. The Wildcats swept the Horned Frogs during the regular season. The game will tip at 1:30 p.m., CT on ESPN2 with Bob Wischusen (play-by-play), Fran Fraschilla (analyst) and Holly Rowe (reporter).
K-State enters as the tournament's No. 1 seed for the first time in the Big 12 era and the first time since being the top-seed in the inaugural Big Eight Championship in 1977. The Wildcats are 35-41 (.461) all-time in the Big Eight/12 Championship dating back to its inception in 1977, including a 14-22 (.389) mark in the Big 12 era. The school is 3-0 as a No. 1 seed in the Big Eight/12 Championship, while it is 1-2 vs. the No. 8 seed (TCU) and 2-1 vs. the No. 9 seed (Oklahoma State). The team is 1-1 all-time against the Horned Frogs (last appearance in 2018) at the Championship, while they are 4-4 against the Cowboys (last appearance in 2016).
K-State swept its 2 meetings with TCU this season. The Wildcats held the Horned Frogs to their 2 season-lows for points, winning 65-55 on Jan. 19 at home before a 64-52 win in Fort Worth on March 4. K-State has a 15-6 all-time record against TCU, including a 1-2 mark at neutral sites.
Seniors Barry Brown,?Jr., Kamau Stokes and Dean Wade all starred on Senior Day, as the trio all scored in double figures to help K-State clinch a share of the Big 12 regular season title with a 68-53 win over Oklahoma before a sold-out crowd at Bramlage Coliseum. The Wildcats earned their 21st conference title, including its 19th regular-season crown, dating back to 1917. It was the second in the Big 12 era and the first since also sharing the Big 12 title with Kansas in 2013. The seniors combined to score 45 of the 68 points to go with 14 of the 15 assists in their final home game, as Stokes led the way in both points (19) and assists (6), while Brown chipped in 15 points, 4 assists and 3 steals and Wade added 11 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists. It marked the 26th time (20-6 record) the trio has scored in double figures in the same game in their respective careers, including the eighth time (8-0) this season.
Defense continues to carry the Wildcats, as they are holding opponents to just 59.1 points (a Big 12-best 59.6 points in league games) on 41.3 percent shooting, including 31.4 percent from 3-point range. K-State has held 18 of 31 opponents (9 Big 12 foes) to 60 points or less with just two eclipsing 70. The team ranks among the Top 50 in several defensive categories, including fourth in scoring defense, 56th in field goal percentage defense, 36th in 3-point field goal percentage defense and 30th in turnover margin (+3.2). The Wildcats are averaging 17.3 points off 14.7 opponent turnovers this season, including 16.9 points on 13.9 opponent turnovers in Big 12 play.

AT BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP

K-State is 35-41 all-time in the Big Eight/12 Championship dating back to its inception in 1977, including a 14-22 mark in the 22-year history of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship. The Wildcats have won two championships (1977, 1980), while they have advanced to the finals on five other occasions (1978, 1981, 1993, 2010 and 2013), including twice in the Big 12 era. Overall, K-State is 33-35 when the championship is held in Kansas City.
This will mark the second time that K-State has been the No. 1 seed at the championship and the first time since winning the inaugural Big Eight Tournament in 1977. The Wildcats are 3-0 as the top-seed, defeating No. 8 seed Iowa State (97-62), No. 4 Kansas (80-67) and No. 2 Missouri (72-67).
The Wildcats have now earned a bye to the quarterfinals in the Big 12 Championship 11 times (2007-14, 2017-19). Last season, as the tournament's No. 4 seed, the team defeated No. 5 seed TCU, 66-64, in overtime before losing to top-seed Kansas, 83-67 in the semifinals.
K-State is 1-2 all-time (0-2 in the Big 12 era) vs. the No. 8 seed at the league championship with 3 appearances coming in 1977, 2004 and 2006. The team has lost the last two meetings (Iowa State in 2004 and Texas Tech in 2006) with the No. 8 seed. The last win against a No. 8 seed came in 1977 when the Wildcats defeated Iowa State, 97-62, in the first round.
The Wildcats are 6-10 in the quarterfinals, including consecutive wins over Baylor (2017) and TCU?(2018).
Head coach Bruce Weber is 5-6 in the Big 12 Championship, including 3-2 in the quarterfinals.

NOTES ON TCU

TCU enters Wednesday's first-round game with a 19-12 record, including a 7-11 mark in Big 12 action. The Horned Frogs snapped a 3-game losing streak with a 69-56 win at Texas in the regular-season finale.
K-State holds a 15-6 overall record against TCU, including a 1-2 mark in games played at neutral sites. The Wildcats swept the regular season series with the Horned Frogs for the first time since 2016 with a 65-55 win at home on Jan. 19 and a 64-52 win in Fort Worth on March 4.

HISTORY AT SPRINT CENTER

K-State is 17-14 all-time in the Sprint Center, including a 7-10 mark at the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship (2008, 2010-18).
K-State has played at least one game in the Sprint Center for 13 straight seasons since its opening in 2007. The Wildcats are 8-1 in the Wildcat Classic, which has been played in 2007-12, 2014, 2016 and 2018, while they are 2-2 in the CBE Hall of Fame Classic (appearances in 2010 and 2015).
K-State played its first regular-season game in the Sprint Center since 2016 on Dec. 22, 2018, as the Wildcats earned a 69-58 win over Vanderbilt. Junior Makol Mawien led four players in double figures with a season-high 15 points on 7-of-10 field goals, while Barry Brown, Jr. (12), Kamau?Stokes (12) and Cartier Diarra (10) also scored in double digits.
Twice K-State has advanced to the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship game in the Sprint Center, losing to Kansas in 2010 and 2013.

LAST TIME OUT: 18/17 K-STATE 68, OKLAHOMA 53

It was a fitting Senior Day, as the trio of Barry Brown, Jr., Kamau Stokes and Dean Wade all scored in double figures to help No. 18/17 Kansas State clinch a share of the Big 12 regular season title with a 68-53 win over Oklahoma before a sold-out crowd at Bramlage Coliseum.
The seniors combined to score 45 of the 68 points to go with 14 of the 15 assists in their final game, as Stokes scored a game-high 19 points on 7-of-15 field goals, including 4-of-10 from 3-point range, to go with a game-high 6 assists in 34 minutes. He has now scored in double figures in 5 consecutive games. He was joined in double figures by Brown, who posted 15 points on 5-of-12 shooting to go with 4 assists and 3 steals, and Wade, who added 11 points on 5-of-14 field goals to go with 7 rebounds and 4 assists.
K-State is now 20-6 all-time when the trio scores in double figures in the same game in their respective careers, including 8-0 this season.
In addition, the seniors each enjoyed milestones on the evening, starting with Brown, who became the school leader in games played with his 136th career appearance to break his tie with Jacob Pullen (2007-11) and Rodney McGruder (2009-13). With his 4 triples on the day, Stokes became just the fourth Wildcat to eclipse 200 career 3-point field goals, while Wade became just the 10th player in school history with top 1,500 career points.
K-State led for more than 33 minutes with the lead changing just four times, all in the first 6 minutes of play. Tied 14-all with just under 10 minutes to play in the first half, the Wildcats took the lead for good on a 3-pointer by Wade en route to finishing the half on an 18-8 run and leading 32-22.
K-State opened the second half on an 8-1 run to push it to 42-23 on the strength of back-to-back 3-pointers from Stokes then used a 17-2 run over a 6-minute span to build a 62-33 lead with 7:12 to play. The Sooners scored 12 in a row to close to within 62-45 at the 4:29 mark, but sophomore Mike McGuirl answered with a 3-pointer to push the lead back to 20 points.
K-State connected on 44.8 percent (26-of-58) from the field with 9 triples, while Oklahoma was held to a season-tying low of 53 points on 41.5 percent shooting (22-of-53), including 29.4 percent (5-of-17) from long range.

'CATS HAVE BEEN STELLAR ON DEFENSE UNDER WEBER

K-State has developed into one of the best on the defensive end, holding opponents to 59.1 points on 41.3 percent shooting, including 31.4 percent from 3-point range, while forcing 14.7 turnovers per game. The Wildcats rank 4th in scoring defense, 30th in turnover margin (+3.2), 36th in 3-point field goal percentage defense and 56th in field goal percentage defense. The team leads the Big 12 in steals (7.5), rebounding defense (31.6) and defensive rebounding percentage (.746), while is second in scoring defense, turnover margin and turnovers forced and third in 3-point field goal percentage.
The 59.1 points per game would be the lowest scoring average in K-State history since the start of the shot clock in 1985-86, surpassing the 60.4 points per game average in 2012-13, while it would the sixth-lowest all-time and the lowest since the 1982-83 team allowed 58.4 points per game. Only seven other teams have allowed less than 60 points per game in school history.
K-State has held 18 of 31 opponents to 60 points or less this season with two eclipsing 70. The squad has now held 87 opponents to 60 points or less in Bruce Weber's tenure, boasting a 79-8 mark in those contests.
K-State has held foes to an average of 14.5 points under their average, including a 14.6 average in Big 12 play. Eleven opponents (6 Big 12 foes) have been 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 have held Big 12 foes (Iowa State, TCU [twice], Texas Tech, Oklahoma State [twice], West Virginia, Baylor and Oklahoma) to 60 points or less on 9 occasions.
In the 58-45 win over No. 14/13 Texas Tech on Jan. 22, the Wildcat defense had their most impressive effort, holding the Red Raiders to the fewest by a conference foe under Weber and the fewest since holding Texas Tech to 44 points on Jan. 11, 2003. The Wildcats have held 4 Big 12 opponents (Iowa State, TCU (twice), Texas Tech and Oklahoma State) to its season-low in points.
K-State held TCU twice to its season-low in points, first to 55 in a win on Jan. 19 then to 52 on March 4. The team held the quartet (Kouat Noi, Desmond Bane, Alex Robinson and J.D. Miller) of double-figure scorers to a combined 16 points in the latest win on 26 percent (6-of-23) shooting.

POINTS OFF TURNOVERS

More than a quarter of K-State's total points (535/2043) this season have come off opponent turnovers, as the Wildcats are averaging 17.3 points off 14.7 opponent turnovers per game. The team ranks 30th in turnover margin (+3.2), 50th in steals (7.5) and 65th in turnovers forced (14.7).
The Wildcats scored 20 or more points off turnovers in 11 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 turnovers vs. Kennesaw State (20), Denver (23), Eastern?Kentucky (24), Penn (22), Marquette (22), TCU?(21 twice), Kansas (22) and Baylor (21).
K-State has scored more than 3,000 points (3,620) off turnovers during Weber's tenure, an average of 15.3 points per game. In 2017-18, the Wildcats also 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 broke the school record with 211st steal against Vanderbilt (12/22/18), the Wildcats have 3 others with 100 or more steals, including Xavier Sneed (134), Kamau Stokes (128) and Dean Wade (118). All three rank among the career Top 10 for steals, as Sneed is 4th, Stokes is tied for 6th and Wade is tied for 9th. Brown currently ranks 6th in Big 12 history with 252 career steals, trailing Kansas' Aaron Miles (264; 2001-05) by 12 steals for 5th 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 33.3 rebounds per game, which ranks last in the Big 12, to go with averages of 9.4 offensive (7th) and 23.9 defensive (9th) rebounds per game. On the positive side, the Wildcats are allowing opponents a Big 12-best 31.6 rebounds per game and hold a Big 12-best 74.7 defensive rebounding percentage.
K-State has out-rebounded 18 of 31 opponents, including 9 in 18 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 2.7 rebounds per game in just 8.2 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 6.2 rpg.), Xavier Sneed (5.1 to 5.4 rpg.), Makol Mawien (3.4 to 4.6 rpg.), Barry Brown,?Jr., (3.1 to 4.1 rpg.) and Cartier Diarra (2.5 to 3.2 rpg.).

OFFENSE STILL STRUGGLING BUT IMPROVEMENT

K-State is averaging a Big 12-low 65.9 points on 43.4 percent shooting (736-of-1694), including 33.8 percent (217-of-642) from 3-point range, and 66.2 percent (354-of-535) from the free throw line. The Wildcats rank 321st among 351 Division I?teams in scoring offense, 232nd in field goal percentage, 218th in 3-point field goal percentage and 317th in free throw percentage.
In the Big 12, K-State ranks 8th in field goal percentage, 9th in 3-point field goal percentage and 10th in scoring offense and free throw percentage.
The Wildcats have scored 70 or more points on just 10 occasions, while they have only connected on 45 percent from the field in 13 games and 40 percent or better from the 3-point line on 8 occasions.
In Big 12 play, K-State averaged 65.6 points on 44.1 percent shooting, including 36.2 percent from 3-point range, and 67.9 percent from the line. The Wildcats rank 4th in field goal percentage, 5th in 3-point field goal percentage and 9th in scoring offense and free throw percentage.
The struggles from 3-point range are 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.
Before the Kansas (2/25/19) game, the offense had been on the uptick, averaging 72 points on 48.2 percent shooting, including 42.4 percent from 3-point range, in the previous 7 games. During that span, the Wildcats scored 70 or more points 5 times, including 85 vs. Oklahoma State (2/23/19).

ANOTHER 20-WIN SEASON AND MORE

With the win over West Virginia (2/18), K-State collected a 20-win season for the 30th time in school history, including the fifth time in seven seasons under head coach Bruce Weber. The five 20-win seasons tie for the second-most by a head coach in school history, trailing Jack Hartman (seven) and matching Tex Winter (five) and Frank Martin (five). The Wildcats have now posted 11 20-win seasons in the last 13 seasons, which is the best stretch in school history. The 24 wins are the most in a regular season in school history, tying the 2009-10 team which since also won 24.
K-State earned its 21st conference championship, including its 19 in the regular season, and its second in the Big 12 era with its share of the title with No. 7/6 Texas Tech. It marked the eighth finish of fourth place or better in the last 13 seasons. The 14 Big 12 wins tied for the most in school history, along with the 14-0 in Big Eight play in 1958-59 and the 14-4 mark in Big 12 play in 2012-13. The seven Big 12 home wins were the most since posting seven in 2014-15 and gave K-State a winning home record in league play for the second straight season. The Wildcats were 7-2 on the road in Big 12 play, which was the best mark since the 1958-59 went 7-0 in the Big Eight.
K-State swept the season series from Baylor, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, TCU and West Virginia, It was the most conference sweeps in a single season since the Big 12 Championship in 2012-13 when the Wildcats did it against six opponents (Baylor, Oklahoma, TCU, Texas, Texas Tech and West Virginia).

'CATS HAS FIRST 9-GAME LEAGUE WIN STREAK IN BIG 12 ERA

K-State's 9-game winning streak in Big 12 play came to an end in the 78-64 loss to No. 23/22 Iowa State on Feb. 16. The streak, which began after the Wildcats had dropped their first 2 Big 12 games, started with the come-from-behind win over West Virginia (71-69) and included four Top 25 wins (at No. 20/21 Iowa State (58-57) and No. 20/19 Oklahoma (74-61) and at home over No. 14/13 Texas Tech (58-45) and No. 13/14 Kansas (74-67), along with wins over TCU?(65-55), Oklahoma State (75-57), Baylor (70-63) and Texas (71-64). It was the Wildcats' longest win streak in Big 12 play and the longest regular-season conference win streak since winning 11 in a row from Jan. 14 to Feb. 26, 1974 in the old Big Eight Conference.
During the win streak, K-State averaged 68.4 points on 46.1 percent (217-of-471) shooting, including 39.5 percent (77-of-195) from 3-point range, to go with 69.5 percent (105-of-151) from the line, while averaging 14.8 assists and just 10.6 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 allowed 59.8 points in the win streak on 42.8 percent (194-of-453) shooting, including 32.3 percent (62-of-192) from 3-point range, while averaging 17.2 points off 14.6 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., averaged a team-best 18.6 points on 53.5 percent (61-of-114) shooting, which includes 3 20-point performances, while fellow senior Dean Wade, who played in 8 of the 9 games, averaged 13.9 points on 49.4 percent (40-of-81) shooting. Four other players (Kamau Stokes, Xavier Sneed, Cartier Diarra, Mike McGuirl and Makol Mawien) averaged between 5.1 and 10.0 points per game. Brown averaged just 12.0 points in the first 2 Big 12 games.

BROWN NAMED BIG 12 DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR;
BROWN, WADE ALL-BIG 12 FIRST TEAM

Senior Barry Brown, Jr., became the first K-State player to be named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, while he and Dean Wade became the first Wildcat duo to be named All-Big 12 First Team in the same season, as the league office announced its annual awards on March 10.
Brown was one of three unanimous selections to the All-Big 12 First team, along with Kansas' Dedric Lawson and Texas Tech's Jarrett Culver, while Wade became just second Wildcat player to be named to league's First Team in back-to-back seasons, joining Jacob Pullen (2010, 2011). The duo was joined on the All-Big 12 Teams by fellow senior Kamau Stokes and junior Xavier Sneed, who were both honorable mention selections.
The four overall selections for Wildcats tied for the most in the Big 12 era, as four players were named honorable mention in 1999. It marks the first time K-State has had two First Team picks since the Big Seven/Eight/12 began designating various all-conference teams and the first time since Mike Evans and Curtis Redding were both honored as All-Big Eight selections in 1977. Brown was All-Big 12 Second Team selection a season ago, while Stokes and Sneed earn all-conference honors for the first time in their respective careers.
Brown became the first Wildcat to be named the conference's Defensive Player of the Year since Rolando Blackman earned the honor in consecutive seasons in the Big Eight in 1979 and 1980. He was also a Big 12 All-Defensive Team selection for the second straight season and one of just two unanimous picks. He is the sixth Wildcat to earn recognition to the All-Defensive Team and first repeat selection since Jacob Pullen (2010, 2011).
Brown and Wade (2018, 2019) join Michael Beasley (2008), Jacob Pullen (2010, 2011) and Rodney McGruder (2013) as the only First Team selections in the Big 12 era with only Pullen and Wade doing it twice. They are just the seventh tandem in the Big 12 era to earn spots on the 15-member All-Big 12 First, Second or Third Teams and the first to repeat since Bob Boozer and Jack Parr did it in 1957 and 1958.

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.
Six different players (Wade, Brown, Sneed, Stokes and Makol Mawien) have led the Wildcats in scoring, while 9 players have at least one double-digit scoring game, including 26 by Brown, 19 by Wade, 18 by Stokes, 16 by Sneed, 9 by Mawien, 7 by Cartier Diarra and 1 each by Mike McGuirl, Shaun Neal-Williams and Austin Trice.
Since Bruce Weber took over in 2012-13, K-State has a 64-19 (.771) record when four or more players score in double figures, including a 12-1 mark in 2018-19. The Wildcats are 14-5 when Mawien scores in double digits, while the team is 13-4 (5-2 in 2018-19) 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.

NEAR HISTORIC NIGHT FROM 3

K-State showed its potential from long range, as the Wildcats connected on 16 3-point field goals -- the second-most triples in school history -- to propel themselves past Oklahoma State, 75-57, on Feb. 2.
The 16 made 3-point field goals were the most-ever in a conference game and the most since the Wildcats connected on a school-record 23 against Fresno State on March 24, 1994. Eight different Wildcats had at least one 3-pointer, including a career-tying 5 by senior Barry Brown, Jr.
The 75 points were a high in Big 12 play, as K-State connected on 53.1 percent (26-of-49) from the field, including 55.2 percent (16-of-29) from 3-point range. It marked the fourth time (now fifth time) this season that the Wildcats have hit 50 percent or better from the field, including just the second time from 3-point range, and had 19 assists on 26 made field goals.
The 26 made 3-point field goals in the games against OSU and No. 13/14 Kansas (2/5/19) were the most in a 2-game stretch since knocking down 32 against Fresno State (23) and Vanderbilt on March 24 and 28, 1994.

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.

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 20-5 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 67.4 points on 44.2 percent shooting, including 34.4 percent from 3-point range, in the 25 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.
Four Wildcats (Barry Brown, Jr. (15.0 ppg.), Dean Wade (12.9 ppg.), Xavier Sneed (10.8 ppg.) and Kamau Stokes (10.2 ppg.) are averaging in double figures in the 25 games with Wade in the lineup, while two others (Makol Mawien and Cartier Diarra) are averaging between 6.3 and 6.6 points per game. In comparison, only two (Brown/15.3 ppg., and Stokes/13.8 ppg.) are averaging in double figures in the 6 games without Wade.

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 252 career steals in a school-record 136 games played.
Brown's 252 steals rank sixth in Big 12 history, trailing Kansas' Aaron Miles (264; 2001-05) by 12 for the Top 5. Brown ranks fourth among active Division I players in steals, trailing Washington's Matisse Thybulle (306), Purdue Fort Wayne's John Koncher (267) and Oregon's Ehab Amin (261).
Brown ranks in the Top 10 in several career categories, including 1st in games (136), 3rd in field goals attempted (1,480), 4th in double-digit scoring games (89), 5th in scoring (1,751), field goals (621) and 3-pointers attempted (527), 6th in assists (341), 7th in starts (114), 8th in 3-pointers made (169) and free throws (340) and 9th in free throw attempted (486).
Most notably, Brown ranks among the all-time leaders in games played and starts, as his streak of 136 consecutive game played is the school record, while his 114 straight starts rank second (4 shy of Steve Henson's record). He broke the school record for games played with his 136th against Oklahoma (3/9/19), snapping his tie with Jacob Pullen and Rodney McGruder.
Brown ranks second in minutes (4,369) in school history, needing 105 to pass Steve Henson (4,474; 1987-90). He became the second Wildcat to eclipse 4,000 minutes as well as the 19th player to do so in the Big 12 era with his 40-minute performance vs. No. 13/14 Kansas (2/5/19). His current total is 4th among Big 12 players, needing 129 minutes for 3rd place.

BROWN NAMED SEMIFINALIST FOR NAISMITH DEFENSIVE POY AWARD

Senior Barry Brown, Jr., was named one of 10 semifinalists for the 2019 Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Award presented by Bona on Feb. 21.
Brown was one of two Big 12 players named as semifinalists, joining Texas Tech senior Tariq Owens. The other semifinalists include Gonzaga's Brandon Clarke, Kentucky's Ashton Hagans, Virginia's De'Andre Hunter, Duke's Tre Jones and Zion Williamson, Michigan's Zavier Simpson, Washington's Matisse Thybulle and Tennessee's Grant Williams.

BROWN, STOKES and WADE AMONG BIG 12'S BEST SCORING TRIOS

The senior scoring trio of Barry Brown, Jr., Kamau?Stokes and Dean Wade are among the best all-time in Big 12 history, accounting for 4,464 points in their respective careers. They currently rank third all-time in the league's history among senior trios, trailing Oklahoma's trio of Buddy Hield, Isaiah Cousins and Ryan Spangler by 184 points.
The 4,464 points is tops among all Power Conferences and ranks ninth among all of Division I, trailing South Dakota State (5,139/Mike Daum, David Jenkins, Skyler Flatten), Campbell (4,806/Chris Clemons, Andrew Eudy, Marcus Burk), Wofford (4,776, Fletcher Magee, Cameron Jackson, Nathan Hoover), Lipscomb (4,769/Garrison Mathews, Rob Marberry, Nate Moran), Marshall (4,695/Jon Elmore, C.J. Burks, Rondale Watson), Georgia Southern (4,562/Tookie Brown, Ike Smith, Montae Glenn), Buffalo (4,530/C.J. Massinburg, Nick Perkins, Jeremy Harris) and College of Charleston (4,458/Jarrell Brantley, Grant Riller, Marquise Pointer)
The 4,464 points is the top mark by a senior trio in K-State school history, surpassing such famous scoring trios as Ed Nealy, Tyrone Adams and Randy Reed (3,397; 1981-82), Askia Jones, Deryl Cunningham and Anthony Beane (3,274; 1993-94) and Rodney McGruder, Jordan Henriquez and Martavious Irving (2,695; 2012-13).
Brown (1,751 points) and Wade (1,510 points) each eclipsed the 1,000-point mark as juniors and currently rank 5th and 10th, respectively, on the all-time scoring list, while Stokes is 18th with 1,203 points.

STOKES AMONG THE BEST ALL-TIME IN ASSISTS, 3-POINTERS

Just like Barry Brown, Jr., and Dean Wade, Kamau Stokes ranks among the all-time leaders in several categories, including 3rd in assists (407) and 3-point field goals attempted (572), 4th in 3-point field goals (200), 6th in steals (128) and 9th in minutes (3,489).
With his 2 assists at TCU (3/5/19), Stokes became just the third Wildcat in school history to eclipse 400 career assists, joining all-time leader Steve Henson (582; 1986-90) and Jacob Pullen (455; 2007-11).
With his 4 triples against Oklahoma (3/9/19), Stokes became just the fourth Wildcat to post 200 career 3-point field goals, joining Pullen (299; 2007-11), Henson (240; 1987-90) and Askia Jones (237; 1989-94).

DON'T?FORGET?SNEED

With all the attention paid to the three seniors, the accomplishments of junior Xavier Sneed can be overlooked. Since missing the opener, he has scored in double figures in 16 of the last 30 games, including a season-high 19 points on 6-of-11 field goals in the win over West Virginia (2/18/19).
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 17 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.

Game Preview // 15/14 K-State to Play TCU at Big 12 Championship

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Players Mentioned

Barry Brown, Jr.

Cartier Diarra

Goodnews Kpegeol

Makol Mawien

Mike McGuirl

Xavier Sneed

Kamau Stokes

Austin Trice

Dean Wade

Shaun Williams

Kansas State University Athletics

Game Preview // 15/14 K-State to Play TCU at Big 12 Championship

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Barry Brown, Jr.

Cartier Diarra

Goodnews Kpegeol

Makol Mawien

Mike McGuirl

Xavier Sneed

Kamau Stokes

Austin Trice

Dean Wade

Shaun Williams

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