Game Preview // 18/17 K-State Closes Big 12 Road Schedule at TCU Monday

GAME 30
18/17 KANSAS STATE (22-7, 12-4 Big 12) at TCU (18-11, 6-10 Big 12)
Monday, March 4, 2019 >> 8:01 p.m. CT >> Schollmaier Arena (6,700) >> Fort Worth, Texas

TELEVISION
ESPN2 / ESPN3

Lowell Galindo (play-by-play)
Chris Spatola (analyst)
Nicole Rachel (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.gofrogs.com
tcu.statbroadcast.com [media only]

TICKETS
www.gofrogs.com/tickets
(800) TCU.FROG [828.3764]
Single Game: $45 (adults)/$35 (youth)

COACHES
Kansas State: Bruce Weber (Wis.-Milwaukee '78)
Overall: 460-242/21^st season
At K-State: 147-87/7^th season
vs. TCU: 11-4 (4-2 on the road)

TCU: Jamie Dixon (TCU '87)
Overall: 391-161/16^th Year
At TCU: 63-37/3^rd Year
vs. Kansas State: 3-4 (1-1 at home)

PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP
Kansas State (22-7, 12-4 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 (18-11, 6-10 Big 12)
G: #25 Alex Robinson
G: #1 Desmond Bane
G: #12 Kouat Noi
F: #15 J.D. Miller
F: #21 Kevin Samuel

SERIES HISTORY
Overall: K-State leads 14-6
Current Streak: K-State, 2
In Fort Worth: K-State leads 5-2
At Schollmaier Arena: K-State leads 5-1
Last Meeting: W, 65-55, 1/19/19
Weber vs. Dixon: 4-3 (1-1 on the road)

OPENING TIP

No. 18/17 Kansas State (22-7, 12-4 Big 12) begins the final week of the regular season with a trip to Fort Worth, Texas to take on TCU (18-11, 6-10 Big 12) at the Schollmaier Arena on Monday night. The Wildcats won the first meeting with the Horned Frogs, 65-55, on Jan. 19. The game will tip at 8:01 p.m., CT on ESPN2 with Lowell Galindo (play-by-play) and Chris Spatola (analyst) on the call.
K-State enters Monday's game in a first-place tie in the Big 12 with No. 8/8 Texas Tech (24-5, 12-4 Big 12), just one game ahead of third place and No. 13/14 Kansas (22-7, 11-5 Big 12) and two games ahead of fourth place Baylor (19-10, 10-6 Big 12). With two games remaining, the Wildcats have clinched at least a first round bye in next week's Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship and by virtue of a tiebreaker with Baylor will be one of the Top 3 seeds regardless of the outcome of this week's games.
Behind senior Dean Wade's game-high 20 points, K-State opened the month of March with a 66-60 win over a surging Baylor squad that had entered the game with wins in 4 of its last 5 outings, including 3 in a row. The Wildcats led 41-40 with 13:13 to play before using a 12-1 run to take a 53-41 lead with under 9 minutes remaining. The Bears closed to within 59-55 on a 3-pointer with 2:51 left, but the Wildcats were able to close it out from the free throw line, hitting on 7 of its last 12 attempts. In all, four players scored in double figures, including 16 from senior Kamau Stokes, 14 from junior Xavier Sneed and 10 from senior Barry?Brown, Jr. The senior class combined for 46 of the 66 points, as the trio all scored in double figures for the 25th time, including the seventh time this season. Wade posted his 19th career 20-point game, including his first since scoring a season-high 24 at Oklahoma State (2/2/19).
TCU enters the Monday's contest with losses in 4 of its last 5 games, including back-to-back setbacks at West Virginia (104-96) in triple overtime and Texas Tech (81-66) last week. The Horned Frogs have one of the?Big 12's top offenses, averaging 75.5 points on 45.6 percent shooting, including 34.6 percent from 3-point range, and have four players (Kouat Noi, Desmond Bane, Alex Robinson and J.D. Miller) averaging in double figures. Noi and Bane average nearly 15 points per game, while Robinson is the Big 12 leader in assists at 7.0 per game.
K-State and TCU will meet for just the 21st time on Monday night with the Wildcats holding a 14-6 advantage in a series that dates to 1947. The Wildcats have won 6 of the last 8 meetings, including a 65-55 win in the first meeting at Bramlage Coliseum on?Jan. 19. K-State led wire-to-wire in holding TCU to 55 points on 42.6 percent (20-of-47) shooting while scoring 21 points off 18 turnovers. Sneed paced three Wildcats in double figures with a game-high 18 ponts on 6-of-9 shooting, while Wade and Brown added 16 and 10 points, respectively. The Horned Frogs played without leading scorer Kouat Noi.
Defense continues to carry the Wildcats, as they are holding opponents to just 59.5 points on 41.3 percent shooting, including 31.4 percent from 3-point range. K-State has held 16 of 29 opponents (7 Big 12 foes) to 60 points or less with just two eclipsing 70. The team ranks among the Top 50 in several defensive categories nationally, including fourth in scoring defense, 58th in field goal percentage defense and 47th in 3-point field goal percentage defense. The Wildcats are averaging 17.1 points off 14.8 opponent turnovers this season, including 16.6 points in Big 12 play.

NOTES ON TCU

TCU (18-11, 6-10 Big 12) enters Monday's game with losses in 4 of its last 5 outings, including back-to-back setbacks against West Virginia (104-96) in the triple overtime and No. 11/11 Texas Tech (81-66) last week. In the loss to the Red Raiders, the Horned Frogs shot 38.7 percent, including 36.0 percent from 3-point range, and had 3 players score in double figures led by 18 points from senior J.D. Miller and 17 from senior Alex Robinson.
TCU is averaging 75.5 points on 45.6 percent shooting, including 34.6 percent from 3-point range, to go with 36.7 rebounds, a Big 12-best 16.4 assists, 7.2 steals and 4.3 blocks per game, while allowing 70.9 points on 43.1 percent shooting, including 30.8 percent from 3-point range. The team is connecting on 69.0 percent from the free throw line.
TCU is averaging 73.3 points in league action on 43.2 percent shooting, including 35.2 percent from 3-point range, while allowing 76.9 points on 46.4 percent shooting, including 32.7 percent from 3-point range. The Horned Frogs are hitting on 8.0 3-point field goals per game.
Four players are averaging in double figures for the Horned Frogs led by juniors Kouat Noi (15.1 ppg.) and Desmond Bane (14.9 ppg.), who are both averaging nearly 15 points per game. Noi is shooting 46 percent from the field, including 38.1 percent from 3-point range, while Bane is at 48.8 percent from the field and 38.3 percent from long range. The duo have nearly have of the Frogs' 225 3-point field goals. Robinson is averaging 13.2 points to go with 7.0 assists per game, while Miller is averaging 11.5 points on 47.2 percent shooting to go with 6.7 rebounds per game.
TCU is led by third-year head coach Jamie Dixon, who has posted a 63-37 (.630) record, which an NCAA Tournament bid in 2018 and an NIT?title in 2017. He is 391-161 (.708) in his 16th season as a head coach.

SERIES HISTORY

K-State and TCU will meet for the 21st time in their histories with the Wildcats holding a 14-6 advantage in a series that dates to 1947. K-State has a 5-2 record in games away from home in the series.
K-State has won 4 of the last 5 meetings with TCU, including back-to-back wins in overtime in the quarterfinals of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship last season and a 65-55 win on Jan. 19 at Bramlage Coliseum. Junior Xavier Sneed paced three Wildcats in double figures with a game-high 18 points in the last meeting, while the defense held the Horned Frogs to 42.6 percent shooting, including 25 percent from 3-point range.
Senior Dean Wade is averaging 14.8 points on 51.2 percent shooting in 8 career games against TCU, while senior Barry Brown, Jr., is averaging 12.0 points on 49.3 percent shooting in 8 games against the Horned Frogs.
Head coach Bruce Weber is 11-4 all-time against TCU, including a 4-2 mark on the road, while he is 4-3 against head coach Jamie Dixon.

ON THE ROAD

K-State has a 58-130 (.310) 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 46-59 (.442) record away from home after going 10-70 (.125) from 1997-2006. The team is 29-45 (.397) under Bruce Weber on the road, including 23-36 (.397) in the Big 12.
K-State has a 6-5 record away from home this season, including a 6-2 mark in Big 12 play. The Wildcats lost at No. 11/11 Texas Tech to start Big 12 play, but recorded 6 consecutive victories (No. 20/21 Iowa State, No. 20/19 Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Baylor, Texas and West Virginia) before the loss at Kansas (49-64) last Monday.
The 6 Big 12 road wins tie for the most in the Big 12 era with the 2009-10 (6-2) and 2012-13 (6-3) teams.

LAST TIME OUT: 16/15 K-STATE 66, BAYLOR 60

Paced by a game-high 20 points from senior Dean Wade, No. 16/15 K-State remained in a tie for first place in the Big 12 with a 66-60 victory over Baylor in front of 9,855 fans at Bramlage Coliseum on Saturday night.
In a matchup of the Big 12's top scoring offense and scoring defense in league play, K-State held Baylor nearly 15 points under its scoring average (74.3 ppg.) with 60 points on 47.7 percent shooting (21-of-44), including 37.5 percent (6-of-16) from 3-point range. The Wildcats have now held 85 opponents to 60 points or less in the Bruce Weber era, including 16 of 29 opponents (7 times in Big 12 play) this season. The team also scored 21 points off 19 Bear turnovers, marking the 20th time (12th time in Big 12 play) this season with 15 or more points off turnovers.
K-State led for nearly 35 minutes of Saturday's game, while the game changed leads only four times despite a tightly-contested affair. The Wildcats led 41-40 with 13:13 to play before using a 12-1 run to take a 12-point lead (53-41) with just under 9 minutes remaining. Baylor closed to within 59-55 on a 3-pointer by senior King McClure with 2:51 left, but K-State was able to close it out from the free throw line, hitting 7 of its last 12 attempts.
K-State connected on 44.7 percent (21-of-47) from the field, including 29.4 (5-of-17) from 3-point range, and knocked down 63.3 percent (19-of-30) from the free throw line. The Wildcats turned the ball over just 10 times, marking the 11th time with 10 or fewer turnovers this season.
Behind Wade's 20 points, four Wildcats scored in double figures, including 16 from senior Kamau Stokes, 14 from junior Xavier Sneed and 10 from senior Barry Brown, Jr. In total, the senior class combined for 46 of the 66 points, while Wade registered his 19th career 20-point game.
With his game-high 5 assists, Stokes moved into third place all-time in school history with 399 career assists. His total trails all-time leader Steve Henson (582; 1987-90) and Jacob Pullen (455; 2007-11).
K-State won its sixth consecutive game in the series against Baylor dating back to January 2017. It is the longest winning streak in series history and upped the Wildcats' all-time advantage to 23-18.

'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 59.5 points on 41.3 percent shooting, including 31.4 percent from 3-point range, while forcing 14.8 turnovers per game. The Wildcats rank 4th in scoring defense, 30th in turnover margin (+3.2), 47th in 3-point field goal percentage defense and 58th in field goal percentage defense. The team leads the Big 12 in steals (7.3), while is second in scoring defense, turnover margin (+3.2) and turnovers forced and third in 3-point field goal percentage defense and rebounding defense (31.9).
K-State has held 16 of 29 opponents to 60 points or less this season with two eclipsing 70. The squad has now held 85 opponents to 60 points or less in Weber's tenure, boasting a 77-8 mark in those contests.
K-State has held its opponents to an average of 14.1 points per game under their scoring average, including 13.8 points in Big 12 play. Ten 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), West Virginia (20.4), EKU (20.3) and OSU?(21.8).
In Big 12 play, K-State is allowing a league-best 60.4 points per game on 42.7 percent shooting, including 34 percent from 3-point range, while forcing opponents into 14.1 turnovers per game and scoring an average of 16.6 points off those turnovers. The Wildcats have held 6 Big 12 foes (Iowa State, TCU, Texas Tech, OSU [twice], West Virginia and Baylor) to 60 points or less.
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 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, with Wildcats scoring 16 points off 13 turnovers.
The 45 points were the fewest surrendered to a conference foe under Weber and the fewest since holding No. 23 Texas Tech to 44 points on Jan. 11, 2003. The Wildcats have held 4 Big 12 opponents (Iowa State, TCU, Texas Tech and Oklahoma State) to its season-low in points, while West Virginia was held to its second-fewest points (51) on Feb. 18, 2019.

POINTS OFF TURNOVERS

More than a quarter of K-State's total points (497/1911) this season have come off opponent turnovers, as the Wildcats are averaging 17.1 points off 14.8 opponent turnovers per game. The team ranks 30th in turnover margin (+3.2), 64th in turnovers forced (14.8) and 69th in steals (7.3).
The Wildcats scored 20 or more points off turnovers in 10 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), Kansas (22) and Baylor (21).
K-State has scored more than 3,000 points (3,582) 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 others with 100 or more steals, including Xavier Sneed (128), Kamau Stokes (127) and Dean Wade (114). Sneed and Stokes rank 6th and 7th in career steals, while Wade could join the career Top 10. Brown is tied for 6th in Big 12 history with Kansas' Russell Robinson (2004-08), trailing former Kansas player Aaron Miles (2001-05) by 17 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 33.4 rebounds per game, which ranks last in the Big 12, to go with averages of 9.4 offensive (7th) and 24.0 defensive (9th) rebounds per game. On the positive side, the Wildcats are allowing opponents 31.9 rebounds per game (3rd in the Big 12) and hold a Big 12-best 74.7 defensive rebounding percentage.
K-State has out-rebounded 16 of 29 opponents, including 7 in 16 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 2.8 rebounds per game in just 8.0 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 4.5 rpg.), Barry Brown,?Jr., (3.1 to 4.2 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 43.3 percent shooting (687-of-1587), including 34 percent (203-of-597) from 3-point range, and 66.3 percent (334-of-504) from the free throw line. The Wildcats rank 319th among 351 Division I?teams in scoring offense, 240th in field goal percentage, 196th in 3-point field goal percentage and 312th 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 11 games and 40 percent or better from the 3-point line on 8 occasions.
In Big 12 play, K-State is averaging 65.6 points on 43.9 percent shooting, including 36.9 percent from 3-point range, and 68.2 percent from the line. The Wildcats rank 3rd in 3-point field goal percentage, 6th in field goal percentage, 8th in free throw percentage and 9th in scoring offense.
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 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).

'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.

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 18-5 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 67.5 points on 44.1 percent shooting, including 34.7 percent from 3-point range, in the 23 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. (15.0 ppg.), Dean Wade (13.2 ppg.) and Xavier Sneed (11.0 ppg.) are averaging in double figures in the 23 games with Wade in the lineup, while three others (Kamau Stokes, Makol Mawien and Cartier Diarra) are averaging betwen 6.2 and 9.6 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.

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.

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 24 by Brown, 17 by Wade, 16 by Stokes, 15 by Sneed, 8 by Mawien, 7 by Cartier Diarra and 1 each by Mike McGuirl, Shaun Neal-Williams and Austin Trice.
Since Weber took over in 2012-13, K-State has posted a 63-19 (.765) record when four or more players score in double figures, including a 11-1 mark in 2018-19. The Wildcats are 13-5 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.

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 247 career steals in 134 games played.
Brown's 247 career steals currently tie for sixth in Big 12 history with Kansas' Russell Robinson (247; 2004-08), trailing Aaron Miles (264; 2001-05) by 17 for the Top 5. Brown ranks fourth among active Division I players in career steals, trailing Washington's Matisse Thybulle (302), Purdue Fort Wayne's John Koncher (267) and Oregon's Ehab Amin (261).
Brown places among several career records, including 3rd in games played (134), 4th in double-digit scoring games (87), 5th in scoring (1,720), field goals attempted (1,453), 6th in field goals (609), assists (334) and 3-point field goals attempted (519), 7th in starts (112), 8th in 3-point field goals made (167) and free throws (335) and 9th in free throw attempted (480).
Brown also ranks among the leaders in games played, as his streak of 134 consecutive game played is now the school record, breaking his tie with Steve Henson (127; 1986-90), while his 112 straight starts ranks second (7 shy of Henson's school record). He needs 1 more game to tie the school record of 135 games played, which is held by Jacob Pullen and Rodney McGruder.
Brown ranks second in minutes (4,291) in school history, needing 183 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).

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.

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 4,379 points in their respective careers, which is tops among all Power Conferences and 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 (4,727/Garrison Mathews, Rob Marberry, Nate Moran), Marshall (4,630/Jon Elmore, C.J. Burks, Rondale Watson), Georgia Southern (4,562/Tookie Brown, Ike Smith, Montae Glenn), Buffalo (4,476/C.J. Massinburg, Nick Perkins, Jeremy Harris) and College of Charleston (4,458/Jarrell Brantley, Grant Riller, Marquise Pointer)
Brown (1,720 points) and Wade (1,490 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 ranks 19th with 1,169 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 (399) and 3-point field goals attempted (555), 4th in 3-point field goals (193), 7th in steals (127) and 9th in minutes (3,420).
With his next assist, Stokes will become 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 7 more triples, Stokes would become 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 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 (11/9/18), Sneed has scored in double figures in 15 of the last 28 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 16 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: OKLAHOMA (18-11, 6-10 Big 12)

K-State concludes the regular season with a home game on Saturday against Oklahoma?(18-11, 6-10 Big 12) on Senior Day at 5 p.m., CT. K-State won the first meeting, 74-61, at the Lloyd Noble Center on Jan. 16.

Game Preview // 18/17 K-State Closes Big 12 Road Schedule at TCU Monday

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

Kansas State University Athletics

Game Preview // 18/17 K-State Closes Big 12 Road Schedule at TCU Monday

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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