Game Preview // 18/17 K-State Hosts Oklahoma on Senior Day Saturday

GAME 31
18/17 KANSAS STATE (23-7, 13-4 Big 12) vs. OKLAHOMA (19-11, 7-10 Big 12)
Saturday, March 9, 2019 >> 5:05 p.m. CT >> Bramlage Coliseum (12,528) >> Manhattan, Kan.

TELEVISION
ESPN2 / ESPN3

Rich Hollenberg (play-by-play)
Robbie Hummel (analyst)
Colleen O'Sullivan (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 84 / XM 84 / Internet 84

LIVE STATS
www.kstatesports.com
kstate.statbroadcast.com [media only]

TICKETS
www.kstatesports.com/tickets
(800) 221.CATS [2287]
Single Game: $35 (bench & GA)/$75 (chairback)

COACHES
Kansas State: Bruce Weber (Wis.-Milwaukee '78)
Overall: 461-242/21^st season
At K-State: 148-87/7^th season
vs. Oklahoma: 9-4 (6-0 at home)

Oklahoma: Lon Kruger (Kansas State '75)
Overall: 638-406/33^rd Year
At Oklahoma: 159-102/8^th Year
vs. Kansas State: 8-10 (2-6 on the road)

PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP
Kansas State (23-7, 13-4 Big 12)
G: #3 Kamau Stokes
G: #5 Barry Brown, Jr.
G/F: #20 Xavier Sneed
F: #32 Dean Wade
F: #14 Makol Mawien

Oklahoma (19-11, 7-10 Big 12)
G: #24 Jamal Bienlemy
G: #1 Rashad Odomes
G: #0 Christian James
F: #35 Brady Manek
F: #21 Kristian Doolittle

SERIES HISTORY
Overall: Oklahoma leads 108-100
Current Streak: K-State, 1
In Manhattan: K-State leads 61-36
At Bramlage Coliseum: K-State leads 15-8
Last Meeting: W, 74-61, 1/16/19
Weber vs. Kruger: 10-4 (6-0 at home)

OPENING TIP

No. 18/17 Kansas State (23-7, 13-4 Big 12) wraps up the regular season with a visit from former Wildcat standout Lon Kruger and his red-hot Oklahoma Sooners (19-11, 7-10 Big 12) on Saturday, as the Wildcats celebrate Senior Day at Bramlage Coliseum. The athletics department will honor senior managers Sagin Churchman and Josh Macy as well as senior players Barry Brown, Jr., Kamau Stokes and Dean Wade in a pre-game ceremony. The game will tip at 5:05 p.m., CT on ESPN2 with Rich Hollenberg (play-by-play) and Robbie Hummel (analyst) on the call.
K-State enters Saturday's game in a first-place tie in the Big 12 with No. 8/8 Texas Tech (25-5, 13-4 Big 12) with the opportunity to claim the regular-season conference title for the first time since 2013. The Wildcats have not won an outright conference championship since winning the 1977 Big Eight crown, while they shared the 2013 Big 12 title with Kansas. The team has clinched at least a first round bye in next week's Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship at Sprint Center and will be either the No. 1 or No. 2 seed at the tournament depending of the outcome of Saturday's game.
Senior Barry Brown, Jr., paced four Wildcats in double figures with a team-high 16 points, as K-State wrapped up its Big 12 road schedule with a 64-52 win over TCU at Schollmaier Arena on Monday night. The victory not only helped K-State keep pace in the Big 12 race, but it also represented the seventh Big 12 road win, which tied for the most in school history and the most since the 1958-59 team went 7-0 on the road in Big Eight play. Joining Brown in double figures were fellow senior Kamau Stokes (15) and juniors Xavier Sneed (11) and Makol Mawien (10), while senior Dean Wade nearly made it five starters in double figures with 9 points. The starters were responsible for 61 of the 64 points to go with 25 of 29 rebounds, 13 of 15 assists, 7 of 8 steals and all 3 blocks. The Horned Frogs were held to a season-low 52 points.
Oklahoma enters the Saturday's contest with momentum after winning 4 of its last 5 games, including an 81-68 victory over No. 13/14 Kansas, which ended the Jayhawks' hopes of a 15th straight conference title. The Sooners are averaging nearly 75 points during this 5-game stretch, including back-to-back games of 80 or more points. The experienced squad has six players averaging in 6 or more points, including a trio (Christian James, Brady Manek and Kristian Doolittle) in double figures.
K-State and Oklahoma will meet for the 209th time on Saturday with the Sooners holding a 108-100 advantage in a series that dates to 1920. The Wildcats have a 61-36 mark in games played at home, including a 6-game winning streak at Bramlage Coliseum. Brown (25 points) and Wade (20) combined for 45 points, as K-State led wire-to-wire in winning the first meeting with Oklahoma, 74-61, at the Lloyd Noble Center on Jan. 16. The Wildcats connected on 50 percent (29-of-58) from the field, including 54.8 percent (17-of-31) in the second half, and knocked down 10 3-pointers on 45.5 percent shooting.
Defense continues to carry the Wildcats, as they are holding opponents to just 59.3 points (59.9 points in Big 12 games) on 41.3 percent shooting, including 31.4 percent from 3-point range. K-State has held 17 of 30 opponents (8 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 and 44th in 3-point field goal percentage defense. The Wildcats are averaging 17.3 points off 14.8 opponent turnovers this season, including 16.9 points in Big 12 play.

NOTES ON OKLAHOMA

Oklahoma (19-11, 7-10 Big 12) enters Saturday's game with wins in 4 of its last 5 games, including a decisive 81-68 win over No. 13/14 Kansas on Tuesday night at home. The Sooners are averaging nearly 75 points in the last 5 games on 48.4 percent shooting, including 41.3 percent from 3-point range, and have 3 players (Kristian Doolittle, Brady Manek and Christian James) averaging in double figures led by Doolittle's 18-point average.
Oklahoma is averaging 71.8 points on 44.6 percent shooting, including 34.4 percent from 3-point range, to go with 37.9 rebounds, 12.8 assists, 5.9 steals and 3.3 blocks per game, while allowing 68.1 points on 40.2 percent shooting, including 33.6 percent from 3-point range. The team is connecting on 68.8 percent from the free throw line.
Oklahoma is averaging 67.5 points in Big 12 play on 42.7 percent shooting, including 32.9 percent from 3-point range, while allowing 70.3 points on 42.5 percent shooting, including 32.9 percent from 3-point range. The team is connecting on 70.0 percent from the free throw line.
Six players are averaging 6 or more points, including 3 in double figures led by All-Big 12 candidate Christian James, who leads the way at 14.8 points per game on 41.1 percent shooting, including 33.7 percent from 3-point range, to go with 6.5 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.2 steals per game. Sophomore Brady Manek averages 12 points on 46.1 percent shooting, while Doolittle averages 10.9 points on 50 percent shooting to go with a team-best 7.0 rebounds per game. James and Manek have combined for 110 3-point field goals. Freshman Jamal Bieniemy has a team-best 102 assists.
Oklahoma is led by eighth-year head coach Lon Kruger, who has a 159-102 (.609) record, which includes 5 NCAA?Tournaments and the 2016 Final Four . He is 638-406 (.611) in his 33rd season as a head coach, which includes an 81-46 (.638) mark and 4 NCAA Tournaments at K-State from 1986-90.

SERIES HISTORY

K-State and Oklahoma will meet for the 209th time in their histories with the Sooners holding a 108-100 advantage in a series that dates to 1920. The Wildcats are 61-36 at home, including a 15-8 mark at Bramlage Coliseum.
K-State has won 6 of the last 9 meetings with Oklahoma, which includes a 74-61 win in the last meeting on Jan. 16 at the Lloyd Noble Center. Seniors Barry Brown, Jr. (25 points) and Dean Wade (20) combined for 45 points, as the Wildcats connected on 50 percent from the field.
Brown is averaging 18.1 points on 50.5 percent shooting in 7 career games against Oklahoma, while Wade is averaging 14.1 points on 50.0 percent shooting in 7 games against the Sooners.
Head coach Bruce Weber is 9-4 all-time against Oklahoma, including a 6-0 mark at home, while he is 10-4 against head coach Lon Kruger.

HISTORY AT BRAMLAGE COLISEUM

K-State has posted a 377-118 (.762) record at Bramlage Coliseum since its opening during the 1988-89 season. The 377 wins are the second-most at a home venue, trailing the 378 wins at Ahearn Field House (1950-88).
K-State has registered a 176-38 (.822) record at Bramlage Coliseum over the past 13 seasons (since 2006-07), including a 78-33 (.700) mark in Big 12 play. In all, the program has earned double-digit victories in 26 of its 31 seasons in the arena, including its current streak of 18 straight seasons.
Head coach Bruce Weber has tallied a 92-22 (.807) record at Bramlage Coliseum since taking over at K-State, including a 43-19 (.694) mark in Big 12 play. He has posted at least 6 home wins in Big 12 play in 5 of 7 seasons.

LAST TIME OUT: 18/17 K-STATE 64, TCU 52

Senior Barry Brown, Jr., led four Wildcats in double figures with a team-high 16 points, as No. 18/17 K-State wrapped up its Big 12 road slate with a 64-52 win over TCU before 6,258 fans at Schollmaier Arena on Monday.
With the win, K-State claimed its school-record seventh Big 12 road win of the season, which is the most road wins in conference play since the 1958-59 team posted a perfect 7-0 road record in Big Eight play.
Joining Brown in double figures were fellow senior Kamau Stokes (15) and juniors Xavier Sneed (11) and Makol Mawien (10), while senior Dean Wade nearly made it five starters in double figures with 9 points. The starters were responsible for 61 of the 64 points to go with 25 of 29 rebounds, 13 of 15 assists, 7 of 8 steals and all 3 blocked shots. K-State is now 12-1 this season when four or more players score in double figures.
K-State led for more than 35 minutes of Monday's game with the lead changing just twice. Tied 23-all with just under 5 minutes to play in the first half, the Wildcats took the lead for good with a 13-4 run, keyed by a pair of 3-pointers by Stokes, to take a 36-27 lead into the half.
The hot shooting continued to start the second half, as K-State rattled off 10 consecutive points before TCU could even register a field goal to take a 46-27 advantage with 16:11 to play. The lead ballooned to 21 points on a dunk by Sneed just a few minutes later before the Horned Frogs used a 10-0 run to close the gap to 51-40 with 12:46 remaining. Mawien was able to answer with a 15-footer to extend the lead back to 13 just 30 seconds later.
TCU made one last run, closing to 57-50 on 2 free throws by junior Desmond Bane with 6 to play. However, Stokes was fouled on a 3-pointer just a few minutes later and converted on all 3 attempts to push the lead back to double digits at 60-50, where it remained the rest of the game.
The Wildcats hit on 46.9 percent (23-of-49) from the field, including 31.3 (5-of-16) from 3-point range, and knocked down 92.9 percent (13-of-14) from the line. The Horned Frogs, which were held to their season low in points for the second time by the Wildcats, hit on 41.7 percent (20-of-48) of their field goals, including 31.3 percent (5-of-16) from the beyond the arc.

'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 has developed into one of the best on the defensive end, holding opponents to 59.3 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, 32nd in turnover margin (+3.1), 44th in 3-point field goal percentage defense and 56th in field goal percentage defense. The team leads the Big 12 in steals (7.4) and defensive rebounding percentage (.747), while is second in scoring defense, turnover margin and turnovers forced and third in 3-point field goal percentage and rebounding defense (31.7).
The 59.3 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 17 of 30 opponents to 60 points or less this season with two eclipsing 70. The squad has now held 86 opponents to 60 points or less in Bruce Weber's tenure, boasting a 78-8 mark in those contests.
K-State has held foes to an average of 14.4 points under their average, including the same 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 is allowing 59.9 points per game on 42.6 percent shooting, including 34 percent from 3-point range. It is on pace to be 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 and Baylor) to 60 points or less on 8 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 in Monday's victory. The team held the quartet (Kouat Noi, Desmond Bane, Alex Robinson and J.D. Miller) of double-figure scorers to a combined 16 points on Monday on 26 percent (6-of-23) shooting.

POINTS OFF TURNOVERS

More than a quarter of K-State's total points (518/1975) this season have come off opponent turnovers, as the Wildcats are averaging 17.3 points off 14.8 opponent turnovers per game. The team ranks 32nd in turnover margin (+3.1), 64th in turnovers forced (14.8) and 65th in steals (7.4).
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 (3,603) 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 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 (129), Kamau Stokes (127) and Dean Wade (117).
Sneed and Stokes rank 5th and 7th in career steals, while Wade needs 1 steal to crack the Top 10. Brown currently ranks 6th in Big 12 history with 249 career steals, trailing Kansas' Aaron Miles (264; 2001-05) by 15 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 9.3 offensive (7th) and 24.0 defensive (9th) rebounds per game. On the positive side, the Wildcats are allowing opponents 31.7 rebounds per game (3rd in the Big 12) and hold a Big 12-best 74.7 defensive rebounding percentage.
K-State has out-rebounded 17 of 30 opponents, including 8 in 17 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 4.6 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 65.8 points on 43.4 percent shooting (710-of-1636), including 33.9 percent (208-of-613) from 3-point range, and 67 percent (347-of-518) from the free throw line. The Wildcats rank 318th among 351 Division I?teams in scoring offense, 233rd in field goal percentage, 203rd in 3-point field goal percentage and 299th 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 12 games and 40 percent or better from the 3-point line on 8 occasions.
In Big 12 play, K-State is averaging 65.5 points on 44.1 percent shooting, including 36.6 percent from 3-point range, and 69.4 percent from the line. The Wildcats rank 2nd in 3-point field goal percentage, 5th 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 (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).

'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 19-5 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 34.6 percent from 3-point range, in the 24 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 (13.0 ppg.) and Xavier Sneed (11.0 ppg.) are averaging in double figures in the 24 games with Wade in the lineup, while three others (Kamau Stokes, Makol Mawien and Cartier Diarra) are averaging betwen 6.4 and 9.8 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 25 by Brown, 18 by Wade, 17 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 Weber took over in 2012-13, K-State has posted 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.

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 249 career steals in 135 games played.
Brown's 249 steals rank sixth in Big 12 history, trailing Kansas' Aaron Miles (264; 2001-05) by 15 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 tied for first in games (135), 4th in double-digit scoring games (88) and field goals attempted (1,468), 5th in scoring (1,736), 6th in field goals (616), assists (337) and 3-pointers attempted (522), 7th in starts (113), 8th in 3-pointers made (167) and free throws (337) and 9th in free throw attempted (482).
Most notably, Brown ranks among the leaders in games played and starts, as his streak of 135consecutive game played is the school record, breaking his tie with Steve Henson (127; 1986-90), while his 113 straight starts rank second (5 shy of Henson's school record). He needs 1 more game to break his tie with Jacob Pullen and Rodney McGruder for the school record with 135 games played. He still needs 7 games to crack the Big 12's Top 10.
Brown ranks second in minutes (4,330) in school history, needing 144 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 sixth among Big 12 players, needing 18 minutes for the Top 5.

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 4,419 points in their respective careers. They currently rank fourth all-time in the league's history among senior trios, trailing Oklahoma's trio of Buddy Hield, Isaiah Cousins and Ryan Spangler by 229 points.
The 4,419 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)
Brown (1,736 points) and Wade (1,499 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 tied for 18th with 1,184 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 (401) and 3-point field goals attempted (562), 4th in 3-point field goals (196), 7th in steals (127) and 9th in minutes (3,455).
With his 2 assists against TCU on Monday, 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 4 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 can be overlooked. Since missing the opener, he has scored in double figures in 16 of the last 29 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.

NEXT UP: BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP

K-State will be either the No. 1 or No. 2 seed at the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship and will play on Thursday. The No. 1 seed plays at 1:30 p.m., CT against the winner of the game between the No. 8/9 seeds, while the No. 2 seed plays at 6 p.m., CT against the winner of the No. 7/10 game.

Game Preview // 18/17 K-State Hosts Oklahoma on Senior Day Saturday

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 Hosts Oklahoma on Senior Day Saturday

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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