Game Preview // K-State Hosts UNLV on Saturday Night

Saturday, December 5

Manhattan

7 p.m.

Kansas State University

UNLV

Dec 04, 2020 | Men's Basketball

K-State Notes (.pdf)UNLV Notes (.pdf)Listen Live Stats Watch

The Runnin' Rebels will be making their first visit to Manhattan since 1982

GAME 4
KANSAS STATE (1-2) vs. UNLV (0-4)
Saturday, December 5, 2020 >> 7:01 p.m. CT >> Bramlage Coliseum (12,528) >> Manhattan, Kan.

TELEVISION
Big 12 Now on ESPN+

Ben Boyle (play-by-play)
Stan Weber (analyst)

RADIO
K-State Sports Network
Flagships: // KMAN 1350 & WIBW 580
Online: TuneIn.com [free] / www.kstatesports.com/watch [free]
Internet 983

Wyatt Thompson (play-by-play)
Matt Walters (analyst)

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

COACHES
Kansas State: Bruce Weber (Wis.-Milwaukee '78)
Overall: 475-267/23^rd season
At K-State: 162-112/9^th season
vs. UNLV: 2-1 (1-0 at K-State)

UNLV: T.J. Otzelberger (Wisconsin-Whitewater '01)
Overall: 87-52/5^th season
At UNLV: 17-19/2^nd season
vs. Kansas State: 0-1 (0-1 at UNLV)

PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP
Kansas State (1-2)
G: #24 Nijel Pack
G: #00 Mike McGuirl
G: #3 DaJuan Gordon
F: #11 Antonio Gordon
F: #1 Kaosi Ezeagu

UNLV (0-4)
G: #0 Zion Williams
G: #3 Brandon McKissic
G: #11 Franck Kamgain
G: #3 Marvin Nesbitt, Jr.
F: #20 Josiah Allick

SERIES HISTORY
Overall: UNLV leads 4-3
Current Streak: K-State, 1
In Manhattan: K-State leads 1-0
At Bramlage Coliseum: First meeting
Last Meeting: W, 60-56 [OT] [11/9/19 in Las Vegas]
Weber vs. Otzelberger: Weber leads 1-0

OPENING TIP

Kansas State (1-2) continues its 5-game homestand to start the 2020-21 season, as the Wildcats play host to UNLV (0-4) at 7 p.m., CT at Bramlage Coliseum on Big 12 Now on ESPN+. The game will conclude a home-and-home series between the schools that started in 2019 with K-State winning a thriller in overtime, 60-56, on Nov. 9, 2019 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. This will be the Runnin' Rebels' first visit to Manhattan since the first meeting in the series - an 87-65 win by the Wildcats on Jan. 4, 1982 at Ahearn Field House.
K-State snapped a 2-game losing streak to start the season on Monday night with a 62-58 win over Kansas City, as the Wildcats jumped out to a 17-0 lead en route to a wire-to-wire victory. The team used its defense and energy to jump out to the 17-0 lead, holding the 'Roos without a field goal for more than 8 minutes. During the opening stretch, four different Wildcats scored points, including 5 points each from freshman Nijel Pack and Selton Miguel. The veteran Kansas City team chipped away at the deficit in the second half, closing to 58-52 on a 3-pointer from senior Brandon McKissic, who led all scorers with 24 points, and 1-of-2 free throws from junior Franck Kamgain just 40 seconds later. However, a free throw by Mike McGuirl and a jumper from Pack extended the lead to 61-52 with 1:42 remaining.
K-State had a balanced offensive attack in the win over Kansas City, as sophomore DaJuan Gordon and Pack each had 14 points, while sophomore Kaosi Ezeagu posted his first double-digit effort as a Wildcat with 11 points. Gordon nearly had his first career double-double with a career-high 9 rebounds to go with 2 assists and 2 steals in a career-best 36 minutes, while Pack scored in double figures for the second time in 3 games on 5-of-10 shooting, including 3-of-6 from 3-point range, to go with 6 rebounds and a team-high 3 assists. Ezeagu collected 5 rebounds and 3 blocks.
K-State got back to its defensive roots against Kansas City, holding the 'Roos to just 58 points after they entered the game averaging 103.0 points after posting wins over NAIA Culver-Stockton (138-97) and Division III Greenville College (138-97). It marked the 96th time under head coach Bruce Weber that the Wildcats have held an opponent to less than 60 points with the Wildcats holding an 87-9 mark. The team had allowed 156 points (78.0 ppg.) in their first 2 games on 48.7 percent shooting (55-of-113), including 60.9 percent (42-of-69) from inside the 3-point arc. It was the most points allowed by a Weber-coached team in the first 2 games since his 2000-01 Southern Illinois squad allowed 161 points.
UNLV enters Saturday's game with an uncharacteristic 0-4 record after 3 games at the Maui Invitational, which was relocated to mainland in Asheville, N.C., falling to No. 16 North Carolina (51-78), Alabama (74-86) and Davidson (73-77). The Runnin' Rebels, much like the Wildcats have bunch of new faces (11 newcomers), including Kansas native Caleb Grill, who had 27 points against Alabama.
Despite the 2 losses to start the season, the Wildcats have still won 99 of their last 107 non-conference homes games. K-State is 112-10 (.918) at home venues in non-conference play since the 2006-07 season, including a 103-8 (.928) mark at Bramlage Coliseum.

NOTES ON UNLV

UNLV is off to a 0-4 start after dropping games to No. 16 North Carolina (51-78), Alabama (74-86) and Davidson (73-77) at the Maui Invitational in Asheville, N.C., this past week. This came on the heels of the Runnin' Rebels dropping their home opener to Montana State, 91-78, on Nov. 25.
Much like K-State, UNLV has lots of new faces, as the Runnin' Rebels have 11 new players, including starters Caleb Grill and David Jenkins, Jr. Grill, a native of Wichita who was once recruited by K-State, earned a waiver after transferring from Iowa State where he played the 2019-20, while Jenkins sat out last season after transferring from South Dakota State.
UNLV is averaging 69 points on 39.3 percent shooting, including 33.3 percent from 3-point range, to go with 31.5 rebounds, 11.3 assists, 6.8 steals and 2.0 blocks per game, while allowing opponents to average 83 points on 48.4 percent shooting, including 40 percent from 3-point range, to go with 39 rebounds, 15.5 assists, 5.0 steals and 3.3 blocks per game. The Rebels are averaging 10.8 made 3-point field goals per game.
Junior Bryce Hamilton is one of three Rebels that is averaging in double figures, along with Grill (14.0 ppg.) and Jenkins (10.3 ppg.), while two others (Marvin Coleman and Nick Blake) are averaging 8.0 and 6.3 points per game. Hamilton is averaging 21.5 points per game on 43.4 percent shooting, including 28.6 percent from 3-point range, while averaging 5.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 34.5 minutes per game. Grill is the team leader in 3-pointers at 15, while hitting on 41.7 percent from beyond the arc, while averaging 4.0 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game. Jenkins, who averaged 17.7 points per game in 2 seasons at South Dakota State, is averaging 10.3 points on 28.9 percent shooting, including 32.3 percent from 3-point range. Senior Cheikh Mbacke Diong is the team leader in rebounds at 6.3 per game.
UNLV finished the 2019-20 season with a 17-15 overall record, including a tie for second place in the Mountain West with a 12-6 mark. The Rebels return 4 lettermen and 2 starters in 2020-21.
Head coach T.J. Otzelberger enters his fourth season as a head coach, including his second at UNLV, with an 87-52 overall record. He led South Dakota State to 70 wins from 2016-19, including consecutive seasons of 28 and 24 wins to go with two trips to the NCAA Tournament and one bid to the NIT. He also spent time as an assistant coach at Iowa State during two stints from 2006-13 and 2015-16 for Greg McDermott and Fred Hoiberg, including serving as associate head coach from 2010-13. The Cyclones won 23 games in each of his last three seasons with 3 NCAA Tournaments.

SERIES HISTORY

K-State and UNLV will meet for the eighth time on Saturday in a series that dates back to an 82-65 win at Ahearn Field House in Manhattan on Jan. 4, 1982. The Runnin' Rebels won matchups at the Thomas & Mack Center on Dec. 17, 1983 (84-78) and Dec. 28, 1984 (77-68) before the two teams met in the 1987 NCAA Tournament with the Rebels winning 80-61 in Salt Lake City. The Wildcats have won 2 of the last 3 meetings, including a dramatic 60-56 overtime win on Nov. 9, 2019 at the Thomas & Mack Center in the first game of the home-and-home series.
This will be fourth-ever matchup for head coach Bruce Weber against UNLV with two coming during his stint at Illinois. Weber defeated the Rebels, 73-62, in the first round of the 2011 NCAA Tournament in Tulsa, Okla., before losing 64-48 on Dec. 17, 2012 at the United Center in Chicago.
K-State is 36-18 against teams from the Mountain West Conference, which includes a 21-2 mark at home. The Wildcats will be hosting a MWC foe for the first time since a 61-56 win over Colorado State at the Wichita Wildcat Classic on Dec, 19, 2015, while it is the first in Manhattan since a 68-56 win over New Mexico on Nov. 23, 2005.

LAST TIME OUT: K-STATE 62, KANSAS CITY 58

K-State returned to its defensive roots in earning its first win of the season, as the Wildcats jumped out to a 17-0 lead and rode it to a 62-58 win over Kansas City on Monday night at Bramlage Coliseum.
K-State led wire-to-wire in claiming its 19th win in 20 all-time meetings with Kansas City, which entered the game averaging 103.0 points per game.
K-State used its defense and energy to jump out to a 17-0 lead, holding Kansas City without a field goal for more than 8 minutes to gain the early edge. The 'Roos were able to close to within 58-52 with just over 3 to play, but a free throw by Mike McGuirl and a jumper by Nijel Pack pushed the lead back out to 9 points with 1:42 remaining.
It marked the 96th time under head coach Bruce Weber that the Wildcats have held an opponent to less than 60 points in a game with the squad holding an 87-9 mark in those contests.
Three Wildcats scored in double figures, as sophomore DaJuan Gordon and Pack each had 14 points to lead the way while sophomore Kaosi Ezeagu scored in double figures for the first time as a Wildcats with 11. Gordon nearly had his first double-double with a career-best 9 rebounds to go with 2 assists and 2 steals, while Pack added 6 rebounds and a team-high 3 assists. Ezeagu collected 5 rebounds and 3 blocks.

NON-CONFERENCE HISTORY

K-State has a 112-10 (.917) 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 103-8 (.927) mark at Bramlage Coliseum
Despite seeing their 33-game winning streak end at Bramlage Coliseum with a loss to Marquette on Dec. 7, 2019, the Wildcats have still won 99 of their last 107 non-conference home games.
K-State has posted a 148-44 (.770) record in non-conference play since the 2006-07 season. Prior to last season, the team had posted double-digit non-conference wins in 12 of the last 13 seasons.

UP NEXT: VS. MILWAUKEE (0-0)

K-State will have a short break before continuing its homestand on Friday, Dec. 11, as the Wildcats welcome Milwaukee (0-0). The Panthers have yet to play this season due to COVID-19 related issues.