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

Saturday, February 15

Fort Worth, TX

4 p.m.

Kansas State University

TCU

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

Feb 14, 2020 | Men's Basketball

K-State Notes (.pdf)TCU Notes (.pdf)Listen Live Stats Watch (Big 12 Now)

By: The Horned Frogs are seeking their first-ever season sweep of the Wildcats

GAME 25
KANSAS STATE (9-15, 2-9 Big 12) at TCU (13-11, 4-7 Big 12)
Saturday, February 15, 2020 >> 4:01 p.m., CT >> Schollmaier Arena (6,700) >> Fort Worth, Texas

TELEVISION
Big 12 Now on ESPN+ / WatchESPN

Clay Matvick (play-by-play)
Bryndon Manzer (analyst)
Paul Ervin (producer)

RADIO
K-State Sports Network
Flagships: // KMAN 1350 & WIBW 580
Online: TuneIn.com [free] / www.kstatesports.com/watch [free]
Satellite Radio: XM 384 / Internet 974

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

LIVE STATS
www.GoFrogs.com
tcu.statbroadcast.com [media only]

TICKETS
www.GoFrogs.com
(817) 257.3764
Gameday: $35 (youth)/$45 (adult)

COACHES
Kansas State: Bruce Weber (Wis.-Milwaukee '78)
Overall: 472-259/22^nd season
At K-State: 159-104/8^th season
vs. TCU: 13-5 (5-2 on the road)

TCU: Jamie Dixon (TCU '87)
Overall: 409-175/17^th season
At TCU: 81-52/4^th season
vs. Kansas State: 4-6 (1-2 at home)

PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP
Kansas State (9-15)
G: #2 Cartier Diarra
G: #3 DaJuan Gordon
G/F: #20 Xavier Sneed
F: #23 Montavious Murphy
F: #14 Makol Mawien

TCU (13-11)
G: #1 Desmond Bane
G: #3 Francisco Farabello
G: #22 R.J. Nembhard
F: #10 Diante Smith
C: #21 Kevin Samuel

SERIES HISTORY
Overall: K-State leads 16-7
Current Streak: TCU, 1
In Fort Worth: K-State leads 6-2
At Schollmaier Arena: K-State leads 6-1
Last Meeting: L, 57-59 [1/7/2020 in Manhattan]
Weber vs. Dixon: Weber leads 6-4 [2-1 on the road]

OPENING TIP

Kansas State (9-15, 2-9 Big 12) begins a 2-game road trip through the state of Texas on Saturday afternoon, as the Wildcats travel to Fort Worth, Texas to take on TCU (13-11, 4-7 Big 12) at Schollmaier Arena. Both teams enter the match-up on season-long losing streaks, as K-State has dropped 4 in a row while TCU has lost 6 straight. The game will tip at 4:01 p.m., CT on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ with Clay Matvick (play-by-play) and Bryndon Manzer (analyst) on the call.
TCU will be looking to sweep the regular-season series for the first time in the Big 12 after winning the first contest in dramatic fashion, as Kevin Samuel's tip-in with 2 seconds lifted the Horned Frogs to a 59-57 win at Bramlage Coliseum on Jan. 7. The game-winning tip-in came 11 seconds after junior David Sloan's 3-pointer tied the game at 57-all that helped the Wildcats erase an 11-point second-half deficit. In the final sequence, Samuel was able to rebound teammate R.J. Nembhard's missed jump shot for the tip-in and game-winning basket. The game is one of 13 decided by single digits this season, including 10 losses.
K-State endured another one of those close losses on Tuesday night, as Oklahoma State connected on a scorching 81.3 percent (13-of-16) from the field in the second half to snap a 4-game losing streak to the Wildcats in a 64-59 victory at Bramlage Coliseum. The Cowboys' 81.3 field goal percentage in the second half was second-highest by an opponent in a half and the highest since Colorado connected on 82.4 percent on Jan. 24, 2009. OSU hit on an opponent-high 51.2 percent (22-of-43) for the game, including 57.1 percent (20-of-35) from inside the 3-point arc. Despite the hot shooting, K-State still had its opportunities in the game, drawing to within 49-47 on a layup by junior Cartier Diarra with just over 6 minutes to play and to within 59-55 with 1:24 remaing. However, each time, the veteran Cowboys were able to withstand the rally, including hitting 5-of-8 free throws in the final minute of play.
Since winning 4 in a row, including 3 straight to open Big 12 play, TCU (13-11, 4-7 Big 12) has won just 1 of its last 9 games, including a current 6-game skid that began in a 78-67 loss at Arkansas in the Big 12/SEC Challenge on Jan. 25. However, the Horned Frogs have been solid at home, posting an 11-4 record, which includes a 65-54 win over Texas Tech on Jan. 21. TCU is paced by All-Big 12 candidate Desmond Bane, who ranks second in the Big 12 in scoring at 16.0 points per game, while two others (R.J. Nembhard and Kevin Samuel) are averaging double figures.
Despite the loss in January, K-State has still won 16 of 23 previous meetings with TCU, including a 13-5 mark in the Big 12 era. The Wildcats have won 3 of their last 4 meetings with the Horned Frogs in Fort Worth, including a 64-52 victory last season. Shooting from long distance played a huge role in the first meeting in 2020, as 10 of TCU's 20 field goals made came from 3-point range, including 4 by Bane, while K-State connected on just 20 percent (4-of-20) from long range in the narrow loss.
Injuries have been a big part of K-State's season, as 5 different players have missed a combined 47 games, which has caused head coach Bruce Weber to use 6 starting lineups. The 6 lineups are the most since using 11 in 2014-15. Freshmen DaJuan Gordon and Montavious Murphy have started together in each of the last 6 games, which is the first freshmen pair to start together since Barry Brown, Jr., and Dean Wade in 2015-16.

NOTES ON TCU

TCU (13-11, 4-7 Big 12) enters Saturday's game on a season-long 6-game losing streak after losing, 88-42, at No. 24/24 Texas Tech on Monday night. The Horned Frogs ran into one of the nation's hottest teams in the Red Raiders, who piled up their 88 points on 60.4 percent shooting (32-of-53) from the field, including 59.1 percent (13-of-22) from 3-point range. In comparison, the Frogs hit on just 26.7 percent (12-of-45) from the field, including 15.8 percent (3-of-19) from long range. Senior Jaire Grayer was the lone player in double figures with 10 points, while the Big 12's second-leading scorer (Desmond Bane) was held to just 7 points with 5 turnovers.
TCU is averaging 65.7 points on 42.0 percent shooting, including 33.6 percent from 3-point range, to go with 35.5 rebounds, 14.7 assists, 7.3 steals and 4.9 blocks per game, while allowing 64.5 points on 43.1 percent shooting, including 37 percent from 3-point range. The team is connecting on 62.3 percent from the free throw line.
Three players are averaging in double digits for the Horned Frogs led by Bane's 16.0 points per game on 46 percent shooting, including 42.4 percent from 3-point range, and 78.3 percent from the free throw line. He also adds averages of 6.1 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.6 steals in 35.0 minutes per game. In all, Bane ranks in the Top 10 in 8 categories, including first in 3-pointers per game (2.67), second in scoring and minutes, third in 3-point field goal percentage and fifth in field goal percentage. Sophomore R.J. Nembhard is averaging 12 points on 35.3 percent shooting, including 27.5 percent from 3-point range, while fellow fellow sophomore Kevin Samuel is averaging a near double-double with 10.4 points on 65.3 percent shooting to go with a team-best 8.7 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game.
TCU is led by fourth-year head coach Jamie Dixon, who has posted an 81-52 (.609) record, which an NCAA Tournament trip in 2018 and bids to the NIT in both 2017 and 2019. He is 409-175 (.700) in his 17th season as a head coach, which includes a stint at Pittsburgh (2003-16).

SERIES HISTORY

K-State and TCU will meet for the 24th time in their histories with the Wildcats holding a 16-7 advantage in a series that dates to 1947. K-State is 6-2 on the road in the series, including 5-2 in the Big 12 era.
TCU snapped a 4-game winning streak by K-State in the series with a 59-57 victory on Jan. 7. Prior to that loss, the Wildcats had won 6 of the last 7 meetings, including a 64-52 victory in Fort Worth on March 4, 2019. The Horned Frogs will be attempting to sweep the season series for the first time.
Senior Xavier Sneed has averaged 12.2 points on 47.1 percent shooting, including 35.3 percent from 3-point range, in 9 career games with 7 starts against TCU, while fellow senior Makol Mawien has 11.6 points on 66.7 percent shooting with 6.1 rebounds in 7 starts vs. the Horned Frogs.
Head coach Bruce Weber is 13-5 all-time against TCU, including a 5-2 mark on the road, while he is 6-4 against head coach Jamie Dixon.

ON THE ROAD

K-State has a 60-135 (.311) 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 48-64 (.449) record away from home after going 10-70 (.125) from 1997-2006. The team is 32-51 (.390) under Bruce Weber on the road, including 25-41 (.385) in the Big 12.
K-State posted a 7-2 mark on the road in Big 12 play a season ago, which was the best mark by a Wildcat team since going 6-1 in 1975-76. This year, the team is 1-6 on the road, including 0-5 in Big 12 play.

LAST TIME OUT: OKLAHOMA STATE 64, K-STATE 59

Oklahoma State was a scorching 81.3 percent (13-of-16) from the field in the second half, as the Cowboys snapped a 4-game skid against K-State with a 64-59 victory on Tuesday before 7,967 fans at Bramlage Coliseum.
The team's 81.3 field goal percentage (13-of-16) in the second half was the second highest by an opponent in a half and the highest since Colorado connected on 82.4 percent at home on Jan. 24, 2009. Overall, the Cowboys (12-12, 2-9 Big 12) connected on 51.2 percent (22-of-43) from the field, including 57.1 percent (20-of-35) from inside the 3-point arc, to claim its first win since an 80-64 win at Bramlage Coliseum on Feb. 22, 2017.
The loss was another frustratingly close one for K-State, which drew within 49-47 on a layup by junior Cartier Diarra with just over 6 minutes to play. However, Oklahoma State responded with a 10-3 run, which included 5 consecutive points from sophomore Yor Anei and was capped by a 3-pointer by senior Lindy Waters III, that pushed the lead back out to 9 points (59-50) with 2:15 remaining.
K-State still had an opportunity after a 3-pointer from junior Mike McGuirl and free throws by senior Makol Mawien closed the deficit to 59-55 with 1:24 to play, but Oklahoma State knocked down 5-of-8 free throws down the stretch, including a pair by senior Cameron McGriff with 14 seconds, to seal the victory, 64-59.
Anei was the star of the night for the Cowboys, as he was a perfect 6-of-6 from the field, including 1-of-1 from 3-point range, for a team-high 15 points, while Waters (12), graduate transfer Jonathan Laurent (11) and McGriff (10) also scored in double figures. McGriff added a near double-double with a game-high 8 rebounds.
McGuirl led the Wildcats with a game-high 16 points off the bench on 5-of-9 field goals, including 3-of-6 from 3-point range, and a 3-of-3 effort from the free throw line. It marked the second time in his career that McGuirl has led the team in scoring, while he registered double-digit points for the fifth time this season.
Diarra scored 15 points on 5-of-13 shooting, including 2-of-6 from 3-point range, to go with 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals in 36 minutes. Mawien also scored in double figures for the Wildcats with 11 points on 3-of-6 field goals and 5-of-8 free throws in 24 minutes.

LEADING WITH DEFENSE

K-State has continued its reputation as one of the top defensive teams in the country under head coach Bruce Weber, holding its 24 opponents to 64.3 points on 42.3 percent shooting (530-of-1253), including 32.5 percent (173-of-533) from 3-point range, while posting a Big 12-best 8.5 steals and forcing 16.4 turnovers per game (second behind Texas Tech in the Big 12).
K-State ranks among Top 55 in 3 defensive categories, including 51st in scoring defense, 22th in steals per game and 24th in turnovers forced.
K-State has held 26 of its last 58 opponents to 60 points or less with just nine eclipsing 70 (with 8 occurring in the last 25 games). The squad has held 95 opponents to 60 points or less in Bruce Weber's tenure, boasting an 86-9 mark in those contests. The Wildcats are 7-1 this season when holding an opponent below 60 points, including their first 4 wins.
K-State had one of the top defensive teams in the country in 2018-19, holding opponents to 59.6 points on 41.5 percent shooting, including 31.4 percent from 3-point range, while forcing 14.8 turnovers per game and averaging 7.5 steals per game. The Wildcats ranked among the nation's best in a number of defensive categories, including fourth in scoring defense, 16th in turnover margin (+3.5), 36th in 3-point field goal percentage defense, 43rd in total steals (256) and 48th in steals per game.
K-State had one of the top defensive teams in the country in 2018-19, holding opponents to 59.6 points on 41.5 percent shooting, including 31.4 percent from 3-point range, while forcing 14.8 turnovers per game and averaging 7.5 steals per game. The Wildcats ranked among the nation's best in a number of defensive categories, including fourth in scoring defense, 16th in turnover margin (+3.5), 36th in 3-point field goal percentage defense, 43rd in total steals (256) and 48th in steals per game.
The 59.6 points per game average was the lowest opponent scoring average since the introduction of the shot clock in 1985-86, surpassing the 60.4 points per game average in 2012-13, while it was the sixth-lowest all-time and the lowest since the 1982-83 team allowed 58.4 points per game. Only eight other teams (1948-49, 1949-50, 1950-51, 1961-62, 1980-81, 1981-82, 1982-83) allowed less than 60 points per game in school history.
K-State held foes to an average of 14.5 points under their average in 2018-19, including a 14.6 average in Big 12 play. Eleven opponents (6 Big 12 foes) were held to 20 or more points under their average, most notably Texas Tech (26.6), TCU (25.4 and 23.5), Iowa State (24.3) and OSU (21.8).
In Big 12 play, K-State allowed 59.6 points per game on 42.6 percent shooting, including 33.8 percent from 3-point range. It is the school's lowest defensive scoring average in a Big 12 season and a tie for the ninth-best in a conference season and the lowest since 1961-62. The Wildcats held Big 12 opponents (Iowa State, TCU [twice], Texas Tech, Oklahoma State [twice], West Virginia, Baylor and Oklahoma) to 60 points or less on 9 occasions.

DEFICITS AND COMEBACKS

K-State has had to face early deficits in 6 of the last 10 games, but has found a way to rally from those deficits before losing down the stretch. The Wildcats trailed TCU (1/7/20) and Texas (1/11/20) by 7 points, were down 10-0 to No. 23/23 Texas Tech (1/14/20), fell behind by 16 at Alabama (1/25/20) and to No. 1/1 Baylor (2/3/20) and mostly recently by 19 at Iowa State (2/8/20).
K-State was down 7-0 to start against TCU before slowing chipping away at the deficit to eventually take a 17-16 lead at the 8:19 mark of the first half and tying at 23-all before the Horned Frogs scored 12 of the last 14 points. Down 49-42 with just over 7 to play, the Wildcats tied the game at 57-all on David Sloan's 3-pointer before losing on a tip-in with 2 seconds to play.
K-State trailed 9-2 to start against Texas before again rallying to take an 18-16 lead with 6:40 before halftime. With the Wildcats leading 25-23 with 2:48 to play in the first half, the Longhorns would score 20 of the next 22 points to take 43-27 advantage with 13:11 remaining.
K-State allowed No. 23/23 Texas Tech to score the first 10 points of the game, but the resilient Wildcats responded with 7 in a row to close to within one possession before trailing 37-30 at the half. The team again fought back to take a 46-45 lead on a layup by junior Cartier Diarra to cap an 11-2 run with 13:24 to play. The Red Raiders responded with a 16-4 run over the next 6 minutes to take a 61-50 lead with just over 7 minutes remaining.
Down by 16 points with just over 12 minutes to play, K-State closed to within one possession on multiple occasions, including 69-67 with 2:48 left, but Alabama held strong at the free throw line to post a 77-74 win on Jan. 25. A 3-pointer by from senior Xavier Sneed ignited an 18-3 run that closed the deficit to 62-61 on another 3-pointer from Diarra with 6:34 remaining.
Baylor jumped out to a 16-point lead in the first half, as the Big 12's top defense held K-State without a field goal for more than 7 minutes. However, a Sneed 3-pointer, the last of three consecutive triples, pulled the Wildcats to within one possession at 29-26 with 2:18 to play. Leading just 33-28 at the half, Baylor grabbed the momentum early in the second half, scoring 9 of the first 13 points to push the lead back into double figures at 42-32 with 14:05 remaining. After K-State responded with 5 straight points to close to within 42-37, the Bears took control with a 14-4 run that extended the lead to 56-41 and forced head coach Bruce Weber to call his third timeout with 8:46 remaining. The Wildcats didn't get closer than 6 points rest of the way.
Down by as many as 21 points to Iowa State in the first half, K-State rallied to within 4 points on two occasions down the stretch, including 52-48 after layup by Sloan that forced an ISU timeout with 7:54 to play. However, the Cyclones responded by scoring 7 of the next 10 points, including back-to-back buckets by senior Prentiss Nixon out of the timeout, to push the lead to 59-51 with just under 4 minutes remaining.

POINTS OFF TURNOVERS

K-State is once again using its defense to generate offense, as the Wildcats are forcing 16.4 turnovers per game, including a Big 12-best 8.5 steals per game, while averaging 17.2 points per game off those opponent turnovers.
K-State has scored 20 or more points off opponent turnovers 10 times this season, including a season-high 28 in the win over No. 12/13 West Virginia. The team has also scored 20 or more points off turnovers against Monmouth (21), UAPB (20), Pittsburgh (24) Bradley (22), Florida A&M (20), Alabama State (26), Texas (23), No. 23/23 Texas Tech (20) and Iowa State (23).
K-State has forced 5 opponents into 20 or more turnovers, including a season-best 25 turnovers by UNLV (11/9/19) and Monmonth (11/13/19).
K-State has scored over 4,000 points (4,088) off turnovers during head coach Bruce Weber's tenure, an average of 15.5 points per game. In 2018-19, the Wildcats averaged 17.4 points off turnovers, outscoring opponents, 590-362. The team posted 12 games of 20 or more points off turnovers.

2-POINTERS HAVE BEEN KEY

With its 3-point percentage nearly identical in wins (33.3; 69-of-207) as in losses (31.9; 104-of-326), K-State's 2-point field goal percentage has been a key factor in its wins this season. On the year, the Wildcats are connecting on 47.2 percent (370-of-784) from inside the 3-point line.
K-State is connecting on 45.8 percent (233-of-509) of its field goals in the 9 wins, including 54.3 percent (164-of-302) from inside the arc, while the team is hitting just 38.4 percent (310-of-808) of their field goals in the 14 losses, including 42.7 percent (206-of-482) from inside the arc.
This has been illustrated in the losses to Marquette and Mississippi State, as K-State connected on 32.3 percent (20-of-62) of its field goals, including 33.3 percent (13-of-39) from inside the arc, in the 73-65 loss to the Golden Eagles and 32.6 percent (14-of-43) of its field goals, including 32 percent (8-of-25) from inside the arc, in the 67-61 loss to the Bulldogs.
No 2 players have been as impactful in this statistic, as senior Xavier Sneed and junior Cartier Diarra.
Sneed is averaging a team-best 16.4 points on 48.6 percent (51-of-105) shooting, including 61.5 percent (32-of-52) from inside the arc, in the 9 wins, while he is averaging 12.9 points on just 31.6 percent (55-of-174) shooting in the 15 losses, including 33.3 percent (27-of-81) from inside the arc.
Diarra is averaging 13.0 points on 42 percent (47-of-112) shooting, including 50.8 percent (33-of-65) from inside the arc, in the 9 wins, while he is averaging 12.6 points on 39 percent (64-of-164) shooting, including 44 percent (36-of-82) from inside the arc, in the 15 losses.

SNEED LEADING THE WAY

Senior Xavier Sneed has led the Wildcats in scoring 9 times this season, averaging 14.2 points on 38 percent shooting (106-of-279), including 32.2 percent (47-of-146) from 3-point range. He has scored in double figures in a team-best 18 games (including 4 20-point games), while he has double-digit points in 11 of the last 14 games.
Sneed leads the team in nearly every offensive category, including scoring, field goals attempted, 3-point field goals made and attempted and free throw made (82) and attempted (121). He is also tops in steals (44) and defensive rebounds (95) and second in field goals (106) and rebounding (4.8 rpg.).
With his first rebound against Marquette on Dec. 7, Sneed became the 13th player in school history with at least 1,000 career points and 500 career rebounds. He currently has 1,349 points in 129 career games to go with 575 rebounds. He joins a 1,000-point/500-rebound list that includes Wildcat legends Dick Knostman, Jack Parr, Bob Boozer, David Hall, Steve Mitchell, Rolando Blackman, Ed Nealy, Jamar Samuels, Rodney McGruder, Thomas Gipson, Wes Iwundu and Dean Wade.
Sneed, who currently ranks 12th on the all-time scoring list with 1,349 points and needs 16 points to move into 11th place, needs 30 rebounds to crack the school's all-time Top 15 list in rebounds. If he could accomplish that feat, he would join a list that includes Ed Nealy, Bob Boozer, Jamar Samuels, Dean Wade, Rodney McGruder and Rolando Blackman that ranks in the school's Top 15 in both scoring and rebounding.

SNEED MOVING UP THE CHARTS

Senior Xavier Sneed continues to move up several career charts, as he ranks among the Top 20 in scoring (12th), 3-point field goals made (fifth) and attempted (third), steals (fourth), minutes and games played (ninth).
With his 16-point effort in the win over No. 12/13 West Virginia, Sneed moved into the school's Top 15 in scoring at No. 15 with 1,257 points, moving past former teammate Kamau Stokes (1,242), current Orlando Magic player Wes Iwundu (1,249) and Tyrone Adams (1,251). He is the fourth player under head coach Bruce Weber to rank in the Top 15 in scoring, following Barry Brown, Jr. (1,781 points/fifth), Rodney McGruder (1,576/eighth) and Dean Wade (1,510/10th). He currently ranks 12th with 1,349 points, having recently passed Wildcat great Mitch Richmond (1,327).
Sneed already ranks among the very best among all 3-point shooters in school history, passing Rodney McGruder for fifth in career makes (204) and ranking third in career attempts (603). With his four triples against No. 1/1 Baylor (2/3/20), he became the fifth Wildcat to eclipse 200 career 3-point field goals and the first since former Kamau Stokes last season. He needs just 4 3-pointers to pass Stokes on the all-time list, while he needs 35 to jump into the school's Top 10 for field goals attempted.
Sneed also continues to move up the steals chart with his 181 ranking fourth in school history. He needs just 10 steals to pass Steve Henson (190/1986-90) and 19 to become just third Wildcat with 200 steals.
Sneed just cracked the school's Top 10 list for minutes played with 3,583 minutes, needing just 20 minutes to pass Kamau Stokes (3,603/2015-19) for eighth place. He also jumped into the Top 10 for most games played against No. 1/1 Baylor (2/3/20) with his 127th. As long as he stays healthy, he should break into the Top 10 for career starts (currently at 96).

DIARRA PROVING TO BE SOLID

Junior Cartier Diarra is proving to be a solid guard for the Wildcats, averaging 13.3 points on 40.2 percent (111-of-276) shooting with 4.6 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 1.8 steals in 31.1 minutes per game. He has led the team in scoring 10 times, including 8 times in the last 17 games.
Diarra collected his team-leading fifth 20-point game with his game-high 24 points on 7-of-15 shooting at Iowa State (2/8/20). He has the team's top-four scoring efforts, which includes 25 vs. Tulsa (12/29/19) and No. 12/11 West Virginia (1/18) and 23 vs. North Dakota State (11/5/19).
Diarra has scored in double figures in 14 times in the last 20 games, including team-highs vs. Marquette (14), Mississippi State (20), Tulsa (25), Texas (14), No. 23/23 Texas Tech (19) and No. 12/13 West Virginia (25).
Diarra became the 26th Wildcat to eclipse 200 career assists vs. 23/23 Texas Tech (1/14/20), while he became the 39th player to top 100 assists in a single season at No. 12/11 West Virginia (2/1/20). He has led the team in assists in 17 games, while he has at least 5 assists in 12 games, including a career-high 10 vs. Alabama State on Dec. 11. He became the first Wildcat with a 10-assist game since Marcus Foster (at Baylor) on Feb. 15, 2014.

DIARRA NAMED BIG 12 PLAYER OF THE WEEK DEC. 30

Junior Cartier Diarra earned his first career Phillips 66 Big 12 Player of the Week honor on Dec. 31 after scoring a career-best 25 points, including the game-winning 3-pointer with 22.4 seconds left, to help the Wildcats defeat Tulsa, 69-67, on Dec. 30.
Diarra is the first Wildcat to earn the Big 12's weekly honor since Barry Brown, Jr., and Dean Wade won the accolade in back-to-back weeks on January 14 and 21, 2019. Overall, it marks the school's 29th Player of the Week honor since the inception of the Big 12 in 1997, including the 13th under head coach Bruce Weber.
Diarra collected his third 20-point game of the season in Sunday's victory over the Golden Hurricane, connecting on 8-of-16 from the field, including 6-of-11 from beyond the arc, to go with a 3-of-4 effort from the line, a game-high 7 assists and 5 rebounds in 33 minutes of action. His 6 3-pointers were a career-high and the most by a Wildcat since teammate Xavier Sneed knocked down 6 triples against West Virginia on Jan. 1, 2018.

SLOAN CREATES A SPARK

K-State received a spark when junior David Sloan moved into the starting point guard role, allowing junior Cartier Diarra to move off the ball, in the win over 12/13 West Virginia on Jan. 18. He scored 9 points in the upset of the Mountaineers to go with 5 assists and 4 steals in 36 minutes.
The Wildcats averaged 67.2 points and 12.5 assists in that 6-game stretch after averaging 57.8 points and 8.8 assists in the previous 4 games. During this span, Sloan averaged 8.5 points, 3.7 assists, 1.8 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 25.9 minutes per game, which included a season-high 17 points at No. 3/3 Kansas (1/21/20) and a team-high 13-point effort at No. 12/11 West Virginia (2/1/20). Prior to the West Virginia game on Jan. 18, he was averaging 3.7 points and 1.9 assists in 15.5 minutes per game.

FRESHMEN PLAYING A MAJOR ROLE

Three freshmen (DaJuan Gordon, Antonio Gordon and Montavious Murphy) are playing major roles for the Wildcats, as each are averaging 18 or more minutes, including 14 starts by Murphy and 7 each by Antonio Gordon and DaJuan Gordon. Murphy missed 7 games due to injury.
The 28 combined starts by the 3 true freshmen are the most starts by a freshman trio since 2015-16 when Dean Wade (31), Kamau Stokes (20) and Barry Brown, Jr. (11) combined to start 62 games. Both DaJuan Gordon and Murphy has started each of the last 6 games.
DaJuan Gordon has played in all 24 games, averaging 23.6 minutes per game. He has scored in double figures 5 times, including a 15-point effort against No. 12/13 West Virginia (1/18/20) and a 10-point output at Iowa State (2/8/20). He has connected on 44.1 percent (60-of-136) from the field and 33.3 percent (18-of-54) from 3-point range. He been solid since the start of Big 12 play, averaging 6.7 points on 44.3 percent shooting, including 33.3 percent from long range, with 4.0 rebounds in 26.6 minutes per game.
Murphy, who became the first true freshmen to start an opener since 2015, started each of the first 3 games of the season before his injury on Nov. 13. He returned to play 18 minutes against Saint Louis (12/29/19) before starting 11 of the last 13 games and averaging 25.7 minutes per game. He is averaging 5.0 points on 37.8 percent shooting with 3.9 rebounds per game, while his 3 double-digit scoring game this season have come in the last 9 games. He scored a season-high 11 points vs. No. 23/23 Texas Tech (1/14/20).
Antonio Gordon has seen action in 19 games, averaging 18.4 minutes per game. He is averaging 4.5 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. He made his return against No. 1/1 Baylor (2/3/20), playing 10 minutes, after serving a 3-game suspension for his actions against Kansas on Jan. 21.

EZEAGU JOINS TEAM JAN. 17

Head coach Bruce Weber announced on January 17 that transfer forward Kaosi Ezeagu (Brampton, Ontario/GTA Prep/UTEP) has signed a scholarship agreement to join the men's basketball team. He will have three years of eligibility once he sits out the required time as a Division I transfer.
Ezeagu will enroll at K-State for the spring semester and will be able to start practicing with the team. He will have to sit out for the reminder of the 2019-20 season and the first semester of the 2020-21 season before being eligible in mid-December 2020.
A 6-foot-10, 245-pound forward from Brampton, Ontario, Ezeagu played one season at UTEP for head coach Rodney Terry in 2018-19. He played in all 29 games for the Miners as a true freshman, averaging 3.2 points on a team-best 56.9 percent shooting (37-of-65) with 3.4 rebounds and 0.8 blocks in 12.4 minutes per game. He led the team with 24 blocked shots with at least 2 blocks in eight contests. Twice he scored in double figures, including 10 in his first game against UTPB on Nov. 16, 2018 and a season-best 12 against Middle Tennessee State on March 6, 2019.
Ezeagu was born in the Bahamas but went to prep school in Brampton, Ontario, where he was rated one of the top prep players in Canada after averaging 11.4 points and 10.4 rebounds at GTA Prep in 2017-18.

RECAPPING NON-CONFERENCE HISTORY

K-State concluded non-conference play with the 77-74 loss at Alabama in the Big 12/SEC Challenge on Jan. 25. Despite the setback, the Wildcats finished with a winning record in non-conference play for 14th season in a row.
K-State has a 111-8 (.932) 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 102-6 (.944) mark at Bramlage Coliseum.
Despite seeing their 33-game winning streak end at Bramlage Coliseum with a loss to Marquette on Dec. 7, the Wildcats have still won 98 of their last 104 non-conference home games. The last home non-conference loss before Marquette came against Georgia, 50-46, on Dec. 31, 2014.
K-State has posted a 147-42 (.781) record in non-conference play since the 2006-07 season, which includes a 10-3 (.769) mark in 2018-19. The team has posted double-digit non-conference wins in 12 of the last 13 years.
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 50-15 (.781) in non-conference play since the start of 2015-16 season.

WEBER NAMED USA BASKETBALL CO-NATIONAL COACH OF THE YEAR

After leading Team USA to a gold medal at the FIBA U19 World Cup this past summer, K-State men's basketball coach Bruce Weber was selected as the co-recipient of the 2019 USA Basketball National Coach of the Year award.
Weber shared the honor with Louisville women's basketball coach Jeff Walz, who also led the USA Women's U19 World Cup Team to a gold medal on July 20-28 in Bangkok, Thailand.
Since 1996, USA Basketball has awarded its National Coach of the Year honor to a USA Basketball head coach, who during the year of the award, made a significant impact on the success of the individual athlete and team performance at the highest levels of competition in a manner consistent with the highest ethical, professional and moral standards.
Weber, who served as a head coach in the USA Basketball system for the first time in his career, led Team USA to their seventh gold medal at the FIBA (International Basketball Federation) U19 World Cup, including the first since 2015, with a perfect 7-0 record. Team USA capped their perfect performance with a 93-79 win over Mali in the gold-medal game in Greece on July 7.
Team USA averaged better than 100 points per game and won the tournament by an average of 28.7 points per game, including victories over New Zealand (111-71), Lithuania (102-84) and Senegal (87-58) to capture Group A then wins over Latvia (116-66) in the group of 16, Russia (95-80) in the medal round, Lithuania (102-67) in the semifinals and Mali (93-79) in the finals. The team ranked first in points per game (100.9), field goal percentage (.475), assists per game (28.6 apg.) and steals per game (15.9 spg.).

UP NEXT: AT TEXAS TECH (16-8, 7-4 Big 12)

K-State continues its road swing on Wednesday night, as the Wildcats travel to Lubbock, Texas to take on No. 24/24 Texas Tech (16-8, 7-4 Big 12) at United Supermarkets Arena at 8 p.m., CT on ESPN2. The Red Raiders won the first meeting, 77-63, at Bramlage Coliseum on Jan. 14 and will look to sweep the season series for the second time in 3 seasons.