Game Preview // K-State Begins Homestand vs. North Dakota Sunday

Complete Release Available Here

GAME 5
KANSAS STATE (2-2) vs. NORTH DAKOTA (2-4)
Sunday, November 28, 2021 >> 4:01 p.m. CT >> Bramlage Coliseum (11,654) >> Manhattan, Kan.

TELEVISION
Big 12 Now on ESPN+ / WatchESPN

Ben Boyle (play-by-play)
Stan Weber (analyst)
Katherine Benhardt (sideline reporter)

RADIO
K-State Sports Network
Flagships: // KMAN 1350 & WIBW 580
Satellite Radio: XM 375
Online: Varsity Network [free]/SXM 375 / www.kstatesports.com/watch [free]

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

LIVE STATS
www.kstatesports.com
kstate.statbroadcast.com

TICKETS
www.kstatesports.com/tickets
(800) 221.CATS [2287]
Single Game: $10, $15, $25

COACHES
Kansas State: Bruce Weber (Wis.-Milwaukee '78)
Overall: 485-287/24^th season
At K-State: 172-132/10^th season
vs. North Dakota: 2-0 (2-0 at K-State)

North Dakota: Paul Sather (Northern State '96)
Overall: 308-190/16^th season
School Record: 26-39/4^th season
vs. K-State: 0-0 (0-0 at North Dakota)

SERIES HISTORY
Overall: K-State leads 2-0
Current Streak: K-State, 2
In Manhattan: K-State leads 2-0
At Bramlage Coliseum: K-State leads 2-0
Last Meeting: W, 63-49 [12/22/2015 in Manhattan]
Weber vs. Sather: First meeting

PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP
Kansas State (2-2)
G: #3 Selton Miguel
G: #13 Mark Smith
G: #21 Nijel Pack
F: #25 Ismael [Ish] Massoud
F: #20 Kaosi Ezeagu

North Dakota (2-4)
G: #0 Caleb Nero
G: #2 Bentiu Panoam
G: #21 Ethan Igbanugo
F: #35 Mitchell Sueker
F: #10 Tsotne Tsartsidze

K-STATE BEGINS HOMESTAND VS. NORTH DAKOTA SUNDAY

Kansas State (2-2) continues action this weekend, as the Wildcats begin a 2-game homestand with a Sunday afternoon tilt against North Dakota (2-4) at 4 p.m., CT at Bramlage Coliseum. The team will play 4 of their next 5 games at home, including a Wednesday night contest against UAlbany (1-5) at 7 p.m. CT.
K-State lost back-to-back games against ranked foes at the Hall of Fame Classic on Nov. 22-23, falling to eventual tournament champion and No. 13/12 Arkansas, 72-64, in the semifinals on Monday night before a 72-64 loss to No. 14/15 Illinois in the consolation game. The Wildcats showed resolve in both games, nearly rallying from double-digit deficits.
K-State has won 5 straight games at Bramlage Coliseum against non-conference opponents dating back to last season, including opening the season with wins over Florida A&M (67-57) and Omaha (79-64).

OPENING TIP

The games against No. 13/12 Arkansas and No. 14/15 Illinois marked the first time in school history that K-State has faced consecutive Top 15 opponents in the month of November. In fact, it marked just the second time that the Wildcats faced back-to-back nationally-ranked teams in consecutive games during November and the first time since splitting games against No. 18 Gonzaga (81-64) and No. 1 Duke (68-82) at the Hall of Fame Classic on Nov. 22-23, 2010.
In game one, K-State nearly dug itself out of an 18-point deficit with a gritty second-half effort, however, No. 13/12 Arkansas made the right plays down the stretch to hold off the rally in a 72-64 win on Monday night in the semifinals of the Hall of Fame Classic at the T-Mobile Center. Three Wildcats scored in double figures led by 14 points each from sophomore Selton Miguel and Nijel Pack.
In game two, No. 14/15 Illinois broke open a tight contest in the consolation game on Tuesday night with a decisive 21-7 run midway through the second half, which included five 3-point field goals, to pull away from K-State, 72-64. Junior Markquis Nowell came off the bench to lead the team with 19 points.
K-State struggled offensively in the two games at the Hall of Fame Classic, averaging 64 points on 37.9 percent (47-of-124) shooting, including just 20.9 percent (9-of-43) from 3-point range. Nowell and Pack were the only Wildcats to score in double figures in both games, each averaging 14.5 points per game with Nowell hitting on 45.5 percent from the field and Pack at 42.3 percent shooting.
K-State's offensive struggles came at different points, as the Wildcats shot just 25.9 percent in the first half against No. 12/13 Arkansas to fall behind by 18 points before rally to within 6 points late in the second half behind 46.9 percent shooting. Against No. 14/15 Illinois, the Wildcats started strong, hitting on 44.8 percent in the first half to trail just 34-31 at the half, before making just 33.3 percent after halftime to fall behind by as much as 13 points in the 8-point loss.
K-State did do some solid work from the free throw line at the Hall of Fame Classic, connecting on 78.1 percent (25-of-32). Sophomores Ish Massoud (2-of-2) and Pack (5-of-5) were perfect from the line, while Nowell hit on 77.8 percent (7-of-9) in the two games. On the season, the Wildcats are hitting on a Big 12-best 75.3 percent (55-of-73) from the free throw line.
After struggling with turnovers in the first 3 games (averaging 15 turnovers per game), the Wildcats had just 4 in the game vs. No. 14/15 Illinois. It tied for the third-fewest turnovers in a game since the stat began being kept in 1982-83 and fewest since posting 4 vs. Gonzaga on Dec. 21, 2013.
North Dakota enters Sunday's game with a 2-4 record after 3 straight losses since posting back-to-back wins against Montana (79-77) and Troy (74-72) on Nov. 15 and 19. The Fighting Hawks have taken losses to Florida Atlantic (79-98), UT-Martin (72-77) and FIU (56-65) heading into Sunday's contest.
North Dakota returns 5 lettermen, including 2 starters, from a squad that went 9-17 in 2020-21, including a fifth-place finish in the Summit League with an 8-8 mark. The Fighting Hawks are averaging 70 points per game on 40.6 percent shooting, while a pair of players, junior Caleb Nero (13.3 ppg.) and senior Mitchell Sueker (11.3 ppg.), are averaging in double figures.

NOTES ON NORTH DAKOTA

North Dakota enters Sunday's matinee on a 3-game losing streak after dropping contests to Florida Atlantic (79-98), UT-Martin (72-77) and FIU (56-65) in the last 9 days. The Fighting Hawks had started the season off strong with wins in 2 of the first 3 games, including back-to-back victories over Montana (79-77) at home and Troy (74-72) on a neutral site.
North Dakota is averaging 70 points per game on 40.6 percent shooting, including 35.6 percent from 3-point range, with 35.3 rebounds, 13.0 assists, 4.2 steals and 1.8 blocks per game, while allowing opponents to average 77.3 points on 48.1 percent shooting, including 41.7 percent from long range. The team is connecting on 75.7 percent from the free throw line.
Five players are averaging 8 or more points, including a pair of double-digit scorers in junior Caleb Nero (13.3 ppg.) and senior Mitchell Sueker (11.3 ppg.). Nero is connecting on 38.4 percent, including 30 percent from 3-point range, while averaging 4.3 rebounds and a team-best 3.0 assists in a team-best 28.1 minutes per game. Sueker is hitting on 40.7 percent, including 35.7 percent from long range. Sophomore Matt Norman is the top 3-point threat, hitting on 11 triples on 42.3 percent shooting. Fellow sophomore Tsotne Tsartsidze is the leading rebounder at 6.5 per contest to go with 8.0 points per game.
North Dakota returns 5 lettermen, including a pair of starters, from a squad that posted a 9-17 overall record, including a fifth-place finish in the Summit League with an 8-8 record, in 2020-21.
Head coach Paul Sather is in his 3rd season at North Dakota with a 26-39 record, while he is 308-190 in his 17th season as a head coach in his career. He led programs at Division II Black Hills State (2005-10) and Northern State (2010-19) prior to arriving at North Dakota in 2019-20, helping Northern State to a Division II national runner-up finish in 2017-18 with a 36-4 record.

SERIES HISTORY

K-State and North Dakota will meet for the third time on Sunday afternoon in a series that dates to 2012. The Wildcats have won the 2 previous meetings with the Fighting Hawks, posting an 85-52 win in 2012 and a 63-49 win in 2015, both at home.
Then freshman guard Barry Brown came off the bench to score a game-high 15 points, as K-State posted a 63-49 win over North Dakota in the last meeting between the schools on Dec. 22, 2015, at Bramlage Coliseum.
Head coach Bruce Weber is 2-0 in his career vs. North Dakota, coaching K-State during the wins in 2012 and 2015.
K-State is 56-3 all-time against teams from the Summit League, including a 49-0 mark in games played at home. The matchup with North Dakota will be the second of 2 meetings with Summit League foes this season, as the Wildcats knocked off Omaha, 79-64, in the last home game on Nov. 17.

LAST MEETING:
K-STATE 63, NORTH DAKOTA 49 (Dec. 22, 2015, in Manhattan)

Freshman guard Barry Brown came off the bench to score a game-high 15 points, as K-State posted a 63-49 win over North Dakota in the last meeting between the schools on Dec. 22, 2015, at Bramlage Coliseum.
Brown, who also added season-highs for both steals (3) and minutes (27), was joined in double figures by junior Wesley Iwundu, who had 11 points to go with 5 rebounds and 3 assists. Iwundu has scored in double figures in a personal-best six consecutive games.
Despite its owns offensive struggles, K-State again used its strength on the defensive end to propel itself to victory, holding North Dakota to a season-low 49 points on 44.2 percent (19-of-43) shooting, including 16.7 percent (2-of-12) from 3-point range. The Wildcats hit on 37.9 percent (22-of-58) from the field, including 29.2 percent (7-of-24) from 3-point range, and was just 12-of-26 (46.2 percent) from the free throw line.

LAST TIME OUT:
14/15 ILLINOIS 72, K-STATE 64

No. 14/15 Illinois broke open a tight contest with a decisive 21-7 run midway through the second half, which included five 3-point field goals, to pull away from Kansas State on Tuesday night in the consolation game of the Hall of Fame Classic in front of 7,255 at the T-Mobile Center.
A night after shooting 28.1 percent from the field, including 13.6 percent from 3-point range, in a loss to Cincinnati, the Fighting Illini seemed to make every shot against the Wildcats, as they connected on 52.1 percent (25-of-48) from the field, including 12 makes from 3-point range on 46.2 percent (12-of-26) shooting. Seven of those 12 triples came from senior Alfonso Plummer, who finished the night with 21 points on 7-of-9 shooting from long range.
K-State, on the other hand, couldn't find any offensive rhythm, connecting on just 38.5 percent (25-of-65) from the field, including 28.6 percent (6-of-21) from 3-point range, with just 9 assists on 25 made field goals. After shooting 44.8 percent (13-of-29) to help close the deficit to 34-31 at the half, the team couldn't sustain that output in the second half, shooting just 33.3 percent (12-of-36) from the field, including 23.1 percent (3-of-13) from long range.
Junior reserve Markquis Nowell had his best night as a Wildcat, coming off the bench to score a team-high 19 points on 7-of-15 field goals to go with team-best in rebounds (6) and steals (2) in 25 minutes. He was joined in double figures by sophomores Nijel Pack (15) and Ish Massoud (13). The trio combined for 47 of the Wildcats' 64 points, as the rest of the team managed just 17 points on 8-of-26 shooting, including 1-of-7 from 3-point range.
After falling behind by as many as 7 points in the first half, the Wildcats seemed to find some momentum in the early part of the second half, rattling off 6 straight points to open the half for a 37-34 lead and force a timeout by Illinois.
The Illini responded out of the timeout with 7 straight point to push back ahead, 41-37, at the 16:24 mark, but Massoud went on a 5-0 run himself, including a 3-pointer to give the Wildcats the lead at 42-41 with 14:40 to play.
However, back-to-back 3-pointers from Plummer and fifth-year senior Jacob Grandison started a stretch of 9 straight points by Illinois, which turned into the larger 21-7 run, flipping the 1-point deficit into as much as 13-point advantage. Plummer hit 3 of his game-high 7 3-pointers during this stretch.

NON-CONFERENCE HISTORY

K-State has a 117-13 (.898) record at home venues (includes home games played at Bramlage Coliseum, INTRUST Bank Arena in Wichita and the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City) in non-conference play dating back to the 2006-07 season, including a 108-11 (.906) 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 104 of their last 115 non-conference home games.
K-State has posted a 153-49 (.757) record in non-conference play since the 2006-07 season. Prior to the 2020-21 season, the Wildcats had posted double-digit non-conference wins in 12 of the last 13 seasons.
Head coach Bruce Weber is 84-33 (.718) in non-conference play since he arrived at K-State, including a 65-11 (.851) mark at home.

HOME SWEET HOME // BRAMLAGE COLISEUM (1989-present)

K-State has posted a 394-137 (.742) all-time record at Bramlage Coliseum since its opening during the 1988-89 season. The 394 wins are the most at a home venue for the Wildcats, surpassing the 378 wins at Ahearn Field House (1950-88). It is the school's third home venue.
K-State has registered a 194-57 (.772) record at home over the past 15 seasons, including an 84-46 (.646) mark in Big 12 play. The 194 wins rank fourth among all Big 12 schools in that span, while the 84 league victories at home are among the top in the Big 12. In all, the program has double-digit victories in 26 of its 33 seasons in the arena.
K-State has a 255-79 (.763) record at home, including a 149-16 (.902) mark in non-conference action, since the 2001-02 season for an average of just over 13 home wins (13.1) per season in that span.
Head coach Bruce Weber has recorded a 109-41 (.725) record at Bramlage Coliseum since taking over at K-State in 2012-13 with just 11 non-conference home losses. The 41 losses (30 of which have come in Big 12 play) have come by a total of 418 points or 10.2 points per game. Weber has posted a 49-32 (.6050) record in Big 12 play at Bramlage Coliseum.

LEADING WITH DEFENSE

K-State has developed a strong reputation as defensive team under head coach Bruce Weber, ranking among the top-60 nationally in opponent points per game 6 times in the 9 seasons.
The Wildcats ranked fourth nationally in scoring defense (59.6 ppg.) during its Big 12 Championship season in 2018-19, while they placed 36th (60.4 ppg.) in 2012-13 and 46th (67.0 ppg.) in 2017-18.
K-State has held 210 opponents (out of 304 total) under 70 points during Bruce Weber's tenure, including a program-best 31 in 2012-13. The Wildcats have also held 104 opponents under 60 points in that span, while 29 have scored less than 50 points in his tenure.
In addition to its scoring defense, K-State has ranked among the top-40 in opponent 3-point field goal percentage 3 times (2013-14, 2015-16 and 2018-19) and among the top-50 in steals on 5 occasions (every season from 2015-16 to 2019-20) in the Bruce Weber era. Twice (2016-17 and 2019-20) the school has ranked the top-45 in opponent turnovers.
The Wildcats have held opponents to under 40 percent shooting in 102 games in the Bruce Weber era, including under 35 percent in 48 games.
K-State struggled mightily across the board during the 2020-21 season, but no more than on defensive end, allowing 80 or more points 7 times in the first 21 games, including allowing 100 or more points in both regular-season games with eventual national champion Baylor. However, the Wildcats were able to win 4 of their last 7 games due to their improved defense, as they held 5 of those 7 opponents under 60 points. During the last 7 games of the season, the team held their opponents to 59.3 points on 40.6 percent shooting (146-360), including 26.1 percent (36-of-138) from 3-point range.
K-State has started the season off where they left off at the end of the 2020-21 season, as the defense is allowing 66.3 points through the first 4 games on 40.4 percent shooting, including 32.2 percent from 3-point range.
The Wildcats had averaged 64.3 points on 37.3 percent shooting, including 26.6 percent from 3-point range, in the first 3 games (Florida A&M, Omaha and No. 12/13 Arkansas) before allowing No. 14/15 Illinois to score 72 points on 52.1 percent shooting (25-of-48), including 46.2 percent (12-of-26) from 3.
K-State has been able to score points off its opponent turnovers (19.5 ppg.) while forcing an average of 14.5 turnovers per game. The Wildcats had a season-high 23 points off turnovers against the Fighting Illini while forcing 18 miscues.

IMPROVED OFFENSE, BUT WORK CONTINUES FROM 3

It's a small sample size but the K-State offense has looked better in the early going, as the Wildcats are averaging 68.5 points on 42.3 percent shooting, including 32.1 percent from 3-point range, while connecting on 75.3 percent from the free throw line. The team is averaging 26.5 points in the paint, 25.0 points off the bench, 19.5 points off turnovers, 8.5 fast-break points and 7.5 points on second-chance opportunities.
K-State's strength so far has been sharing the ball with 49 assists on 96 made field goals with 51.0 percent of the made baskets coming from an assist. Five different Wildcats have at least 6 assists, including a team-leading 12 by sophomore Selton Miguel and 11 by junior Markquis Nowell.
The work continues on the Wildcats' 3-point shooting, as they made just 20.9 percent (9-of-43) combined from long range in the 2 games with No. 13/12 Arkansas and No. 14/15 Illinois after hitting on 43.9 percent (18-of-41) in the first 2 games against Florida A&M and Omaha.
The Wildcats were really clicking offensively in the 79-64 win over Omaha (11/17/21), as the team connected on 52.8 percent (28-of-53) from the field, including 47.4 percent (9-of-19) from the 3-point line, and hit on 87.5 percent (14-of-16) from the free throw line. The squad hit 50 percent or better from the field in each half for the first time since the Milwaukee game (12/21/20). They also had 34 points in the paint, 22 off the bench and 19 from turnovers.
The Omaha game mark the first time that the Wildcats had connected on 50 percent or better from the field, 45 percent or better from 3-point range and 80 percent or better from the free throw line since a win over USC Upstate in 2017. In that game, the team shot 50.8 percent from the field, including 48 percent from long range, and was 87.5 percent from the free throw line.

IMPROVED DEPTH/EXPERIENCE

It has been well chronicled how young the Wildcats were during the 2020-21 season, as only 11 Division I schools were less experienced than K-State with only Auburn and Duke less experienced among teams in the Power 6 (ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC). The 11 underclassmen were the third-most of any Power 6 school, trailing Louisville (13) and Mississippi State (12), while the 3 upperclassmen were the fourth-fewest, trailing just Stetson (1), Auburn (2) and UC Irvine (2). In addition, K-State was one of 10 schools to start at least 3 true freshmen in one game with trio of Davion Bradford, Selton Miguel and Nijel Pack starting in 17 of the team's 29 games.
K-State is hoping that the return of 9 of 14 lettermen, including super senior Mike McGuirl and sophomores Bradford, Miguel and Pack, as well as the influx of 7 newcomers, including 3 Division I transfers in Ish Massoud (Wake Forest), Markquis Nowell (Little Rock) and Mark Smith (Illinois/Missouri) will lead to a dramatic improvement on the court.
Head coach Bruce Weber has remarked numerous times that this improved experience and depth could be a strength for the Wildcats in 2021-22.
The Wildcats have used 10 players in each of the first 4 games with 5 of those players totaling double-digit field goals made and each of those 5 averaging nearly 8 points per game.
K-State is averaging 25 points per game from its bench this season, including 28-point efforts against No. 13/12 Arkansas and No. 14/15 Illinois. The team has posted 4 consecutive games of 22 or more bench points.
Junior Markquis Nowell has provided a spark off the bench, averaging 11.5 points on 40 percent (14-of-35) shooting and 82.4 percent (14-of-17) from the free throw line. He has scored in double figures in each of the last 3 games, including a season-high 19 points vs. No. 14/15 Illinois.

HOPING FOR BETTER INJURY LUCK

K-State is hoping for better luck on the injury front in 2021-22 after injuries were a major factor in the 2020-21 season, as 9 players combined to miss 75 games, which caused head coach Bruce Weber to start 3 true freshmen (Davion Bradford, Selton Miguel and Nijel Pack) a combined 71 times, which ranked second nationally to Kentucky.
Only one other Division I team (Long Beach State) had more players miss time due to injuries in 2020-21.
Although that luck has been tested early with promising big man Seryee Lewis going down with a season-ending knee injury in the preseason, along with injuries slowing down the progress made by junior big man Carlton Linguard, Jr., and freshman Maximus Edwards. There is hope that Linguard and Edwards will return at some point this season.

McGUIRL UTILIZES EXTRA SEASON

K-State received some good news on March 23 when senior Mike McGuirl announced that he was utilizing his extra season and returning to the Wildcats for the 2021-22 season. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the NCAA announced in October that they had agreed to grant players an additional year of eligibility.
An All-Big 12 Honorable Mention selection, McGuirl is coming off solid senior season in 2020-21, in which, he either led or was tied for the team lead in 12 categories, including points, field goals, 3-pointers, assists and steals. He was second in scoring (11.8 ppg.) to freshman teammate Nijel Pack.
McGuirl's 20 double-digit scoring games doubled his entire career total (10) that he had entering the 2020-21 season. He opened the season with his first career 20-point game vs. Drake on November 25 with 22 points then equaled it against Fort Hays State on December 8, while he had a team-high 19 points in the upset of No. 7/8 Oklahoma on February 23. Of his 705 career points, 542 have come in the last two seasons in 58 games played with 49 starts (9.3 ppg.).
The only player to start all 29 games, McGuirl showed his versatility by leading the Wildcats in scoring a team-best 11 times, while he also paced the team in rebounding 4 times, in assists 14 times and in steals on 10 occasions. He led the team in scoring (16), rebounding (9) and assists (5) in the win over TCU on February 20, a win which started the team's late surge to end the season (four wins in the last 6 games).

THE 'CATS INK 3 HIGH-PROFILE TRANSFERS

K-State got an infusion of experience with the addition of 3 high-profile Division I transfers in fifth-year Mark Smith (Missouri), junior Markquis Nowell and sophomore Ismael (Ish) Massoud (Wake Forest). All 3 took advantage of the new transfer rules and are immediately eligible in 2021-22.
Like McGuirl, Smith earned a second senior season due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and will bring 100 games of experience to the court after playing at Illinois (2017-18) and Missouri (2018-21). Nowell, who was a Lou Henson All-American at Little Rock, averaged double figures in each of his three seasons as a Trojan. Massoud played in all 53 games of his Wake Forest career, averaging 8.3 points per game as a sophomore in 2020-21.
The transfers presumably fill the Wildcats' greatest need from the 2020-21 season, which was a lack of production from the 3-point line. The team ranked 319th (out of 340 teams) in 3-point field goal percentage (29.6), while they were 126th in total 3-point field goals made (191) and 243rd in 3-point field goals per game (6.6). The trio have combined for nearly 400 triples (390) in their respective careers on 36.1 percent shooting.
The trio made their impact in the first 4 games with Massoud and Smith each earning the start, while Nowell has averaged 21.6 minutes of the bench. They have combined for 110 points on 38.5 percent (37-of-96) shooting with 53 rebounds and 17 assists. Nowell has scored in double figures in each of the last 3 games, including 19 vs. No. 14/15 Illinois, while Massoud added 13 points vs. the Fighting Illini. Smith is the team's leading rebounder (6.3 rpg.).

A QUICK LOOK AT K-STATE

K-State returns 9 lettermen, including 4 players (Davion Bradford, Mike McGuirl, Selton Miguel and Nijel Pack) who registered starts during its COVID-19 challenging 2020-21 campaign, which resulted in the Wildcats' second consecutive non-winning season at 9-20 overall and 4-14 in Big 12 play. In addition to these 4 players, the team will get back the services of several key lettermen, including juniors Kaosi Ezeagu and Carlton Linguard, Jr., sophomores Luke Kasubke and Seryee Lewis and walk-on Drew Honas.
The biggest headliner from the returners might be McGuirl, who opted to return for an extra season in 2021-22 after his senior season was hampered by the COVID-19 pandemic. He earned All-Big 12 Honorable Mention honors in 2020-21 after leading the Wildcats in 12 categories, including points (342), double-digit scoring games (20), field goals (112), 3-point field goals (60), assists (103), steals (30) and minutes (34.3).
The freshmen trio of Bradford, Miguel and Pack had to grow up fast in their first season, starting together in 17 games with 12 of those coming in Big 12 play. The 71 combined starts by the three true freshmen in 2020-21 ranked second nationally only to Kentucky (72). The three combined to average 25.4 points, 10.4 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 2.0 steals in 2020-21, as Pack (12.7 ppg.) became the first true freshman to lead the Wildcats in scoring since 2013-14. Bradford (7.7 ppg.) and Miguel (7.2 ppg.) were fourth and fifth in scoring.
Ezeagu started early on for K-State before an injury forced him to miss 10 games. He returned in mid-January as mostly a reserve, averaging 5.2 points on 67.7 percent (21-of-31) in his last 10 games. Linguard and Lewis each showed flashes in their first seasons, playing in 17 and 18 games, respectively, while Kasubke recovered from a preseason injury that forced him to miss the first 13 games to be a key contributor in the final 16 games.

UP NEXT: UALBANY (1-5)

K-State continues its homestand on Wednesday night, as the Wildcats play host to UAlbany (1-5) and first-year head coach Dwayne Killings at 7 p.m., CT.
The Great Danes ended their 5-game losing streak with a 66-64 win over Eastern Illinois on Nov. 24. This will be the first meeting between the two schools.

Game Preview // K-State Begins Homestand vs. North Dakota Sunday

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Davion Bradford

Maximus Edwards

Kaosi Ezeagu

Drew Honas

Luke Kasubke

Seryee Lewis

Carlton Linguard, Jr.

Mike McGuirl

Selton Miguel

Markquis Nowell

Nijel Pack

Mark Smith

Kansas State University Athletics

Game Preview // K-State Begins Homestand vs. North Dakota Sunday

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Davion Bradford

Maximus Edwards

Kaosi Ezeagu

Drew Honas

Luke Kasubke

Seryee Lewis

Carlton Linguard, Jr.

Mike McGuirl

Selton Miguel

Markquis Nowell

Nijel Pack

Mark Smith

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