Game Preview // K-State Makes Quick Turnaround to Face McNeese State Tuesday

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GAME 11
KANSAS STATE (7-3) vs. McNEESE STATE (3-8)
Tuesday, December 21, 2021 >> 7:01 p.m. CT >> Bramlage Coliseum (11,654) >> Manhattan, Kan.

TELEVISION
Big 12 Now on ESPN+ / WatchESPN (link here)

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 389
Online: Varsity Network [free]/SXM 979 / 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
K-State: Bruce Weber [Wisconsin-Milwaukee '78]
Record at K-State: 177-133/10th Year
Career Record: 490-288/24th Year
vs. McNeese State: 0-0 [0-0 at K-State]

McNeese State: John Aiken [Southern Maine '08]
Record at McNeese State: 3-8/1st Year
Career Record: 33-41/3rd Year
vs. K-State: 0-0 [0-0 at McNeese State]

SERIES HISTORY
Overall: First meeting
Current Streak: n/a
In Manhattan: First meeting
At Bramlage Coliseum: First meeting
Last Meeting: n/a
Weber vs. Aiken: First meeting

PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP
Kansas State (7-3)
G: #1 Markquis Nowell
G: #13 Mark Smith
G: #24 Nijel Pack
F: #25 Ismael [Ish] Massoud
F: #20 Kaosi Ezeagu

McNeese State (3-8)
G: #0 Trae English
G: #15 Zach Scott
F: #5 Myles Lewis
F: #12 Kellon Taylor
C: #35 Brendan Medley-Bacon

K-STATE HOSTS McNEESE STATE BEFORE HOLIDAY BREAK

Kansas State (7-3) makes a quick turnaround on Tuesday night, as the Wildcats play host to first-time opponent and Southland Conference foe McNeese State (3-8) at 7 p.m., CT at Bramlage Coliseum. It will be K-State's second game in a 3-day span after knocking off Nebraska, 67-58, on Sunday night before a sold-out crowd at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
The Wildcats have now won 5 of their last 6 games with their only loss in that span coming by 1-point to Marquette on Dec. 8, while they have started the year with consecutive road victories (Wichita State and Nebraska) for the first time since the 2017-18 season. They held both the Shockers and Cornhuskers to less than 60 points in the victories.
K-State boasts a 5-1 record at Bramlage Coliseum this season, averaging 74.3 points in those contests on 49.1 percent shooting, including 40.9 percent from 3-point range, while holding opponents to 55.7 points on 37.3 percent shooting.

OPENING TIP

K-State looks to wrap up the calendar year 2021 on a winning note with non-conference home games against McNeese State (3-8) and Morgan State (4-7) before opening Big 12 play at Oklahoma (9-2) on New Year's Day. The team needs just 2 wins to equal its entire win total (9) from 2020-21.
The Wildcats' 3 losses to No. 13/12 Arkansas (64-72), No. 14/15 Illinois (64-72) and Marquette (63-64) have come by a combined 17 points.
K-State turned to its reliable defense to grind out the 67-58 win at Nebraska on Sunday night, holding the Cornhuskers to 17 points under their scoring average in the first meeting with their old conference rival in more than a decade. The Wildcats held the Huskers to their second-fewest points of the season and their second-lowest field goal percentage (32.8 percent / 19-of-58). They started the game 5-of-10 from 3-point range before missing their final 18 attempts from long range, including all 11 in the second half.
K-State struggled to find consistency on offense, finishing at 39 percent (23-of-59) from the field, including 23.1 percent (6-of-26) from 3-point range. However, the Wildcats did take advantage of their opportunities in the paint, scoring 34 points, while getting 23 points from its bench and outscoring the Huskers, 22-11, in points off turnovers. The team also made sure to take care of their chances at the free throw line, converting on 15 of 18 attempts.
K-State also got a big lift from sophomore Nijel Pack, who returned to the starting lineup against Nebraska (12/19/21) after coming off the bench against Green Bay (12/12/21). Pack, who missed consecutive games against Wichita State (12/5/21) and Marquette (12/8/21), posted a team-high 15 points in the victory to go with a career-high 8 rebounds and a season-tying 5 assists and 2 steals in a season-best 34 minutes of action. Pack has now scored in double figures in 7 of his 8 games played this season, as he leads the Wildcats in scoring (14.5 ppg.), double-digit scoring games (7) and 3-point field goals (21).
K-State continue to hang its hat on defense, where the team ranks among the top-30 in 4 defensive categories, including first in 3-point field goal percentage defense (23.8), 18th in defensive rebounds (29.5), 20th in field goal percentage defense (37.8) and 26th in scoring defense (59.5). The Wildcats have held 5 of 10 opponents under 60 points, including back-to-back opponents (North Dakota and UAlbany) to under 50 points for the first time since December 2015. They are also averaging 17.8 points per game off opponent turnovers.
McNeese State enters Tuesday's game with a 3-8 record after having dropped its last 5 contests (Samford, Seattle, Wyoming, Louisiana and UTEP) with 4 of those coming on the road. The Cowboys are averaging 71.7 points per game on 43.1 percent shooting, including 28.6 percent from 3-point range, and have a pair of double-digit scorers in forward Myles Lewis (10.7 ppg.) and center Brendan Medley-Bacon (10.1 ppg.) under first-year head coach John Aiken.
This will be the first meeting between K-State and McNeese State and just the fourth-ever against a Southland Conference foe after victories over Northwestern State and New Orleans in 1999 and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in 2003.

NOTES ON McNEESE STATE

McNeese State enters Tuesday's contest with a 3-8 overall record and have not played since an 82-72 loss at UTEP on Dec. 16. The Cowboys had a home game with Dallas Christian canceled on Saturday. The team has lost 5 in a row heading into their game with K-State with losses to Samford (75-83), Seattle (62-78), Wyoming (58-79), Louisiana (68-83) and UTEP.
The Cowboys are averaging 71.7 points per game on 43.1 percent shooting, including 28.6 percent from 3-point range, with 38.5 rebounds, 12.5 assists, 10.2 steals and 3.9 blocks per game, while allowing opponents to average 75.6 points on 42.5 percent shooting, including 33 percent from long range. The team is hitting on 58.2 percent from the free throw line.
Six players are averaging better than 7 points per game, including a pair averaging in double figures led by graduate transfer Myles Lewis (10.7 ppg.) and junior Brendan Medley-Bacon (10.1 ppg.). Lewis is connecting on 52.7 percent from the field to go with 4.9 rebounds per game, while Medley-Bacon is hitting on 60.9 percent to go with 6.5 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game.
Graduate transfer Kellon Taylor is third on the team in scoring at 8.9 points to go with a team-best 1.8 assists per game, while sophomore Collin Warren and junior T.J. Moss average 8.6 and 7.8 points per game, respectively.
McNeese State returns just 4 lettermen, including 1 starter, from a team that went 10-14 in 2020-21, including a 10th place finish in Southland Conference play with a 4-10 mark. They have 12 newcomers.
Head coach John Aiken is in his first season leading the McNeese State program. He previously was the associate head coach for the past 3 seasons, replacing Heath Schroyer, who decided to focus on being the athletics director on a full-time basis. Aiken was previously the head coach at Belhaven, an NAIA program he guided to national tournament appearances.

SERIES HISTORY

This will be the first meeting between K-State and McNeese State.
K-State has played just 3 other Southland Conference opponents (New Orleans, Northwestern State and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi), all coming at home. The wins against New Orleans (62-47) and Northwestern State (76-71) both came during the 1999-2000 season, while the victory over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (89-50) came on Dec. 20, 2003.
Head coach Bruce Weber is 2-0 vs. Southland Conference opponents in his career, defeating Northwestern State, 69-51, in the first round of the Las Vegas Invitational on Dec. 30, 2004, and defeating Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 72-53, in a home game on Nov. 16. 2008. Both wins came while head coach at Illinois.

NON-CONFERENCE HISTORY

K-State has a 120-14 (.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 111-12 (.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 107 of their last 119 non-conference home games.
K-State has posted a 157-50 (.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 previous 13 seasons.
Head coach Bruce Weber is 89-34 (.719) in non-conference play since he arrived at K-State, including a 68-12 (.848) mark at home.

LAST TIME OUT:
K-STATE 67, NEBRASKA 58

K-State turned to its reliable defense to grind out another road victory, as the Wildcats held Nebraska to more than 17 points under its average in a 67-58 win on Sunday night before a sold-out crowd of 15,043 fans at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
K-State has now won 5 of its last 6 games and opened the year with back-to-back road victories for the first time since the 2017-18 season.
With their offense struggling with consistency, the Wildcats turned up their always solid defensive effort in holding the Cornhuskers to their second-fewest points of the season (58) and second-lowest field goal percentage (32.8). The Huskers, who started the game 5-of-10 from 3-point range, missed their final 18 attempts from long range, including all 11 in the second half.
K-State has now held 5 of 10 opponents under 60 points, including back-to-back on the road.
Playing for the first time in more than a decade in Lincoln and the first time in Pinnacle Bank Arena, the Wildcats allowed the Cornhuskers to get in rhythm early, falling behind by as many 10 points, including 25-15 with 8:48 to play. However, the team rattled off 16 straight points as part of a larger 18-2 run to end the opening half to take a 33-27 advantage into the locker room.

After Nebraska took the momentum back with 9 straight to open the second half, the squads traded the lead back and forth until a 12-2 run keyed by a 3-pointer from sophomore Nijel Pack gave K-State the lead for good with 9:44 remaining. The Huskers made one last run, closing to within 59-55 with 2:41 to play, however, a Pack free throw and a long 3-pointer from fifth-year senior Mark Smith ended any further rally.
Pack led the way offensively for the Wildcats with 15 points on 5-of-13 field goals, including 2-of-9 from 3-point range, to go with a career-high 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals, while fellow sophomore Ish Massoud added 10 points on 2-of-4 field goals, including 1-of-3 from long range, and a perfect 5-of-5 effort from the free throw line.
Big men – junior Kaosi Ezeagu and sophomore Davion Bradford – had their best games of the season with a combined 18 points and 15 rebounds. Ezeagu finished with a near double-double with 9 points and career-tying 9 rebounds, while Bradford added a season-high 9 points and 5 rebounds.

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

K-State has posted a 398-138 (.742) all-time record at Bramlage Coliseum since its opening during the 1988-89 season. The 398 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 198-58 (.772) record at home over the past 16 seasons, including an 84-46 (.646) mark in Big 12 play. The 198 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 259-80 (.763) record at home, including a 153-17 (.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 113-42 (.725) record at Bramlage Coliseum since taking over at K-State in 2012-13 with just 11 non-conference home losses. The 42 losses (30 of which have come in Big 12 play) have come by a total of 419 points or 10.2 points per game. Weber has posted a 49-32 (.605) record in Big 12 play at Bramlage Coliseum with 18 victories over ranked Big 12 teams, including 6 in the Top 10.

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 216 opponents (out of 310 total) under 70 points during Bruce Weber's tenure, including a program-best 31 in 2012-13. The Wildcats have also held 108 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 106 games in the Bruce Weber era, including under 35 percent in 51 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 59.5 points on 37.8 percent shooting, including 23.8 percent from 3-point range. The Wildcats rank among the top-30 in 4 defensive categories, including first in 3-point field goal percentage defense, 20th in field goal percentage defense and 26th in scoring defense.
The Wildcats responded to allowed 72 points in back-to-back games vs. No. 13/12 Arkansas (11/22/21) and No. 14/15 Illinois (11/23/21) with stellar efforts vs. North Dakota (11/28/21) and UAlbany (12/2/21), allowing the fewest combined points (85) in consecutive games since holding Lamar (55) and Alabama-Huntsville (26) to 81 combined points on Nov. 12 and 13, 2012.
K-State has been able to score points off its opponent turnovers (17.8 ppg.) while forcing an average of 14.2 turnovers per game. The Wildcats has scored 20 or more points off turnovers 3 times, including 22 vs. Nebraska (12/19/21).

IMPROVED OFFENSE, BUT WORK CONTINUES FROM 3

The Wildcats are averaging 70.6 points on 44 percent shooting, including 33.2 percent from 3-point range, while connecting on 74.1 percent from the free throw line through the first 10 games. The team is averaging 30.8 points in the paint, 22.1 points off the bench, 17.8 points off turnovers, 9.6 fast-break points and 9.2 points on second-chance opportunities.
K-State's offense shines when the Wildcats share the ball, as the team is averaging 73.6 points and 15.6 assists in their 7 wins compared to just 63.7 points and 11.3 assists in their 3 losses. The squad also scored 216 combined points (30.9 ppg.) in the paint in their 7 victories, including 46 vs. North Dakota, which were the most since scoring 50 against Eastern Kentucky in Nov. 16, 2018.
The Wildcats' 3-point shooting strives for consistency, as they made just 22.7 percent (27-of-119) vs. No. 13/12 Arkansas, No. 14/15 Illinois, Wichita State, Marquette and Nebraska, while hitting on nearly 45 percent (48-of-107) in games vs. Florida A&M, Omaha, North Dakota, UAlbany and Green Bay.
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).
K-State played even better offensively against North Dakota (11/28/21), hitting on 60.3 percent (35-of-58) from the field, including 69 percent (20-of-29) in the second half, to post their first 80-point game since January 2020. It marked the first time that the Wildcats had shot better than 60 percent since hitting on 62.5 percent (35-of-56) against Alabama State on Dec. 11, 2019.

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. The 11 underclassmen were the third-most of any Power 6 school, while the 3 upperclassmen were the fourth-fewest. 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 senior Mike McGuirl and sophomores Bradford, Miguel and Pack, as well as the influx of 7 newcomers, including 3 transfers in Ish Massoud (Wake Forest), Markquis Nowell (Little Rock) and Mark Smith (Missouri) will lead to improved play.
The Wildcats have used at least 8 players in each of the first 10 games with all 8 those players totaling double-digit field goals made and 7 averaging nearly 6 points per game, including a pair of double-digit scorers (Pack and Nowell).
K-State is averaging nearly 22.1 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 scored 20 or more bench points in 8 of 10 games.
Before starting the last 4 games, Nowell had provided a spark off the bench, as he currently averages 12.3 points on 40 percent shooting and 88.9 percent from the free throw line. He has scored in double figures 7 times, as he led in points (16), rebounds (8) and assists (4) in his first start at Wichita State.

IMPROVED FREE THROW SHOOTING

Again, it's a small sample size with just 10 games, but so far, K-State has taken care of its opportunities from the free throw line, connecting on 74.1 percent (123-of-166) from the charity stripe, which ranks second in the Big 12.
That percentage was even better in its 3-game stretch vs. Omaha, No. 13/12 Arkansas and No. 14/15 Illinois, as the Wildcats hit on 81.3 percent (39-of-48) during that stretch, including 78.1 percent (25-of-32) in the games against the Razorbacks and Fighting Illini.
Six players (Nijel Pack, Markquis Nowell, Ish Massoud, Selton Miguel, Mike McGuirl and Davion Bradford) are hitting on better than 70 percent from the line, as Massoud (14-of-14) has been perfect so far.
The Wildcats shot just 66.4 percent from the free throw line in 2020-21, while they haven't connected on better than 70 percent from the line since hitting on 73.4 percent as a team in 2017-18.

TURNOVER LOW

K-State turned the ball over just 4 times in the loss to No. 14/15 Illinois, which tied 5 others for the third-fewest in a game in school history and fewest since also registered 4 turnovers in a win over Gonzaga on Dec. 21, 2013. It tied the 2013 Gonzaga contest for the fewest turnovers in the Bruce Weber era.
In contrast, the Wildcats were able to force the Fighting Illini into 18 turnovers, which resulted in a 23-3 advantage in points off turnovers.

NIJEL TO THE RESCUE

Although he missed 2 games due to a concussion, sophomore Nijel Pack is still off to an impressive start to the 2021-22 season, as he has led or have been tied for the team lead in scoring in 5 of his 8 games played, including an 18-point performance in the opener vs. Florida A&M, 15 points vs. Omaha, 14 points vs. No. 12/13 Arkansas, 17 points vs. UAlbany and 15 vs. Nebraska.
Pack is averaging a team-best 14.5 points on 48.8 percent (41-of-84) shooting, including 42.9 percent (21-of-49) from 3-point range, to go with 3.3 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 26.9 minutes per game. He is the leader in scoring, double-digit scoring games (7) and 3-point field goals (21).
Pack ranks among the Big 12's top-10 in 4 categories, including second in 3-point field goals per game (2.63), third in 3-point field goal percentage and seventh in both scoring and field goal percentage.

MOVING TOWARDS 500

Head coach Bruce Weber is working towards a coaching milestone, as he is 10 wins away from earning 500 in his career. He enters Tuesday's game with a 490-288 (.629) record in 24 years as a head coach at Southern Illinois (1998-2003), Illinois (2003-12) and K-State (2012-21).
If Weber were to achieve the milestone in 2021-22, he would be among elite company as only 26 current Division I coaches have reached 500 wins in their career with Herb Sendek (Santa Clara) just ahead of him with 497 victories.

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 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 Carlton Linguard, Jr., and freshman Maximus Edwards. Pack missed games against Wichita State and Marquette due to a concussion but returned against Green Bay.

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 more than 400 triples (421) in their respective careers on 36.1 percent shooting.
The trio made their impact in the first 10 games with Massoud and Smith each starting every game, while Nowell has registered starts in the last 4 games due to the injury to Nijel Pack. They have combined for 301 points on 408 percent (104-of-255) shooting with 161 rebounds and 66 assists. Nowell has scored in double figures in 7 of 10 games, including a season-high 19 vs. No. 14/15 Illinois, while Massoud added a season-high 17 points vs. Green Bay. Smith has 3 double-doubles and is the team's leading rebounder (7.7 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: MORGAN STATE (4-7)

K-State will take an 8-day break from competition due to the holidays before returning against Morgan State (4-7) on Wednesday, Dec. 29 at 7 p.m., CT.

Game Preview // K-State Makes Quick Turnaround to Face McNeese State Tuesday

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 Makes Quick Turnaround to Face McNeese State Tuesday

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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