Game Preview // K-State Hosts 14/16 Texas in Big 12 Home Opener Tuesday

Tuesday, January 4

Manhattan, Kan.

6 p.m.

Kansas State University

Texas

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Game Preview // K-State Hosts 14/16 Texas in Big 12 Home Opener Tuesday

Jan 03, 2022 | Men's Basketball

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The Wildcats have lost 4 straight to the Longhorns

GAME 13
KANSAS STATE (8-4, 0-1 Big 12) at 14/16 TEXAS (11-2, 1-0 Big 12)
Tuesday, January 4, 2022 >> 6:01 p.m. CT >> Bramlage Coliseum (11,643) >> Manhattan, Kan.

TELEVISION
Big 12 Now on ESPN+ / ESPN App (Link)

Lowell Galindo (play-by-play)
Lance Blanks (analyst)
Anthony Glase (producer)

RADIO
K-State Sports Network
Flagships: // KMAN 1350 & WIBW 580
Satellite Radio: XM 383
Online: Varsity Network [free] / SXM 973 / www.kstatesports.com/watch [free]

Brian Smoller (play-by-play)
Missy Heidrick (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 [Wisconsin-Milwaukee '78]
Record at K-State: 178-134/10th Year
Career Record: 491-289/24th Year
vs. Texas: 9-11 [9-10 at K-State]

Texas: Chris Beard [Texas '95]
Record at Texas: 11-2/1st Year
Career Record: 294-107/13th Year
vs. K-State: 8-2 [0-0 at Texas]

SERIES HISTORY
Overall: K-State leads 22-20
Current Streak: Texas, 4
In Manhattan: K-State leads 11-8
At Bramlage Coliseum: K-State leads 9-8
Last Meeting: L, 80-77 [2/9/2021 in Manhattan, Kan.]
Weber vs. Beard: 2-8 [2-3 at home]

PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP
Kansas State (8-4, 0-1 Big 12)
G: #3 Selton Miguel
G: #13 Mark Smith
G: #24 Nijel Pack
F: #25 Ismael [Ish] Massoud
F: #20 Kaosi Ezeagu

Texas (11-2, 1-0 Big 12)
G: #1 Andrew Jones
G: #2 Marcus Carr
G: #3 Courtney Ramey
F: #00 Timmy Allen
F: #33 Tre Mitchell

K-STATE TO FACE 14/16 TEXAS IN BIG 12 HOME OPENER TUESDAY

Kansas State (8-4, 0-1 Big 12) returns to Bramlage Coliseum on Tuesday night, as the Wildcats play host to No. 14/16 Texas (11-2, 1-0 Big 12) in the Big 12 home opener at 6 p.m., CT on Big 12 Now on ESPN+. It will be Dollar Night at the arena, as all general admission tickets are priced at just $1, while all general admission parking is free.
Tuesday's game will match two of the better defensive teams in the country, as Texas ranks first in scoring defense at 51.9 points per game, while K-State places 31st at 60.4 points per outing. Each team does it in different ways, as the Longhorns are third in turnover margin (7.5), while the Wildcats are sixth in 3-point field goal percentage defense (25.8).
K-State will look to win its first Big 12 home opener in 4 seasons, as the Wildcats have dropped 4 straight such matchups with their last victory coming against Texas, 65-62, on Dec. 30, 2017.

OPENING TIP

As the Wildcats return home on Tuesday night for the Big 12 home opener, they will be attempting to win the 400th game in Bramlage Coliseum history. K-State is 399-138 (.742) all-time in the arena, including a 156-110 (.587) mark in conference games. The team is 6-1 at home this season.
The Wildcats' 8 wins have come by an average of 17.9 points, including 6 at home by 21.3 points. The team's losses to No. 13/12 Arkansas (64-72), No. 14/15 Illinois (64-72), Marquette (63-64) and at Oklahoma (69-71) have come by a combined 18 points.
K-State saw its 3-game winning end in the Big 12 opener at Oklahoma on Saturday, as the Wildcats could not complete a valiant second-half comeback with the Sooners holding on for a 71-69 win at the Lloyd Noble Center. Down by as many as 15 points, including 14 just minutes into the second half, K-State rallied to tie the game at 65-all on a 3-pointer by sophomore Ish Massoud with 1:03 to play. However, senior Elijah Harkless answered out of a Sooner timeout with the go-ahead jumper that gave Oklahoma a 67-65 lead with 35 seconds.
Sophomore Nijel Pack, who scored 15 of his 17 points in the second half, tried to answer on the next possession but his 3-pointer was off the mark and was rebounded by Sooner senior Umoja Gibson, who was fouled and calmly knocked a pair of free throws to extend the lead to 69-65 with 17 seconds left.
The loss overshadowed the historic performance by fifth-year senior Mark Smith, who became the first Wildcat in school history to post a game of at least 25 points, 15 rebounds and 5 assists since assists became officially kept by the NCAA in 1976-77. He had career-highs in points (25), rebounds (16) and assists (5), while registering zero turnovers in 39 minutes. His 16 rebounds were the most by a Wildcat in a conference game since Michael Beasley registered 17 boards against Missouri on Feb. 16, 2008.
For his efforts, Smith was named the Phillips 66 Big 12 Newcomer of the Week. He was the first Wildcat to earn the league's Newcomer of the Week honor since Dean Wade in 2016.
Smith, along with fellow transfers, junior Markquis Nowell and sophomore Ish Massoud, have played a major role in the Wildcats' improved play. The trio is averaging 29.9 points, 16.3 rebounds and 7.1 assists per game, including 33.2 points, 18.4 rebounds and 9.4 assists in 5 games starting together.
The Wildcats have ended the first half on runs of 9 or more points in 5 wins this season. In addition to the 18-2 runs against Nebraska and McNeese, the team had a 12-3 run against UAlbany and a pair of 24-10 runs against Wichita State and Green Bay. K-State is 8-0 this season when leading at the half.
K-State continue to hang its hat on defense, where the team ranks among the top-35 in 4 defensive categories, including sixth in 3-point field goal percentage defense (25.8), 26th in both field goal percentage defense (38.5) and defensive rebounds (29.00) and 31st in scoring defense (60.4). The Wildcats have held 6 of 12 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 17.3 points per game off opponent turnovers.

NOTES ON TEXAS

No. 14/16 Texas (11-2, 1-0 Big 12) enters Tuesday's game on a 5-game winning streak, including a 74-59 victory over West Virginia in the Big 12 opener at home on Saturday. The Longhorns are a perfect 10-0 at home this season, while they are 0-2 on the road, dropping contests at Gonzaga (74-86) and at Seton Hall (60-64) on Dec. 9 in the BIG EAST/Big 12 Battle.
The Longhorns are averaging 72.2 points per game on 47 percent shooting, including 34 percent from 3-point range, while allowing opponents to average 51.9 points on 39.4 percent shooting, including 31.2 percent from long range. The team ranks among the top-30 nationally in 7 categories, including first in scoring defense, third in turnover margin (+7.5), 11th in scoring margin (+20.3) and 14th in turnovers forced (18.31).
Texas has 6 players averaging better than 8 points per game, including a pair averaging in double digits led by transfers Timmy Allen (11.6 ppg.) and Tre Mitchell (10.5 ppg.). Allen is connecting on 52.3 percent from the field and leads the team in rebounding (6.4 rpg.). Mitchell is hitting at a clip of 52.5 percent from the field and is averaging 5.1 rebounds per game. Fellow transfer Marcus Carr is the assists leader (42), while averaging 9.5 points per game. Returners Andrew Jones and Courtney Ramey are averaging 9.6 and 8.8 points per game, while Jones has a team-best 18 3-point field goals.
Texas returned just 4 lettermen, including 2 starters, from a team that won the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship and advanced to the NCAA Tournament with a 19-8 overall record, including a 11-6 mark in league play.
Texas is led by first-year coach Chris Beard, who is in his 13th season as a head coach with stints at McMurry (2012-13), Angelo State (2013-15), Little Rock (2015-16) and Texas Tech (2016-21). He has won 294 games, including 112 at Texas Tech, where he led the Red Raiders to 3 consecutive NCAA Tournament and a trip to national championship game in 2019.

SERIES HISTORY

K-State and Texas will meet for the 43rd time in their histories with the Wildcats holding a 22-20 advantage in a series that dates to 1971. Texas has a 20-17 advantage since the start of Big 12 play, while K-State has an 11-8 edge at home, including 9-8 in the Big 12 era.
Texas has won 4 straight in the series, sweeping the season series in both 2020 and 2021. Last season, the Longhorns posted an 82-67 win at home on Jan. 16 before holding off a Wildcat rally for an 80-77 victory in Manhattan on Feb. 9. The last K-State win came in a 71-64 victory at the Erwin Center on Feb. 12, 2019, while the last win at home in the series came in a 58-48 victory on Feb. 21, 2018. The Longhorns have won 3 in a row at Bramlage Coliseum.
Head coach Bruce Weber is 9-11 all-time against Texas, including a 4-5 mark at home, while he is 2-8 against head coach Chris Beard. Beard is 8-2 against K-State, including 3-2 on the road.

LAST TIME OUT:
OKLAHOMA 71, K-STATE 69

Despite a near historic night for fifth-year senior Mark Smith, K-State could not complete a valiant second-half comeback against Oklahoma, as the Sooners held on for a 71-69 win in the Big 12 opener for both teams before 6,777 fans at the Lloyd Noble Center on Saturday night.
Smith collected the first 25-point/15-rebound effort by a Wildcat since All-American Michael Beasley in 2008, as he nearly helped the Wildcats climb out of a double-digit deficit. He finished with career-highs for points (25), rebounds (16) and assists (5) while playing nearly 39 minutes.
Down by as many as 15 points in the first half, including 14 just minutes into the second half, K-State rallied to tie the game at 65-all on a 3-point field goal by sophomore Ish Massoud with 1:03 to play. However, senior Elijah Harkless answered out of a Sooner timeout with the go-ahead jumper that gave Oklahoma a 67-65 lead with 35 seconds remaining.
Sophomore Nijel Pack, who scored 15 of his 17 points in the second half, tried to answer on the next possession, but his 3-pointer was off the back of the rim and was rebound by Sooner senior Umoja Gibson, who was fouled and calmly knocked down a pair of free throws to extend the lead to 69-65 with just 17 seconds left. A jumper by Smith on the next possession pulled the Wildcats to within 69-67 and gave them one last chance with 8 seconds to play, but Gibson sank 2 more free throws to clinch the victory for the Sooners.
The loss overshadowed the near historic performance by Smith, who posted the first 25-point/15-rebound effort since Beasley collected 30 points and 15 rebounds against Texas on Feb. 25, 2008. His 16 rebounds were the most in a conference game since Beasley had 17 against Missouri on Feb. 16, 2008. It was Smith's fifth career double-double, including his fourth in the last 8 games.
Smith was joined in double figures by Pack, who finished with 17 points, and Massoud, who scored 9 of his 13 points in the second half.
After scoring a season-low 22 points on 32 percent (8-of-25) shooting in the first half, K-State erupted for 47 after halftime on 51.9 percent (14-of-27), including 56.3 percent (9-of-16) from 3-point range. For the game, the Wildcats connected on 42.3 percent (22-of-52) of their field goals, including 45.5 percent (10-of-22) from long range, and hit on 88.2 percent (15-of-17) from the line.

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 217 opponents (out of 311 total) under 70 points during Bruce Weber's tenure, including a program-best 31 in 2012-13. The Wildcats have also held 109 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 60.4 points on 38.5 percent shooting, including 25.8 percent from 3-point range. The Wildcats rank among the top-35 in 4 defensive categories, including sixth in 3-point field goal percentage defense, 26th in field goal percentage defense and 31st in scoring defense.
Since allowing 72 points in back-to-back games vs. No. 13/12 Arkansas (11/22/21) and No. 14/15 Illinois (11/23/21) at the Hall of Fame Classic in Kansas City, the Wildcats allowed just 55.6 points in a 7-game span from Nov. 28 to Dec. 21. That stretch included allowing the fewest points (85) in consecutive games to North Dakota (11/28/21) and UAlbany (12/1/21) since 2012-13.
K-State has been able to score points off its opponent turnovers (17.1 ppg.) while forcing an average of 14 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 70.8 points on 44.1 percent shooting, including 34.7 percent from 3-point range, while connecting on 75.2 percent from the free throw line through the first 12 games. The team is averaging 30.7 points in the paint, 22.6 points off the bench, 17.6 points off turnovers, 9.6 fast-break points and 9.1 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 15.8 assists in their 8 wins compared to just 65.0 points and 11.0 assists in their 4 losses. The squad also scored 246 combined points (30.8 ppg.) in the paint in their 8 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 43.6 percent (58-of-133) in games vs. Florida A&M, Omaha, North Dakota, UAlbany, Green Bay and McNeese.
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 12 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 22.6 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 9 of 12 games. The 257 bench points are the most through the first 12 games since the 2012-12 season.
Before joining the starting lineup 6 games ago, Nowell had provided a spark off the bench, averaging 11.7 points in the first 6 games, while Miguel has been that spark of late with 4 of his 5 double-digit scoring games coming off the bench, including tying his career-high with 17 points vs. McNeese.

IMPROVED FREE THROW SHOOTING

Again, it's a small sample size with just 12 games, but so far, K-State has taken care of its opportunities from the free throw line, connecting on 75.2 percent (152-of-202) 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.
Five players (Nijel Pack, Markquis Nowell, Ish Massoud, Selton Miguel and Mike McGuirl) are hitting on better than 70 percent from the free throw 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.
The Wildcats have also had single digits turnovers twice in the last 5 games, including 7 vs. Wichita State (12/1/21) and 8 vs. Green Bay (12/12/21).

PACK OFF TO STRONG START

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 6 of his 10 games played, including an 18-point performance in the opener vs. Florida A&M, 15 vs. Omaha, 14 vs. No. 12/13 Arkansas, 17 vs. UAlbany, 15 vs. Nebraska and 18 vs. McNeese.
Pack is averaging a team-best 15.1 points on 46.5 percent (53-of-115) shooting, including 42.4 percent (28-of-66) from 3-point range, to go with 3.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 28.3 minutes per game. He is the leader in scoring, double-digit scoring games (9) and 3-point field goals (28).
Pack ranks among the Big 12's top-10 in 4 categories, including second in 3-point field goals per game (2.80), third in 3-point field goal percentage and sixth in scoring and seventh in field goal percentage.

MOVING TOWARDS 500

Head coach Bruce Weber is working towards a coaching milestone, as he is 9 wins away from earning 500 in his career. He enters Tuesday's game with a 491-289 (.630) 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 499 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.
The backcourt has been hit of late, as Pack missed 2 games against Wichita State and Marquette due to a concussion, while Markquis Nowell missed the Big 12 opener at Oklahoma due to health and safety protocols.

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 (430) in their respective careers on 36.1 percent shooting.
The trio made their impact in the first 12 games with Massoud and Smith each starting every game, while Nowell started in 5 straight before missing the Oklahoma game. They have combined for 367 points (30.6 ppg.) on 42 percent (124-of-297) shooting with 197 rebounds (16.4 rpg.) and 83 assists (6.9 apg.). Nowell has scored in double figures in 8 games, including a pair of points/assists double-doubles, while Massoud has 6 double-digit scoring games. Smith has 4 double-doubles in the last 8 games and is the leading rebounder (8.6 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: AT WEST VIRGINIA (11-2, 0-1 Big 12)

K-State is scheduled to hit the road this weekend and travel to Morgantown, W.Va., on Saturday to take on former head coach Bob Huggins and his West Virginia Mountaineers (11-2, 0-1 Big 12) at 1 p.m., CT at the WVU Coliseum.
The Mountaineers is led by the Big 12's leading scorer Taz Sherman, who is averaging 20.9 points per game through 12 games.