Preview // K-State Makes Road Trip to 21/19 BYU Saturday

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GAME 24
KANSAS STATE (15-8, 5-5 Big 12) at 21/19 BYU (16-6, 4-5 Big 12)
Saturday, February 10, 2024 >> 8 p.m. CT >> Marriott Center (17,978) >> Provo, Utah

TELEVISION
ESPN2 / WatchESPN (link here)

Pete Sousa (play-by-play)
Tim Welsh (analyst)
Joe McCoy (producer)

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

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

LIVE STATS
kstatesports.com
kstate.statbroadcast.com

COACHES
K-State: Jerome Tang [Charter Oak State College '07]
Record at K-State: 40-18/Second Year
Career Record: 42-18*/Second Year
vs. Kansas: 1-1 [1-0 at home]

BYU: Mark Pope [Kentucky '96]
Record at BYU: 103-47/5th Year
Career Record: 180-103/9th Year
vs. K-State: 0-0 [0-0 at home]

PROBABLE STARTERS
K-State (15-8, 5-5 Big 12)
G: #2 Tylor Perry
G: #4 Dai Dai Ames
G: #5 Cam Carter
W: #24 Arthur Kaluma
C: #20 Jerrell Colbert

21/19 BYU (16-6, 4-5 Big 12)
G: #2 Jaxson Robinson
G: #20 Spencer Johnson
G: #30 Dallin Hall
F: #0 Noah Waterman
F: #45 Fousseyni Traore

SERIES HISTORY
Overall: K-State leads 4-3
Big 12 Era: First meeting
On the Road: BYU leads 2-0
At Marriott Center: BYU leads 1-0
Active Streak: K-State, 1
Last Meeting: W, 84-72 [3/20/2010 in Oklahoma City]
Jerome Tang vs. Mark Pope: First meeting

K-STATE MAKES ROAD TRIP TO 21/19 BYU SATURDAY
Kansas State (15-8, 5-5 Big 12) will make its first visit to Provo, Utah in more than 50 years on Saturday night, as the Wildcats take on No. 21/19 BYU (16-6, 4-5 Big 12) at the Marriott Center at 9 p.m., CT on ESPN2. The meeting will be the first of two in the regular season with the Cougars, which visit Manhattan on Feb. 24. K-State owns a slight 4-3 series advantage in the first matchup since an 84-72 win by the Wildcats in the 2010 NCAA Tournament and the first in Provo since a 78-72 loss in the first-ever game at the Marriott Center on Dec. 3, 1971.

K-State has posted a strong resume at home this season, including a 12-2 overall record and an 11-2 mark at Bramlage Coliseum with Top-10 wins over No. 4/4 Kansas and No. 9/9 Baylor, but is looking to get better away from home, where the Wildcats are a combined 3-6, including 2-4 in true road games. The team has lost 4 straight on the road since a win at West Virginia.

K-STATE MAKES ROAD TRIP TO 21/19 BYU SATURDAY
Kansas State (15-8, 5-5 Big 12) will make its first visit to Provo, Utah in more than 50 years on Saturday night, as the Wildcats take on No. 21/19 BYU (16-6, 4-5 Big 12) at the Marriott Center at 9 p.m., CT on ESPN2. The meeting will be the first of two in the regular season with the Cougars, which visit Manhattan on Feb. 24. K-State owns a slight 4-3 series advantage in the first matchup since an 84-72 win by the Wildcats in the 2010 NCAA Tournament and the first in Provo since a 78-72 loss in the first-ever game at the Marriott Center on Dec. 3, 1971.

K-State has posted a strong resume at home this season, including a 12-2 overall record and an 11-2 mark at Bramlage Coliseum with Top-10 wins over No. 4/4 Kansas and No. 9/9 Baylor, but is looking to get better away from home, where the Wildcats are a combined 3-6, including 2-4 in true road games. The team has lost 4 straight on the road since a win at West Virginia.

KEY STORYLINES

K-State moved to 11-0 in overtime games under head coach Jerome Tang, including its NCAA-record tying 6th such win in 2023-24, after a 75-70 win over No. 4/4 Kansas on Monday. The current 11-game overtime streak ties for the second-longest since 1950 and is the longest active streak behind Florida State's NCAA-record 14-game streak that began in 2018. The victory was the 27th over a Top 5 team in school history, including the 12th at Bramlage Coliseum.
The victory over No. 4/4 Kansas also snapped a 4-game losing streak, which was the longest in the Tang era, with 3 of those 4 losses coming vs. ranked opponents (No. 23/18 Iowa State, No. 4/4 Houston and No. 23/24 Oklahoma). Among the Wildcats' 15 wins are 6 Quad 1 or 2 victories (Villanova, Providence, LSU, UCF, No. 9/9 Baylor and No. 4/4 Kansas). The team has a 6-2 record in games decided by 5 points or less which includes the aforementioned wins over Providence, Villanova, Baylor and Kansas (all coming in overtime).
K-State defense will be put to the test against BYU, which ranks in the top-20 in a number of offensive categories, including second in 3-pointers/game (12.0) and assists (19.8 apg.) and 19th in scoring (83.6 ppg.). The Wildcats own the Big 12's best field goal percentage defense (39.2) and 3-point field goal percentage defense (27.6) and are fourth in scoring defense (67.9).
The Wildcats have a strong scoring trio of junior Cam Carter (16.0 ppg.), senior Tylor Perry (15.1 ppg.) and junior Arthur Kaluma (14.4 ppg.), who are responsible for 62 percent of the team's scoring (45.5 out of 72.2 ppg.). K-State is the only Big 12 member to have 3 players rank in the league's top-15 in scoring, as Carter ranks seventh, Perry ninth and Kaluma 11th. The trio have continued that scoring in Big 12 play, averaging a combined 43.8 points per game.
Perry continued his torrid scoring streak on Monday night, as he posted a season-high 26 points in the win over No. 4/4 Kansas, which included 21 points in the second half and overtime. He is averaging 22.7 points in the last 3 games, which includes an average of 19.3 points in the second half and/or overtime. On the season, he is averaging 11.1 points in the second half and overtime compared to just 4.0 points in the first half.
Turnovers continue to be a challenge for the Wildcats, as they rank 339th nationally and last in the Big 12 with 15.0 turnovers/game. During the team's 4-game skid, they have averaged 16.0 turnovers/game while yielding 19.3 points/game off those miscues.

A K-STATE WIN WOULD…

Snap a 4-game road losing streak.
Move its road record to 3-4, including 2-4 in Big 12 play.
Give it 2 in a row over BYU and the first since 2010.
Be the first over a ranked team on the road since 2023.
Be the 1,737th in the program history, including 5th vs. BYU.

NOTES ON 21/19 BYU (16-6, 4-5 Big 12)

Under fifth-year head coach Mark Pope, No. 21/19 BYU is off to a 16-6 record, including a 4-5 mark in its inaugural Big 12 campaign after Tuesday's 82-66 loss at Oklahoma snapped a 2-game winning streak. The Cougars are 11-2 at home this season, including 2-2 in conference play.
BYU is averaging 83.6 points on 47.4 percent shooting, including 36.2 percent from 3-point range, with 40.7 rebounds, 19.8 assists, 6.3 steals and 2.9 blocks per game, while allowing 66.8 points on 41.1 percent shooting, including 30 percent from 3-point range. The Cougars are connecting on 73.2 percent from the free throw line.
The Cougars boast one of the top offenses in all of college basketball, ranking in top 20 in an astounding 10 categories, including second in 3-pointers/game (12.0), 3-point field goal attempts/game (33.0) and assists (19.8 apg.). They are also fifth in assist/turnover ratio (1.81), seventh in scoring margin (+16.8), 11th in bench points/game (31.68), 15th in rebounds/game (40.73) and 19th in scoring offense (83.6 ppg.).
The Cougars are a balanced scoring team with 6 players averaging between 13.5 and 10.1 points per game. Senior Jaxson Robinson averages a team-leading 13.5 points per game on 43.4 percent shooting with a team-high 52 3-pointers on 36.4 percent shooting. Junior Trevin Knell (11.2 ppg.) and senior Spencer Johnson (11.1 ppg.) each average better than 11 points per game while combining for 83 3-pointers. Senior Noah Waterman averages a team-best 6.0 rebounds to go with 10.2 points per game. Sophomore Dallin Hall averages a team-high 5.0 assists per game.
Pope has a 180-103 record in his ninth season as a head coach, including a 103-47 mark at BYU. He previously was the head coach at Utah Valley (2015-19), where he led the school to 3 postseason appearances. As a player for Hall of Fame head coach Rick Pitino, he helped lead Kentucky to the 1996 NCAA title, averaging 7.6 points in 20.3 minutes per game.

SERIES HISTORY

K-State owns a slight 4-3 advantage in the all-time series with BYU, which dates all the way back to the 1951 NCAA Tournament. This will be just the fourth meeting between the schools on one of their campuses and the first in Provo, Utah since the first-ever game at the Marriott Center on Dec. 3, 1971 - a 78-72 Cougar win.
BYU is 2-0 all-time in games played in Provo with the only other meeting coming on Dec. 15, 1958 - a 77-68 Cougar win.
Four of the 7 all-time meetings between the schools have come on a neutral court, including the 1951 NCAA Tournament in Kansas City, the 1959 game at Allen Fieldhouse, the 2002 game in Paradise Jam and the 2010 NCAA Tournament in Oklahoma City.

ALL-TIME MEETINGS [4-3]

Date	Rank	Result	Score	Location
3/23/1951	4/11	W	64-54	Kansas City+
12/15/1958	3/--	L	68-77	Provo
12/18/1959	--/--	W	86-55	Lawrence, Kan.
12/3/1971	--/19	L	72-78	Provo
12/15/1973	15/--	W	95-85	Manhattan
11/23/2002	--/--	L	64-73	St. Thomas, V.I.
3/20/2010	7/14	W	84-72	Oklahoma City+

+NCAA Tournament games

LAST MEETING:
7/7 K-STATE 84, 14/14 BYU 72 [3/20/2010]

Jacob Pullen scored 34 points, as No. 7/7 K-State advanced to the Sweet 16 with an 84-72 win over BYU and its All-American Jimmer Fredette in the last meeting between the schools on March 20, 2010, in Oklahoma City.

LAST TIME OUT:
K-STATE 75, 4/4 KANSAS 70 [OT]

Senior Tylor Perry scored a season-high 26 points, including 8 in overtime, as K-State continued its success in overtime games under head coach Jerome Tang with a 75-70 win over No. 4/4 Kansas on Monday night before a sold-out crowd of 11,010 fans at Bramlage Coliseum.
K-State (15-8, 5-5 Big 12) moved to 11-0 under Tang in overtime games, including 6-0 this season. The six overtime wins this season tie the Division I record for most overtime wins in a season. The current 11-game overtime streak is the second-longest nationally behind Florida State (14).
Perry played all 45 minutes, scoring 21 of his 26 points in the second half and overtime, in willing his team to a second consecutive home overtime victory over Kansas (18-5, 6-4 Big 12) while snapping a 4-game skid. He finished 7-of-15 from the field, including 4-of-10 from 3-point range, and 8-of-9 from the free throw line, to go with team-highs in assists (4) and steals (2).
The victory was the 27th over a Top 5 team in school history, including the 12th at Bramlage Coliseum. It was the first Top 5 win since knocking off No. 2 Kansas in overtime at home last season, giving the Wildcats back-to-back home wins over the Jayhawks for the first time since 2014 and 2015.
Perry was joined in double figures by junior Cam Carter, who collected his second career double-double with 19 points and a career-high 11 rebounds in playing all but 27 seconds in the game, and fellow junior Arthur Kaluma added 13 points and 8 rebounds.
In a game that included 12 lead changes and 15 ties, K-State had seemingly taken control of the game late in the second half, as the Wildcats erased a 3-point deficit with a 10-2 run to pull ahead 58-54 on a Carter 3-pointer with 4:19 to play and force a timeout by Kansas. However, the Jayhawks chipped away at the deficit, scoring 10 of the last 16 points to force overtime at 64-all.
In the extra period, Kansas went ahead 66-65 on a jumper by senior Dajuan Harris Jr., but Perry responded with a personal 5-0 run that included a layup and his fourth 3-pointer that gave K-State a 70-66 lead with 1:54 remaining. The Jayhawks continued to fight, closing to within a possession on several occasions, and even had a chance to tie the game with 21 seconds but senior Kevin McCullar Jr. missed the front end of a 1-and-1 and Kaluma grabbed the rebound and was fouled. He made both free throws to extend the lead to 74-70.
K-State connected on 41.4 percent (24-of-58) from the field, including 34.6 percent (9-of-26) from 3-point range. In the extra period, the Wildcats shot 50 percent (2-of-4) from the field, making their only 3-pointer, and converted on 6 of 8 free throws. They also won the rebounding battle, 43-33, collecting 40 or more rebounds for the eighth time this season.
Senior David N'Guessan and Will McNair Jr., gave the Wildcats a lift off the bench, combining for 11 points and 10 rebounds. N'Guessan finished with 5 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists and a block in 26 minutes, while McNair had 6 points and 3 rebounds in 29 minutes.

POSTGAME NEWS & NOTES

Kansas still leads the series 204-96, including 81-50 in Manhattan... Seven of K-State's 8 wins in the series since 2006 have come at Bramlage Coliseum.
K-State is now 12-2 at home this year, including 11-2 at Bramlage Coliseum... Tang is now 26-3 at Bramlage Coliseum, including 12-2 in home Big 12 games.
K-State connected on 9 3-pointers, including from 4 different players.
Perry now has 26 career 20-point games, including a team-high 7 this year... He has now led the team in scoring on a team-best 12 occasions.

OVERTIME SUCCESS

K-State moved to 11-0 in overtime games, including 6-0 this season, under head coach Jerome Tang after Monday's 75-70 victory over No. 4/4 Kansas. In a game that included 12 lead changes and 15 ties, the Wildcats received a big effort from senior Tylor Perry, who scored 21 of his season-high 26 points in the second half and overtime, to rally from an 11-point second-half deficit, in defeating the Jayhawks for the second consecutive season at home in overtime.
In addition to the win over No. 4/4 Kansas, K-State has overtime victories this season over Providence (73-70), Oral Roberts (88-78), North Alabama (75-74), Villanova (72-71) and No. 9/9 Baylor (68-64).
K-State's 11-game overtime winning streak ties for the second-longest such streak in Division I history since 1950 with UMass (1991-97) and Loyola (Md.) (2011-15) and the second-longest current streak behind Florida State (14; 2018-current) and right ahead of Winthrop (10; 2017-current).
K-State's 6 overtime wins this season tie the Division I single-season record, along with Wake Forest (6-1) in 1984, Chattanooga (6-0) in 1989 and Lafayette (6-1) in 2008. The 6 overtime wins also break the school record, set in 1992-93 and tied in 2022-23, while it is the most overtime games. The 5 overtime home wins also tie the Division I mark, set by Cincinnati (5-0) in 1966-67. In addition, the 3 consecutive overtime games (ORU, North Alabama and Villanova) marked the first such occurrence since winning 3 straight overtime games from Feb. 3-15, 1964.
K-State has outscored its opponents, 76-52, in overtime, as the Wildcats have connected on 60.6 percent (20-of-33) from the field, including 54.6 percent (6-of-11) from 3-point range, and 82.8 percent (30-of-37) from free throw line.
Tang is the first head coach in school history to win his first 11 overtime games, surpassing Dana Altman (1990-94), who was a perfect 7-0 in overtime games in his tenure. The 11 total overtime wins are the third-most by a head coach, trailing Tex Winter (15) and Jack Hartman (14).

BETTER DEFENSIVE EFFORT

After allowing 75 points or more 4 times in the first 9 games, K-State has made strides on the defensive end during Big 12 play, allowing 67.9 points on 39.2 percent (230-of-587) shooting, including 27.6 percent (61-of-221) from 3-point range. The Wildcats didn't allow 70 points in the first 5 Big 12 games in starting 4-1 before allowing 70 or more in each of the last 5 games.
Through 10 Big 12 games, K-State ranks among the top-4 in 4 defensive categories, including first in field goal percentage defense (39.2) and 3-point field goal percentage defense (27.6), second in blocked shots (4.6 bpg.), third in defensive rebounds/game (25.1) and fourth in scoring defense (67.9). Senior Will McNair Jr. and sophomore Jerrell Colbert rank among the best in blocks.
The 52 points allowed to UCF were the fewest allowed in a Big 12 opener since 2003. K-State held Texas Tech (60 points) and No. 9/9 Baylor (64 points) to nearly 20 points under their scoring average.

POINT OF EMPHASIS

Ever since the loss to Florida Atlantic in the Elite Eight, in which, K-State was out-rebounded 44-22, rebounding has been a point of emphasis by head coach Jerome Tang. So far that message has been received, as the Wildcats rank fifth in the Big 12 and 83rd nationally in rebounds/game (37.96), including seventh in the league and 71st nationally in offensive rebounds/game (12.04).
Last season, K-State ranked 175th or worse in all 4 rebounding categories.
K-State has out-rebounded its opponents 14 times in 23 games, while
posting a +3.3 rebounding margin, which ranks 96th nationally.
K-State has grabbed 40 or more rebounds in 8 games, including a season-best 63 in the win over Central Arkansas (11/22/23). The 63 rebounds were the most in a game in more than 25 seasons since corralling 64 vs. Kansas City on Dec. 3, 1997. Among those 63 boards were 26 on the offensive end, which were the most since grabbing 29 vs. North Florida on Nov. 18, 2012, while the 37 defensive rebounds were one shy of the top-10.

OFFENSE CREATING MORE 3-POINTERS

K-State is on pace to break the single-season mark for 3-point attempts for the second time in 3 seasons, as the Wildcats have already attempted 557 shots from beyond the arc. The team set the record with 754 in 2021-22 while the 752 in 2022-23 were a close second on the list. So far, the Wildcats are averaging 24.2 attempts per game, which ranks third in the Big 12.
K-State has connected on 174 3-pointers, which are the second-most through the first 23 games. Four times the Wildcats have recorded double-digit 3-point makes, including a season-high 14 triples in the win over South Dakota State (11/13/23). Those 14 makes tied for the fifth-most in school history and were the most since hitting 16 at Oklahoma State on Feb. 2, 2019.
Senior Tylor Perry is among the top 3-point shooters, as he ranks among the top-55 nationally in three 3-point categories, including 14th in attempts (194), 50th in total 3-pointers (63) and 51st in 3-point field goals/game (2.74).

MORE THAN JUST THE 3

K-State has shown its offense is more than just the 3-pointer, as the team is averaging 31.6 points in the paint this season, including 28.0 points in Big 12 action. The Wildcats scored 50 or more points in the paint in back-to-back games vs. No. 12/11 Miami and Central Arkansas.
K-State scored 56 points in the paint against the Hurricanes, which tied for the most in a single game in school history (stat kept since 2000-01), and the most since scoring 56 against South Dakota on Jan. 3, 2010.

CONVERTING FROM THE LINE

K-State has taken advantage of its opportunities from the free throw line, averaging 14.8 makes per game while converting on 72.6 percent from the line. The Wildcats rank among top-125 nationally in both makes (14.8) and attempts (20.4) per game, as the squad places seventh in the Big 12 in both categories.
One of the major factors in K-State's wins and losses has been its ability to get to the free throw line while preventing their opponent from getting to the line. The Wildcats average 16.9 makes on 22.6 attempts in their 14 wins, while they average just 11.1 makes on 16.6 attempts in their 8 losses. In contrast, their opponents average 11.1 makes on 15.9 attempts in the wins compared to 16.8 makes on 23.6 attempts in the losses.

SUCCESS IN NON-CONFERENCE PLAY

K-State has posted a 181-56 (.764) record in non-conference play since the 2006-07 season. During that span, the Wildcats have a 137-15 (.901) mark at home venues (includes games played at Bramlage Coliseum, INTRUST Bank Arena in Wichita and the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City) in non-conference play, including a 126-13 (.907) mark at Bramlage Coliseum.
At 10-3, K-State earned double-digit wins in non-conference play for the second straight season and the 14th time in the last 19 seasons (since 2006-07). The 10 wins marked the second-most in that span in the last 6 seasons.

Year	Overall	Home	Bramlage
2006-07	11-4	7-0	7-0
2007-08	10-4	8-1	7-1
2008-09	12-3	11-0	10-0
2009-10	13-1	9-0	8-0
2010-11	12-3	9-1	8-1
2011-12	11-1	7-0	6-0
2012-13	11-2	9-0	8-0
2013-14	10-3	7-1	7-1
2014-15	7-6	6-2	5-2
2015-16	11-2	8-0	8-0
2016-17	11-2	8-0	8-0
2017-18	11-2	8-1	8-0
2018-19	10-3	7-0	6-0
2019-20	7-6	6-2	6-1
2020-21	4-5	4-5	4-5
2021-22	8-5	6-1	6-1
2022-23	12-1	8-0	7-0
2023-24	10-3	8-1	7-1
Total	180-56	137-15	126-13

1700 WINS AND COUNTING

K-State's overtime 96-87 win over Nevada on Nov. 22, 2022, in the semifinals of the Cayman Islands Classic represented the 1,700th win in school history. The Wildcats are the 43rd Division I team to eclipse 1,700 wins, including the sixth Big 12 school.
The Wildcats have 1,736-1,231 (.585) all-time record as a program, which includes 32 NCAA Tournament appearances and 21 conference championships.

LATE GAME PERRY

Senior Tylor Perry has become the very definition of a clutch player, as his heroics against North Alabama (12/2/23) and Villanova (12/5/23) lifted the Wildcats to victory in overtime. Perry's step back 3-pointer with 3.9 seconds in the overtime win over Villanova came on the heels of a similar step back triple that forced overtime vs. North Alabama with 8 seconds left in regulation.
Dating back to his days at North Texas, Perry has now made seven shots to either win a game or send a game into overtime in his Division I career.
Perry's late game heroics go beyond the last 3 seasons. As a senior in high school, he sank a buzzer beater to send his Spiro High School team to the semifinals of the state tournament.

PERRY MORE THAN JUST A SCORER

Senior Tylor Perry has proven to be more than just a scorer, as he leads the Wildcats in assists (4.8 apg.) while he is second in scoring (15.1 ppg.) and steals (1.3 spg.) and fifth in rebounds (3.1 rpg.). Perry ranks in the Big 12's top-10 in scoring (9th), assists (6th), free throw percentage (3rd) and 3-pointers (3rd).
Perry has scored in double figures in 17 of 23 games, including 6 times in Big 12 play. Among those 17 double-digit scoring games is a team-best 7 20-point games, which includes 22 vs. USC (11/6/23) and South Dakota State (11/13/23), 24 vs. Providence (11/17/23), 20 vs. ORU (11/28/23), 25 vs. UCF (1/6/24), 23 vs. No. 23/24 Oklahoma (1/30/24) and 26 vs. No. 4/4 Kansas (2/5/24).
Perry ranks the Big 12's top 15 in 7 categories, including tops in minutes (36.40), third in 3-point field goals (2.74) and free throw percentage (90.4), sixth in assists (4.8 apg.), ninth in assist/turnover ratio (1.93), ninth in scoring (15.1 ppg.) and 13th in 3-point field goal percentage (32.5).
Perry recently eclipsed 2,000 career points in his college career, which includes stints at Coffeyville Community College (2019-21) and North Texas (2021-23). He currently has 1,390 points at the Division I level.
In addition to leading the team in scoring in 12 games, Perry has led the way in assists in 16 games, while he has been the leader in steals in 7 games. He has dished out a season-high 6 assists on 8 occasions, while he has collected a season-best 4 steals 3 times this season.

EXCELLING FROM THE FREE THROW LINE

Senior Tylor Perry ranks among the best from the free throw line, hitting on 90.4 percent (96-of-106). He ranks 14th nationally and third in the Big 12. He made 34 straight free throws before missing in overtime vs. Oral Roberts.
Twice this season Perry has knocked 10 or more free throws highlighted by a 14-of-14 performance to cap a 24-point effort in the win over Providence (11/17/23). The perfect performance from the line tied for the third-best in school history and the best since Michael Beasley went 15-of-15 at Baylor on Feb. 23, 2008. Only Beasley and Steve Henson, who went a school-best 17-of-17 from the stripe at Iowa State on Feb. 24, 1988, have enjoyed a better performance from the free throw line.

BUCKET GETTER

Head coach Jerome Tang has said that he wants guard Cam Carter to be a bucket getter and that's what the junior has delivered in the first 23 games, averaging a team-best 16 points per game. He also leads in double-digit scoring games (20), field goals (131) and attempts (315), while he is second to Tylor Perry in 20-point games (4), 3-pointers (47) and attempts (143). He has double figures in 16 of the last 17 games, including in 9 of 10 Big 12 games.
After recording his first 20-point game vs. South Dakota State (11/13/23) with a game-high 25 points on 10-of-20 field goals, including 4-of-8 from 3-point range, Carter took it to another level vs. No. 12/11 Miami (11/19/23).
Carter scored a career-best 28 points vs. the Hurricanes, including 24 in the second half when the Wildcats cut a 24-point deficit to just 7 points in the last 45 seconds. He finished the game 12-of-22 from the field (10-of-16 in the second half) with 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and a block in 38 minutes.
Carter added a third 20-point game in his return to his home state of Louisiana, as he poured in a game-high 21 points in the win at LSU (12/9/23). He posted a fourth 20-point game with a game-high 23 points at West Virginia (1/9/24) on 6-of-14 field goals and 10-of-10 free throws.
In addition to scoring in double figures in 20 games, Carter tallied his second career double-double in the win over No. 4/4 Kansas (2/5/24), posting 19 points on 6-of-14 shooting with a career-best 11 rebounds in nearly 45 minutes.
Carter ranks in the Big 12's top 10 in 3 categories, including second in minutes (36.1), seventh in scoring (16.0 ppg.) and ninth in steals (1.65 spg.).

FINDING A RHYTHM

Junior Arthur Kaluma is starting to find a rhythm after a slow start to the season, becoming a double-double threat nearly every night. He has scored in double figures in 19 games, all coming in the last 21 games played, while totaling a team-best 4 double-doubles. He is third in scoring at 14.4 points per game, while averaging a team-best rebounds at 7.1 per game.
Kaluma was named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year on Jan. 22 after averaging 17.5 points on 52.4 percent shooting (11-of-21) shooting, including 54.5 percent (6-of-11) from 3-point range, to go with 8.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.0 blocks in 38.5 minutes per game in home victories over No. 9/9 Baylor (1/16/24) and Oklahoma State (1/20/24). He connected on the game-winning 4-point play with 20 seconds left in the overtime win over the Bears to highlight a double-double effort (12 points, 10 rebounds), while he registered his eighth 20-point game vs. the Cowboys.
Kaluma was named one of five national players of the week by the USBWA and the Oscar Robertson Trophy as well as Big 12 Player of the Week on Dec. 11 after averaging a double-double in wins over Villanova (12/5/23) and LSU (12/9/23). He averaged 21.5 points on 76.2 percent (16-of-21) shooting, including 85.7 percent (6-of-7) from 3-point range, to go with 10.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 39.6 minutes per game. He is just the third Wildcat to earn the weekly award from the USBWA, while it was the first of Kaluma's career.
Kaluma scored a game and season-high 26 points in the win over Villanova, knocking down 10-of-13 field goals, including 3-of-3 from 3-point range, and 3-of-3 from the free throw line to go with 9 rebounds and 4 assists in a season-best 44 minutes. The 26 points were one shy of his career-high of 27 he had against BYU while playing at Creighton in 2022.
Kaluma continued his impressive play in the overtime win over Baylor, recording his seventh career double-double, including his fourth as a Wildcat, with 12 points and 10 rebounds in 40 minutes. He connected on the game-deciding 4-point play with 20 seconds left in overtime.
The weekly honors came on the heels of being named to the Baha Mar Hoops Bahamas Championship All-Tournament Team after averaging 18.0 points and 9.5 rebounds in games against Providence (11/17/23) and No. 12/11 Miami (11/19/23). After scoring 18 in the OT win over Providence, including a pivotal 3-pointer, he had his first double-double as a Wildcat and fourth in his career with 18 points and 12 rebounds against the Hurricanes.
Kaluma is one of 3 players (Kansas' Hunter Dickinson and Kevin McCullar Jr.) in the Big 12 to rank in the top-15 in both scoring and rebounding.

ATTACKING THE GLASS

Senior David N'Guessan has been impressive so far on the glass, ranking seventh in the Big 12 in rebounding at 6.8 boards per game. He ranks third in the league in offensive rebounds (2.87 orpg.), while he is 15th in defensive rebounds (3.91 drpg.). He has a team-best double-digit rebounds in 5 games, including a career-best 14 boards vs. UCF (1/6/24).
N'Guessan has twice posted double-doubles, including the first of his career in the opener vs. No. 21/22 USC (11/6/23) with 10 points and 10 rebounds. He pulled down a second double-double vs. Central Arkansas (11/22/23) with 11 points and 11 rebounds. He nearly had double-doubles vs. Wichita State (13 points, 9 rebounds) and Chicago State (12 points and 9 rebounds).
N'Guessan has increased his scoring output while continuing his impressive play on the glass, posting double-digit points on 7 occasions, including a season-high 17 points in the win at West Virginia (1/9/24).
N'Guessan gained valuable experience this past summer training with the Dutch National Team, as the Orange Lions competed in the FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament in Istanbul, Turkiye August 13-16. He averaged 9 points on 55.6 percent shooting with 6.3 rebounds in the 3-game tournament.

BIG MAN OFF TO SOLID START

Senior Will McNair is off to solid start to the season, averaging 7.4 points on 60.3 percent shooting to go along with 5.2 rebounds and 1.4 blocks through 22 games with 19 starts in 22.7 minutes per game. K-State lost for the first time when he scores in double figures after his 12-point effort at OSU (2/3/24).
McNair came off the bench to score 8 points vs. USC (11/6/23) then has earned starts in 16 of the last 19 games. He has double figures in 7 of those 19 starts, including a season-best 13 points at LSU (12/9/23). He had a terrific all-around effort in the loss at Texas Tech (1/13/24), nearly posting a double-double with 9 points and 9 rebounds to go with a career-best 5 blocks.

BOOST FROM THE BENCH

Redshirt freshman Dorian Finister is starting to become a spark off the bench for the Wildcats, as he is averaging 15.8 minutes in playing in 11 of the last 12 games with 16.9 minutes of action so far in Big 12 play. He is averaging 3.8 points on 38.9 percent shooting with 3.4 rebounds and 1.30 assists in Big 12 play.
After not playing for 5 games, Finister made his impact felt on the defensive end in wins over Wichita State (12/21/23) and Chicago State (1/2/24) before starting to make an impact on offense. He has scored in 7 of the 9 Big 12 games, including back-to-back 6-point efforts vs. UCF (1/6/24) and West Virginia (1/9/24). He has also twice grabbed a career-best 6 rebounds in Big 12 play.

LINDSEY EARNS SCHOLARSHIP

Senior walk-on Taymont Lindsey was rewarded with a scholarship for the rest of the season on Feb. 8. The 5-foot-8, 170-pound guard saw his first action as a Wildcat in the 77-52 win over UCF in the Big 12 opener on Jan. 6. He missed the first 11 games rehabbing an injury.
Lindsey joined the Wildcats in August after spending four seasons (2019-23) at Manhattan Christian College, where he helped the Thunder to an 86-40 record and consecutive NCCAA Final Four appearances in 2022 and 2023.

FRESHMEN SHOWING PROMISE

Three-man freshman class of Dai Dai Ames, R.J. Jones and Macaleab Rich have all shown promise after being pressed into early action. The trio were part of a consensus top-35 recruiting class.
Ames has already scored in double figures in 5 games, including a season-best 14 points vs. UCA (11/22/23). Jones has played in 20 games, averaging 9.3 minutes per game. He ranks fourth in 3-pointers (12), including a big triple in the overtime win over Baylor (1/16/24). Rich has played in 13 games, logging a near double-double vs. UCA (11/22/23) with 13 points and 8 rebounds.

KALUMA, PERRY NAMED TO PRESEASON ALL-BIG 12 TEAM

Junior Arthur Kaluma and fifth-year senior Tylor Perry were each chosen as Honorable Mention selections to the Preseason All-Big 12 Team by the league coaches when the league office announced its annual preseason teams.
Kaluma and Perry are the first Wildcats named to the Preseason All-Big 12 since Barry Brown Jr. and Dean Wade in 2018-19.
A 6-foot-7, 225-pound wing, Kaluma transferred to K-State after an impressive 2-year stint (2021-23) at Creighton, where he helped the Bluejays to 47 wins, including 26 in BIG EAST play, a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances (2022, 2023) and the school's first trip to the Elite Eight in 2022-23.
A 5-foot-11, 182-pound guard, Perry came to K-State after a decorated 2-year career (2021-23) at North Texas, where he led the Mean Green to 56 total wins, including a school-record 31 in 2022-23, the 2023 NIT Championship and 2022 C-USA regular-season title. In addition to being the 2023 C-USA Player of the Year and NIT Most Outstanding Player, he was twice named to the C-USA First Team (2022, 2023) while was the league's Sixth Man of the Year in 2022.

KALUMA NAMED TO PRESEASON WATCH LIST FOR JULIUS ERVING AWARD

Kaluma was also one of 20 players named to the preseason Watch List for the 2024 Julius Erving Award, which annually recognizes the nation's top small forward, by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
This is the second time that Kaluma has been named to a preseason Watch List after he was chosen to the Watch List for the Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award in 2022-23 while playing at Creighton.

ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME TRIP
'CATS SPENT 10 DAYS IN AUGUST IN ISRAEL, ABU DHABI, U.A.E.

K-State got a jump start on its preparations for the 2023-24 season with a historic 10-day trip to Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, Israel and Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates [UAE] from August 9-20.
During the Israeli portion of the trip, the team enjoyed walking tours of the Old City Jerusalem, the City of David, Bethlehem and Old City Jaffa, visits to the Yad Vashem – the World Holocaust Remembrance Center – as well as the Western Wall and the Dead Sea. While in Abu Dhabi, they visited the Abraham Peace Accords House and the Grand Mosque.
The Wildcats played 3 games on the tour, defeating the Israeli Select Team, 94-87, on August 15 in Tel Aviv before an 83-81 setback to Team Mexico on August 17 and a 112-72 win over Al-Sharjah on August 18, both in Abu Dhabi. Senior Tylor Perry paced 4 Wildcats in double figures on the tour, averaging 22.7 points on 56.8 percent shooting.
K-State, along with the University of Arizona, are the first college teams to ever take a foreign tour to Abu Dhabi.
The exhibition tour was generously sponsored by Athletes for Israel and its Founder Daniel Posner as well as the Abu Dhabi Tourism Board. In their efforts to combat antisemitism and racism, Athletes For Israel brings athletes to Israel so they can experience the Holy Land and develop a connection with its history, culture, innovation and people.
For more information on the organization and its mission, visit athletesforisrael.org.

UP NEXT: VS. TCU (16-6, 5-4 Big 12)

K-State returns to action on Saturday, Feb. 17 when the Wildcats play host to TCU (16-6, 5-4 Big 12) at 11 a.m., CT on ESPN/2/U.

Preview // K-State Makes Road Trip to 21/19 BYU Saturday

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Dai Dai Ames

Cam Carter

Jerrell Colbert

Dorian Finister

R.J. Jones

Arthur Kaluma

Taymont Lindsey

Will McNair Jr.

David N'Guessan

Tylor Perry

Macaleab Rich

Kansas State University Athletics

Preview // K-State Makes Road Trip to 21/19 BYU Saturday

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Dai Dai Ames

Cam Carter

Jerrell Colbert

Dorian Finister

R.J. Jones

Arthur Kaluma

Taymont Lindsey

Will McNair Jr.

David N'Guessan

Tylor Perry

Macaleab Rich

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