Preview // K-State Continues Homestand Saturday vs Seton Hall

GAME 9
KANSAS STATE (5-3) vs. rv/-- SETON HALL (8-1)
Saturday, December 6, 2025 | 3:01 p.m., CT | Bramlage Coliseum (11,010) | Manhattan, Kan.

TICKETS
Single-game tickets are available for as low as $22.

There are a variety of season, mini-plan and group ticket packages available. These can be purchased online at kstatesports.com/tickets, by calling (800) 221.CATS or by visiting the Bramlage Coliseum Ticket Office, Monday-Friday, 8:30 am to 5 pm.

TELEVISION
ESPNU (online link)

Pete Sousa (play-by-play)
Tim Welsh (analyst)
Aaron Owens (producer)

RADIO
K-State Sports Network
Flagships: // KMAN 1350 & WIBW 580
Satellite Radio: Ch. 390
Online: Varsity Network [free] / www.kstatesports.com/watch [free]

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

LIVE STATS
kstate.statbroadcast.com

COACHES
K-State: Jerome Tang [Charter Oak State College '07]
Record at K-State: 66-45/4th Year
Career Record: 68-45*/4th Year+
vs. Seton Hall: 0-0

Seton Hall: Shaheen Holloway [Seton Hall '00]
Record at SHU: 57-54/4th Year
Career Record: 121-111/8th Year
vs. K-State: 0-0

LAST GAME STARTERS:
K-State (5-3)
G: #4 P.J. Haggerty
G: #34 Nate Johnson
G: #1 Abdi Bashir Jr.
W: #0 Elias Rapieque
W: #21 Khamari McGriff

Seton Hall (8-1)
G: #00 Adam Clark
G: #14 A.J. Staton-McCray
G: #22 Elijah Fisher
G: #23 Mike Williams III
F: #6 Stephon Payne III

SERIES HISTORY
Overall: Seton Hall leads 1-0
In Manhattan: First meeting
At Bramlage Coliseum: First meeting
Active Streak: Seton Hall, 1
First Meeting: Seton Hall won 34-29 (12/30/1940)
Last Meeting: Seton Hall won 34-29 (12/30/1940)
Jerome Tang vs. Shaheen Holloway: 0-0

A K-STATE WIN WOULD…

Snap a 3-game losing streak.
Even the all-time series with Seton Hall at 1-1.
Move coach Jerome Tang to 44-10 at Bramlage Coliseum.
Make the Wildcats 135-15 in home non-conference play since 2006.
Give the Wildcats a 194-65 non-conference mark since 2006.

K-STATE CONTINUES HOMESTAND SATURDAY VS. SETON HALL
K-State (5-3) continues its homestand on Saturday afternoon, as the Wildcats welcome BIG EAST foe Seton Hall (8-1) to Bramlage Coliseum in the start of a home-and-home series. Tip is set for 3:01 p.m., CT and will air on ESPNU. The Wildcats are 43-10 at Bramlage Coliseum under head coach Jerome Tang, including 23-3 in non-conference play.

This is the first meeting between K-State and Seton Hall in nearly 85 seasons. The schools first met on Dec. 30, 1940 with the Pirates posting a 34-29 win over the Wildcats at home. They are scheduled to complete the home-and-home series next season at the Prudential Center.

Led by fourth-year head coach Shaheen Holloway, Seton Hall (8-1) has already eclipsed its win total from last season after its impressive run in the Maui Invitational. The Pirates are one of the top defensive teams in the country, ranking eighth in scoring defense (61.3), fourth in blocks/game (6.8 bpg.), seventh in turnover margin (+6.2) and 13th in steals (10.8 spg.). Seven players are averaging 6 or more points, including 2 double-digit scorers in graduate A.J. Staton-McCray (13.7 ppg.) and junior Tajuan Simpkins (11.7 ppg.).

Seton Hall will be the first BIG EAST school to visit Bramlage Coliseum since a 72-71 overtime win over Villanova on Dec. 5, 2023. The Wildcats recorded overtime wins over Providence and Villanova during the 2023-24 season before an 88-71 loss at St. John's last season.

LAST TIME OUT

Bowling Green set the tone for a wire-to-wire 82-66 win on Monday night with an impressive first-half performance, as the Falcons scored 49 points on 50 percent shooting, including 56.3 percent from 3-point range. The visitors scored the game's first 5 points, and after the Wildcats pulled to within 33-31, ended the half on a 16-4 run to go ahead by 14 points at the break.
K-State closed the deficit to 63-55 with 7:21 to play, however, BGSU refused to allow any further comeback, using an 8-0 run to put the game away at 78-61 with 1:37 remaining.
K-State dropped its third straight game after opening the season 5-0, as the Wildcats were held to season-lows in points (66), field goal percentage (39.3) and free throw percentage (54.5) while shooting just 26.1 percent (6-of-23) from 3-point range.
Sophomore David Castillo posted his first career 20-point scoring game with a team-high 22 points on 8-of-15 shooting, while junior P.J. Haggerty added 17 points.

OFFENSE OFF TO HOT START

K-State's offense is off to a hot start, as the Wildcats are averaging 86.5 points on 49.4 percent (247-of-500) shooting, including 41 percent (82-of-200) from 3-point range, while hitting on 74.8 percent (116-of-155) from the free throw line.
The Wildcats have scored 90 or more points in 4 of the first 8 games for the first time since the 1991-92 season. The 692 points scored are the most through the first 8 games, surpassing the 685 (103/90/115/59/99/75/65/79) scored by that Dana Altman-led team nearly 34 years ago.
The team ranks among the top-50 in 6 offensive categories, including 13th in 3-point field goal percentage, 33rd in assists (18.4) and effective field goal percentage (57.6), 46th in 3-pointers/game (10.3) and 47th in field goal percentage.
Junior P.J. Haggerty is the nation's top scorer at 25.1 points per game, while he is fourth in total points (201). He is also eighth in field goals (69) and 18^th in free throws (53).

POINTS IN THE FIRST 8 GAMES

692, 2025-26 (94, 98, 99, 84, 98, 85, 69 and 66 points)
685, 1991-92 (103, 90, 115, 59, 99, 75, 65 and 79 points)
676, 1997-98 (93, 89, 89, 71, 101, 90, 67 and 76 points)
650, 2009-10 (92, 82, 80, 74, 83, 70, 83 and 86 points)
644, 1956-57 (97, 90, 84, 90, 72, 83, 64 and 64 points)

HAGGERTY JOINS ELITE COMPANY

After his 27-point performance vs. Nebraska, junior P.J. Haggerty became the first Wildcat to open a season with 6 consecutive games of 20 or more points, eclipsing a record shared with Michael Beasley in 2007-08. His 201 points are also the second-most by a player through the first 8 games and the most since Beasley's 206 points.

20-POINT GAMES IN THE FIRST 6 GAMES
27, 23, 23, 31, 37 and 27 points by P.J. Haggerty, 2025-26

HAGGERTY HAS RARE 30-10 GAME

Junior P.J. Haggerty had 31 points and a career-tying 10 rebounds vs. Tulsa (11/17/25) to become the first Wildcat since Michael Beasley in 2008 to post a rare 30-point, 10-rebound double-double. He scored 27 of his 31 points in the second half, which are the fifth-most in any half.

MOST POINTS AT BRAMLAGE

K-State's 99-96 win over Cal on Nov. 13 made history, as the 195 combined points were the most-ever in Bramlage Coliseum, surpassing the 194 scored between K-State (106) and Marshall (88) on Dec. 2, 1995.
K-State posted the highest field goal percentage of the Jerome Tang era for the second straight game, as the Wildcats hit on 64.4 percent (38-of-59) from the field. It was the highest field goal percentage since shooting 66.0 percent vs. Wake Forest on March 14, 2017.

TRIO OF 'CATS POST 20-POINT GAMES

K-State had three players record 20-point games in the win over Cal, as junior P.J. Haggerty led the way with 23 points to go with 21 from senior Khamari McGriff and 20 from senior Nate Johnson.
The trio is the first to each have 20-point games since Dean Wade (34 points), Kamau Stokes (23 points) and Barry Brown Jr. (21 points) did it against Iowa State on Dec. 29, 2017.

McGRIFF, CASTILLO GO PERFECT

Two Wildcats - senior Khamari McGriff and sophomore David Castillo - each went perfect from the field, becoming the 24th and 25th players in school history to go perfect from the field on 5 or more field goals in the 98-71 win over Bellarmine on Nov. 8. They are the first teammates to accomplish the feat in the same game.
Castillo scored a career-high 19 points on 7-of-7 shooting, including 5-of-5 from 3-point range, while McGriff totaled 16 points on 8-of-8 field goals. Castillo is just the eighth Wildcat to go 5-of-5 from beyond the arc, joining his high school coach Clent Stewart who was in attendance.

CASTILLO'S IMPROVEMENT

Sophomore David Castillo has made a jump in production in his second season at K-State, averaging 12.5 points on 50 percent (34-of-68) shooting, including 43.6 percent (17-of-39) from 3-point range, while hitting on 78.9 percent (15-of-19) from the free throw line.
Castillo has already surpassed his point total (77 to 100) from his freshman season, while also posting four double-digit scoring games, including 3 in a row from Bellarmine, Cal and Tulsa. He is coming off a career-high 22-point performance against Bowling Green on Tuesday.

NOTES ON SETON HALL

Led by fourth-year coach Shaheen Holloway, Seton Hall (8-1) has made an impressive jump this season, as the Pirates have already surpassed their win total from last season. They have won all 6 of their home games plus a third-place showing at the Maui Invitational, which included a Top 25 win over N.C. State. They return four lettermen, including one starter, from a team that posted a 7-25 overall record, including a 2-18 mark in the BIG EAST.
Seton Hall is averaging 75.9 points on 46.4 percent shooting, including 35.8 percent from 3-point range, while allowing 61.3 points on 39.2 percent shooting, including 34.9 percent from 3-point range. The Pirates out-rebound their opponents, 34.6 to 31.7, and turn the ball over just 9.9 times per game. They are shooting 76.4 percent from the free throw line.
The Pirates are one of the top defensive teams in the country, ranking eighth in scoring defense (61.3), fourth in blocks/game (6.8 bpg.), seventh in turnover margin (+6.2) and 13th in steals/game (10.8 spg.). They are also in the top-40 in turnovers forced/game (16.1). Freshman Najai Hines ranks 21st nationally in blocks/game (2.33 bpg.).
Seton Hall is a balanced scoring team with seven players averaging 6 or more points, including a pair of double-digit scorers in graduate A.J. Staton-McCray (13.7 ppg.) and junior Tajuan Simpkins (11.8 ppg.). The Miami transfer Staton-McCray is shooting 48.9 percent from the field and 89.5 percent from the line with a team-high 18 steals. Senior Stephon Payne III and Hines are both averaging a team-best 5.7 rebounds per game. Junior Adam Clark has dished out a team-high 51 assists.
The Pirates were picked last in the 11-team preseason BIG EAST coaches poll. St. John's is the preseason favorite to win the league.
Holloway is in his eighth season as a head coach, which includes a 4-year stint at Saint Peter's (2018-22), where he led the Peacocks to a miraculous run to the Elite Eight in 2021-22. He has led his alma mater to a 57-54 mark since 2022-23, including a 25-win season and NIT title in 2023-24.

LAST TIME OUT

Seton Hall scored 29 points off 15 Central Connecticut State turnovers, as the Pirates remained unbeaten at home with a 77-61 victory over the Blue Devils on Wednesday night. The home team shot 45.8 percent from the field, including 55 percent from 3-point range.
Four Pirates scored in double figures, including 12 points each from A.J. Staton-McCray and Mike Williams III, while Adam Clark registered a double-double with a game-high 12 assists and 10 points.

SERIES HISTORY

This will be the second meeting between K-State and Seton Hall and the first in nearly 85 years. The Pirates posted a 34-29 win at home over the Wildcats on Dec. 30, 1940. It was the third consecutive game during an East Coast road trip from Dec. 27-30 that included visits to Philadelphia (Villanova) and George Washington (Washington, D.C.).
K-State is 26-28 all-time against current members of the BIG EAST, which includes a 12-4 mark in home games. The Wildcats won their last home game against a BIG EAST foe - a 72-71 overtime win over Villanova on Dec. 5, 2023 - before an 88-71 road loss at St. John's last season.

SUCCESS IN NON-CONFERENCE PLAY

K-State has posted a 193-64 (.752) record in non-conference play since the 2006-07 season. During that span, the Wildcats have a 150-18 (.890) 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 134-14 (.903) mark at Bramlage Coliseum.
K-State's 12-1 non-conference mark in 2022-23 was the best since the 2009-10 team went a program-best 13-1. Last season, the team went 7-6 in non-conference play, including 4-1 in Bramlage Coliseum.

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
2024-25	7-6	4-2	4-1
2025-26	5-3	4-1	4-1
Total	193-65	150-19	134-15

UP NEXT:
K-State makes a quick turnaround to host Mississippi Valley State (1-8) on Monday night at Bramlage Coliseum. Tip is set for 7:01 p.m., CT on ESPN+. Tickets are available starting at $17 online at kstatesports.com/tickets as well as by calling (800) 221.CATS or by visiting the Athletics Ticket Office in Bramlage Coliseum.

Preview // K-State Continues Homestand Saturday vs Seton Hall

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Players Mentioned

Abdi Bashir Jr.

David Castillo

P.J. Haggerty

Nate Johnson

Khamari McGriff

Elias Rapieque

Kansas State University Athletics

Preview // K-State Continues Homestand Saturday vs Seton Hall

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P.J. Haggerty

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