Preview // K-State Hosts Colorado Sunday Afternoon

GAME 29
KANSAS STATE (13-15, 7-10 Big 12) vs. COLORADO (11-17, 2-15 Big 12)
Sunday, March 2, 2025 >> 3:01 p.m., CT >> Bramlage Coliseum (11,010) >> Manhattan, Kan.

TICKETS
Tickets available here starting at $20

TELEVISION
ESPN+ (online link)

Mark Neely (play-by-play)
Jess Settles (analyst)
Greg Shapiro (producer)

RADIO
K-State Sports Network
Flagships: // KMAN 1350 & WIBW 580
Satellite Radio: Ch. 387
Online: Varsity Network [free] / www.kstatesports.com/watch [free]

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

LIVE STATS
kstate.statbroadcast.com

COACHES
K-State: Jerome Tang [Charter Oak State College '07]
Record at K-State: 58-40/3rd Year
Career Record: 60-40*/3rd Year+
vs. Colorado: 0-0 [0-0 at home]

Colorado: Tad Boyle [Kansas '85]
Record at Colorado: 309-200/15th Year
Career Record: 365-266/19th Year
vs. K-State: 4-0 [2-0 on the road]

LAST GAME STARTERS:
K-State (13-15)
G: #0 Dug McDaniel
G: #11 Brendan Hausen
G: #2 Max Jones
W: #1 David N'Guessan
W: #34 Ugonna Onyenso

Colorado (11-17)
G: #3 Julian Hammond III
G: #5 R.J. Smith
F: #7 Sebastian Rancik
F: #8 Bangot Dak
F: #23 Andrej Jakimovski

SERIES HISTORY
Overall: K-State leads 96-48
Big 12 Era: Colorado leads 18-17
In Manhattan: K-State leads 54-11
At Bramlage Coliseum: K-State leads 15-9
Active Streak: Colorado, 4
Last Meeting: L, 58-76 [11/27/2020 in Manhattan]
Jerome Tang vs. Tad Boyle: 0-0

K-STATE PLAYS HOST TO COLORADO SUNDAY AFTERNOON
K-State (13-15, 7-10 Big 12) returns to Bramlage Coliseum on Sunday afternoon, as the Wildcats host Colorado (11-17, 2-15 Big 12) at 3 p.m., CT on ESPN+. The Wildcats have 3 regular-season games left, including home games with the Buffaloes and No. 9/9 Iowa State on March 8.

K-State and Colorado have a long history as conference opponents, playing in the Big Seven (1948-58), Big Eight (1959-96) and Big 12 (1997-2001, 2024-present) eras. The Wildcats lead the all-time series, 96-48, including 54-11 in games played in Manhattan, however, the Buffaloes own an 18-17 lead since the 1996-97 season, including 4 straight wins. The last Wildcat win in the series came in a 68-51 win at Bramlage Coliseum on Feb. 13, 2010.

K-State has lost 4 straight games (BYU, Utah, Arizona State and UCF) after a 6-game winning streak from Jan. 25 to Feb. 11. The Wildcats played without its all-everything Coleman Hawkins for the second straight game in the loss to the Knights. There is no timeline for Hawkins' return as the Wildcats used a bigger lineup with center Ugonna Onyenso earning his first start of the season.

LAST TIME OUT
K-State nearly fought back from an 11-point second-half deficit, closing to within one possession several times in the last 2 minutes, before UCF held on for an 80-76 on Wednesday night. The pivotal moment in the game came in the last 4 minutes off the first half and the first 3 minutes of the second half when UCF combined for a 16-2 run, flipping a 34-31 deficit into a 47-36 lead.

Senior Max Jones paced four Wildcats in double figures with a season-high 22 points on 6-of-17 field goals, including 3-of-7 from 3-point range, and 7-of-8 from the free throw line. It was his 27th career 20-point game, including his first as a Wildcat. He was joined in double figures by juniors C.J. Jones (12 points), Brendan Hausen (11 points) and Dug McDaniel (10 points).

KEY STORYLINES

Newcomers have combined to score 1602 (78.8 percent) of the team's 2034 points, accounting for 75 of 97 double-digit scoring games. Senior returner David N'Guessan has scored in double figures in a team-best 22 games (out of 28 games played) with five 20-point performances, but the next 6 highest scorers are newcomers, including 18 double-digit scoring efforts by junior Brendan Hausen and 16 by senior Max Jones and junior Dug McDaniel and 15 by senior Coleman Hawkins.
N'Guessan, who earned Big 12 Player of the Week honors for the first time on Feb. 10, continues to lead the Wildcats in both scoring (12.7 ppg.) and rebounding (7.1 rpg.) while connecting on a Big 12-best 62.8 percent (145-of-231) from the field. He has scored in double figures in 12 of 17 Big 12 games with 4 double-doubles, including a 20-point, 13-rebound effort vs. Arizona State (2/23/25).
McDaniel has started to step up in the last month, as he is averaging 13.8 points on 39.4 percent (61-of-155) shooting in the last 11 games with 9 double-digit scoring games, including three 20-point efforts against No. 3/3 Iowa State (2/1/25), No. 13/13 Arizona (2/11/25) and BYU (2/15/25).

A K-STATE WIN WOULD…

Snap a 4-game overall losing streak.
Snap a 4-game losing streak to Colorado.
Even the series at 18-all since the 1996-97 season.
Be the first vs. the Buffaloes at home since 2010.
Be the 1,754th in program history, including 97th vs. CU.

NOTES ON COLORADO

Led by 15th-year head coach Tad Boyle, Colorado is 11-17 on the season, including 2-15 in Big 12 play. The Buffaloes have split their last 4 games (wins over UCF and Baylor) after a 13-game losing streak was halted in a 76-63 win over UCF on Feb. 15 at home. They posted a 9-2 non-conference record, including marquee wins over UConn, Colorado State and South Dakota State. CU is 0-8 away on the road, all coming in Big 12 play.
Colorado is averaging 70.2 points on 44.7 percent shooting, including 32.6 percent from 3-point range, while allowing 71.9 points on 43.4 percent shooting, including 33.5 percent from 3-point range. The Buffaloes rank 64th nationally and fourth in the Big 12 in free throw percentage (75.5).
Two players (senior guard Julian Hammond III and graduate forward Andrej Jakimovski) are averaging in double figures while 6 others are averaging between 5.4 and 8.2 points per game. Hammond is averaging 12.8 points on 41.8 percent shooting with a team-high 47 made 3-pointers on 38.5 percent shooting with team-bests in assists (86) and steals (34). Jakimovski is averaging 10.1 points on 39.3 percent shooting, including 43 made 3-poitners with 4.6 rebounds per game. Sophomore Bangot Dak has a team-best 40 blocks to go with 8.2 points and 3.9 rebounds per game.
Boyle, who played for the legendary Larry Brown at Kansas, has a 365-266 record in his 19th season, including a 309-200 mark in his 15th season at Colorado. He has led the Buffaloes to 10 20-win season and 6 trips to the NCAA Tournament, including the round of 32 in 2023-24. He is 4-0 all-time vs. K-State, including 2-0 on the road.

LAST GAME OUT

Senior Hunter Dickinson posted a double-double with 32 points and 13 rebounds, as Kansas held on for a 71-64 win over Colorado in the CU Events Center on Monday night. The Jayhawks connected on 49.1 percent from the field, while holding the Buffaloes to 38.2 percent shooting. CU pounded KU on the glass, 46-31, with a 16-1 second-chance points.
Two Buffaloes scored in double figures led by sophomore Bangot Dak, who had 16 points on 7-of-10 field goals. He was joined in double figures by senior Julian Hammond III with 11 points.

SERIES HISTORY

Sunday's game will be the 145th meeting between K-State and Colorado, which dates to a 24-22 Wildcat win on Dec. 18, 1933. It is the seventh-most played rivalry in school history. The schools have met as conference foes in the Big Seven, Big Eight and now the Big 12 for a second time.
K-State leads the series, 96-48, including a 54-11 mark at home and a 15-9 advantage at Bramlage Coliseum. However, Colorado has an 18-17 edge since the start of the Big 12 era in 1997 with 4 straight victories.

LAST 5 MEETINGS [1-4]

Date	Rank	Result	Score	Location
2/13/2010	9/—	W	68-51	Manhattan
1/12/2011	21/—	L	66-74	Manhattan
2/12/2011	—/—	L	56-58	Boulder
3/10/2011	—/—	L	75-87	Kansas City
11/27/2020	—/—	L	58-76	Manhattan

LAST MEETING:
COLORADO 76, K-STATE 58 [Nov. 27, 2020]

u Behind the play of its All-American point guard McKinley Wright IV, a veteran Colorado squad broke open a tight game against K-State with an early second-half surge to hand the Wildcats a 76-58 loss in the last meeting between the schools on Nov. 27, 2020 at Bramlage Coliseum. The Buffaloes connected on 55.2 percent (16-of-29) of their field goals after halftime, including 72.2 percent (13-of-18) from inside the 3-point line.

LAST TIME OUT:
UCF 80, K-STATE 76

K-State nearly fought back from an 11-point second-half deficit, closing to within one possession several times in the last 2 minutes, before UCF held on for an 80-76 on Wednesday night before 7,003 fans at Addition Financial Arena.
The Wildcats (13-15, 7-10 Big 12) played without senior Coleman Hawkins for the second straight game, as the team's losing streak hit 4 games with their first-ever loss to the Knights in 4 meetings.
UCF (15-13, 6-11 Big 12) was paced by the guard tandem of Keyshawn Hall (26 points) and Darius Johnson (23 points) who combined for 49 points on 53.6 percent (15-of-28) shooting, including 40 percent (6-of-15) from 3-point range. The duo also combined to go 13 of 16 from the free throw line. They were joined in double figures by freshman Moustapha Thiam, who finished with a near triple-double with 11 points, 10 rebounds and 8 blocks.
Senior Max Jones paced four Wildcats in double figures with a season-high 22 points on 6-of-17 field goals, including 3-of-7 from 3-point range, and 7-of-8 from the free throw line. It was his 27th career 20-point game, including his first as a Wildcat. He was joined in double figures by juniors C.J. Jones (12 points), Brendan Hausen (11 points) and Dug McDaniel (10 points).
The pivotal moment in the game came in the last 4 minutes off the first half and the first 3 minutes of the second half when UCF flipped a 34-31 deficit into a 47-36 lead. The Knights ended the first half on a 10-0 run then scored 6 of the first 8 points of the second half.
Despite the 16-2 run, K-State still had a chance in the waning minutes. UCF scored 5 straight points to go ahead by 11 (69-58) for second time in the half with 5:48 to play. However, two free throws by Max Jones keyed a 7-0 run by the Wildcats that cut the deficit to 69-65 at the final media timeout. The teams traded points before 2 more free throws by Jones cut it to 73-71 with 2:11 left.
Following free throws by both teams, K-State had 2 chances to tie the game with a minute to play, but McDaniel's driving layup missed and Hausen turned the ball over on the inbounds.
After UCF made 4 straight free throws to go ahead 78-72 with 18 seconds, Hausen redeemed himself for the turnover with a rare 4-point play, hitting a long 3-pointer before being fouled and making the free throw, that pulled K-State to within 78-76 with 14 seconds. However, that would be closest it would get, as Hall made both free throws after being fouled on the inbounds play.
For the game, K-State hit on 41.5 percent (27-of-65) from the field, including 31.8 percent (7-of-22) from 3-point range, and made 71.4 percent (15-of-21) from the line. The Wildcats outscored the Knights, 40-34, in the paint and scored 26 points off 15 turnovers.

POSTGAME NEWS & NOTES

This was just the fourth all-time meeting, including the second in the Big 12 era. K-State still leads the series, 3-1, including 1-1 in Orlando.
With Hawkins' out, K-State used a starting lineup of junior Dug McDaniel, junior Brendan Hausen, senior Max Jones, senior David N'Guessan and junior Ugonna Onyenso for the first time this season.
K-State outscored UCF, 40-34, in the paint, marking the sixth game with 40 or more points in the paint, including the fourth in Big 12 play.
K-State scored 26 points off 15 UCF turnovers, marking the sixth game with 20 or more points off turnovers, including the third in Big 12 play.
UCF led 41-34 at halftime, as K-State is now 0-10 when trailing at the half.

INSIDE THE WINNING STREAK

K-State made improvements on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball during its 6-game winning streak from Jan. 25-Feb. 11, which was the longest in Big 12 play since winning 9 in a row from Jan. 9 to Feb. 12, 2019.
The Wildcats averaged 77.2 points during its winning streak, connecting on 47.8 percent (170-of-356) from the field, including 37.9 percent (50-of-132) from 3-point range, while making 70.9 percent (73-of-103) from the free throw line. Five players averaged between 15 and 11.3 points per game, including Dug McDaniel (15.2 ppg.), David N'Guessan (14.5 ppg.), Coleman Hawkins (12.0 ppg.), Max Jones (12.0 ppg.) and Brendan Hausen (11.3 ppg.).
On the defensive end, K-State allowed 65.2 points during the streak on 40.5 percent (143-of-353) shooting, including 27.9 percent (38-of-136) from 3-point range, while narrowly being out-rebounded, 35.3-35.2, and forcing 14.5 turnovers. The Wildcats averaged 36.3 points in the paint, 17.3 points off turnovers, 9.2 second-chance points and 14.3 fast-break points in this span.
The last 6 wins were examples of why getting off to good starts are important to winning, as K-State outscored No. 23/23 West Virginia, Oklahoma State, No. 3/3 Iowa State, Arizona State, No. 16/17 Kansas and No. 13/13 Arizona, 238-173, in the first half on 48.9 percent (91-of-186) shooting. The Wildcats jumped out 19-2 vs. the Mountaineers en route to a 42-18 lead at the break, while they enjoyed a 15-4 start vs. the Cowboys en route to a 45-23 advantage at the half.

BETTER FROM 3-POINT RANGE

One of the top priorities for Jerome Tang this past offseason was getting better production from the 3-point line. Last season, K-State ranked last in the Big 12 and 289th nationally in 3-point percentage at 31.8, while the Wildcats were 183rd in the nation in 3-point field goals made/game at 7.4.
Through 28 games, the Wildcats have made some improvement in that area, as they rank 117th nationally and eighth in the Big 12 in 3-point field goals/ game (8.3) and 174th in the nation and eighth in the league in 3-point field goal percentage (34.1). They are also eighth in the Big 12 in attempts (24.2).
K-State has connected on 10 or more 3-pointers in 9 games, including a near school-record 21 triples vs. UAPB (12/1/24). The 21 3-pointers are the second-most behind the record 23 set vs. Fresno State in 1994. The Wildcats have made 10 or more treys in 8 other games, including 11 at Utah (2/17/25).
Six Wildcats have registered double-digit 3-pointers led by junior Brendan Hausen's 83 makes. He ranks second in the Big 12 in 3-point field goals made, 3-pointers/game (2.96) and percentage (39.7). He ranks among the top-54 in all 4 categories. Other players with double-digit 3-pointers include seniors Max Jones (41), Coleman Hawkins (30) and junior Dug McDaniel (29).

OVERTIME STREAK ENDS

K-State saw its 12-game winning streak in overtime games end in the 73-70 loss to unbeaten Drake on Dec. 21 in the Wildcat Classic at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City. In a game in which they trailed by as many as 20 points in the first half, the Wildcats seemingly tied the game at 70-all in overtime on a 3-pointer by senior Coleman Hawkins with 13 seconds before the Bulldogs' Bennett Stirtz's 3-pointer with 4 seconds left proved to be the game-winner.
K-State's 12-game overtime winning streak was the second-longest in Division I history since 1950 and the second-longest current streak behind Florida State (14; 2018-current) and right ahead of Winthrop (10; 2017-current).
K-State set the Division I single-season record with 7 overtime wins in 2023-24, which included Providence (73-70), Oral Roberts (88-78), North Alabama (75-74) and Villanova (72-71) in non-conference play and No. 9/9 Baylor (68-64), No. 4/4 Kansas (75-70) and West Virginia (94-90) in Big 12 action.
The 7 overtime wins in 2023-24 set the Division I single-season record, snapping a tie of 6 with Wake Forest (1983-84), Chattanooga (1988-89) and Lafayette (2007-08). The 7 overtime wins also broke the school record of 5, while it was the most overtime games in school history (5 total set in 1992-93 and 2022-23). The 6 overtime home wins were also the Division I mark.
The loss also snapped coach Jerome Tang's 13-game personal winning streak in overtime game, which dated back to an overtime win as interim head coach at Baylor in 2013 over Texas.

N'GUESSAN CONTINUES STRONG START

Senior David N'Guessan has continued his strong play in his fifth and final season in 2024-25, as the De Lier, The Netherlands native has scored in double figures in a team-leading 22 games. He leads the Wildcats in scoring (12.7 ppg.), field goals (145), free throws made (59) and rebounding (7.1 rpg.), while hitting on a Big 12-best 62.8 percent (145-of-231) from the field. He also leads the team in both scoring (12.1 ppg.) and rebounding (7.4 rpg.) in Big 12 play.
N'Guessan earned Big 12 Player of the Week honors for the first time in his career on Feb. 10, as he averaged 21 points on 70.8 percent (17-of-24) shooting with 7.5 rebounds in helping K-State to wins over Arizona State (2/4/25) and No. 16/17 Kansas (2/8/25). He followed his season-high 22-point effort vs. the Sun Devils with a team-high 20 points against the Jayhawks to post back-to-back 20-point games for the first time in his career.
N'Guessan has scored in double figures in 12 of 17 Big 12 games, including the consecutive 20-point performances. He scored a season-high 22 points vs. the Sun Devils on 8-of-11 field goals and 5-of-6 free throws to go with a team-tying 8 rebounds. He made the play of the night with K-State clinging to a 71-70 lead, as he fouled freshman Jayden Quaintance as he was attempting to dunk the game-winning basket with 4.1 seconds left, forcing him to hit 2 free throws to win the game. Quaintance missed both and K-State got the rebound.
N'Guessan has double-doubles in 4 Big 12 games, including 12 points and a career-best 17 rebounds at TCU (1/4/25), 12 points and 12 boards at Oklahoma State (1/7/25), 13 points and 11 rebounds at Baylor (1/22/25) and 20 points and 13 rebounds vs. Arizona State (2/23/25). His 17 boards tied for the third-most by a Wildcat in a Big 12 game and were the most since 2008.
N'Guessan, the last remaining member of the 2023 Elite Eight team, is in his third season at K-State after transferring from Virginia Tech in 2022-23. He has scored 807 points in his Wildcat career, connecting on 63 percent from the field, to go with 530 rebounds, 94 assists, 66 blocks and 65 steals in 91 games. He is six points shy of 1,000 career points in 148 games at Virginia Tech and K-State.
N'Guessan has been a part of 96 victories in college, including 3 trips to the NCAA Tournament (2021, 2022, 2023), an NIT appearance in 2024, an ACC Tournament title in 2022 at Virginia Tech and Elite Eight run in 2023 at K-State.

MR. ALL-AROUND

Senior Coleman Hawkins has proven himself to be an elite all-around player for the Wildcats, as he is the only Division I player to average at least 10 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.0 blocks this season. He leads in steals (2.0 spg.) and blocks (1.3 bpg.) while he is second in rebounding (6.7 rpg.) and assists (4.5 apg.) and fourth in scoring (10.7 ppg.).
Hawkins scored in double figures 15 times (10 in Big 12 play) with a season-high 20 points vs. No. 16/17 Cincinnati (12/30/24) on 7-of-13 field goals. He also has 3 double-digit rebounding games, while he became the first Wildcat to record a points/assists double-double at Allen Fieldhouse vs. Kansas (1/18/25) with 15 points and a career-tying 10 assists for his ninth career double-double.
Hawkins ranks in the Big 12's top-15 in 6 categories, including steals (2.0 spg./7th), minutes (33.3 mpg./7th), assists (4.5 apg./8th), blocks (1.3 bpg./ 9th), defensive rebounds (4.8/10th) and rebounds (6.7 rpg./12th). He also places in the top 100 in 4 categories, including steals (49th) and assists (85th).
Hawkins is the Wildcats' third-leading scorer (11.7 ppg.) in Big 12 play, scoring in double figures in 10 league games. He also leads the team in steals (25) and blocks (18) while he is second in rebounding (6.4 rpg.) and assists (72).

HAUSEN GOOD FROM 3

Junior guard Brendan Hausen has given the Wildcats a scoring threat from 3-point range, as the Villanova transfer ranks second in the Big 12 in total 3-point field goals (83), 3-pointers/game (2.96) and 3-point field goal percentage (39.7) and third in 3-point attempts (209).
Hausen has connected on at least 2 made 3-pointers in 23 of 28 games while he had a season-high 6 makes against Cleveland State (11/9/24) and at St. John's (12/7/24). With his 5-of-5 performance vs. Oklahoma State (1/29/25), he became the seventh player to go 5-of-5 or better from 3-point range and the first since Denis Clemente went 6-of-6 at Texas on Jan. 31, 2009.
Hausen had his best shooting performance in the Big 12/BIG EAST Battle at St. John's (12/7/24), as he posted his second 20-point game of the season with a career-best 27 points on 9-of-17 field goals, including 6-of-10 from 3-point range. He scored 21 of his 27 points in the first half, becoming the 21st player in school history to score 20 or more points in an opening half.
A starter in all 28 games, Hausen ranks second on the team in scoring (11.8 ppg.) while connecting on 40.3 percent from the field, including 39.7 percent from 3-point range. He ranks second on the team behind David N'Guessan with 18 double-digit scoring games, including 16 of the last 24 games.
Dubbed the 'Amarillo Assassin' for his 3-point ability in high school, Hausen has totaled 171 made 3-pointers in his 94-game college career, making 39.6 percent from the field. He was Villanova's top 3-point shooting threat in 2023-24, totaling 61 makes on 38.1 percent shooting from the bench.

HEAD OF THE SNAKE

Junior Dug McDaniel is starting to assert himself as the team's point guard, as he has started all 17 Big 12 games after coming off the bench for much of the non-conference season. Since he was put into the lineup in the Big 12 opener, he ranks first in scoring (12.1 ppg.), assists (5.1 apg.) and minutes (34.5 mpg.), second in steals (1.4 spg.) and third in 3-point field goals made (20).
McDaniel was particularly impactful during the Wildcats' 6-game win streak, as he averaged a team-best 15.2 points on 40.4 percent shooting with 6.7 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 2.2 steals in 34.5 minutes per game. He scored in double figures in 5 of those 6 games, including a pair of 20-point efforts (at No. 3/3 Iowa State and vs. No. 13/13 Arizona), while he posted his second career double-double vs. No. 16/17 Kansas with 15 points and a career-best 11 assists.
McDaniel is one of several options head coach Jerome Tang to run the point that also includes versatile big man Coleman Hawkins, who is second on the team in assists (118), as well as reserves C.J. Jones and David Castillo.
K-State is averaging 15.8 assists through 28 games this season, which ranks 52nd nationally and sixth in the Big 12, while the team has assists on nearly 60 percent of their made baskets (443 out of 745). The Wildcats have dished out more than 20 assists 5 times, including 30 on 40 field goals while breaking the school scoring record (120) vs. UAPB (12/1/24).

SUCCESS IN NON-CONFERENCE PLAY

K-State has posted a 187-61 (.764) record in non-conference play since the 2006-07 season. During that span, the Wildcats have a 146-18 (.899) 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 130-14 (.907) 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. The 6-5 record in 2024-25 is the worst since the 2020-21 season (4-5) and worst non-COVID season start since 1970-71 (5-6).

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	6-5	4-2	4-1
Total	187-61	146-18	130-14

'CATS PICKED 8TH IN BIG 12 POLL; HAWKINS NAMED CO-NEWCOMER

K-State was picked eighth in the new 16-team Big 12 preseason poll, while senior transfer Coleman Hawkins was named the league's co-Newcomer of the Year, alongside Baylor's Jeremy Roach.
Hawkins is the first Wildcat to be selected as the Preseason Big 12 Newcomer of the Year and the fourth to be chosen for a preseason player honor, joining Michael Beasley (2007-08 Preseason Big 12 Freshman of the Year), Jacob Pullen (2010-11 Preseason Big 12 Player of the Year) and Dean Wade (2018-19 Preseason Big 12 Player of the Year).
Hawkins, who earned All-Big Ten honors at Illinois in 2023-24, was also selected to the preseason All-Big 12 Second Team by the league coaches, joining Baylor's Norchad Omier and Roach, Iowa State's Keshon Gilbert and Kansas' Dajuan Harris Jr.
Hawkins is also the first Wildcat to earn selection to one of the main preseason all-conference teams by the coaches since Barry Brown Jr. and Wade in 2018-19. He is one of eight players in school history to be chosen for preseason all-conference honors dating to Manny Dies in 1998-99. Others include Pullen and Curtis Kelly in 2010-11, Rodney McGruder in 2012-13 and Marcus Foster in 2014-15.
K-State received 133 points to place eighth in the poll, just two points behind seventh-place Texas Tech and 17 points ahead of ninth-place BYU.
Kansas was picked first with 215 points and nine first-place votes followed closely by Houston (211, five first-place votes), third-place Iowa State (194, one first-place vote), fourth-place Baylor (185) and fifth-place Arizona (179, one first-place vote).
Hawkins has also been named to the watch list for the Naismith Trophy as well as the Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award.

1750 WINS AND COUNTING

K-State's win over No. 3/3 Iowa State (2/1/25) represented the 1,750th win in school history, as the Wildcats became the 43rd program in Division I history to accomplish the feat.
The school has a 1,753-1,253 all-time record which includes 32 NCAA Tournament appearances and 21 conference championships. K-State joined Oklahoma State, Virginia and Marquette with their 1750th win this year.

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Players Mentioned

David Castillo

Brendan Hausen

Coleman Hawkins

C.J. Jones

Max Jones

Dug McDaniel

David N'Guessan

Ugonna Onyenso

Kansas State University Athletics