Dec 11, 2020

🏀 Game preview: K-State concludes homestand against Milwaukee tonight

Posted Dec 11, 2020 11:34 AM

MANHATTAN, Kan.—K-State hosts Milwaukee tonight at Bramlage.

  1. Kansas State (1-4) concludes its 6-game homestand to start the 2020-21 season, as the Wildcats play host Horizon League member Milwaukee (0-0) at 7 p.m., CT at Bramlage Coliseum. The game will air on Big 12 Now on ESPN+. The contest was originally scheduled for Tuesday night, but was moved back due to COVID-19 related issues within the Panther program, which will be playing their first game after seeing their first 2 games cancelled. The Wildcats' 6-game homestand is the longest such stretch to start a season since starting the 2001-02 season with 6 straight home games.
  2. K-State should be plenty motivated to get back out on the court after dropping an 81-68 loss to Division II foe Fort Hays State on Tuesday night. The Tigers connected on 55.2 percent from the field, including 58.6 percent in the second half, to earn their first win in the series since 1938. Six players scored in double figures for the Tigers, which included a 16-point, 11-rebound effort from senior forward Jared Vitztum. Five players had at least one assist, including 5 each from freshman Quinten Rock and redshirt freshman Kaleb Hammeke, while four had at least two 3-pointers.
  3. The lone bright spot for the Wildcats came in the play of senior Mike McGuirl, who tied his career-high for the second time this season with a game-high 22 points on 7-of-9 field goals, including 4-of-6 from beyond the arc. McGuirl leads the team in nearly every offensive category, including scoring (15.2 ppg.), double-digit scoring games, field goals made (25) and attempted (57) and 3-point field goals made (13) and attempted (30). He is connecting on 43.9 percent from the field, including 43.3 percent from 3-point range, and is shooting 81.3 percent from the free throw line.
  4. Typically, the strong point on nearly every Bruce Weber-coached team, the defense has so far struggled in the early going, as the Wildcats are allowing 72.6 points on 50 percent shooting, including nearly 60 percent inside the 3-point arc. This has been particularly evident in the second half, where opponents are averaging 41.2 points on 52.1 percent shooting, including 63.2 percent from inside the arc.
  5. One of the youngest teams in the country, K-State got even younger on Tuesday night, as 2 sophomores (DaJuan Gordon and Antonio Gordon) and 2 freshmen (Davion Bradford and Nijel Pack) started alongside senior Mike McGuirl against Fort Hays State. A starter in the first 4 games, sophomore transfer Kaosi Ezeagu missed the game due to a knee injury and is expected to be out for some time. The Wildcats played just one other upperclassman (Rudi Williams) in the game, along with 2 freshmen (Seryee Lewis and Selton Miguel) and a sophomore transfer (Carlton Linguard, Jr.), who saw his first action of the season. Only 3 other teams (Stetson, Auburn and UC Irvine) nationally have fewer upperclassman than K-State.
  6. Although he struggled from the field in the last 2 games, freshman point guard Nijel Pack is off to solid start to the season, as he is averaging 10 points on 40.4 percent shooting, including 42.3 percent from 3-point range, to go with 4.2 assists and 3.8 rebounds in 31.0 minutes per game. He has 9 or more points in 4 of 5 games, including a pair of double-digit scoring games, while he has dished out at least 5 assists in 3 games, including a 7-assist, 0-turnover performance against UNLV on Dec. 5.


NOTES ON MILWAUKEE

  1. Milwaukee will be making it season debut on Friday night, as the Panthers have dealt with COVID-19 issues, which has forced them to cancel their first 2 games of the season against North Dakota State and Southern Miss on Nov. 27 and 29. The K-State game was suppose to be played on Tuesday, but was moved to give Milwaukee more time to recover.  
  2. Milwaukee returns 5 players, including 3 starters, from a 2019-20 team that posted a 12-19 overall record and finished tied for seventh in the Horizon League with a 7-11 record. Much like K-State, the Panthers have plenty of new faces with 11 newcomers in 2020-21.
  3. Milwaukee averaged 71.5 points on 41.3 percent shooting, including 32 percent from 3-point range, to go with 36.1 rebounds, 12.5 assists, 5.9 steals and 3.1 blocks per game, while allowing opponents to average 72.6 points on 43.8 percent shooting, including 34.6 percent from 3-point range, to go with 37.4 rebounds, 12.4 assists, 5.7 steals and 3.2 blocks per game. The Panthers averaged just under 8 made 3-point field goals per game.
  4. The Panthers return 3 players (Te'Jon Lucas, Josh Thomas, C.J. Wilbourn) who started at least 16 games a season ago. Both Lucas and Thomas averaged better than 10 points per game, as Lucas was second in scoring at 14.6 points on 42.5 percent shooting, including 31.7 percent from 3-point range, while averaging a team-best 5.1 assists, 4.3 rebounds and a team-best 1.9 steals in 33.4 minutes per game. A Second Team All-Horizon League selection in 2019-20, Lucas also has high major experience, having played at Illinois in 2017-18. Thomas averaged 10.2 points on 46.3 percent shooting, including 25.3 percent from 3-point range, to go with 4.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 30.2 minutes per game. Wilbourn had averages of 4.4 points and 2.9 rebounds per game, while connecting on 48.1 percent from the field. 
  5. Milwaukee will welcome 11 newcomers in 2020-21, including Boston College transfer Vin Baker, Jr., transfers DeAndre Gholston, Amir Allen and Tafari Simms and five true freshmen.
  6. Head coach Patrick Baldwin is in his fourth season at Milwaukee, having compiled a 37-58 overall record. Baldwin, who played at Northwestern from 1990-94, has been a long time assistant coach at Green Bay (2002-04), Loyola Chicago (2004-11), Missouri State (2011-13) and Northwestern (2013-17). Baldwin served alongside Wildcat assistant coach Jermaine Henderson for one season at Missouri State in 2012-13. His son, Patrick, Jr., is one of the top high school seniors in the country and has played AAU alongside K-State signee Logan Landers, who is a native of Milwaukee.


SERIES HISTORY

  1. This will be the first meeting between K-State and Milwaukee. 
  2. K-State is 9-1 all-time against schools from the Horizon League, including 8-0 at home. This will be the first meeting with a Horizon League member since an 80-61 win over Green Bay on Nov. 30, 2016.
  3.  This will be the first regular-season between head coaches Bruce Weber and Patrick Baldwin.


SPECIAL CONNECTION

  1. A native of Milwaukee, K-State coach Bruce Weber is a 1978 graduate of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where he earned a bachelor's degree in education. This will be his first meeting with his alma mater.


LAST TIME OUT: FORT HAYS STATE 81, K-STATE 68

  1. Fort Hays State connected on 55.2 percent from the field, including 58.6 percent in the second half, as the Tigers posted an 81-68 win over K-State on Tuesday night in front of a limited crowd of 519 fans at Bramlage Coliseum.
  2. The game, which was scheduled on Sunday after K-State's game with Butler in the Big 12/Big East Battle was officially cancelled due to COVID-19 issues with the Bulldogs, was K-State's first regular-season meeting with a Division II team since a matchup with Fort Hays State in 2009.
  3. Fort Hays State got contributions from across the board, as six Tigers scored in double figures led by a 16-point, 11-rebound effort from senior forward Jared Vitztum. Five players had at least one assist, including 5 each by true freshman Quinten Rock and redshirt freshman Kaleb Hammeke, while four had at least two 3-pointers.
  4. K-State connected on 44 percent (22-of-50) from the field, including a season-low 19 percent (4-of-21) from 3-point range, while hitting on 66.7 percent (20-of-30) from the free throw line. 
  5. Senior Mike McGuirl tied his career-high with a game-high 22 points on 7-of-9 field goals, including a career-tying 4 triples, while sophomore DaJuan Gordon and freshman Selton Miguel added 11 and 10 points, respectively. Freshman Nijel Pack dished out a game-tying 5 assists.


NON-CONFERENCE HISTORY

  1. K-State has a 112-12 (.911) record at home venues (includes home games played at Bramlage Coliseum, INTRUST Bank Arena in Wichita and the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City) in non-conference play dating back to the 2006-07 season, including a 103-9 (.920) mark at Bramlage Coliseum.
  2. Despite seeing their 33-game winning streak end at Bramlage Coliseum with a loss to Marquette on Dec. 7, 2019, the Wildcats have still won 99 of their last 109 non-conference home games.
  3. K-State has posted a 148-46 (.767) record in non-conference play since the 2006-07 season. Prior to last season, the team had posted double-digit non-conference wins in 12 of the last 13 seasons.


UP NEXT: AT IOWA STATE (1-1)

  1. K-State will hit the road for the first time in 2020-21 on Tuesday, as the Wildcats travel to Ames, Iowa to take on Iowa State (1-1) at 8 p.m., CT on ESPNU. It will be the earliest conference game in the modern era after a 91-75 win in Ames on Dec. 29, 2017. It will be one of two Big 12 games that K-State will play in the month of December.
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