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Jan 21, 2020

🏀 Game Preview K-State Point of View: K-State Renews Sunflower Showdown at No. 3/3 Kansas Tuesday

Posted Jan 21, 2020 7:30 PM

MANHATTAN, Kan. - K-State and Kansas will meet for the 292nd time on Tuesday in a rivalry that dates to 1907. It is the sixth-most played rivalry and eighth-most played in NCAA Division I history.

KANSAS STATE (8-9, 1-4 Big 12) at 3/3 KANSAS (14-3, 4-1 Big 12)

TELEVISION=   ESPN2

  1. Jon Sciambi (play-by-play)
  2. Fran Fraschilla (analyst)
  3. Andy Jacobson (producer)

RADIO

K-State Sports Network

Locally heard on KHMY My93.1 fm Hutchinson

Online: TuneIn.com [free] / www.kstatesports.com/watch [free]

Satellite Radio: XM 383 / Internet 973

  1. Wyatt Thompson (play-by-play)
  2. Stan Weber (analyst)

LIVE STATS

www.kuathletics.com

TICKETS

Sold Out

COACHES

Kansas State: Bruce Weber (Wis.-Milwaukee '78)

Overall: 471-253/22nd season

At K-State: 158-98/8th season

vs. Kansas: 3-15 (0-7 on the road)

Kansas: Bill Self (Oklahoma State '85)

Overall: 694-214/27th season

At Kansas: 487-109/17th season

vs. Kansas State: 29-6 (15-1 at home)

PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP

Kansas State (8-9)

G: #4 David Sloan

G: #2 Cartier Diarra

G/F: #20 Xavier Sneed

F: #34 Levi Stockard III

F: #14 Makol Mawien

Kansas (14-3)

G: #1 Devon Dotson

G: #0 Marcus Garrett

G: #30 Ochai Agbaji

F: #33 David McCormack

C: #35 Udoka Azubuike

SERIES HISTORY

Overall: Kansas leads 197-94

Current Streak: Kansas, 1

In Lawrence: Kansas leads 90-35

At Allen Fieldhouse: Kansas leads 47-18

Last Meeting: L, 64-49, 2/25/19

Weber vs. Self: 4-16 (0-8 on the road)

OPENING TIP

  1. Kansas State (8-9, 1-4 Big 12) renews one of the oldest college basketball rivalries on Tuesday night, as the Wildcats travel to Lawrence, Kan., to take on No. 3/3 Kansas (14-3, 4-1 Big 12) in the 292nd Dillons Sunflower Showdown at Allen Fieldhouse. The Jayhawks will be the third consecutive Top 25 opponent for K-State, following home matchups with No. 23/23 Texas Tech (63-77) and No. 12/13 West Virginia (84-68) last week. Tuesday's game will tip at 6:01 p.m., CT on ESPN2 with Jon Sciambi (play-by-play) and Fran Fraschilla (analyst) on the call.  
  2. K-State snapped its 4-game losing streak with an all-around impressive effort in an 84-68 win over No. 12/13 West Virginia on Saturday at Bramlage Coliseum. Led by a career-tying 25 points from junior Cartier Diarra, the Wildcats connected on 59.2 percent (29-of-49) of their field goals, including 60.9 percent (14-of-23) in the second half, to snap its longest skid to start league play since 2008-09. It was the highest point total and field goal percentage against a Big 12 opponent since scoring 85 points on 61.5 percent shooting (32-of-52) vs. Oklahoma State on Feb. 23, 2019. The victory was not only the 100th at Bramlage Coliseum for head coach Bruce Weber, but also the 17th Top 25 win at home since 2012-13.
  3. Despite leading for nearly 34 minutes, K-State was still tested in the second half by West Virginia, which came into the contest ranking ninth in scoring defense (59.3 ppg.) and second in both field goal percentage defense (35.0) and 3-point field goal percentage defense (23.8).  Leading by 24 points with just under 15 minutes to play, the Mountaineers turned up the pressure and slowly started to chip away at the deficit, using a 25-7 run to close the deficit to 60-54 with 7:48 to play. Unlike the close losses to Pittsburgh, Mississippi State and Oklahoma, the Wildcats found a way to respond, scoring 9 points in a row, including a combined 6-of-6 effort from the free throw line, to push it back to 13 (69-54) with just over 5 minutes to play. The team didn't let off, building the lead back to 20 (81-61) with 1:51 left. 
  4. Kansas (14-3, 4-1 Big 12) enters the week at No. 3 in both polls after sweeping road games at Oklahoma (66-52) and Texas (66-57) last week. The Jayhawks' 3 losses have come to teams all currently ranked in the nation's Top 10 (Duke, Villanova and Baylor, including its lone home loss coming to the current No. 1 Bears. The team is equally impressive on both ends of the court, averaging 76.4 points on 49.7 percent shooting, while holding opponents to just 60.6 percent shooting on 37.3 percent shooting, including just 29.4 percent from 3-point range. Three players are averaging in double figures led by the Big 12's top scorer in sophomore guard Devon Dotson (18.2 ppg.) and senior forward Udoka Azubuike, who is averaging a near double-double (13.1 ppg., 9.2 rpg.) on an NCAA-best 77.6 field goal percentage.
  5. One of the oldest rivalries in college basketball, K-State and Kansas have met every season since 1912. It is the sixth-most played series (291) and eighth-most consecutive games (114). The Jayhawks hold a 197-94 lead in the series, including a 50-6 advantage since the start of Big 12 play. The Wildcats have lost 13 straight at Allen Fieldhouse with the last win coming, 59-55, on Jan. 14, 2006.

NOTES ON 3/3 KANSAS

  1. No. 3/3 Kansas (14-3, 4-1 Big 12) rebounded from its first home loss of the season to Baylor on Jan. 11 with back-to-back wins on the road against Oklahoma (66-52) and Texas (66-57) last week. The Jayhawks, who rank 12th nationally in field goal percentage defense, held the Sooners and Longhorns to a combined 35.3 percent shooting (42-of-119) from the field.
  2. Kansas is averaging 76.4 points on 49.7 percent shooting, including 36.1 percent from 3-point range, to go with 38.7 rebounds, 15.2 assists, 8.2 steals and 4.5 blocks per game, while allowing 60.6 points on 37.3 percent shooting, including 29.4 percent from 3-point range. The team is connecting on 65.8 percent from the free throw line. The Jayhawks rank among the Top 10 in several categories, including sixth in field goal percentage (sixth, seventh in scoring margin (+15.8) and 12th in field goal percentage defense.
  3. Kansas is averaging 65.2 points in Big 12 play on 44.7 percent shooting, including33.8 percent from 3-point range, while allowing 56.4 points on 36.5 percent shooting, including 30 percent from 3-point range.
  4. One of the more balanced teams in the country, the Jayhawks are led by the Big 12's top scorer in sophomore Devon Dotson, who is averaging 18.2 points on 45.4 percent shooting, including 30.9 percent from 3-point range,  to go with 4.3 assists and 2.3 steals in 34.8 minutes per game. Senior Udoka Azubuike averages a near double-double (13.1 ppg., 9.2 rpg.) while hitting on a NCAA-best 77.6 percent from the field. Sophomore Ochai Agbaji also averages double figures at 10.5 points per game with a team-best 30 triples on the season, while junior Marcus Garrett averages 9.6 points and a team-best 4.4 assists per game. Senior transfer Isaiah Moss averages 8.1 points, including a team-best 40.3 3-point field goal percentage.
  5. Kansas is led by Hall of Fame head coach Bill Self, who has posted a 487-109 (.817) record in his 17th season, which includes the 2008 national title and 3 Final Fours. He is 694-214 (.764) in his 27th season as a head coach.

SERIES HISTORY

  1. K-State and Kansas will meet for the 292nd time in their histories with the Jayhawks holding a 197-94 advantage in a series that dates to 1907. Kansas is 90-35 all-time in games played at home, including 47-18 at Allen Fieldhouse. The Jayhawks are 50-6 all-time in the Big 12 era.
  2. K-State snapped an 8-game losing streak with a 74-67 victory over Kansas at Bramlage Coliseum on Feb. 5. It was the first victory over the Jayhawks since a 70-63 at home on Feb. 23, 2015. Kansas has won 13 straight games against K-State at Allen Fieldhouse with the last Wildcat victory coming in a 59-55 win on Jan. 14. 2016. Last season, the Jayhawks earned a 64-49 win at home, holding the Wildcats to just 31.6 percent shooting from the field.
  3.  Senior Xavier Sneed has averaged 9.7 points and 5.3 rebounds in 7 career games against Kansas with 5 starts, while junior Cartier Diarra has averaged 10.8 points on 55.5 percent shooting in 4 career games with 3 starts. Diarra scored 18 points in his first career game at Allen Fieldhouse.
  4. Head coach Bruce Weber is 3-15 all-time against Kansas, including a 0-7 mark on the road, while he is 4-16 against head coach Bill Self.

ON THE ROAD

  1. K-State has a 60-132 (.313) all-time record on the road since the start of Big 12 play in 1997. However, the Wildcats have been considerably better on the road since the 2006-07 season, having posted a 48-61 (.440) record away from home after going 10-70 (.125) from 1997-2006. The team is 32-47 (.405) under Bruce Weber on the road, including 25-38 (.397) in the Big 12.
  2. K-State posted a 7-2 mark on the road in Big 12 play a season ago, which was the best mark by a Wildcat team since going 6-1 in 1975-76.

LAST TIME OUT: K-STATE 84, 12/13 WEST VIRGINIA 68

  1. Junior Cartier Diarra tied a career-high with 25 points to lead an all-around impressive effort, as Kansas State ended a 4-game losing streak in Big 12 play with a resounding 84-68 win over No. 12/13 West Virginia on Saturday afternoon before 8,549 fans at Bramlage Coliseum.  
  2. The Wildcats connected on 59.2 percent (29-of-49) of its field goals, including 60.9 percent (14-of-23) in the second half, to snap its longest skid to start league play since 2008-09. It was the highest point total and field goal percentage against a Big 12 opponent since scoring 85 points on 61.5 percent shooting (32-of-52) vs. Oklahoma State on Feb. 23, 2019.
  3. Diarra was among three players in double figures for K-State, which has now won 3 in a row against West Virginia for the first time since winning 3 straight to start the Big 12 era from 2013-14. In addition to Diarra's career-tying 25 points, which included 16 in the second half, senior Xavier Sneed and freshman DaJuan Gordon added 16 and 15 points, respectively. It marked Diarra's fourth 20-point game of the season.
  4. K-State grabbed the early lead behind three consecutive 3-pointers, including back-to-back triples from DaJuan Gordon, who scored 13 of his season-high with 15 points in the first half. After the Mountaineers closed to within 26-21 with just under 5 to play before halftime, the Wildcats responded with a 16-4 run, which included 6 in a row, to take a 42-25 lead into halftime. The team scored 22 of their 42 points off 13 WVU turnovers.
  5. K-State grew its lead to as many as 24 points (53-29) with 14:39 to play in the second half before West Virginia slowly started to chip away at the deficit, scoring 25 of the next 32 points to close it to 60-54 with 7:48 to play. However, the Wildcats responded with a 9-0 spurt, keyed by a 6-of-6 effort from the free throw line by Diarra, Sneed and junior David Sloan to go with a Diarra triple, to push it back to 13 with just over 5 minutes to play. This time, the team didn't let off, building the lead back to 20 (81-61) with 1:51 left.
  6. In addition to the solid days by Diarra, Sneed and Gordon, Sloan enjoyed an impressive day in his first career start at the point, scoring a season-high 9 points to go with a game-high 5 assists (to just 1 turnover) to go with a season-best 4 steals in a 36 minutes of action.

LEADING WITH DEFENSE

  1. K-State has continued its reputation as one of the top defensive teams in the country under head coach Bruce Weber, holding its first 17 opponents to 62.2 points on 41.1 percent shooting (370-of-900, including 32.4 percent (111-of-343) from 3-point range, while posting a Big 12-best 8.8 steals and forcing 16.9 turnovers per game (third in the Big 12).
  2. K-State ranks among Top 40 in 3 defensive categories, including 39th in scoring defense, 29th in turnovers forced (16.9) and 28th in steals per game.
  3. K-State has held 25 of its last 51 opponents to 60 points or less with just five eclipsing 70 (with 4 occurring in the last 18 games). The squad has held 94 opponents to 60 points or less in Bruce Weber's tenure, boasting an 85-9 mark in those contests. The Wildcats are 6-1 this season when holding an opponent below 60 points, including their first 4 wins.
  4. K-State had one of the top defensive teams in the country in 2018-19, holding opponents to 59.6 points on 41.5 percent shooting, including 31.4 percent from 3-point range, while forcing 14.8 turnovers per game and averaging 7.5 steals per game. The Wildcats ranked among the nation's best in a number of defensive categories, including fourth in scoring defense, 16th in turnover margin (+3.5, 36th in 3-point field goal percentage defense, 43rd in total steals (256) and 48th in steals per game. 
  5. The 59.6 points per game average was the lowest opponent scoring average since the introduction of the shot clock in 1985-86, surpassing the 60.4 points per game average in 2012-13, while it was the sixth-lowest all-time and the lowest since the 1982-83 team allowed 58.4 points per game. Only eight other teams (1948-49, 1949-50, 1950-51, 1961-62, 1980-81, 1981-82, 1982-83) allowed less than 60 points per game in school history.
  6. K-State held foes to an average of 14.5 points under their average in 2018-19, including a 14.6 average in Big 12 play. Eleven opponents (6 Big 12 foes) were held to 20 or more points under their average, most notably Texas Tech (26.6, TCU (25.4 and 23.5, Iowa State (24.3) and OSU (21.8).
  7. In Big 12 play, K-State allowed 59.6 points per game on 42.6 percent shooting, including 33.8 percent from 3-point range. It is the school's lowest defensive scoring average in a Big 12 season and a tie for the ninth-best in a conference season and the lowest since 1961-62. The Wildcats held Big 12 opponents (Iowa State, TCU [twice], Texas Tech, Oklahoma State [twice], West Virginia, Baylor and Oklahoma) to 60 points or less on 9 occasions.

POINTS OFF TURNOVERS

  1. K-State is once again using its defense to generate offense, as the Wildcats are forcing 16.9 turnovers per game, including 8.8 steals per game, while averaging 18.2 points per game off those opponent turnovers.
  2. K-State has scored 20 or more points off opponent turnovers 9 times this season, including a season-high 28 in the win over No. 12/13 West Virginia. The team has also scored 20 or more points off turnovers against Monmouth (21, Arkansas-Pine Bluff (20, Pittsburgh (24) Bradley (22, Florida A&M (20, Alabama State (26, Texas (23) and No. 23/23 Texas Tech (20).
  3. K-State has forced 5 opponents into 20 or more turnovers, including a season-best 25 turnovers by UNLV and Monmonth.
  4. K-State has scored nearly 4,000 points (3,984) off turnovers during head coach Bruce Weber's tenure, an average of 15.5 points per game. In 2018-19, the Wildcats averaged 17.4 points off turnovers, outscoring opponents, 590-362. The team posted 12 games of 20 or more points off turnovers.

DEFICITS AND COMEBACKS

  1. K-State has had to battle back from early deficits in each of its last 3 Big 12 games, but has found a way to rally from those deficits before losing down the stretch. The Wildcats trailed TCU and Texas both by 7 points before falling behind 10-0 to No. 23/23 Texas Tech on Tuesday. 
  2. K-State was down 7-0 to start against TCU before slowing chipping away at the deficit to eventually take a 17-16 lead at the 8:19 mark of the first half and tying at 23-all before the Horned Frogs scored 12 of the last 14 points. Down 49-42 with just over 7 to play, the Wildcats tied the game at 57-all on David Sloan's 3-pointer before losing on a tip-in with 2 seconds.
  3. K-State trailed 9-2 to start against Texas before again rallying to take an 18-16 lead with 6:40 before halftime. With the Wildcats leading 25-23 with 2:48 to play in the first half, the Longhorns would score 20 of the next 22 points to take 43-27 advantage with 13:11 remaining.
  4. K-State allowed No. 23/23 Texas Tech to score the first 10 points of the game, but the resilient Wildcats responded with 7 in a row to close to within one possession before trailing 37-30 at the half. The team again fought back to take a 46-45 lead on a layup by senior Cartier Diarra to cap an 11-2 run with 13:24 to play. The Red Raiders responded with a 16-4 run over the next 6 minutes to take a 61-50 lead with just over 7 minutes remaining.

2-POINTERS HAVE BEEN KEY

  1. With its 3-point percentage nearly identical in wins (34.2; 63-of-184) as in losses (32.1; 59-of-184, K-State's 2-point field goal percentage has been a key factor in its wins this season. On the year, the Wildcats are connecting on 49.1 percent (267-of-544) from inside the 3-point line. 
  2. K-State is connecting on 47 percent (210-of-447) of its field goals in the 8 wins, including 55.9 percent (147-of-263) from inside the arc, while the team is hitting just 38.5 percent (179-of-465) of their field goals in the 9 losses, including 42.7 percent (120-of-281) from inside the arc.
  3. This has been illustrated in the losses to Marquette and Mississippi State, as K-State connected on 32.3 percent (20-of-62) of its field goals, including 33.3 percent (13-of-39) from inside the arc, in the 73-65 loss to the Golden Eagles and 32.6 percent (14-of-43) of its field goals, including 32 percent (8-of-25) from inside the arc, in the 67-61 loss to the Bulldogs.
  4. No 2 players have been as impactful in this statistic, as senior Xavier Sneed and junior Cartier Diarra.
  5. Sneed is averaging a team-best 17.0 points on 50 percent (46-of-92) shooting, including 63.6 percent (28-of-44) from inside the arc, in the 8 wins, while he is averaging 12.6 points on just 31.3 percent (31-of-99) shooting in the 9 losses, including 34.7 percent (17-of-49) from inside the arc.
  6. Diarra is averaging 14.9 points on 43.8 percent (42-of-96) shooting, including 51.9 percent (28-of-54) from inside the arc, in the 8 wins, while he is averaging 11.9 points on 41.1 percent (37-of-90) shooting, including 50.0 percent (25-of-50) from inside the arc, in the 9 losses.

RECAPPING NON-CONFERENCE HISTORY

  1. K-State wrapped up non-conference play with a 69-67 win over Tulsa on Dec. 30. The win snapped a 2-game skid and helped the Wildcats finish with a winning record in non-conference play with 14th consecutive season. The team has one more non-conference game at Alabama on Jan. 25.
  2. K-State has a 111-8 (.932) record at home venues (includes home games played at Bramlage Coliseum, INTRUST Bank Arena in Wichita and the Sprint Center in Kansas City) in non-conference play dating back to the 2006-07 season, including a 102-6 (.944) mark at Bramlage Coliseum.
  3. Despite seeing their 33-game winning streak end at Bramlage Coliseum with a loss to Marquette on Dec. 7, the Wildcats have still won 98 of their last 104 non-conference home games. The last home non-conference loss before Marquette came against Georgia, 50-46, on Dec. 31, 2014.
  4. K-State has posted a 147-41 (.781) record in non-conference play since the 2006-07 season, which includes a 10-3 (.769) mark in 2018-19. The team has posted double-digit non-conference wins in 12 of the last 13 years.
  5. Since going 7-6 in non-conference in 2014-15, which included back-to-back losses to Texas Southern and Georgia, the Wildcats has won double-digit non-conference games each of the past four seasons and is 50-14 (.781) in non-conference play since the start of 2015-16 season.

SNEED GETTING HOT

  1. Senior Xavier Sneed has led the Wildcats in scoring in 8 of the last 16 games, averaging 15.0 points on 41 percent shooting (73-of-178, including 33.3 percent (31-of-93) from 3-point range, which includes wins against UNLV, Monmouth, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Florida A&M and Alabama State.
  2. Sneed scored 19 points in the overtime win over UNLV, including the go-ahead jumper with 28 seconds left, then followed that up with a 15-point effort in the win over Monmouth on Nov. 13 before posting 21 vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Nov. 19. His 18-point effort against Florida A&M on Dec. 2 lifted him to the Top 20 scoring, while he claimed his second 20-point game with 20 against Alabama State on Dec. 11. He has a combined 105 points in the last 7 games, including a season-best 22 against Oklahoma on Jan. 4.
  3. With his first rebound against Marquette on Dec. 7, Sneed became the 13th player in school history with at least 1,000 career points and 500 career rebounds. He currently has 1,257 points in 122 career games to go with 541 rebounds. He joins a 1,000-point/500-rebound list that includes legends Dick Knostman, Jack Parr, Bob Boozer, David Hall, Steve Mitchell, Rolando Blackman, Ed Nealy, Jamar Samuels, Rodney McGruder, Thomas Gipson, Wes Iwundu and Dean Wade.
  4. Sneed is one of 9 players to rank in the Big 12's Top 25 in both scoring and rebounding, as he ranks ninth in scoring (14.7 ppg.) and 22nd in rebounding (4.8 rpg.). He joins Iowa State's Tyrese Haliburton, Oklahoma's Austin Reaves, Kristian Doolittle and Brady Manek, Kansas' Udoka Azubuike, TCU's Desmond Bane and West Virginia's Oscar Tshiebwe. Sneed also ranks sixth in steals (1.71, 10th in 3-point field goals made (1.88, 13th in free throw percentage (71.6) and 14th in minutes (31.4).

SNEED MOVING UP THE CHARTS

  1. Senior Xavier Sneed continues to move up several career charts, as he ranks among the Top 20 in scoring (15th, 3-point field goals made (fifth) and attempted (fourth, steals (fourth) and minutes (10th).
  2. With his 16-point effort in the win over No. 12/13 West Virginia, Sneed moved into the school's Top 15 in scoring at No. 15 with 1,257 points, moving past former teammate Kamau Stokes (1,242, current Orland Magic Wes Iwundu (1,249) and Tyrone Adams (1,251). He is the fourth Wildcat under head coach Bruce Weber to rank in the Top 15 in scoring, following Barry Brown, Jr. (1,781 points/fifth, Rodney McGruder (1,576/eighth) and Dean Wade (1,510/10th).
  3. Sneed already ranks among the very best among all 3-point shooters in school history, passing Rodney McGruder for fifth in career makes (189) and ranking fourth in career attempts (555). He needs just 11 more 3-pointers to become just the fifth Wildcat with 200 more triples in a career.
  4. Sneed also continues to move up the steals chart with his 166 ranking fourth in school history, while he just cracked the school's Top 10 in minutes played with 3,348 minutes in 122 games played.

DIARRA PROVING TO BE A SOLID PG

  1. Junior Cartier Diarra is proving to be a solid point guard for the Wildcats, averaging 13.3 points on 42.5 percent (79-of-186) shooting with 5.4 assists, 4.4 rebounds and 1.8 steals in 31.8 minutes per game. He has led the team in scoring 8 times, including 6 times in the last 10 games.
  2. Diarra's 92 assists are the most by a Wildcat in the first 17 games since assists began being kept in 1976-77, surpassing the previous 17-game high of 90 done by (current UTSA head coach) Steve Henson in 1988-89. He has at least 5 assists in 12 of 17 games, including a career-high 10 vs. Alabama State on Dec. 11. He became the first Wildcat with a 10-assist game since Marcus Foster (at Baylor) on Feb. 15, 2014.
  3. Diarra ranks among the top 55 nationally in both assists (41st/5.4 apg.) and total assists (54th/92).  He ranks third in assists and fifth in steals in the Big 12, while he is 12th in scoring and 13th in assist/turnover ratio (1.48).
  4. Diarra was the only player to score in double figures in the first 2 games, including 23 points in the opener against North Dakota State on Nov. 5 and 12 in the overtime win at UNLV on Nov. 9.
  5. Diarra has scored in double figures in 9 times in the last 13 games, including team-highs vs. Marquette (14, Mississippi State (20, Tulsa (25, Texas (14, No. 23/23 Texas Tech (19) and No. 12/13 West Virginia (25). During that span, he is averaging 13.5 points on 45.2 percent shooting to go with 5 assists, 4.4 rebounds and 1.8 steals in 31.5 minutes per game.

DIARRA NAMED BIG 12 PLAYER OF THE WEEK DEC. 30

  1. Junior Cartier Diarra earned his first career Phillips 66 Big 12 Player of the Week honor on Dec. 31 after scoring a career-best 25 points, including the game-winning 3-pointer with 22.4 seconds left, to help the Wildcats defeat Tulsa, 69-67, on Dec. 30.
  2. Diarra is the first Wildcat to earn the Big 12's weekly honor since Barry Brown, Jr., and Dean Wade won the accolade in back-to-back weeks on January 14 and 21, 2019. Overall, it marks the school's 29th Player of the Week honor since the inception of the Big 12 in 1997, including the 13th under head coach Bruce Weber.
  3. Diarra collected his third 20-point game of the season in Sunday's victory over the Golden Hurricane, connecting on 8-of-16 from the field, including 6-of-11 from beyond the arc, to go with a 3-of-4 effort from the line, a game-high 7 assists and 5 rebounds in 33 minutes of action. His 6 3-pointers were a career-high and the most by a Wildcat since teammate Xavier Sneed knocked down 6 triples against West Virginia on Jan. 1, 2018.

FRESHMEN PLAYING A MAJOR ROLE

  1. Three freshmen (DaJuan Gordon, Antonio Gordon and Montavious Murphy) are playing major roles for the Wildcats, as each are averaging 20 or more minutes this season, including 8 starts by Murphy, 7 by Antonio Gordon and 1 by DaJuan Gordon. Murphy missed 7 games due to injury.
  2. DaJuan Gordon has played in all 17 games, averaging 23.3 minutes per game to lead all reserves. He has scored in double figures 4 times, including a 15-point effort against No. 12/13 West Virginia. He has connected on 48.4 percent (46-of-95) from the field and 37.5 percent (15-of-40) from 3. 
  3. Antonio Gordon has seen action in 15 games, averaging 20.4 minutes per game. He is averaging 5.3 points on 39.2 percent shooting (29-of-74, including 25 percent (9-of-36) from 3-point range, to go with 4.2 rebounds.
  4. Murphy, who became the first true freshmen to start an opener since 2015, started each of the first 3 games of the season before his injury on Nov. 13. He returned to play 18 minutes against Saint Louis before starting 5 of the last 6 games and averaging 25.3 minutes per game.

EZEAGU JOINS TEAM JAN. 17

  1. Head coach Bruce Weber announced on January 17 that transfer forward Kaosi Ezeagu (Brampton, Ontario/GTA Prep/UTEP) has signed a scholarship agreement to join the men's basketball team. He will have three years of eligibility once he sits out the required time as a Division I transfer.
  2. Ezeagu will enroll at K-State for the spring semester and will be able to start practicing with the team. He will have to sit out for the reminder of the 2019-20 season and the first semester of the 2020-21 season before being eligible in mid-December 2020.   
  3. A 6-foot-10, 245-pound forward from Brampton, Ontario, Ezeagu played one season at UTEP for head coach Rodney Terry in 2018-19. He played in all 29 games for the Miners as a true freshman, averaging 3.2 points on a team-best 56.9 percent shooting (37-of-65) with 3.4 rebounds and 0.8 blocks in 12.4 minutes per game. He led the team with 24 blocked shots with at least 2 blocks in eight contests. Twice he scored in double figures, including 10 in his first game against UTPB on Nov. 16, 2018 and a season-best 12 against Middle Tennessee State on March 6, 2019.
  4. Ezeagu was born in the Bahamas but went to prep school in Brampton, Ontario, where he was rated one of the top prep players in Canada after averaging 11.4 points and 10.4 rebounds at GTA Prep in 2017-18.

WEBER NAMED USA BASKETBALL CO-NATIONAL COACH OF THE YEAR

  1. After leading Team USA to a gold medal at the FIBA U19 World Cup this past summer, K-State men's basketball coach Bruce Weber was selected as the co-recipient of the 2019 USA Basketball National Coach of the Year award.
  2. Weber shared the honor with Louisville women's basketball coach Jeff Walz, who also led the USA Women's U19 World Cup Team to a gold medal on July 20-28 in Bangkok, Thailand.
  3. Since 1996, USA Basketball has awarded its National Coach of the Year honor to a USA Basketball head coach, who during the year of the award, made a significant impact on the success of the individual athlete and team performance at the highest levels of competition in a manner consistent with the highest ethical, professional and moral standards.
  4. Weber, who served as a head coach in the USA Basketball system for the first time in his career, led Team USA to their seventh gold medal at the FIBA (International Basketball Federation) U19 World Cup, including the first since 2015, with a perfect 7-0 record. Team USA capped their perfect performance with a 93-79 win over Mali in the gold-medal game in Greece on July 7.
  5. Team USA averaged better than 100 points per game and won the tournament by an average of 28.7 points per game, including victories over New Zealand (111-71, Lithuania (102-84) and Senegal (87-58) to capture Group A then wins over Latvia (116-66) in the group of 16, Russia (95-80) in the medal round, Lithuania (102-67) in the semifinals and Mali (93-79) in the finals. The team ranked first in points per game (100.9, field goal percentage (.475, assists per game (28.6 apg.) and steals per game (15.9 spg.).

A QUICK LOOK AT K-STATE

  1. The Wildcats return nine lettermen, including four players (Xavier Sneed, Makol Mawien, Cartier Diarra and Mike McGuirl) who registered starts, in 2019-20 from a squad that posted a 25-9 overall record a year ago and earned a share of the Big 12 regular-season championship for the second time under head coach Bruce Weber. The 25-win season was the seventh in school history, including the first time in consecutive seasons. K-State is one of just 24 schools  -- 15 in power conferences -- and 3 in the Big 12 (Kansas and Texas Tech) -- with 25 wins in each of the last 2 seasons.
  2. All-Big 12 honorable mention Xavier Sneed (10.6 ppg., 5.5 rpg., fellow senior Makol Mawien (7.0 ppg., 4.9 rpg.) and key reserve and junior Cartier Diarra (6.8 ppg., 3.3 rpg.) form the core of a group returning for the Wildcats,  who must replace their top three scorers in Barry Brown, Jr. (14.6 ppg., Dean Wade (12.9 ppg.) and Kamau Stokes (11.0 ppg.). All three have played pivotal roles with the consecutive 25-win seasons, including 71 and 70 starts, respectively, by Mawien and Sneed and major minutes by Diarra.
  3. Sneed is the team's top returner in nearly every stat category, including scoring (349, rebounding (182, assists (64, steals (45) and minutes (1014). He enters his senior season ranking 29th on the school's all-time scoring list with 1,008 points having seen action in 105 career games with starts in 70 of the last 71 games. Mawien, who has started every game of his K-State career, has the fifth-highest career field goal percentage (56.1; 204-of-364) in school history after posting the sixth-highest (59.8; 104-of-174) field goal percentage in a single season as a junior in 2017-18. Diarra scored in double figures in four consecutive games, including three in Big 12 play, before missing eight games due to a broken finger. He did come back to play in the last three games with Wade out for the season, including a 15-point effort against Iowa State in the semifinals of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship and a 9-point effort in the NCAA Tournament.
  4. The Wildcats also return rising senior Pierson McAtee (0.5 ppg., 0.5 rpg., juniors Mike McGuirl (3.6 ppg., 1.5 rpg., Levi Stockard III (1.8 ppg., 1.5 rpg.) and James Love III (0.3 ppg., 0.4 rpg., sophomores Nigel Shadd (0.2 ppg., 0.4 rpg.) and Shaun Williams [was Neal-Williams] (1.4 ppg., 1.1 rpg.).

'CATS WELCOME FIVE NEWCOMERS

  1. The Wildcats will welcome five newcomers in 2019-20, including a pair of junior college transfers (David Sloan and Joe Petrakis) and three true freshmen (Antonio Gordon, DaJuan Gordon and Montavious Murphy). 
  2. Sloan was regarded as one of the top community colleges players in the country (and a Top 150 player out of high school) in 2018-19 after helping John A. Logan College to a 27-5 overall record as a sophomore. The NJCAA All-American twice led the NJCAA ranks in both total assists and assists per game, including 10.2 assists per game a year ago.
  3. The freshmen were all consensus Top 200 prospects, as the recruiting class was a consensus Top 40 class nationally by a number of recruiting services, ranking No. 39 by Rivals.com and No. 40 by 247Sports.com. DaJuan Gordon was a consensus Top 150 player by both recruiting services.
  4. Antonio Gordon scored nearly 1,600 points in his high school career at Eisenhower High School in Lawton, Okla., and averaged 26.3 points and 10.1 rebounds as a senior in 2018-19. DaJuan Gordon was the Chicago Sun-Times City Player of the Year after averaging 17.6 points in leading Curie to the school's first city title. Murphy was one of the best players in Houston and a finalist for the Guy V. Lewis Award, averaging 19 points and 10 rebounds as a senior at Concordia Lutheran.

'CATS PICKED NINTH IN BIG 12 POLL;

SNEED NAMED HONORABLE MENTION ALL-BIG 12

  1. K-State was picked to finish ninth by the league coaches in the annual Big 12 Preseason poll released on Oct. 17, as the Wildcats received 23 points. Kansas was selected first for the ninth consecutive season, while Baylor, Texas Tech, Texas and West Virginia rounded out the Top 5.
  2. The ninth-place selection tied for the lowest by a K-State team in the history of the 10-team poll, joining the 2016-17 team which was also picked to finish ninth by the league coaches. The team has been picked to finish eighth or worse 13 times in the history of the 24-year poll, including eighth in 2001-02, 2003-04, 2008-09, 2015-16 and 2017-18, ninth in 1996-97, 2004-05, 10th in 1999-2000, 11th in 2002-03 and 2005-06 and 12th in 1997-98 and 2000-01.
  3. Senior Xavier Sneed was one of eight players to be selected to the honorable mention All-Big 12 preseason team, along with Oklahoma's Kristian Doolittle, Oklahoma State's Yor Anei, Texas' Matt Coleman, Texas Tech's Chris Clarke, Davide Moretti and Jahmi'us Ramey and West Virginia's Derek Culver.
  4. Kansas' Udoka Azubuike and Devon Dotson, along with Baylor's Tristan Clark, Iowa State's Tyrese Haliburton and TCU's Desmond Bane were named to the Preseason All-Big 12 team. Azubuike was the Preseason Player of the Year, while Chris Clarke was the Preseason Newcomer of the Year and West Virginia's Oscar Tshiebwe was the Preseason Freshman of the Year.

SNEED NAMED CANDIDATE FOR JULIUS ERVING AWARD

  1. Senior Xavier Sneed was named one of 20 watch list members for the 2020 Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award, as announced by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame on Oct. 16.
  2. Sneed was one of two Big 12 players named to the watch list, including Texas Tech transfer Chris Clarke. Other candidates include Arizona's Josh Green, Duke's Matthew Hurt, Florida's Scottie Lewis, Gonzaga's Corey Kispert, Harvard's Seth Towns, Kentucky's Kahlil Whitney, Louisville's Jordan Nwora, Memphis' Precious Achiuwa, Oregon State's Tres Tinkle, Providence's Alpha Diallo, Purdue's Nojel Eastern, St. John's L.J. Figueroa, Syracuse's Elijah Hughes, Vermont's Anthony Lamb, Villanova's Saddiq Bey, Washington's Jaden McDaniels, Washington State's C.J. Elleby and Xavier's Naji Marshall.
  3. Wade is the first K-State player to be a preseason candidate for the Wooden Award since Rodney McGruder in 2012. Jacob Pullen, who was a preseason candidate in 2010, was the last Wildcat to earn recognition to the Wooden All-American team, while Michael Beasley (2008) was the last finalist.
  4. The 20-member watch list for the Erving Award will be narrowed to just 10 by mid-February. In March, five finalists will be presented to Julius Erving and the Hall of Fame's selection committee. The winner will be presented at The College Basketball Awards presented by Wendy's on April 10, 2020.
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