Feb 09, 2021

K-State concludes homestand vs Texas Tuesday

Posted Feb 09, 2021 12:00 PM

MANHATTAN, Kan.—Kansas State (5-15, 1-10 Big 12) concludes its 2-game homestand against ranked foes on Tuesday night, as the Wildcats play host to No. 13/13 Texas (11-5, 5-4 Big 12) at Bramlage Coliseum at 7 p.m., CT. The Longhorns will be looking to sweep the series for the second consecutive season and earn their third straight win in Manhattan for the first time in series history. Tuesday's game will air on Big 12 Now with Ted Emrich (play-by-play) and Lance Blanks (analyst) on the call.

  1. This will be the Wildcats' eighth matchup against a Top 25 opponent this season, including the third of 4 in a row (No. 23/22 Kansas, No. 13/11 Texas Tech, No. 13/13 Texas and No. 23/22 Oklahoma State). It will mark the first time in school history that a team has faced 4 consecutive Top 25 opponents. K-State has lost 12 in a row against ranked opponents, including an earlier 82-67 setback to the Longhorns on Jan. 16, while the Wildcats have dropped 5 straight to ranked teams at home. K-State is 119-269 all-time vs. ranked opponents, which includes a 4-7 mark vs. the AP's No. 13 ranked squad. Head coach Bruce Weber has a school-record 26 wins vs. Top 25 foes.
  2. K-State battled but lost a 73-62 decision to No. 13/11 Texas Tech on Saturday at home to see its losing streak hit 10 games, including 9 in Big 12 play. The Red Raiders broke open a tight contest with a 15-3 run midway through the second half then held off several Wildcat rallies to sweep the season series. Despite the loss, K-State had one of its better shooting performances, connecting on 45.5 percent (20-of-44) from the field, including 45 percent (9-of-20) from 3-point range, as 3 Wildcats (Mike McGuirl, Nijel Pack and Kaosi Ezeagu) all scored in double figures. McGuirl and Pack led the way for the second straight game with 16 points each, while Ezeagu added 10 points to reach double figures for the first time in Big 12 play. McGuirl and Pack each had impressive stat lines, as McGuirl had 4 treys to go with a game-high 5 assists and 2 steals and Pack added 4 more triples to go with 7 rebounds.
  3. K-State played its second straight game without sophomore DaJuan Gordon, who was injured in the first half against Texas A&M on Jan. 30. Gordon is the eighth Wildcat to miss a game this season due to either injury or COVID-19 related protocols, while only Mike McGuirl is the only player to start all 20 games. The 8 Wildcats have combined to miss 54 games this season, including 4 of the 5 opening-game starters (Kaosi Ezeagu, Pack, Gordon and Montavious Murphy). Gordon is questionable for Tuesday's game, while Murphy is expected to miss the rest of the season.
  4. K-State started 3 true freshmen (Davion Bradford, Selton Miguel and Nijel Pack) for the ninth time this season, including the sixth time in a Big 12 game, against Texas Tech on Saturday. The team has started at least 2 true freshmen in each of the last 14 games with Bradford and Pack each starting 16 games and Miguel starting 13. The Wildcats are one of 7 teams to start at least 3 true freshmen in at least one game, while the 45 combined starts by true freshmen rank second nationally behind Kentucky's 51 and just ahead of Washington State's 44.


NOTES ON 13/13 TEXAS

  1. No. 13/13 Texas (11-5, 5-4 Big 12) dropped a double-overtime game at Oklahoma State, 75-67, on Saturday to see its 3-game losing streak hit 3 games. The Longhorns have not won since its 82-67 win over the Wildcats on Jan. 16 and since returning from its COVID-19 pause on Jan. 26.
  2. Texas is averaging 75.4 points on 44.2 percent shooting, including 33.2 percent from 3-point range, to go with 40.6 rebounds, 12.6 assists, 6.8 steals and 4.2 blocks per game, while allowing 67.8 points on 40.1 percent shooting, including 30.6 percent from 3-point range. The Longhorns are connecting on 69.3 percent from the free throw line. In Big 12 play, Texas is averaging 76.1 points on 43.4 percent shooting, including 33.5 percent from 3-point range, while holding opponents to 73.2 points on 42.3 percent shooting.
  3. Four players are averaging in double figures led by junior Andrew Jones, who is averaging 15.2 points on 40.8 percent shooting with 4.7 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game. Fellow junior Courtney Ramey is averaging 13.7 points on 41.5 percent shooting to go with 3.9 assists and 3.1 rebounds per game. Senior Matt Coleman III is averaging 12.8 points on 44.7 percent shooting with a team-best 3.9 assists, while true freshmen Greg Brown is averaging 11.0 points and a team-high 7.7 rebounds per game.
  4. Texas is led by sixth-year head coach Shaka Smart, who has posted an 101-83 (.549) record, which includes 2 trips to the NCAA Tournament and an NIT title in 2019. He is 264-139 (.655) in his 12th season as a head coach, which includes 163 victories during a stint at VCU (2009-15).


SERIES HISTORY

  1. K-State and Texas will meet for the 42nd time in their histories with the Wildcats holding a 22-19 advantage in a series that dates to 1971. Texas has a 19-17 advantage since the start of Big 12 play, while K-State has an 11-7 edge at home, including 9-7 in the Big 12 era.
  2. Texas has won 3 straight in the series, including an 82-67 win at home on Jan. 16. The Longhorns rode an impressive first-half offensive performance in the first meeting, which included an 18-0 run.
  3. Head coach Bruce Weber is 9-9 all-time against Texas, including a 4-4 mark at home, while he is 5-6 against head coach Shaka Smart. Smart is 6-5 against K-State, including 3-2 on the road.


LAST TIME OUT: 13/11 TEXAS TECH 73, K-STATE 62

  1. No. 13/11 Texas Tech broke open a tight contest with a 15-3 run midway through the second half to lift the Red Raiders to a 73-62 win over Kansas State on Saturday afternoon in front of 1,000 fans at Bramlage Coliseum.
  2. With the score knotted at 32-all less than 4 minutes into the second half, redshirt freshman Tyreek Smith ignited the pivotal run by Texas Tech with a 3-pointer at the 16:03 mark. After Wildcat freshman Davion Bradford made a free throw to close the gap to 35-33, sophomore Kevin McCullar started a stretch of 9 consecutive points by the Red Raiders with a second consecutive triple to push the lead to 44-33.
  3. Junior Mac McClung, who led all scorers with 23 points, had 4 quick points on a pair of free throws and a fast-break layup before a third 3-pointer during the span, this time, by junior Kyler Edwards capped the 15-3 run and gave Texas Tech a 47-35 lead with just 12 minutes to play.
  4. K-State continued to battle, closing to within 6 on 4 occasions, including 63-57 on freshman Nijel Pack's fourth 3-pointer with 2:20 to play. However, Tech responded with back-to-back layups from graduate transfer Marcus Santos-Silva and McClung to stay out ahead and win its third in a row.
  5. Senior Mike McGuirl and Pack led K-State in scoring for the second straight game with 16 points each, while McGuirl dished out a game-tying 5 assists and 2 steals and Pack grabbed a season-best 7 rebounds. Pack was limited to just 28 minutes due to foul problems, finishing 5-of-7 from the field, including 4-of-5 from 3-point range. It marked the fourth time that the freshman has knocked down at least 4 treys in a game this season.
  6. Redshirt sophomore Kaosi Ezeagu also scored in double figures with 10 points on 4-of-6 field goals and 2-of-3 free throws – marking the first time he had double-digit points in a Big 12 game – while sophomore Antonio Gordon grabbed a game-high 9 rebounds to go with 4 points and 2 blocks.
  7. K-State had one of its better shooting performances, connecting on 45.5 percent (20-of-44) from the field, including 45 percent (9-of-20) from 3-point range, but it struggled from the free throw line, making just 13 of 22 attempts (59.1 percent). It was the highest field goal percentage since hitting on 49.1 percent (27-of-55) in the first matchup with Texas Tech on Jan. 5.


INJURIES, YOUTH DEFINE SEASON SO FAR FOR K-STATE 

  1. Very few teams in the country have had to deal with the mixture of injuries, COVID-19 protocols and youth quite like K-State has in 2020-21. Already one of the country's most inexperienced teams with just 4 returning lettermen (only 4 schools have fewer) and 11 underclassmen (only 6 schools have more), the Wildcats have seen 8 different players combined to miss 54 games this season, while senior Mike McGuirl is the only player to start all 20 games with 8 different starting lineups.


GAMES MISSED IN 2020-21 [54]

  1. Montavious Murphy - 16 (expected to miss rest of season)
  2. Luke Kasubke - 13 (saw first action at Texas)
  3. Kaosi Ezeagu - 10 (returned to action at Oklahoma)
  4. Antonio Gordon - 4 (returned to action at Texas)
  5. Carlton Linguard, Jr. - 4 (returned to action vs. Fort Hays State)
  6. Nijel Pack - 4 (returned to action at Baylor)
  7. DaJuan Gordon - 2 (no timetable for return)
  8. Seryee Lewis - 1 (returned to action at Texas)
  1. K-State is one of just 7 schools nationally (Duke, Kentucky, James Madison, North Carolina, Sacred Heart and Washington State) to start at least 3 true freshmen in one game this season, while the 45 combined starts by Wildcat true freshmen rank second nationally to Kentucky's 51 and just ahead of Washington State's 44.


PACK OFF TO IMPRESSIVE START

  1. Freshman Nijel Pack came up with a special performance in K-State's 68-61 loss to Texas A&M in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge Jan. 30, as the rookie scored a season-high 26 points on 9-of-16 field goals, including 8-of-14 from 3-point range, to go with 5 assists, 3 rebounds and 3 steals in just his second game back from missing 4 games due to COVID-19 protocols.
  2. The 26-point effort was the most by a Wildcat true freshman since Marcus Foster scored 34 points against Texas on Feb. 8, 2014. The 8 3-pointers tie for the second-most in a game in school history and are the most-ever by a Wildcat freshman. His 8 treys are only surpassed by Askia Jones' school-record 14 against Fresno State on March 24, 1994, while Steve Henson (vs. Iowa State on Feb. 17, 1990) and Cortez Groves (vs. Texas A&M on March 23, 2000) also had 8 treys in a game. It was his team-leading eighth game of at least 5 assists, while he tied his season-high with 3 steals.
  3. The performance continues what has been a impressive start to his rookie season in Manhattan, as he ranks among team leaders in several categories, including scoring (11.9 ppg./1st), double-digit scoring games (10/2nd), field goals made (72/2nd), 3-point field goals made (38/2nd), assists (58/2nd), steals (20/2nd) and minutes per game (32.5/2nd).
  4. Before missing the Oklahoma State game on Jan. 9, Pack had started to hit his scoring groove, scoring in double figures in 3 of 4 games, including a then season-high 17 points at No. 18/19 Texas Tech (1/5/21). He has scored in double figures in 7 of the last 8 games, in a stretch, where he is averaging 14.6 points on 50.6 percent (43-of-85) shooting, including 46.3 percent (25-of-54) from 3-point range, with 3.6 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.5 steals.
  5. Pack ranks third in the Big 12 in 3-point field goals made per game (2.38), as he has knocked down at least 3 triples in 7 games, including a season-high 8 vs. Texas A&M (1/30/21). His 38 makes already tie for the sixth-most by a freshman in school history, while his 41.8 3-point field goal percentage is on pace to be the best-ever by a freshman.
  6. Pack ranks third in the Big 12 with a 1.93 assist/turnover ratio, while he is also in the Top 15 in minutes (10th/32.5) and assists (11th/3.63). His per game minute average is second among freshmen to Cade Cunningham (33.3). He has at least 5 assists in 8 games, including a season-high 7.
  7. Pack became the first Wildcat true freshmen to start the first 12 games of the season since Kamau Stokes started the first 17 games in 2015-16


McGUIRL DOING WHATEVER IT TAKES

  1. Mike McGuirl is making the most of his senior season, as he is among the team leaders in nearly every category, including first in total points (232), double-digit scoring games (14), field goals made (78) and attempted (216), 3-point field goals made (43) and attempted (128), assists (72) and minutes (33.9). He is second in scoring (11.6 ppg.) and steals (20).
  2. McGuirl ranks in the Top 15 in several categories in the Big 12, including 12th in assists (3.60 apg.), 10th in assist-turnover ratio (1.50), eighth in 3-point field goals made (2.15) and sixth in minutes (33.9 mpg.).
  3. McGuirl has led the team in scoring a team-best 8 times, while he has led  in rebounding twice, in assists 10 times and in steals on 6 occasions.
  4. McGuirl's 14 double-digit scoring games have already surpassed his entire career total (10) that he had entering the 2020-21 season. He opened the year with his first career 20-point game vs. Drake on Nov. 25 with 22 points on 8-of-15 shooting, including 3-of-8 from 3-point range. He equaled that mark with 22 vs. Fort Hays State (12/8/20). He has scored in double figures in 10 of the last 12 games, where he is averaging 11.1 points per game.
  5. In addition to his scoring, McGuirl has also set up his teammates, dishing out a team-best 72 assists (to 48 turnovers). He has 8 games at least 5 assists this season, including a career-best 8 vs. Milwaukee (12/11/20).


MR. DO-EVERYTHING

  1. Sophomore DaJuan Gordon has proved to be K-State's Mr. Do Everything, as he is third on the team in scoring at 9.3 points per game, while leading the way in both rebounding (5.8 rpg.) and steals (1.2 spg.). He is also second in free throws made (34), attempted (46) and percentage (73.9).
  2. Gordon is 1 of 3 guards (OSU's Isaac Likekele and OU's Austin Reaves) to rank in the Big 12's Top 15 in rebounding, as he is 11th with 5.8 rebounds per game, while he is 12th in the league in defensive rebounds (4.3).
  3. Gordon's 3 double-doubles tie 2 others (TCU's Kevin Samuel and Kansas' Jalen Wilson) for the fourth-most among Big 12 players and are surpassed  only by WVU's Derek Culver (9), Texas' Greg Brown (4) and Kansas' David McCormack (4). Gordon's 3 career double-doubles have all come in the last 13 games, including 2 in Big 12 play. He posted his first career double-double at Iowa State (12/15/20), scoring 15 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. He followed that with a 13-point, 12-rebound effort vs. Jacksonville (12/21/20) before his latest double-double vs. Oklahoma State (1/9/21) with 14 points and 11 rebounds in a career-best 39 minutes. He has grabbed double-digit rebounds in 4 games, including in back-to-back contests vs. Jacksonville (12/21/20) and Omaha (12/29/20). He is the first Wildcat to post double-digit rebounds in back-to-back games since Wesley Iwundu in March 2017.
  4. Gordon has scored in double figures in 9 games this season, including a career-best 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting vs. TCU (1/2/21). Six of those 9 double-digit scoring games have come in the last 13 games.
  5. Gordon is also the leader on the Wayne McClain Play Hard Chart with 119 points, which includes leading the team in deflections/blocks (34), steals (23), loose balls (23), offensive rebounds (28) and charges (4).


MIGUEL HITS THE GAME-WINNER

  1. Freshman Selton Miguel connected on a 3-pointer with 9.7 seconds left to lift K-State to a 60-58 win over Omaha on Dec. 29.  It was the rookie's first game-winner, as he capped his 11-point effort with his third trey of the game.
  2. Miguel, a starter in 13 of the last 15 games, is having a solid freshman campaign, averaging 8.0 points on 35.4 percent shooting, including 8.6 points on 35.6 percent shooting in Big 12 play. He is fourth on the team in scoring and steals (14), while his third in 3-pointers (17).
  3. Miguel's 7 double-digit scoring games have come in the last 16 outings, including a team-tying 17 points at No. 18/19 Texas Tech (1/5/21). He also scored a season-tying 17 points vs. Milwaukee (12/11/20) on 7-of-14 field goals, while he had 14 vs. No. 2/2 Baylor (12/19/20).


IMPRESSIVE YOUNG BIG MAN

  1. With sophomore Kaosi Ezeagu out for an extended time, freshman Davion Bradford has had an opportunity to display his skills, earning starts in each of the last 15 games. He is averaging 6.9 points on a team-best 60.0 percent shooting (54-of-90) with 4.1 rebounds in 19.5 minutes per game.
  2. Bradford has scored in double figures in 5 games thus far, including scoring a season-high 18 points vs. Milwaukee (12/11/20). He also played a major role in the win at Iowa State (12/15/20) with 14 points on 5-of-7 field goals and a 4-of-4 effort from the line. He has posted double digits in 3 of the last 10 games, including team-high 14 points at No. 4/4 Texas (1/16/21).
  3. u  Bradford has already shown the ability to finish at the rim, totaling a team-high 25 dunks through 20 games, which in comparison surpasses Makol Mawien's entire total of 17 in 32 games played in 2019-20 season.


AGORDON STRONG OFF BENCH

  1. Although he has started 6 games, sophomore Antonio Gordon has shown the ability to provide some scoring off the bench, as he is averaging 5.2 points on 42.5 percent shooting with 4.9 rebounds in 22.3 minutes per game. He came up with a big game off the bench against No. 2/2 Baylor (12/19/20), collecting a career-high 23 points on 9-of-9 field goals.
  2. Gordon's 23 points tied for the eighth-most by reserve in a conference game in school history and were the most since Marcus Foster had 23 against TCU on Jan. 7, 2015. He also became the eighth Wildcats to go 9-of-9 or better from the field and the first since Dean Wade also went 9-of-9 at Oklahoma State on Feb. 2, 2019 and the first at home since 2002.


IRON 'CATS

  1. Due to low numbers caused by injuries and COVID-19 protocols, K-State had just 8 available players - including 6 on scholarship - for its outing against Oklahoma State at home on Saturday, Jan. 9. To make the situation worse, sophomore Carlton Linguard, Jr., was on a minutes' limit due to a back injury (playing just over 14 minutes), while freshman Davion Bradford ended up playing just over 12 minutes due to foul issues.
  2. This caused the remaining 6 to play the bulk of the minutes, including walk-on Joe Petrakis logging a career-high 15 minutes of action.  Senior Mike McGuirl and junior Rudi Williams each played all 40 minutes, setting career-highs, while two others - sophomore DaJuan Gordon and freshmen Selton Miguel - each registered 39 minutes, also career-highs. All told, those 4 players were responsible for 158 of K-State's 200 total minutes.
  3. McGuirl and Williams are the first Wildcats to play all 40 minutes of a regulation game since Barry Brown, Jr., played all 40 against Baylor on March 2, 2019. It marked the first time two teammates played all 40 minutes in a regulation game in more than 30 years since Steve Henson and LaKeith Humphrey accomplished the feat against Oklahoma State in a 69-62 win at home on Feb. 5, 1989.


PETRAKIS EARNS SCHOLARSHIP

  1. Sophomore walk-on Joe Petrakis earned a scholarship for the rest of the 2020-21 season prior to the game with No. 14/15 West Virginia on Jan. 23.
  2. After redshirting in 2019-20, Petrakis took advantage of his opportunity with the loss numbers against Oklahoma State on Jan. 9, outscoring freshman All-American candidate Cade Cunningham (6 points to 5 points), while logging a career-high 15 minutes of action.
  3. Petrakis, who redshirt his first season in 2019-20 after playing one season at Dodge City College, scored his first career points with 6:13 left in the first half and finished with a career-high 6 points on 2-of-5 field goals, including his first 3-pointer, to go with 2 rebounds.


MURPHY EXPECTED TO MISS SEASON

  1. Sophomore Montavious Murphy has elected to have what is expected to be season-ending surgery to fix his ailing knee, which has caused him to miss 16 games this season. Murphy, who was the opening day starter vs. Drake (11/25/20), saw action in 4 games, including the first 3.
  2. Murphy, who became just the fourth true freshman to start an opener under Bruce Weber in 2019-20, has now missed 29 games in his career due to injury, including the last 6 games of his freshman season.
  3. Murphy had a solid freshman season in 2019-20, averaging 5.2 points on 40.7 percent shooting with 3.7 rebounds in 25.1 minutes per game.


UP NEXT: AT 23/22 OKLAHOMA STATE (12-5, 5-5 Big 12)

  1. K-State hits the road for another ranked matchups on Saturday morning, as the Wildcats travel to Stillwater, Okla., to take on No. 23/22 Oklahoma State (12-5, 5-5 Big 12) at 11 a.m., CT on ESPNU. It will be the second meeting between the schools after the Cowboys posted a 70-54 win over the Wildcats in Manhattan on Jan. 9. OSU will attempt to sweep the season series for the second year in a row and earn its second straight win at home in the series.
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