KANSAS STATE (15-4, 5-2 Big 12) at TEXAS A&M (7-10, 1-5 SEC)

6^th Annual SEC/Big 12 Challenge: Saturday,  1:05 p.m. CT in Reed Arena (12,989), College Station, Texas.

Bragging rights will be up for grabs when the 10 Big 12 teams play 10 from the SEC in the 6th annual SEC/Big 12 Challenge on Saturday. The Big 12 holds a 29-21 advantage in the series, including wins in 2013, 2014, 2016. The SEC won the Challenge, 6-4, in 2018.

 

Overall: K-State leads 3-2 (0-2 on the road)

 

TELEVISION

ESPN

• Jon Sciambi (play-by-play)
• Fran Fraschilla (analyst)
• Scott Gustafson (producer)

 

RADIO

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

Satellite Radio: Sirius 135 / XM 199 / Internet 953

 

LIVE STATS

www.12thman.com

 

TICKETS

www.12thman.com/tickets

(888) 99.AGGIE [992.4443]

 

Single Game: $10-$22 (bench/chairback)

 

COACHES

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

Overall: 453-239/21^st season

At K-State: 140-84/7^th season

1. Texas A&M: 1-1 (0-1 on the road)

 

Texas A&M: Billy Kennedy (SE Louisiana ’86)

Overall: 355-287/21^st season

At Texas A&M: 144-108/8^th season

1. Kansas State: 1-3 (1-1 at home)

 

PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP

Kansas State (15-4, 5-2 Big 12)

G: #3 Kamau Stokes

G: #5 Barry Brown, Jr.

G/F: #20 Xavier Sneed

F: #32 Dean Wade

F: #14 Makol Mawien

               

Texas A&M (7-10, 1-5 SEC)

G: #0 Jay Jay Chandler

G: #2 T.J. Starks

G: #11 Wendell Mitchell

F: #1 Savion Flagg

F: #21 Christian Mekowulu

 

SERIES HISTORY

Overall: K-State leads 18-8

Current Streak: Texas A&M, 1

In College Station: Texas A&M leads 7-3

At Reed Arena: Texas A&M leads 6-3

Last Meeting: L, 68-78, 12/12/15

Weber vs. Kennedy: 1-1 (0-1 on the road)

 

OPENING TIP

• Kansas State (15-4, 5-2 Big 12) steps out of Big 12 play on Saturday, as the Wildcats travel to College Station, Texas to take on former conference foe Texas A&M (7-10, 1-5 SEC) in the sixth annual SEC/Big 12 Challenge. The game will tip at 1:05 p.m., CT on ESPN with Jon Sciambi (play-by-play) and Fran Fraschilla (analyst) on the call.
• K-State is 3-2 all-time, in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge, which started during the 2013-14 season, including 0-2 in road matchups (losses to Tennessee in both 2014 (65-64) and 2017 (70-58). The Wildcats defeated Ole Miss at home in 2013 (61-58) and 2016 (69-64) before beating Georgia, 56-51, last season. The Big 12 holds a 29-21 record in the Challenge series, including wins in 2013, 2014 and 2016. However, the SEC won the Challenge in 2018, 6-4, after the two conferences tied 5-5 in 2017. 
• Although familiar opponents as Big 12 rivals from 1997-2012, this will be the first meeting between K-State and Texas A&M in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge Series.  The Wildcats own an 18-8 lead in a series that dates to 1960, however, the Aggies hold a 7-3 edge in games played in College Station, including a 78-68 win in the last meeting between the schools on Dec. 12, 2015. Seniors Barry Brown, Jr., Kamau Stokes and Dean Wade all played in the last meeting with Stokes and Wade each starting the contest and Stokes posting 9 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists.
• Texas A&M enters Saturday’s game with losses in 6 of its last 7 outings, including 3 in a row since winning 81-80 at Alabama on Jan. 12. The Aggies are averaging 72.8 points on 43.8 percent shooting, while 3 players (T.J. Starks (12.9 ppg.), Savion Flagg (12.6 ppg.) and Wendell Mitchell (11.1 ppg.) averaging in double figures. The team is coming off an 81-72 loss at Florida on Tuesday night.
• K-State has posted a 10-2 record so far in non-conference play, extending its streak of winning 10 or more non-conference games in each of the last 4 seasons. Since going 7-6 in non-conference play in 2014-15, the Wildcats have collected a 40-8 (.833) record, which includes a 29-game winning streak at Bramlage Coliseum.
• K-State extended its Big 12 winning streak to 5 games by holding No. 14/13 Texas Tech to its lowest point total in more than four seasons, as the Wildcats won a battle of two of the best defensive teams in the country, 58-45, at home on Tuesday night.  The 45 points were the fewest surrendered to a conference opponent under head coach Bruce Weber and the fewest since the Wildcats held No. 23 Texas Tech (under Beard mentor Bobby Knight) to 44 points on Jan. 11, 2003. The team has now held 12 of their 19 opponents to 60 points or less, while 3 of the last 4 opponents (Iowa State, TCU and Texas Tech) have been held to its season-low in points.
• K-State’s 5-game winning streak is the second of the season since winning its first 6 games of the season, while it is the first 5-game winning streak in Big 12 play in nearly 6 years since rattling off 6 in a row from Feb. 18 to March 5, 2013 and the second such streak under head coach Bruce Weber.

 

NOTES ON TEXAS A&M

• Texas A&M (7-10, 1-5 SEC) has dropped 6 of its last 7 games, including 3 in a row, since winning 5 consecutive from Nov. 23 to Dec. 22. The Aggies have lost 3 straight games (Auburn, Missouri and Florida) since an 81-80 win at Alabama on Jan. 12. The squad is coming off an 81-72 setback at Florida on Tuesday, in which, they led by as many as 13 points in the first half.
• Texas A&M is averaging 72.8 points on 43.8 percent shooting, including 28.7 percent from 3-point range, to go with 38.9 rebounds, 12.7 assists, 6.5 steals and 5.3 blocks per game, while allowing 73.6 points on 41.6 percent shooting, including 34.6 percent from 3-point range. The team is connecting on 68.6 percent from the free throw line.
• Sophomores T.J. Starks and Savion Flagg pace a young Aggie squad that has a combined 10 freshmen and sophomores and just two seniors and a graduate transfer. Starks (12.9 ppg.) and Flagg (12.6 ppg.) both average better than 12 points, while junior Wendell Mitchell also averages in double figures at 11.1 points per game. Three others (Jay Jay Chandler, Christian Mekowulu and Josh Nebo) all average better than 8 points per game. Flagg averages a team-high 7.8 rebounds per game, while Starks dishes a team-high 3.5 assists. Mitchell is one of 3 players with 20 or more 3-pointers. 
• Texas A&M is led by head coach Billy Kennedy, who has posted a 144-108 (.571) record in his eighth season, which includes two trips to the Sweet 16 (2016, 2018). He has a 355-287 (.553) overall record in his 21st season as a head coach, which includes stints at Centenary (1997-98), SE Louisiana (1999-2005), Murray State (2006-11) and now, Texas A&M (2011-present).

 

SERIES HISTORY

• K-State and Texas A&M will meet for the 27th time in their histories with the Wildcats holding an 18-8 advantage in a series that dates to 1960. The Aggies are 7-3 all-time in games played at home, including a 78-68 win in the teams’ most recent meeting on Dec. 12, 2015.
• K-State has won 5 of the last 7 meetings, including a split of the last 4 games played in College Station. The Wildcats swept the last regular-season series in Big 12 play in 2012, which includes the last victory at Reed Arena – a 76-70 win on Feb. 28, 2012. Most recently, the schools split a home-and-home series with K-State winning 71-64 at the Sprint Center in Kansas City on Dec. 20, 2014 before Texas A&M won 78-68 at home on Dec. 12, 2015. 
• In that most recent meeting in 2015, Houston native and current Orlando Magic Wesley Iwundu scored a game-high 23 points, but it wasn’t enough to overcome an impressive shooting night by Texas A&M, which connected on 54 percent (27-of-50) from the field, including 50 or better in each half. All three current seniors (Brown, Stokes and Wade) played in the game with Stokes and Wade earning starts.
• Head coach Bruce Weber is 1-1 all-time against Texas A&M, including a 0-1 mark on the road, while Weber is 1-1 against head coach Billy Kennedy.     

 

SEC/BIG 12 CHALLENGE

• K-State is 3-2 all-time in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge, including 0-2 in games played on the road. The Wildcats have twice defeated Ole Miss (2013 and 2016) at home and twice lost at Tennessee (2014 and 2017), while last season they defeated Georgia, 56-51. This will be the first meeting with Texas A&M. 
• K-State has won 5 consecutive games against SEC competition dating back to 2017-18, including wins against Missouri (82-67 in the championship game of the Paradise Jam on Nov. 19) and Vanderbilt (69-58) this season.
• The Big 12 leads the all-time Challenge series, 29-21, winning the event in 2013, 2014 and 2016, however, the SEC won the event, 6-4, in 2018 after  the two leagues tied 5-5 in 2017. This season, the Big 12 has a 7-2 edge in head-to-head matchups with the SEC in 2018-19.

 

LAST TIME OUT: K-STATE 58, 14/13 TEXAS TECH 45

• Kansas State extended its winning streak to 5 games, as the Wildcats held No. 14/13 Texas Tech to a season-low 45 points on 32.7 percent shooting in earning a 58-45 victory on a snowy Tuesday evening at Bramlage Coliseum.
• The 5-game winning streak in Big 12 play is the longest such streak for the Wildcats since rattling off 6 in a row from Feb. 18 to March 5, 2013 and the second such streak under head coach Bruce Weber. It is the second 5-game winning streak this season. The team has now won 3 straight against ranked squads since losing at No. 11/11 Texas Tech on Jan. 5 and has now posted at least 3 wins over Top 25 opponents in each of the last 3 seasons.
• In a battle of two of the best defensive teams in the country, the Wildcats lived up to their billing, holding the Red Raiders to their lowest point total (45) under head coach Chris Beard and the lowest since scoring 44 at Loyola Chicago on Dec. 22, 2014. The team was held to a season-low 32.7 field goal percentage (16-of-49), including 21.7 percent (5-of-23) from 3-point range.
• The 45 points were the fewest surrendered a conference opponent under Weber and the fewest since holding No. 23 Texas Tech to 44 points on Jan. 11, 2003. The Wildcats have held 81 opponents to 60 points or less in the Weber era, including 12 of 19 opponents. Three of the last 4 foes (Iowa State, TCU and Texas Tech) have been held to its season-low for points. 
• On the offensive end, K-State connected on a Texas Tech opponent-high 46.3 percent (19-of-41) from the field, including 54.5 percent (12-of-22) in the first half, as the Wildcats used a 10-2 run near the end of the first half to break open a tight game, in which, they led for 33 minutes.
• Seniors Barry Brown, Jr., and Dean Wade both scored in double figures, as Brown, who scored in double figures for the sixth consecutive game, led the way with 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting, while Wade added 13 points on 3-of-6 field goals and 7-of-8 free throws. Brown also added a game-high 7 rebounds to go with 3 steals. Sophomore Mike McGuirl posted his second-highest point total of the season with 9 points off the bench.
• The win snapped a 3-game skid for the Wildcats against the Red Raiders and extended K-State’s series lead to 24-16.

 

‘CATS HAVE BEEN STELLAR ON DEFENSE UNDER WEBER

• K-State has put up some impressive defensive numbers under head coach Bruce Weber, leading the Big 12 in scoring defense twice in the last 6 years (60.4 ppg., in 2012-13 and 65.4 ppg., in 2013-14). 
• K-State is holding opponents to 58.5 points on 40.2 percent shooting, including 30.1 percent from 3-point range, while forcing 15.2 turnovers per game. The Wildcats rank 4th in scoring defense, 31st in 3-point field goal percentage defense, 38th in turnover margin (+3.2) and 40th in field goal percentage defense. The team leads the Big 12 in rebounding defense (31.4), while is second in scoring defense and turnovers forced (15.2) and third in 3-point field goal percentage defense and steals (7.4) in the Big 12.
• K-State has held 12 of 19 opponents to 60 points or less this season with one eclipsing 70. The squad has now held 81 opponents to 60 points or less in Weber’s tenure, boasting a 73-8 mark in those contests.
• K-State has held its opponents to an average of 12.7 points per game under their scoring average, including 16.4 points in Big 12 play. Eight foes have been held to 20 or more points under their average, including Penn (35.3), Tulsa (28.8), Texas Tech (26.6), Southern Miss (26.2), Vanderbilt (25.6), TCU (25.4), Iowa State (24.3) and Eastern Kentucky (20.3).
• In Big 12 play, K-State is allowing a league-best 59.6 points per game on 43 percent shooting, including 34.8 percent from 3-point range, while forcing opponents into a Big 12-high 15.0 turnovers per game and scoring an average of 16.9 points off those turnovers. The Wildcats have held three league foes (Iowa State, TCU and Texas Tech) to less 60 points.

 

POINTS OFF TURNOVERS

• More than a quarter of K-State’s total points (320/1239) this season have come off opponent turnovers, as the Wildcats are averaging 16.8 points off 15.2 opponent mistakes per game. The team ranks 38th nationally in turnover margin (+3.2), 72nd in turnovers forced (15.2) and 92nd in steals (7.4).
• The Wildcats scored 20 or more points off turnovers in 7 games, including a season-high 25 in the come-from-behind 71-69 victory over West Virginia (1/9/19). They have also put up 20 points or more off opponent turnovers against Kennesaw State (20), Denver (23), Eastern Kentucky (24), Penn (22), Marquette (22) and TCU (21).
• K-State has scored more than 3,000 points (3,424) off turnovers during Weber’s tenure, an average of 15.3 points per game. In 2017-18, the Wildcats averaged 17.3 points off turnovers, outscoring opponents, 639-423.
• A year ago, K-State ranked eighth nationally in total steals (294) and 18th in steals per game (7.9), while the school was one of just 5 nationally (Georgia State, Nicholls State, Purdue and Stephen F. Austin) with three players (Barry Brown, Jr., Dean Wade and Xavier Sneed) with 40 or more steals.
• Led by all-time steals leader Barry Brown, Jr., who recently broke the record with 211st steal against Vanderbilt (12/22/18), the Wildcats have 3 other players with 100 or more steals, including Kamau Stokes (117), Xavier Sneed (115) and Dean Wade (109). Stokes now ranks ninth in career steals, while Sneed and Wade could also join the career Top 10.

 

IMPROVED REBOUNDING

• One of the big emphasis in the off-season was rebounding, as the Wildcats finished 10th in the Big 12 in every rebounding categories, including overall rebounding (30.7), offensive rebounds (8.2), defensive rebounds (22.5) and rebounding margin (-3.4). The 30.7 rebounding average was the lowest by a K-State team since averaging just 30.0 per game in 1984-85.
• K-State is averaging 34.9 rebounds per game, which ranks ninth in the Big 12, to go with averages of 9.6 offensive (eighth) and 25.3 defensive (ninth) rebounds per game. On the positive side, the Wildcats are allowing opponents a Big 12-low 31.4 rebounds per game and hold a Big 12-best 78.0 defensive rebounding percentage.
• K-State has out-rebounded 13 of 19 opponents, including 4 in 7 Big 12 games. In comparison, the Wildcats out-rebounded just 10 opponents in 2017-18 in 37 games, including 4 Big 12 foes.
• K-State added one of the top rebounders in the community college ranks in junior Austin Trice, as he is averaging 3.1 rebounds per game in just 8.6 minutes game. Trice ranked among the Top 10 in 4 rebounding categories in the community college ranks in 2017-18, including 4th in average (12.1 rpg.).
• In addition to Trice, the entire team has collectively elevated their efforts in rebounding this season, including Dean Wade (6.2 to 6.6 rpg.), Xavier Sneed (5.1 to 5.6 rpg.), Makol Mawien (3.4 to 4.5 rpg.), Barry Brown, Jr., (3.1 to 4.2 rpg.) and Cartier Diarra (2.5 to 3.3 rpg.).

 

NON-CONFERENCE SUCCESS

• K-State has a 105-6 (.946) 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 96-5 (.950) mark at Bramlage Coliseum.
• The Wildcats have won 92 of their last 96 non-conference home games, including a 29-game winning streak at Bramlage Coliseum. The last home non-conference loss came against Georgia, 50-46, on Dec. 31, 2014.
• K-State has posted a 140-35 (.800) record in non-conference play since the 2006-07 season, which includes a 10-2 (.818) mark in 2018-19. The team has registered double-digit non-conference wins in 12 of the last 13 years, averaging 10.8 non-conference wins in that span, and went a program-best 13-1 in non-conference play during the 2009-10 season.
• 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 three seasons and is 40-8 (.833) in non-conference play since 2015-16.
• After losses to Marquette and Tulsa in December, the team is looking for its first non-conference road win since a 68-65 win at Washington State on Dec. 20, 2017.

 

HISTORIC COMEBACK

• K-State overcame its largest deficit ever when senior Barry Brown, Jr., laid in the go-ahead bucket with 29 seconds left to cap a 50-point second half by the Wildcats in a 71-69 defeat of West Virginia (1/9/19).
• K-State trailed by as many as 21 points a little more than a minute into the second half before a 17-0 run cut the deficit to 42-38 with 13:07 left. A 4-point play by junior Xavier Sneed gave the Wildcats their first lead with 2:30 remaining before the Mountaineers regained the advantage, 69-68, on a Lamont West free throw a minute later. In the final 60 seconds, Brown put the Wildcats ahead 70-69 with a layup with 29 seconds remaining. 
• West Virginia missed a shot in the paint with 5 seconds and Sneed came down with the rebound and was sent to the line, where he hit one free throw. The Mountaineers were unable to get a final shot up at the buzzer.
• Brown led K-State behind a season-high 29 points on 9-of-14 field goals and a 10-of-12 effort from the line to go with a career-tying 6 steals. It was his highest point total since scoring 34 points at Baylor on Jan. 22, 2018. In the process, he became the ninth Wildcat to eclipse 1,500 career points.
• Brown was joined in double figures by a career night from sophomore Mike McGuirl, who scored a career-high 18 points on 7-of-12 field goals, including 4-of-6 from 3-point range, while senior Kamau Stokes and Xavier Sneed added 12 and 10 points, respectively. It was McGuirl’s second career double-digit scoring game and his first since the 2018 NCAA Tournament.
• K-State scored its 50 points after halftime on 62.1 percent (18-of-29) shooting, including 63.6 percent (7-of-11) from 3-point range, compared to just 21 in the first half on 29.2 percent (7-of-24) shooting, including 16.7 percent (2-of-12) from long range. In addition, the Wildcats scored 25 points off 17 Mountaineers turnovers, while only turning the ball over 6 times.
• It marked the second time this season that K-State had rallied from a double-digit deficit at home, as the Wildcats came from 16 points down to defeat Southern Miss, 55-51, on Dec. 19 at home. Senior Kamau Stokes scored 16 of his season-high 18 points in the second half.
• K-State went on a 24-2 run over 8:08 in the second half to take over the game, as the Wildcats held the Golden Eagles scoreless for 5:24 during the span. The run came after scoring a season-low 19 points in the first half, the fewest points in any half since scoring 15 vs. TCU on Feb. 15, 2015.

 

‘CATS HAVE FIRST 5-GAME WIN STREAK IN BIG 12 PLAY SINCE 2013

• Since starting Big 12 play 0-2 for the first time since 2011, K-State has rattled off 5 consecutive victories, which started with the come-from-behind win over West Virginia (71-69) and includes back-to-back Top 25 road wins over No. 20/21 Iowa State (58-57) and No. 20/19 Oklahoma (74-61) and  home wins over TCU (65-55) and No. 14/13 Texas Tech (58-45). It is just the Wildcats’ seventh winning streak of 5 or more games in Big 12 play and the first since winning 6 in a row from Feb. 18 to March 5, 2013.
• During the winning streak, K-State is averaging 65.2 points on 45 percent (115-of-256) shooting, including 34.3 percent (34-of-99) from 3-point range,  to go with 72.1 percent (62-of-86) from the free throw line, while averaging 12.6 assists and just 10.4 turnovers per game. In losing the first 2 Big 12 games, the team averaged just 52 points on 33 percent (36-of-109), including 24.4 percent (10-of-41) from 3-point range, with 12.5 turnovers per game. 
• On the defensive end, the Wildcats are allowing just 57.4 points in the win streak on 41.8 percent (102-of-244) shooting, including 31.2 percent (34-of-109) from 3-point range, while averaging 16.2 points off 15 opponent turnovers. In those first 2 Big 12 games, the team allowed 65 points on 46.5 percent (40-of-86), including 43.5 percent (20-of-46) from 3-point range.
• During the win streak, senior Barry Brown, Jr., has averaged a team-best 20.4 points on 52.6 percent (40-of-76) shooting, which includes 3 straight 20-point performances, while fellow senior Dean Wade, who has played in 4 of the 5 games, is averaging 12.8 points on 47.1 percent (16-of-34) shooting. Four others (Xavier Sneed, Kamau Stokes, Makol Mawien and Mike McGuirl) are averaging between 6.0 and 9.2 points per game. Brown averaged just 12.0 points in the first 2 Big 12 games.

 

BETTER WITH DEAN WADE

• It’s stating the obvious that K-State is a better team when the Wildcats have their Preseason Big 12 Player of the Year Dean Wade on the floor. The team is 11-2 this season with Wade, who missed 6 games from Dec. 19 to Jan. 9 with a foot injury, in the lineup and just 4-2 with him out of it. 
• K-State is averaging 67.8 points on 43.8 percent shooting, including 31.5 percent from 3-point range, in the 13 games with Wade in the lineup, while the team is averaging just 59.7 points on 40.2 percent shooting, including 31.1 percent from 3-point range, in the 6 games without him.
• Three Wildcats (Barry Brown, Jr., Dean Wade and Xavier Sneed) are averaging in double figures in the 13 games with Wade in the lineup, while three other players (Kamau Stokes, Makol Mawien and Cartier Diarra) are averaging betwen 5.2 and 9.0 points per game. In comparison, only two Wildcats (Brown/15.3 ppg., and Stokes/13.8 ppg.) are averaging in double figures in the 6 games without Wade.

 

GAME OF RUNS

• K-State’s use of runs have been particularly effective this season, as the Wildcats have totaled 42 runs of at least 7 or more points, including 23 runs of 10 or more points. The team posted five such runs in the win over Georgia State (12/15/18), including runs of 8-0, 16-4, 13-2, 12-0 and 9-1, while they produced the biggest run (24-2) in the comeback win over Southern Miss (12/19/18), which was the largest comeback before the West Virginia game. The team had a 17-0 run to close the gap against the Mountaineers.
• The Paradise Jam was a tournament of runs for K-State, as the Wildcats put together decisive runs en route to double-digit victories against Eastern Kentucky (11/16/18), Penn (11/18/18) and Missouri (11/19/18) in the title game. The team had runs of 12-2 and 20-6 against EKU to take control, while the Wildcats erupted for a 17-2 run right before halftime against Penn. Against Missouri, the squad scored 20 of the next 22 points after a 27-all tie.
• In addition, K-State used a 21-7 to jump out ahead of Vanderbilt (12/22/18) en route to building a 22-point lead in the second half, while the Wildcats had 17-0 and 20-8 runs in the comeback against West Virginia (1/9/19) and ended the Iowa State (1/12/19) game on a 10-2 run.     

 

OFFENSIVE BALANCE KEY TO SUCCESS

• Much like 2017-18, balance has been key to K-State’s offensive success this season, as four players (Barry Brown, Jr., Dean Wade, Xavier Sneed and Kamau Stokes) are averaging in double figures.
• Five different players (Wade, Brown, Sneed, Stokes and Makol Mawien) have led the Wildcats in scoring, while 7 players have at least one double-digit scoring game, including 15 by Brown, 11 by Stokes and Wade, 10 by Sneed, 6 by Mawien, 3 by Cartier Diarra and 1 by Mike McGuirl.
• Since Weber took over in 2012-13, K-State has posted a 58-19 (.750) record when four or more players score in double figures, including a 6-1 mark in 2018-19. The Wildcats are 12-4 when Mawien scores in double digits, while the team is 10-3 (8-2 in 2017-18) when Diarra reaches double-digits.

 

BROWN, WADE BACK-TO-BACK BIG 12 PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

• Seniors Barry Brown, Jr., and Dean Wade became the first Wildcats since 2013 to capture Phillips 66 Big 12 Player of the Week honors in back-to-back weeks, as the duo has helped the squad to 4 consecutive victories.
• Brown earned his first-ever Big 12 Player of the Week honor on Jan. 14, as he averaged 26 points on 52.9 percent shooting (18-of-34), including a pair of game-winners, in K-State’s victories over West Virginia and No. 20/21 Iowa State, while Wade averaged 18 points and 3.5 assists in the wins over No. 20/19 Oklahoma and TCU this past week.
• Brown helped K-State engineer a school-record 21-point comeback in the victory over the Mountaineers. He scored a season-high 29 points on 9-of-14 field goals and 10-of-12 free throws to go with a career-tying 6 steals, 1 assist, 1 block and 1 rebound in 38 minutes. He scored a game-high 23 points in the win over the Cyclones, including game-winner with 4 seconds left.
• Just 2 games removed from missing 6 games due to injury, Wade earned just his second 20-point game of the season with 20 points on 8-of-14 field goals in the Wildcats’ first win at Oklahoma since 2015, while he added 16 points and a game-high 6 assists in the victory over TCU.

 

MORE ON BROWN

• Senior Barry Brown, Jr., registered a significant milestone in the win over Vanderbilt (12/22/18), becoming the school’s all-time steals leader with 3 against the Commodores to eclipse Jacob Pullen (210, 2007-11). Brown now has 225 career steals in 124 games played. 
• Brown places among several career offensive records, including 5th in field goals attempted (1,352), 7th in scoring (1,576), field goals made (562), 3-point field goals attempted (475), double-digit scoring games (78) and 9th in 3-point field goals made (153) and assists (302).
• Brown also ranks among the leaders in games played, as his streak of 124 consecutive games ranks second (just 3 shy of Steve Henson’s school record) and his 102 straight starts tie for second (with Rolando Blackman) in school history. He is also third in minutes played (3,933), needing 542 to pass Steve Henson (4,474; 1987-90). He has a chance to top the school record of 135 games played, which is held by Jacob Pullen and Rodney McGruder.

 

STOKES ECLIPSES 1,000 CAREER POINTS

• With 20 points against George Mason (12/29/18), senior Kamau Stokes became the 30th player to post 1,000 points and joined fellow seniors Barry Brown, Jr., and Dean Wade in achieving the milestone. The trio became the first class in school history to each top 1,000 career points in a career. 
• Brown (1,576 points) and Wade (1,360 points) each eclipsed the mark as juniors and currently rank 7th and 11th, respectively, on the all-time scoring list, while Stokes ranks 23rd with 1,065 points.
• Stokes already ranks in the career Top 10 for both 3-point field goals made (173/7th) and attempted (502/5th), while he ranks fifth with 366 assists and has a chance to become the third Wildcat (Steve Henson and Jacob Pullen) with 400 assists.

 

DON’T FORGET SNEED

• With all the attention paid to the three seniors, the accomplishments of junior Xavier Sneed can’t be overlooked. He enjoyed a career best year in 2017-18, averaging 11.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 31.4 minutes.
• Since missing the opener with Kennesaw State (11/9), Sneed has scored in double figures in 10 games, including a season-high 18 points in the win over TCU (1/19/19) on 6-of-9 field goals.
• Sneed collected his second career double-double and first of the season at Tulsa (12/8/18), posting a team-best 13 points to go with 10 rebounds.

 

WELCOME GOODNEWS

• K-State got some unexpected “good news” on New Year’s Eve when recent signee Goodnews Kpegeol joined the team and filled the 13th and final scholarship for the reminder of the 2018-19 season.
• An NCAA qualifier prior to enrolling at TaylorMade Academy in Pensacola, Florida for the 2018-19, Kpegeol is immediately eligible after enrolling for the spring semester and has been cleared to play by the NCAA. He is expected to redshirt the reminder of the season.
• A 6-foot-6, 180-pound guard from St. Paul, Minnesota, Kpegeol spent the first half of the 2018-19 season as a postgraduate at TaylorMade after finishing his four-year prep career at North High School. He led the Polars to the Class 4A State Tournament for the first time in 17 years as a sophomore in 2015-16 before the school to a 22-5 record with a 15-1 mark in conference play as a senior in 2017-18. He averaged a team-best 18.2 points in 19 games played as a senior, which included nine 20-point games.

 

NEXT UP: AT OKLAHOMA STATE (8-11, 2-5 Big 12)

• K-State earned its only bye of the conference season next week, as the Wildcats return to Big 12 play on Saturday, Feb. 2 with a visit to Stillwater, Okla., to take on Oklahoma State (8-11, 2-5 Big 12) at 5 p.m., CT.