KANSAS CITY - No. 1 seed Kansas State (24-7, 14-4 Big 12 Conference) will look to build off its regular-season co-championship with Texas Tech at this week's Big 12 Championship held inside Sprint Center in Kansas City.
The journey must start with just one step, however, and that would be today's quarterfinal match-up with No. 8 seed TCU, who earned the right to move into Thursday with a win over Oklahoma State Wednesday night.
We get you ready for all of today's action in the KSO GameCenter.
THREE KEYS (and a pick)
1. Find your five
I'd be floored if Dean Wade took the floor this week in Kansas City, and the Wildcats have got to use this opportunity to re-establish a rotation. And, it's one that will likely look much like the one K-State rode to the Elite Eight a year ago. Don't be stunned if Cartier Diarra goes right back into the starting lineup in his first game back from a hand injury with Xavier Sneed sliding down to the power forward spot. Behind that look for Mike McGuirl to be the sixth man with Austin Trice (big) and Shaun Neal-Williams (guard/wing) the other two main rotational pieces off the bench.
2. Don't dig a hole
Even without Dean Wade K-State is a better team than TCU. The Wildcats (with Wade, to be fair) swept the Horned Frogs this year, and neither game was in question in the final minutes. Not even two weeks ago K-State held a 21-point lead in the second half in Fort Worth before winning relatively comfortably. TCU started red hot against Oklahoma State Wednesday night, building a lead with enough cushion room to hang on for victory. As long as K-State keeps it close early the Wildcats should be able to take advantage of being the fresher team down the stretch on Thursday afternoon.
3. What can Brown do for K-State?
Wade won't play. Kam Stokes has been consistent and may have been snubbed with just an Honorable Mention All-Big 12 selection. Xavier Sneed was singled out by Bruce Weber as the key player for K-State this week. Cartier Diarra is returning, and Makol Mawien has been his best self in Sprint Center. All that said, a lot of K-State's success this week will come down to whether or not Barry Brown can regain the mid-season from that had him looking like a potential Big 12 Conference Player of the Year.
PREDICTION: TCU is going to be awfully motivated. The Horned Frogs were swept by K-State this year, got the first-game jitters out of the way and may still look at this game as necessary to earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats will be without Wade and appear ripe for the upset in this one, but K-State's recent March identity is that of a program that finds way to win grinders - with or without Wade. That's exactly what happens in this one.
K-State 63, TCU 58
OFFICIAL PREVIEW: Provided by KSU Sports Information Department
GAME 32
15/14 KANSAS STATE (24-7) vs. TCU (20-12)
Thursday, March 14, 2019 >> 1:30 p.m. CT >> Sprint Center (18,972) >> Kansas City, Mo.
Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship Quarterfinals
TELEVISION
ESPN2 / ESPN3
Bob Wischusen (play-by-play) Fran Fraschilla (analyst) Holly Rowe (sideline reporter) Stan Weber (producer)
RADIO
K-State Sports Network
Wyatt Thompson (play-by-play)Stan Weber (analyst)
Listen Online: TuneIn.com [free] // www.kstatesports.com/watch [free]
Satellite Radio: Sirius 135 / XM 199
LIVE STATS
big12statbroadcats.com
TICKETS
(816) 949.7100
All-Session: $195
COACHES
Kansas State: Bruce Weber (Wis.-Milwaukee ’78)
Overall: 462-242/21st season
At K-State: 149-87/7th season
vs. TCU: 12-4 (1-1 at neutral sites)
TCU: Jamie Dixon (TCU ’87)
Overall: 392-162/16th Year
At TCU: 64-38/3rd Year
vs. Kansas State: 3-5 (1-1 at neutral sites)
PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP
Kansas State (24-7, 14-4 Big 12)
G: #3 Kamau Stokes
G: #5 Barry Brown, Jr.
G/F: #20 Xavier Sneed
F: #32 Dean Wade
F: #14 Makol Mawien
TCU (20-12, 7-11 Big 12)
G: #25 Alex Robinson
G: #1 Desmond Bane
F: #12 Kouat Noi
F: #15 J.D. Miller
C: #21 Kevin Samuel
CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY
Overall: 35-41
Big 12 Championship: 14-22
As a No. 1 seed: 3-0 (last time: 1977)
Quarterfinals: 6-10
In Kansas City: 33-35
At Sprint Center : 26-25
Last Time: L, Kansas, 67-83, 3/9/18 (semifinals)
vs. TCU: Tied 1-1 (last meeting: W, 66-64 (OT), 3/8/18)
OPENING TIP
No. 15/14 Kansas State (24-7, 14-4 Big 12) will open play as the No. 1 seed in the 23rd annual Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship on Thursday against the winner of the first-round game No. 8 seed TCU (20-12, 7-11 Big 12). The game will tip at 1:30 p.m., CT on ESPN2 with Bob Wischusen (play-by-play), Fran Fraschilla (analyst) and Holly Rowe (reporter).
K-State enters as the tournament’s No. 1 seed for the first time in the Big 12 era and the first time since being the top-seed in the inaugural Big Eight Championship in 1977. The Wildcats are 35-41 (.461) all-time in the Big Eight/12 Championship dating back to its inception in 1977, including a 14-22 (.389) mark in the Big 12 era. The school is 3-0 as a No. 1 seed in the Big Eight/12 Championship.
K-State swept its 2 meetings with TCU this season. The Wildcats held the Horned Frogs to their 2 season-lows for points, winning 65-55 on Jan. 19 at home before a 64-52 win in Fort Worth on March 4. K-State has a 15-6 all-time record against TCU, including a 1-2 mark at neutral sites.
Seniors Barry Brown, Jr., Kamau Stokes and Dean Wade all starred on Senior Day, as the trio all scored in double figures to help K-State clinch a share of the Big 12 regular season title with a 68-53 win over Oklahoma before a sold-out crowd at Bramlage Coliseum. The Wildcats earned their 21st conference title, including its 19th regular-season crown, dating back to 1917. It was the second in the Big 12 era and the first since also sharing the Big 12 title with Kansas in 2013. The seniors combined to score 45 of the 68 points to go with 14 of the 15 assists in their final home game, as Stokes led the way in both points (19) and assists (6), while Brown chipped in 15 points, 4 assists and 3 steals and Wade added 11 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists. It marked the 26th time (20-6 record) the trio has scored in double figures in the same game in their respective careers, including the eighth time (8-0) this season.
Defense continues to carry the Wildcats, as they are holding opponents to just 59.1 points (a Big 12-best 59.6 points in league games) on 41.3 percent shooting, including 31.4 percent from 3-point range. K-State has held 18 of 31 opponents (9 Big 12 foes) to 60 points or less with just two eclipsing 70. The team ranks among the Top 50 in several defensive categories, including fourth in scoring defense, 56th in field goal percentage defense, 36th in 3-point field goal percentage defense and 30th in turnover margin (+3.2). The Wildcats are averaging 17.3 points off 14.7 opponent turnovers this season, including 16.9 points on 13.9 opponent turnovers in Big 12 play.
AT BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP
K-State is 35-41 all-time in the Big Eight/12 Championship dating back to its inception in 1977, including a 14-22 mark in the 22-year history of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship. The Wildcats have won two championships (1977, 1980), while they have advanced to the finals on five other occasions (1978, 1981, 1993, 2010 and 2013), including twice in the Big 12 era. Overall, K-State is 33-35 when the championship is held in Kansas City.
This will mark the second time that K-State has been the No. 1 seed at the championship and the first time since winning the inaugural Big Eight Tournament in 1977. The Wildcats are 3-0 as the top-seed, defeating No. 8 seed Iowa State (97-62), No. 4 Kansas (80-67) and No. 2 Missouri (72-67).
The Wildcats have now earned a bye to the quarterfinals in the Big 12 Championship 11 times (2007-14, 2017-19). Last season, as the tournament’s No. 4 seed, the team defeated No. 5 seed TCU, 66-64, in overtime before losing to top-seed Kansas, 83-67 in the semifinals. K-State is 1-2 all-time (0-2 in the Big 12 era) vs. the No. 8 seed at the league championship with 3 appearances coming in 1977, 2004 and 2006. The team has lost the last two meetings (Iowa State in 2004 and Texas Tech in 2006) with the No. 8 seed. The last win against a No. 8 seed came in 1977 when the Wildcats defeated Iowa State, 97-62, in the first round.
Head coach Bruce Weber is 5-6 in the Big 12 Championship, including 3-2 in the quarterfinals.
HISTORY AT SPRINT CENTER
K-State is 17-14 all-time in the Sprint Center, including a 7-10 mark at the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship (2008, 2010-18).K-State has played at least one game in the Sprint Center for 13 straight seasons since its opening in 2007.
The Wildcats are 8-1 in the Wildcat Classic, which has been played in 2007-12, 2014, 2016 and 2018, while they are 2-2 in the CBE Hall of Fame Classic (appearances in 2010 and 2015). K-State played its first regular-season game in the Sprint Center since 2016 on Dec. 22, 2018, as the Wildcats earned a 69-58 win over Vanderbilt. Junior Makol Mawien led four players in double figures with a season-high 15 points on 7-of-10 field goals, while Barry Brown, Jr. (12), Kamau Stokes (12) and Cartier Diarra (10) also scored in double digits.
Twice K-State has advanced to the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship game in the Sprint Center, losing to Kansas in 2010 and 2013.
