AUSTIN - No. 18 Kansas State (18-5, 8-2 Big 12) will look to extend its conference winning streak to nine games this evening against Texas (14-10, 6-5).
The Longhorns will be working to add a key win to their NCAA Tournament resume, while the Wildcats will be out to avenge a 20-point loss (without Dean Wade or Kam Stokes) to UT in both team's conference opener.
Follow along all day long - and through the game, itself - at the KSO GameCenter.
THREE KEYS (and a pick)
1. Take advantage of the zone
Texas is probably going to play (a lot) of zone against the Wildcats. K-State needs to make the Longhorns pay not just by hitting shots from deep or slicing into the middle of the zone, but also on the glass. It should be harder for UT, even with its length, to rebound in the zone, and one way to potentially force Shaka Smart to change looks would be a few put backs inside.
2. Eliminate easy looks
K-State lost the first meeting between these schools not only because of Wade and Stokes' absences, but also because they let a relatively poor shooting Texas bunch get a ton of open shots from beyond the arc. Lead assistant Chris Lowery still laments the mistakes K-State made on the defensive end in that contest, and you can bet the Wildcats will be as dialed in defensively for this game as they have any this year.
3. Grind
K-State gutted out a win Saturday at Baylor on a day where the Wildcats weren't at their best and, quite frankly, looked mentally and physically tired at times. It's going to be an even bigger challenge at Texas, as the Longhorns are healthier than Baylor and have the type of length that really bothers K-State. It will take a lot of mental toughness to get through another 40-minute battle with a ninth-straight Big 12 win.
PREDICTION: I may be falling into an old, bad habit again, but I never really pictured K-State going 3-0 against the stretch of KU, at Baylor, at Texas. Now that the Wildcats are just one win short of doing just that, perhaps I should throw any previous notions I had about this stretch. I can't shake the feeling, however, that K-State is due for a grinder it can't will its way to victory in. I think that is what happens tonight.
Texas 57, K-State 54
OFFICIAL PREVIEW: Provided by the KSU Sports Information Department
GAME 24
18/18 KANSAS STATE (18-5, 8-2 Big 12) at TEXAS (14-10, 6-5 Big 12)
Tuesday, February 12, 2019 >> 8:05 p.m. CT >> Erwin Center (16,540) >> Austin, Texas
TELEVISION
ESPN2 / ESPN3
Jon Sciambi (play-by-play)Chris Spatola (analyst)Joe McCoy (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: XM 387 / Internet 978
LIVE STATS
texas.statbroadcast.com [media only]
TICKETS
(512) 471-3333
Single Game: $7-$45 (various levels)
COACHES
Kansas State: Bruce Weber (Wis.-Milwaukee ’78)
Overall: 456-240/21st season
At K-State: 143-85/7th season
vs. Texas: 8-6 (3-3 on the road)
Texas: Shaka Smart (Kenyon College ’99)
Overall: 227-116/10th season
At Texas: 64-60/4th season
vs. Kansas State: 3-4 (1-2 at home)
PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP
Kansas State (18-5, 8-2 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 (14-10, 6-5 Big 12)
G: #2 Matt Coleman III
G: #12 Kerwin Roach II
G: #55 Elijah Mitrou-Long
F: #21 Dylan Osetkowski
F: #10 Jaxson Hayes
SERIES HISTORY
Overall: K-State leads 21-16
Current Streak: Texas, 1
In Austin: Texas leads 9-8
At Erwin Center: Texas leads 9-7
Last Meeting: L, 47-67, 1/2/19
Weber vs. Smart: 4-3 (2-1 on the road)
OPENING TIP
No. 18/18 Kansas State (18-5, 8-2 Big 12) concludes its brief 2-game road swing on Tuesday with a trip to Austin, Texas to take on a surging Texas (14-10, 6-5 Big 12) team at the Frank Erwin Center. The Wildcats jumped into the Top 25 for the first time since a 6-week stay ended on Dec. 10, 2018. The game will tip at 8:05 p.m., CT on ESPN2 with Jon Sciambi (play-by-play) and Chris Spatola (analyst) on the call.
K-State enters Tuesday’s game in first place in the Big 12, just a game and half ahead of the second-place trio of No. 15/15 Texas Tech (19-5, 7-4 Big 12), No. 23/22 Iowa State (18-6, 7-4 Big 12) and No. 14/14 Kansas (18-6, 7-4 Big 12) and two games ahead of Baylor (15-8, 6-4 Big 12). Seven Big 12 schools have at least 5 league wins, as all teams have moved past the midway point of the 18-game schedule.
Senior Kamau Stokes paced four Wildcats in double figures with a game-high 20 points, as K-State extended its Big 12 winning streak to 8 games with a 70-63 win over Baylor on Saturday at the Ferrell Center. The 8-game conference winning streak is the longest by a K-State team in the Big 12 era and the longest regular-season conference winning streak in 45 seasons since the Wildcats won 11 consecutive league games from Jan. 14 to Feb. 26, 1974.
Stokes, who notched his ninth career 20-point game, was joined in double figures by fellow seniors Barry Brown, Jr. (13) and Dean Wade (12) and sophomore Cartier Diarra (10), as the Wildcats moved to 8-1 this season when four or more players register double digits.Down 48-41 with under 10 minutes to play, K-State ended the game on a 29-15 run, including a pivotal 21-5 spurt ignited by a 3-pointer from Diarra, to earn its fifth consecutive win over the Bears, including its third in a row at the Ferrell Center. The Wildcats did most of their offensive damage from 3-point range, knocking down 6 of 9 triples in the second half, including 3 in the last 6:11 of the contest.
Texas is one of the Big 12’s hottest teams, winning 3 of its last 4 games, including back-to-back home victories over No. 13/14 Kansas (73-63) and Baylor (84-72). The Longhorns have one of the more balanced teams with 4 players averaging in double figures led by senior Kerwin Roach II, who is averaging 14.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.3 steals per game. Others averaging in double figures include Big 12 Freshman of the Year candidate Jaxson Hayes (10.5 ppg.), sophomore Matt Coleman III (10.1 ppg.) and senior Dylan Osetkowski (10.0 ppg.).
K-State and Texas will meet for the 37th time in its respective histories on Tuesday with the Wildcats holding a 21-16 advantage in a series that dates to 1971. The Longhorns hold a narrow 9-8 edge in games played at home. The series is tied 16-all in the Big 12 era with the teams splitting each of the last 10 meetings. Texas won the first meeting, 67-47, in the Big 12 opener on Jan. 2, as the Longhorns broke open a tight game by shooting 60.9 percent in the second half.
The Wildcats, which was led by junior Makol Mawien’s 13 points, were without senior starters Dean Wade and Kamau Stokes, who both missed the game due to injuries. K-State, which has relied on its defense most of the season, has shown some offensive improvement in the last 3 games, averaging 73 points on 45.1 percent shooting (74-164), including 44.3 percent (35-of-79) from 3-point range, with 53 assists on 74 made field goals.
NOTES ON TEXAS
Texas (14-10, 6-5 Big 12) has been one of the Big 12’s hottest teams with wins in 3 of its last 4 games, including back-to-back victories over Baylor (84-72) and at West Virginia (75-53). The Longhorns broke open a tight game with the Mountaineers, connecting on 53.1 percent in the second half to sweep the season series. Freshman Courtney Ramey led the way with a game-high 19 points, while senior Kerwin Roach II added 14 points.
Texas is averaging 72.1 points on 43.6 percent shooting, including 33.4 percent from 3-point range, to go with 35.2 rebounds, 13.3 assists, 6.4 steals and 4.2 blocks per game, while allowing 66.2 points on 41.8 percent shooting, including 34.7 percent from 3-point range. The team is connecting on 70.0 percent from the free throw line.
Texas is averaging 68.5 points in Big 12 play on 44.3 percent shooting, including 34.1 percent from 3-point range, while allowing 63.6 points on 42.2 percent shooting, including 35.1 percent from 3-point range. One of the most balanced teams in the Big 12, the Longhorns are led by Roach, who paces four players in double figures at 14.8 points on 43.5 percent shooting, including 35.8 percent from 3-point range, to go with 4.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.3 steals.
Big 12 Freshman of the Year candidate Jaxson Hayes averages 10.5 points on a Big 12-best 75.2 percent shooting to go with 5.2 rebounds and a team-best 2.4 blocks per game, while sophomore Matt Coleman III (10.1 ppg.) and senior Dylan Osetkowski (10.0 ppg.) also average double digits. Osetkowski averages a team-best 8.0 rebounds.Texas is led by fourth-year head coach Shaka Smart, who has posted a 64-60 (.516) record, which includes 2 trips to the NCAA Tournament. He is 227-116 (.662) in his 10th season as a head coach.
