Kansas State will look to keep control of the Big 12 Conference by handling Oklahoma State at home this afternoon in Bramlage Coliseum. Follow the match-up between the Cowboys and Wildcats all day long at the KSO GameCenter - including during the game itself.
Also, listen to Matt Hall preview the contest with Mason Voth on Powercat Gameday for a full preview of KSU-OSU starting at 1:00 p.m.
THREE KEYS (and a pick)
1. Start (and finish) fast
As we will get to, this is a game K-State not only clearly needs to win, but it would be nice if the Wildcats could do so in a similar manner to what they did in Stillwater. I'm not saying the Wildcats need to build a 34-point second half lead again, but it would be nice if it could be a contest that saw some of the Wildcats' key contributors finishing the game seated on the bench. A quick start to build an early lead could perhaps crush the spirit of a struggling Oklahoma State team, and finishing better at the rim (it's been an issue two games in a row) would help with that.
2. A new contributor?
Foul trouble forced the Wildcats to turn to the likes of James Love, Nigel Shadd and Austin Trice against West Virginia. Could somebody out of that group - perhaps Trice - see a role start to expand just a bit? Or, could this be the game Shaun Neal-Williams breaks out in the absence of Cartier Diarra. Either way the Wildcats would like to find one more piece able to help out down the stretch, and no game may present a better opportunity to find that potential option than home date with the Cowboys.
3. Stay (relatively) healthy
K-State won't be "healthy," the rest of the season, but nobody else in college basketball is, either. Dean Wade and Kam Stokes will likely see limited practice time the rest of the season, while we're still waiting on the return of Diarra. All of that said, however, the Wildcats should feel okay about where they are health-wise. Wade and Stokes should always be available, barring further injury, and Diarra is getting closer to returning. K-State simply needs to get out of this game with a victory and no bad developments from a health perspective.
PREDICTION: Oklahoma State will play hard - take a look at their win over TCU or 30 minutes of competitive play at Kansas recently - and force the Wildcats to work for a victory on Saturday. That said, however, K-State is the far, far better team, will be relatively well rested and is playing at home. Don't expect another 30-plus point second-half lead, but also don't look for this game to be in much doubt after halftime.
K-State 71, Oklahoma State 59
OFFICIAL PREVIEW: Provided by K-State Sports Information Department
GAME 27
23/21 KANSAS STATE (20-6, 10-3 Big 12) vs. OKLAHOMA STATE (10-16, 3-10 Big 12)
Saturday, February 23, 2019 >> 3:05 p.m. CT >> Bramlage Coliseum (12,528) >> Manhattan, Kan.
PROMOTION
Throwback Game
The Wildcats will wear special lavender throwback uniforms, which were worn from 1973 to 1982 with the first 1,500 students receiving a purple Hipster Fanny Pack.
TELEVISION
ESPN / ESPN3
Chuckie Kempf (play-by-play)Bryndon Manzer (analyst)Steve Kurtenbach (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 136 / XM 199 / Internet 953
LIVE STATS
kstate.statbroadcast.com [media only]
TICKETS
www.kstatesports.com/tickets
(800) 221.CATS [2287]
Single Game: $35 (bench & GA)/$75 (chairback)
COACHES
Kansas State: Bruce Weber (Wis.-Milwaukee ’78)
Overall: 458-241/21st season
At K-State: 145-86/7th season
vs. Oklahoma State: 10-5 (5-1 at home)
Oklahoma State: Mike Boynton, Jr. (South Carolina ’03)
Overall: 31-31/2nd Year
At Oklahoma State: 31-31/2nd Year
vs. Kansas State: 0-3 (0-1 on the road)
PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP
Kansas State (20-6, 10-3 Big 12)
G: #3 Kamau Stokes
G: #5 Barry Brown, Jr.
G/F: #20 Xavier Sneed
F: #32 Dean Wade
F: #14 Makol Mawien
Oklahoma State (10-16, 3-10 Big 12)
G: #4 Thomas Dziagwa
G: #13 Isaac Likekele
G: #21 Lindy Waters III
F: #12 Cameron McGriff
F: #14 Yor Anei
SERIES HISTORY
Overall: K-State leads 81-53
Current Streak: K-State, 3
In Manhattan: K-State leads 40-16
At Bramlage Coliseum: K-State leads 12-10
Last Meeting: W, 75-57, 2/2/19
Weber vs. Boynton, Jr.: 3-0 (1-0 at home)
OPENING TIP
No. 23/21 Kansas State (20-6, 10-3 Big 12) returns home this weekend, as the Wildcats host Oklahoma State (10-16, 3-10 Big 12) at Bramlage Coliseum. K-State used a near school-record 16 3-point field goals to down OSU, 75-57, in the first meeting on Feb. 2 at Gallagher-Iba Arena. The game will tip at 3:05 p.m., CT on ESPN2 with Chuckie Kempf (play-by-play) and Bryndon Manzer (analyst) on the call.
K-State enters Saturday’s game in first place in the Big 12, one game ahead of the second-place duo of No. 14/14 Texas Tech (21-5, 9-4 Big 12) and No. 12/12 Kansas (20-6, 9-4 Big 12) and two games ahead of the fourth-place tandem of No. 19/20 Iowa State (19-7, 8-5 Big 12) and Baylor (17-9, 8-5 Big 12). Seven Big 12 schools have at least 5 league wins with 5 games left in the regular season.
Saturday’s contest will be Throwback Day at Bramlage Coliseum, as K-State will wear special two-tone lavender throwback uniforms, which were worn from 1973 to 1982 and made famous by the Purple Pop-Gun tandem of Mike Evans and Chuckie Williams during the 1974-75 and 1975-76 seasons and commemorated by Rolando Blackman on the cover of Sports Illustrated after the 1981 upset of No. 1 Oregon State in the NCAA Tournament. Overall, the Wildcats posted an 186-81 (.697) record during the period of the uniform (1973-82), including an 85-41 mark in Big Eight play, winning the 1977 Big Eight regular-season title and the 1977 and 1980 Big Eight Tournament crowns to go with five NCAA Tournament appearances.
K-State bounced back from its first Big 12 loss in more than a month on Monday, as the Wildcats broke open a 42-all tie with a 19-2 run midway through the second half to extend their Big 12 road winning streak to 6 games with a 65-51 win at West Virginia.
The victory gave K-State 20 wins for the fifth time in head coach Bruce Weber’s 7 seasons, including 10 in Big 12 play for the fourth time under Weber and in back-to-back seasons. The 6-game Big 12 road winning streak is the longest since also winning 6 from Jan. 16 to Feb. 23, 2010.
Senior Barry Brown, Jr., paced three Wildcats in double figures with a game-high 21 points to go with game-highs in both assists (4) and steals (4) to help the Wildcats snap a 5-game skid at the WVU Coliseum and sweep the series from the Mountaineers for the first time since 2013.
Oklahoma State enters Saturday’s game with a momentum after ending a 5-game losing streak with a 68-61 win over TCU at home on Monday. The Big 12’s best 3-point shooting team knocked down 11 triples against the Horned Frogs and have 2 players among the league’s Top 5 in 3-point field goals made (Thomas Dziagwa [3.3 3FGM/1st] and Lindy Waters III [2.1 3FGM/5th]). Junior Cameron McGriff paces the Cowboys in both scoring (12.9 ppg.) and rebounding (7.5 rpg.).
K-State got back to its defensive ways against West Virginia on Monday, holding the Mountaineers to 51 points on 34.6 percent shooting, including 21.7 percent from 3-point range. The Wildcats have been one of the better defensive teams in the nation, allowing 59.8 points on 41.5 percent shooting, including 31.8 percent from 3-point range, and forcing opponents into 15.0 turnovers per game.
NOTES ON OKLAHOMA STATE
Oklahoma State (10-16, 3-10 Big 12) snapped a 5-game losing streak on Monday with a 68-61 win over TCU at Gallagher-Iba Arena. The Cowboys hit on 11 3-point field goals, including 6 from Big 12 leader Thomas Dziagwa, to even the season series with the Horned Frogs. Dziagwa paced 3 players in double figures with a game-high 23 points.
Oklahoma State is averaging 67.8 points on 42.5 percent shooting, including a Big 12-best 38.2 percent from 3-point range, to go with 34.6 rebounds, 13.3 assists, 5.8 steals and 4.1 blocks per game, while allowing 70.5 points on 42.4 percent shooting, including 34.9 percent from 3-point range. The team is connecting on 68.6 percent from the free throw line.
Oklahoma State averaging 64.2 points in Big 12 play on 40.2 percent shooting, including 37.6 percent from 3-point range, while allowing 71.5 points on 43.9 percent shooting, including 35.9 percent from 3-point range.
The Cowboys have 3 players averaging in double figures, including junior Cameron McGriff, who leads in both scoring (12.9 ppg.) and rebounding (7.5 rpg.). Juniors Lindy Waters III (12.0 ppg.) and Thomas Dziagwa (11.3 ppg.) also average double digits and have combined for 62 percent (139 of 224) of the team’s 3-point field goals. Dziagwa ranks first in the Big 12 with 3.3 3-point field goals per game, while Waters is fifth with 2.1 per contest. Freshman Isaac Likelele is averaging a team-best 3.7 assists per game to go with 8.3 points on 47 percent shooting and 4.6 rebounds per game.
Oklahoma State is led by head coach Mike Boynton, Jr., who has posted a 31-31 (.500) record in his second season, which includes a 21-win season and trip to the NIT quarterfinals in his inaugural season. Boynton has been an assistant coach at Coastal Carolina (2005-07), Wofford (2007-08), South Carolina (2008-13), Stephen F. Austin (2013-16) and OSU (2016-17).
SERIES HISTORY
K-State and OSU will meet for the 135th time with the Wildcats holding an 81-53 advantage in a series that dates to 1922. K-State is 40-16 in games played at home, including wins in 6 of the last 7 meetings. K-State has won 7 of the last 9 meetings with Oklahoma State, including 3 of the last 4 at Bramlage Coliseum.
The Wildcats have won 3 straight in the series, including a 75-57 win earlier this season on Feb. 2 at Gallagher-Iba Arena, in which, the squad knocked down a school conference-record 16 3-point field goals. The team also won the last meeting (86-82) in Manhattan on Jan. 10, 2018, as Barry Brown, Jr., scored a career-high 38 points.Brown has averaged 16.6 points on 49 percent shooting in 8 career games against OSU with 7 starts, while senior Dean Wade has each averaged 12.9 points on 59.3 percent shooting in 8 career starts against the Cowboys.
Head coach Bruce Weber is 10-5 all-time against OSU, including a 5-1 mark at home, while Weber is 3-0 vs. head coach Mike Boynton, Jr.
