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OFFICIAL PREVIEW FROM KSU SID
GAME 15
KANSAS STATE (10-4, 0-2 Big 12) vs. WEST VIRGINIA (8-6, 0-2 Big 12)
Wednesday, January 9, 2019 >> 6:01 p.m. CT >> Bramlage Coliseum (12,528) >> Manhattan, Kan.
TELEVISION
ESPNU
- Clay Matvick (play-by-play)
- Tim Welsh (analyst)
- Bill Palladino (producer)
RADIO
K-State Sports Network
- Wyatt Thompson (play-by-play)
- Stan Weber (analyst)
Satellite Radio: Sirius 119 / XM 199 / Internet 953
LIVE STATS
www.kstatesports.com
kstate.statbroadcast.com [media only]
TICKETS
www.kstatesports.com/tickets
(800) 221.CATS [2287]
Single Game: $20 (bench/GA)/$40 (chairback)
Group (12+): $12
Bramlage Bundle: $30 -$10 concession voucher & gift
Wildcat 4-Pack: $60
COACHES
Kansas State: Bruce Weber (Wis.-Milwaukee ’78)
Overall: 448-239/21st season
At K-State: 135-84/7th season
vs West Virginia: 4-9 (3-3 at home)
West Virginia: Bob Huggins (West Virginia ’77)
Overall: 853-347/37th season
At West Virginia: 263-136/12th season
vs. Kansas State: 10-4 (3-3 on the road)
PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP
Kansas State (10-4, 0-2 Big 12)
G: #00 Mike McGuirl
G: #2 Cartier Diarra
G: #5 Barry Brown, Jr.
G/F: #20 Xavier Sneed
F: #14 Makol Mawien
West Virginia (8-6, 0-2 Big 12)
G: #10 Jermaine Haley
G: #20 Taevon Horton
F: #21 Wesley Harris
F: #23 Esa Ahmad
F: #31 Logan Routt
SERIES HISTORY
Overall: West Virginia leads 10-5
Current Streak: West Virginia, 4
In Manhattan: Tied 3-3
At Bramlage Coliseum: Tied 3-3
Last Meeting: L, 51-89, 2/3/18
Weber vs. Huggins: 6-9 (3-3 at home)
OPENING TIP
- Kansas State (10-4, 0-2 Big 12) returns home on Wednesday, as the Wildcats play host to former head coach Bob Huggins and his West Virginia Mountaineers (8-6, 0-2 Big 12) at Bramlage Coliseum. The game will tip at 6 p.m., CT on ESPNU with Clay Matvick (play-by-play) and Tim Welsh (analyst) on the call.
- K-State returns to friendly confines of Bramlage Coliseum after falling to 0-3 on the road in its setback at No. 11/11 Texas Tech on Saturday. The Wildcats are 7-1 in home games, but they did see their 9-game winning streak at Bramlage Coliseum fall in last Wednesday’s 67-47 loss to Texas in the Big 12 opener. The team, which has lost 3 of their last 4 meetings with West Virginia at home, is looking to avoid dropping their first 2 Big 12 home games for the first time since the 2008-09 season.
- Much like K-State, West Virginia enters Wednesday’s game looking for an offensive spark after averaging 56.5 points in its first 2 Big 12 contests. The two schools rank ninth and 10th in scoring offense after the first week of the league schedule. The Mountaineers have lost 4 of their last 7 games, including consecutive games to start Big 12 play for the first time since joining the league in 2013. Just like K-State has missed production from senior Dean Wade, WVU has been without junior Sagaba Konate, its leading scorer (13.6 ppg.) and rebounder (8.0 rpg.), for the last 5 games. Four others are averaging in double figures led by senior Esa Ahmad (13.4 ppg.).
- This will be the 16th meeting between K-State and West Virginia on the hardwood with the Mountaineers holding a 10-5 advantage, including a 9-4 edge since the start of Big 12 play. The Mountaineers have won 9 of the last 10 meetings in the series, including 4 consecutive wins since 2017, and have victories in 3 of the last 4 visits to Bramlage Coliseum. The Wildcats’ lone win since 2014 came at home on Jan. 21, 2017 when five players scored in double figures in a 79-75 victory.
- Down 14-0 to start the game and facing as much as a 16-point deficit, K-State’s second-half rally fell short in a 63-57 loss at No. 11/11 Texas Tech on Saturday, as the Wildcats dropped to 0-2 in Big 12 play for the first time since the 2015-16 season. The team closed to within 43-42 on a 3-pointer by senior Barry Brown, Jr., with 6:56 remaining, but the Red Raiders got a 3-point answer from leading scorer Davide Moretti on the next possession that ignited a 7-0 run and gave them a cushion the rest of the way. Brown led three Wildcats in double figures with 16 points, including 11 after halftime, while sophomore Cartier Diarra and junior Makol Mawien added 11 and 10 points, respectively. Mawien, who has scored in double figures in 3 of the last 4 games, had a career-best 11 boards to collect his first double-double.
- With K-State off to its lowest point total (104) to start Big 12 play since 2001, the Wildcats have had to rely on their strong defense of late, which ranks among the Top 50 in several categories, including sixth in scoring defense (58.9 ppg.), 39th in 3-point field goal percentage defense (29.7) and 43rd in field goal percentage defense (39.7). The team has allowed just one opponent to break 70 points this season (83 by Marquette), while holding 9 of 14 opponents to 60 points or less. Eight opponents have been held below 40 percent shooting, while 10 have shot below 30 percent from 3.
NOTES ON WEST VIRGINIA
- West Virginia (8-6, 0-2 Big 12) enters Wednesday’s contest with losses in 4 of its last 7 outings, including consecutive setbacks to start Big 12 play for the first time since joining the league in 2012-13. The Mountaineers opened the Big 12 season with a 62-59 loss to Texas Tech on Jan. 2 before losing at Texas, 61-54, on Saturday. The squad is 0-2 on the road this season.
- West Virginia returns 7 lettermen, including 3 starters, from a squad that won 26 games and advanced to the Sweet 16 in 2017-18.
- West Virginia is averaging 76.1 points on 42.4 percent shooting, including 33.1 percent from 3-point range, to go with 41.6 rebounds, 13.8 assists, 5.4 steals and 4.7 blocks per game, while allowing 71.6 points on 41.8 percent shooting, including 33.7 percent from 3-point range. The team is connecting on 68.6 percent from the free throw line.
- Five Mountaineers are averaging in double figures led by junior Sagaba Konate, who leads in scoring (13.6 ppg.), rebounding (8.0 rpg.) and blocks (2.8 bpg.), while connecting on 43.5 percent from the field. Konate has played in just 8 games due to injury, including missing the last 5 games. Senior Esa Ahmad is averaging 13.4 points on 46 percent shooting with 5.7 rebounds per game. Junior James Bolden (11.4 ppg.) freshman Derek Culver (11.0) and junior Lamont West (10.8 ppg.) all average double figures. West (25) and Bolden (21) are among 6 players with double-digit 3-pointers.
- West Virginia is led by Hall of Fame head coach Bob Huggins, who has posted an 853-347 (.711) record in 37 years of coaching. His 853 victories rank third among all active Division I head coaches and seventh all-time. He has a 263-136 (.662) mark in his 12th season with the Mountaineers, having led them to 9 NCAA Tournament appearances, including the 2010 Final Four.
