GAME 29

KANSAS STATE (17-11, 7-8 Big 12) at CINCINNATI (16-12, 5-10 Big 12)

Saturday, March 2, 2024 >> 6 p.m. CT >>  Fifth Third Arena (12,012) >> Cincinnati, Ohio

TELEVISION

Big 12 Now / WatchESPN (link here)

• Eric Rothman (play-by-play)
• Jess Settles (analyst)
• Trevor Towle (producer)

RADIO

K-State Sports Network

Flagships: // KMAN 1350 & WIBW 580

Satellite Radio: Ch. 391

Online: Varsity Network [free] / www.kstatesports.com/watch [free]

• Wyatt Thompson (play-by-play)
• Stan Weber (analyst)

LIVE STATS

kstatesports.com

kstate.statbroadcast.com

COACHES

K-State: Jerome Tang [Charter Oak State College ‘07]

Record at K-State: 43-21/Second Year

Career Record: 45-21*/Second Year

1. Cincinnati: 0-0 [0-0 on the road]

Cincinnati: Wes Miller [North Carolina ‘07]

Record at Cincinnati: 57-40/3rd Year

Career Record: 242-175/13th Year

1. K-State: 0-0 [0-0 at home]

PROBABLE STARTERS

K-State (17-11, 7-8 Big 12)

G: #2 Tylor Perry

G: #4 Dai Dai Ames

G: #5 Cam Carter

W: #24 Arthur Kaluma

C: #20 Jerrell Colbert

Cincinnati (16-12, 5-10 Big 12)

G: #1 Day Day Thomas

G: #0 Dan Skillings Jr.

G: #15 John Newman III

F: #31 Simas Lukosius

F: #55 Aziz Bandaogo

SERIES HISTORY

Overall: Cincinnati leads 7-1

Big 12 Era: First meeting

On the Road: Cincinnati leads 2-0

At Fifth Third Arena: First meeting

Active Streak: Cincinnati, 7

Last Meeting: L, 61-75 [3/17/2017 in Sacramento, Calif.]

Jerome Tang vs. Wes Miller: First meeting

K-STATE BEGINS MARCH WITH ROAD TRIP TO CINCINNATI SATURDAY

Kansas State (17-11, 7-8 Big 12) begins the stretch run of the regular season on Saturday night, as the Wildcats meet Cincinnati (16-12, 5-10 Big 12) for the first time as Big 12 foes at Fifth Third Arena at 6 p.m., CT on Big 12 Now. This will be the first regular-season meeting between the schools in more than 55 seasons and the first overall matchup since the 2017 NCAA Tournament. The Bearcats own a 7-1 advantage in the all-time series with 7 straight victories. The Wildcats have not won in the series since the first meeting in the 1958 NCAA Tournament.

K-State will continue to try and reverse its fortunes on the road, where the Wildcats are a combined 3-8 away from home, including a 2-6 mark in true road games. The team won their first 2 road games (LSU, West Virginia) but has since lost 6 in a row. The struggles on the road contrast with their record at home, where the Wildcats are 14-3 overall and 13-3 at Bramlage Coliseum and includes 3 Top 25 wins (No. 9/9 Baylor, No. 4/4 Kansas and No. 25/21 BYU).

KEY STORYLINES

• K-State’s improbable run in overtime games continued on Monday night, as the Wildcats won their 12th consecutive overtime game dating back to last season, including breaking the Division I single-season record with their seventh this season, with a 94-90 comeback win over a scrappy West Virginia team at Bramlage Coliseum.
• The 7 overtime wins are now the Division I single-season record, snapping a tie of 6 with Wake Forest (1983-84), Chattanooga (1988-89) and Lafayette (2007-08). The current 12-game overtime streak is the second-longest since 1950.
• Winning consecutive games for the first time since Jan. 16 and 20, K-State continued to keep its NCAA Tournament hopes alive with 3 Quad 1 opportunities remaining. Among the Wildcats’ 17 wins are 7 Quad 1 or 2 victories (Providence, Villanova, LSU, UCF, No. 9/9 Baylor, No. 4/4 Kansas and No. 25/21 BYU). The team is 7-3 in games decided by 5 points or less.
• A game after junior Arthur Kaluma posted the team’s first 20-point, 10-rebound effort (28 points and 10 rebounds) in the win over No. 25/21 BYU on Feb. 24 to earn Big 12 Newcomer of the Week honors, senior Tylor Perry did him one better in the win over West Virginia, posting a season-best 29 points on just 12 shots with a season-tying 6 made 3-pointers. It was his team-leading ninth 20-point game of the season, including his fourth in the last 8 games.
• Perry (15.6 ppg.), along with junior Cam Carter (15.2 ppg.), and Kaluma (14.9 ppg.) give the Wildcats a strong 1-2-3 scoring punch, as they are responsible for 63 percent of the team’s scoring (45.7 out of 72.6 ppg.). K-State is the only Big 12 member to have 3 players rank in the league’s top-10 in scoring, as Perry ranks seventh, Carter ninth and Kaluma 10th. The trio have continued that scoring in Big 12 play, averaging a combined 45 points per game.
• K-State broke its Big 12 high in back-to-back games against No. 25/21 BYU and West Virginia because it was finally able to knock down shots from the perimeter, where the Wildcats went a combined 22-of-46 (47.8 percent) from 3-point range, including 15 vs. the Mountaineers.

A K-STATE WIN WOULD…

• Extend its overall winning streak to 3 games.
• Snap a 6-game road losing streak.
• Snap a 7-game losing streak to Cincinnati.
• Be the first against Cincinnati since the 1st meeting in 1958.
• Be the 1,739th in the program history, including 2nd vs. UC.

NOTES ON CINCINNATI (16-12, 5-10 Big 12)

• Under third-year head coach Wes Miller, Cincinnati has posted a 16-12 record, including a 5-10 mark in its inaugural season in the Big 12. The Bearcats have lost 5 of their last 6 games, including 3 straight, after Tuesday’s 67-59 setback at No. 1/1 Houston. The team is 12-5 at home this season, including 2-5 in Big 12 play.
• Cincinnati is averaging 74.4 points on 44.1 percent shooting, including 32.5 percent from 3-point range, with 40.5 rebounds, 14.7 assists, 6.2 steals and 4.4 blocks per game, while allowing 67.9 points on 42.1 percent shooting, including 32.9 percent from 3-point range. The Bearcats are connecting on 68.5 percent from the free throw line.
• Cincinnati is one of the top rebounding teams in the country, ranking eighth in rebounding margin (+8.9), 10th in offensive rebounds (14.04) and 12th in rebounds/game (40.46).
• The Bearcats are a balanced scoring team with 7 players averaging 7 or more points per game, including 3 double-digit scorers in sophomore Dan Skillings Jr. (11.9 ppg.), junior Day Day Thomas (10.3 ppg.) and junior Simas Lukosius (10.0 ppg.).  Thomas leads the way in assists (87). Skillings is second in rebounding (6.4 rpg.) while he is third in steals (21) and blocks (20). Lukosius has a team-leading 53 made 3-pointers, while reserve C.J. Fredrick is hitting on a team-best 42.6 percent from long range. Big men Viktor Lakhin (9.9 ppg., 6.3 rpg.) and Aziz Bandaogo (7.4 ppg., 7.7 rpg.) nearly average a double-double and combine for 54 blocked shots.
• Miller is in his 13th season as a head coach with a 242-175 overall record, including a 57-40 mark in his third season at UC. The former walk-on who won a NCAA title at North Carolina (2004-07) spent 10 seasons at UNC Greensboro (2011-21), where he won 20 or more games each of his last 5 seasons with 4 postseason appearances (2 NITs, 2 NCAA Tournaments).

SERIES HISTORY

• Cincinnati leads the series, 7-1, including 2-0 in games played at home. This will be the first regular-season meeting since an 86-70 Bearcat win at home on Dec. 2, 1968, while it will be the first overall meeting since a 75-61 victory in the 2017 NCAA Tournament in Sacramento, Calif.
• Four of the schools’ 8 meetings have come in the NCAA Tournament, including its most recent meeting in 2017. K-State’s lone win in the series came in double-overtime in the 1958 NCAA Midwest Region, 83-80.

ALL-TIME MEETINGS [1-7]

LAST MEETING:

18/17 CINCINNATI 75, K-STATE 61 [3/17/2017]

• Cincinnati connected on 62.8 percent from the field with 3 double-digit scorers en route to posting a 75-61 win over K-State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on March 17, 2017 at the Golden I Center in Sacramento.

LAST MEETING IN CINCINNATI:

14 CINCINNATI 86, K-STATE 70 [12/2/1968]

• Oscar Robertson had 19 points in an 86-70 win by the Bearcats in the last meeting between the schools in Cincinnati on Dec. 2, 1968.

LAST TIME OUT:

K-STATE 94, WEST VIRGINIA 90 [OT]

• K-State’s amazing streak in overtime games continued Monday night, as the Wildcats won their 12th consecutive overtime game, including their Division I record seventh this season, with a 94-90 comeback win over a scrappy West Virginia team before 8,813 fans at Bramlage Coliseum.
• K-State (17-11, 7-8 Big 12) received a standout performance from senior Tylor Perry, who scored 9 of his season-high 29 points in overtime in helping lift the Wildcats to consecutive wins for the first time in more than month.
• Perry tied the game at 79-all with 2 free throws with 15.4 seconds left then gave K-State the lead for good at 82-80 with his season-tying sixth 3-pointer with just under 4 minutes left in overtime. He added a layup with 50 seconds left then made 4 consecutive free throws to push the Wildcats ahead 93-90 with 8 seconds left. After a defensive rebound off a miss by senior RaeQuan Battle, junior Cam Carter finished off the night with a free throw with 4 seconds left.
• Perry, who perhaps had his most efficient night as a Wildcat, scored his 29 points on just 12 shots, finishing 7-of-12 from the field, including 6-of-11 from 3-point range, to go with a 9-of-10 effort from the free throws. He also added a game-tying 6 assists and 4 rebounds in nearly 42 minutes of action. It was his 28th career 20-point game, including his team-leading ninth this season.
• Perry was joined in double figures by Carter, who finished with a near double-double with 19 points and 8 rebounds, as well as junior Arthur Kaluma and senior Will McNair Jr., who each had 13 points. Senior David N’Guessan, playing against his teammate on the Dutch National Team Jesse Edwards, also nearly had a double-double with a game-high 10 rebounds and 8 points.
• After watching a 25-point lead evaporate in the final 13:30, K-State willed itself to overtime with some clutch shooting and stellar defense in the final minute. Trailing 79-75 with 1:02 to play, the Wildcats got a layup from McNair and 2 free throws from Perry to tie the game at 79-all with 15.4 seconds. The Mountaineers had one last chance, but Kriisa’s jumper missed at the buzzer.
• K-State seemingly had the game in control after a strong offensive start to the game, as the Wildcats led 63-38 after Carter knocked down a 3-pointer with 13:39 to play. The team led 48-26 at the half behind 50 percent (17-of-34) shooting, including 57.9 percent (11-of-19) from 3-point range.
• Battle and Kriisa wouldn’t go away that easily, as the tandem combined for 36 points in the second half, in guiding the team to an improbable 39-11 run that gave the Mountaineers a 77-74 lead after a Kriisa 3-pointer with 2:13.
• The near collapse overshadowed another strong offensive performance by the Wildcats, which broke their Big 12 season-high for scoring for the second straight game with 94 points behind a 3-point barrage that saw them connect on 15-of-31 attempts, including 11-of-19 in the first half.
• The 15 made 3-point field goals tie for the third-most in school history and are the second-most in a Big 12 game and the most since hitting 16 at Oklahoma State on Feb. 2, 2019. Perry led the way with 6 makes.

POSTGAME NEWS & NOTES

• K-State is now 14-3 at home, including 13-3 at Bramlage Coliseum.
• K-State sweeps the series from WVU for the first time since 2019… The Mountaineers still lead the series, 16-12, including 15-11 in the Big 12 era.

OVERTIME SUCCESS

• K-State moved to 12-0 in overtime games, including 7-0 this season, under head coach Jerome Tang after the 94-90 victory over West Virginia on Feb. 26. After watching a 25-point lead evaporate in the final 13:30, K-State willed itself to overtime with some clutch shooting and stellar defense in the final minute. The Wildcats trailed 79-75 with 1:02 to play before a layup from senior Will McNair Jr. and 2 free throws from senior Tylor Perry to tied it at 79-all with 15.4 seconds. Perry gave K-State the lead for good with a 3-pointer a minute into overtime, as he scored 9 of his season-high 29 points in the extra period.
• In addition to the win over West Virginia, K-State has overtime victories this season over Providence (73-70), Oral Roberts (88-78), North Alabama (75-74), Villanova (72-71), No. 9/9 Baylor (68-64) and No. 4/4 Kansas (75-70).
• K-State’s 12-game overtime winning streak is the second-longest such streak in Division I history since 1950 and the second-longest current streak behind Florida State (14; 2018-current) and right ahead of Winthrop (10; 2017-current).
• K-State’s 7 overtime wins are now the Division I single-season record, snapping a tie of 6 with Wake Forest (1983-84), Chattanooga (1988-89) and Lafayette (2007-08).  The 7 overtime wins also continue to break the school record of 5, set in 1992-93 and 2022-23, while it is the most overtime games in school history (5 total set in 1992-93 and 2022-23). The 6 overtime home wins are also the Division I mark, snapping a tie of 5 with Cincinnati in 1966-67.
• K-State has outscored its opponents, 91-63, in overtime, as the Wildcats have connected on 62.2 percent (23-of-37) from the field, including 58.3 percent (7-of-12) from 3-point range, and 80.9 percent (38-of-47) from free throw line.
• Tang is the first head coach in school history to win his first 12 overtime games, surpassing Dana Altman (1990-94), who was a perfect 7-0 in overtime games in his tenure. The 12 total overtime wins are the third-most by a head coach, trailing Tex Winter (15) and Jack Hartman (14).

BETTER DEFENSIVE EFFORT

• K-State has made strides on the defensive end during Big 12 play, allowing 70.1 points on a Big 12-best 39.6 percent (361-of-912) shooting, including 28.3 percent (97-of-343) from 3-point range. The Wildcats have allowed fewer than 70 points in 6 Big 12 games, including 52 to UCF (1/6/24), 60 to Texas Tech (1/13/24), 64 to No. 9/9 Baylor (1/16/24) and 62 to Texas (2/19/24).
• Through 15 Big 12 games, K-State ranks among the top-4 in 4 defensive categories, including first in field goal percentage defense (39.6) and 3-point field goal percentage defense (28.3), second in defensive rebounds/game (26.40) and fourth in blocks/game (4.36). The Wildcats had been holding teams to 68.7 points in Big 12 play before allowing 90 to West Virginia on Monday.
• The 52 points allowed to UCF were the fewest allowed in a Big 12 opener since 2003. K-State held Texas Tech (60 points) and No. 9/9 Baylor (64 points) to nearly 20 points under their scoring average.

POINT OF EMPHASIS

• Ever since the loss to Florida Atlantic in the Elite Eight, in which, K-State was out-rebounded 44-22, rebounding has been a point of emphasis by head coach Jerome Tang. So far that message has been received, as the Wildcats rank fifth in the Big 12 and 70th nationally in rebounds/game (37.93), including third in the league and 86th nationally in defensive rebounds/game (26.46).

Last season, the team ranked 175th or worse in all 4 rebounding categories.

• K-State has out-rebounded its opponents 16 times in 28 games, while posting a +2.8 rebounding margin, which ranks 99th nationally.
• K-State has grabbed 40 or more rebounds in 10 games, including a season-best 63 in the win over Central Arkansas (11/22/23). The 63 rebounds were the most in a game in more than 25 seasons since corralling 64 vs. Kansas City on Dec. 3, 1997. Among those 63 boards were 26 on the offensive end, which were the most since grabbing 29 vs. North Florida on Nov. 18, 2012, while the 37 defensive rebounds were one shy of the top-10.

OFFENSE CREATING MORE 3-POINTERS

• K-State is close to breaking the single-season mark for 3-point attempts for the second time in 3 seasons, as the Wildcats have already attempted 660 shots from beyond the arc. The team set the record with 754 in 2021-22 while the 752 in 2022-23 were a close second on the list. So far, the Wildcats are averaging 23.6 attempts per game, which ranks third in the Big 12.
• K-State has connected on 208 3-pointers, which marks the seventh time in the last 8 seasons that the team has topped 200 or more triples. The Wildcats have double-digit 3-pointers in 5 games after their season-high 15 triples in the overtime win over West Virginia (2/26/24). Those 15 makes tied for the third-most in school history and are the most since hitting 16 at OSU on Feb. 2, 2019.
• Senior Tylor Perry is among the top 3-point shooters, as he ranks among the top-50 nationally in three 3-point categories, including 15th in attempts (235), 46th in 3-point field goals/game (2.75) and 49th in total 3-pointers (77).

MORE THAN JUST THE 3

• K-State has shown its offense is more than just the 3-pointer, as the team is averaging 31.6 points in the paint this season, including 29.1 points in Big 12 action. The Wildcats scored 50 or more points in the paint in back-to-back games vs. No. 12/11 Miami and Central Arkansas.
• K-State scored 56 points in the paint against the Hurricanes, which tied for the most in a single game in school history (stat kept since 2000-01), and the most since scoring 56 against South Dakota on Jan. 3, 2010.

CONVERTING FROM THE LINE

• K-State has taken advantage of its opportunities from the free throw line,
• averaging 15.6 makes per game while converting on 73.2 percent from the line. The Wildcats rank among top-80 in both makes (15.3/60th) and attempts (21.4/80th) per game, as the squad places second in the Big 12 in makes.
• One of the major factors in K-State’s wins and losses has been its ability to get to the free throw line while preventing their opponent from getting to the line. The Wildcats average 17.8 makes on 24 attempts in their 17 wins, while they average just 12.3 makes on 17.3 attempts in their 11 losses. In contrast, their opponents average 11.4 makes on 16.5 attempts in the wins compared to 16.5 makes on 24.0 attempts in the losses.

SUCCESS IN NON-CONFERENCE PLAY

• K-State has posted a 181-56 (.764) record in non-conference play since the 2006-07 season. During that span, the Wildcats have a 137-15 (.901) mark at home venues (includes games played at Bramlage Coliseum, INTRUST Bank Arena in Wichita and the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City) in non-conference play, including a 126-13 (.907) mark at Bramlage Coliseum.
• At 10-3, K-State earned double-digit wins in non-conference play for the second straight season and the 14th time in the last 19 seasons (since 2006-07). The 10 wins marked the second-most in that span in the last 6 seasons.