K-State, OSU Tangle on Saturday Afternoon on ESPNU

GAME 26

KANSAS STATE (14-11, 6-7 Big 12) at OKLAHOMA STATE (12-13, 5-8 Big 12)

Saturday, February 19, 2022 > 1:05 p.m. CT >> Gallagher-Iba Arena (13,611) >> Stillwater, Okla.

TELEVISION

ESPNU / ESPN App (Link)

Ted Emrich (play-by-play)
King McClure (analyst)
David Ashbrock (producer)

RADIO

K-State Sports Network

Flagships: // KMAN 1350 & WIBW 580

Satellite Radio: XM 389

Online: Varsity Network [free] / SXM 979 / www.kstatesports.com/watch [free]

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

LIVE STATS

www.kstatesports.com

okstate.statbroadcast.com

TICKETS

tickets.okstate.com

(800) 221.CATS

Single Game: $10, $15

COACHES

Kansas State: Bruce Weber [Wisconsin-Milwaukee ‘78]

Record at K-State: 184-141/10th Year

Career Record: 497-296/24th Year

Oklahoma State: 12-9 [3-6 on the road]

Oklahoma State: Mike Boynton, Jr. [South Carolina ‘03]

Record at Oklahoma State: 84-71/5th Year

Career Record: 84-71/5th Year

K-State: 4-5 [2-2 at home]

SERIES HISTORY

Overall: K-State leads 83-57

Big 12 era: Oklahoma State leads 22-17 [22-14 in regular season]

Current Streak: K-State, 1

In Stillwater: Oklahoma State leads 35-27

At Gallagher-Iba Arena: Oklahoma State leads 32-25 [14-4 in Big 12 era]

Last Meeting: W, 71-68 [2/2/22 in Manhattan, Kan.]

Weber vs. Boynton, Jr.: 5-4 [2-2 on the road]

PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP

Kansas State (14-11, 6-7 Big 12)

G: #00 Mike McGuirl

G: #1 Markquis Nowell

G: #13 Mark Smith

G: #24 Nijel Pack

C: #21 Davion Bradford

Oklahoma State (12-13, 5-8 Big 12)

G: #00 Avery Anderson III

G: #1 Bryce Thompson

G: #13 Isaac Likekele

F: #23 Tyreek Smith

C: #33 Moussa Cisse

K-STATE TRAVELS TO OKLAHOMA STATE ON SATURDAY

Kansas State (14-11, 6-7 Big 12) begins a 2-game road trip this Saturday, as the Wildcats travel to Stillwater, Okla., to take on Oklahoma State (12-13, 5-8 Big 12) at 1 p.m., CT on ESPNU. K-State won the first meeting in dramatic fashion, as sophomore Nijel Pack hit the game-winning 3-pointer with 2.2 seconds for a 71-68 win at home on Feb. 2.
The win against the Cowboys on Feb. 2 started the recent surge by the Wildcats, as they have won 4 of their last 5 games, including consecutive wins against Iowa State and West Virginia in Big 12 play for the third time this season. After starting in an 0-4 hole, the team has won 6 of their last 9 vs. league competition (losses to Kansas and Baylor (twice).
The biggest factor in K-State’s improved play in the last 5 games has been its diversity in scoring, as 4 Wildcats scored in double figures in 3 of the 4 wins, including the back-to-back victories at Iowa State and at home to West Virginia.

OPENING TIP

K-State rallied from a double-digit second-half deficit for the second straight game on Monday night, as the Wildcats overcame a 10-point deficit with 16:12 to play to split the season series with West Virginia with a 78-73 victory at home. The team scored 11 straight points, starting at the 15:51 mark, during a larger 18-2 run that changed the momentum. A layup by junior Markquis Nowell with at the 10:35 mark gave the Wildcats the lead for good, as they held off a late Mountaineer rally with solid defense and an impressive effort from the free throw line in the final minutes. For the game, the team converted on 31-of-39 attempts from the line, as the 31 makes were the most in a game since 2015.
Nowell led 4 Wildcats in double figures against West Virginia with 21 points on 7-of-11 field goals, including 4-of-6 from 3-point range, while fifth-year Mark Smith grabbed his Big 12-leading seventh double-double of the season. K-State is now 6-1 this season when at least 4 players score in double figures.
The win against West Virginia marked the second straight game that K-State rallied from a double-digit deficit in the second half. The Wildcats came back from a 15-point deficit in the 75-69 overtime win at Iowa State on Saturday on the strength of an 18-4 run in regulation. The 15-point deficit overcome to win is the second-largest in a road conference game and the most-ever in the Big 12 era. Overall, it is the ninth-largest in school history and the largest since 2019.
The West Virginia win was yet another thriller for K-State, as the Wildcats have played 9 games decided by 5 points or less. Four of the team’s 7 Big 12 losses have been by one possession, including 2 points to Oklahoma (69-71) and 3 points to West Virginia (68-71), TCU (57-60) and Kansas (75-78). The team has led or been tied in the second half in 5 of the 7 conference losses.
Health has been a big storyline for the Wildcats, as 12 of the 16 players listed on the roster have combined to miss 87 games. Smith is the only player to start in all 25 games, as injuries and COVID-19 protocols have forced head coach Bruce Weber to use 10 different starting lineups. Sophomore Selton Miguel came off the bench for the second straight game on Monday against West Virginia after missing the previous 4 games with an ankle injury, marking just the fifth time that all 10 scholarship players have been available this season.
Although he didn’t lead the team in scoring for the first time this month, sophomore Nijel Pack still registered double figures for the 16th consecutive game vs. West Virginia with 13 points to go along with his game-high 5 assists and 6 rebounds. He still leads the Big 12 in 3-point field goals/game (3.26) and 3-point field goal percentage (43.6), while he is third in scoring (17.5 ppg.).
The transfer trio of Smith, Nowell and Ish Massoud continue to play a major role. The trio have been responsible for 44 percent of the team’s scoring (746), 42 percent of the rebounding (360) and 52 percent of the assists (167) this season.
K-State’s success on offense has hinged on effective 3-point shooting and limiting turnovers. The Wildcats rank second in 3-point makes/game (8.04) and third in 3-point percentage (34.0), while they have the fewest turnovers (285). In Big 12 play, the team leads in 3-pointers (8.08) and fewest turnovers (145).

NOTES ON OKLAHOMA STATE

Oklahoma State (12-13, 5-8 Big 12) enters Saturday’s contest having won twice in the last 8 games, including a 76-62 loss at No. 6/6 Kansas on Monday night at Allen Fieldhouse. The Cowboys are 8-5 at home this season, including 4-2 in Big 12 games with back-to-back wins over Oklahoma and West Virginia.
The Cowboys are averaging 69.5 points per game on 43.8 percent shooting, including 29.7 percent from 3-point range, while allowing opponents to average 66.9 points on 39.9 percent shooting, including 32.6 percent from long range. The team is among the best in a number of categories nationally, including 16th in steals per game (9.2 spg.), 19th in blocks per game (5.2), 21st in turnovers forced (16.56) and 27th in field goal percentage defense.
OSU has 7 players averaging 6 or more points, including a pair of double-digit scorers in Avery Anderson III (11.4 ppg.) and Bryce Williams (10.4 ppg.). Anderson also has a team-best 46 steals. Keylan Boone has a team-high 35 made 3-pointers. Veteran Isaac Likekele paces the Cowboys in assists (3.6 apg.), while averaging 7.4 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. Moussa Cisse is tops in rebounding (5.9 rpg.) and is the Big 12 leader in blocks (1.58 bpg.).
Oklahoma State is led by fifth-year head coach Mike Boynton, Jr., who has posted an 84-71 overall record, including a trip to NCAA Tournament in 2021.

SERIES HISTORY

K-State and Oklahoma State will meet for the 141st time on Wednesday with the Wildcats leading 83-57 in a series that dates back to 1922. OSU leads 22-17 in the Big 12 era, including a 14-4 advantage in games played in Stillwater.
K-State snapped a 4-game losing streak in the series with its 71-68 victory at home on Feb. 2. Last season, OSU posted a 70-54 victory on Jan. 9 at Bramlage Coliseum before a 67-60 win at home on Feb. 13.
Head coach Bruce Weber is 12-9 all-time against OSU, including a 3-6 record on the road, while he is 5-4 vs. head coach Mike Boynton, Jr. Boynton, Jr., is 4-5 all-time against K-State, including 2-2 at Gallagher-Iba Arena.

LAST TIME OUT:

K-STATE 78, WEST VIRGINIA 73

K-State rallied from a double-digit second-half deficit for the second straight game, as the Wildcats scored 11 straight points during a larger 18-2 run to flip the momentum en route to a 78-73 win over West Virginia on Monday night before a crowd of 5,401 fans at Bramlage Coliseum.
K-State made yet another improbable comeback by getting multiple players involved, as junior Markquis Nowell led four players in double figures with 21 points on 7-of-11 field goals, including 4-of-6 from long range, as the Wildcats moved to 6-1 this season when at least four players score in double figures.
Nowell was joined in double figures by fifth-year senior Mark Smith, who collected his Big 12-leading seventh double-double of the season with 17 points and 10 rebounds, and sophomores Ish Massoud and Nijel Pack, who each finished with 13 points. Pack had a game-high 5 assists and 6 rebounds.
K-State, which won for the fourth time in 5 games in February, earned its second victory in 3 days when trailing by double figures in the second half, as West Virginia led 54-44 with 16:12 to play after a 3-pointer by Isaiah Cottrell.
Massoud started the string of 11 consecutive points with a layup at the 15:51 mark that was followed by a pair of free throws by Smith, a layup by Pack and two more throws from Smith before a 1-of-2 effort from the line from Selton Miguel gave the Wildcats their first lead at 55-54 with 11:26 remaining.
Senior Taz Sherman briefly gave the Mountaineers the lead again at 56-55 after a pair of free throws at the 11:13 mark, but the Wildcats responded with 7 straight to cap the 18-2 run and forced coach Bob Huggins to call a timeout with 7:55 to play. Nowell had 5 of the 7 points in the stretch.
The lead twice grew to as many as 9 points, including 71-62 after a Massoud free throw at the 4:35 mark, but WVU used an 11-3 run to close the deficit to 74-73 on a Sherman jumper with 2:28 remaining. However, on the next possession, Massoud drew a foul on a 3-point attempt and calmly knocked down all 3 free throws to push the lead back out to 77-73 with 2:02 to play.
In a physical game in which 44 personal fouls were called, the Wildcats took advantage of their opportunities from the free throw line, converting on 31-of-39 attempts, including 12-of-13 in the first half. The 31 free throws were the most in game since making 36 against South Dakota on Nov. 10, 2015.

MISSED GAMES

Almost seems like the plot from the movie Groundhog Day, as K-State has once again had to deal with a mixture of injuries, COVID-19 protocols and inexperience in 2021-22. A year after playing with similar issues, the Wildcats have seen 12 of the 16 players listed on the roster combine to miss 87 games this season, while fifth-year senior Mark Smith is the only player to start all 25 games with 10 different starting lineups.
The Wildcats, which started the season with 12 scholarship players, lost 2 (sophomore Seryee Lewis and freshman Maximus Edwards) of those players in the preseason due to season-ending injuries.
Of those 10 available scholarship players, there has only been 5 games (Texas Tech, Texas and Kansas, Iowa State and West Virginia) of which all were healthy and active.
Only 3 Wildcats (Smith, Ish Massoud and Luke Kasubke) have seen action in all 25 games this season.
In addition, head coach Bruce Weber missed 11 days of practice, including games vs. Texas and West Virginia.

SCHOLARSHIP PLAYERS MISSING GAMES IN 2021-22 [76]