GAME 22

KANSAS STATE (14-7, 4-4 Big 12) at OKLAHOMA STATE (9-12, 1-7 Big 12)

Saturday, February 3, 2024 >> 1:01 p.m. CT >> Gallagher-Iba Arena (13,611) >> Stillwater, Okla.

TELEVISION

Big 12 Now / WatchESPN (link here)

• Ted Emrich (play-by-play)
• Bryndon Manzer (analyst)
• Trevor Hayes (producer)

RADIO

K-State Sports Network

Flagships: // KMAN 1350 & WIBW 580

Satellite Radio: Ch. 385

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: 40-17/Second Year

Career Record: 42-17*/Second Year

1. Oklahoma State: 3-0 [1-0 on the road]

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

Record at Oklahoma State: 116-101/7th Year

Career Record: 116-101/7th Year

1. K-State: 5-8 [3-3 at home]

PROBABLE STARTERS

K-State (14-7, 4-4 Big 12)

G: #2 Tylor Perry

G: #5 Cam Carter

W: #24 Arthur Kaluma

W: #1 David N’Guessan

C: #15 Will McNair Jr.

Oklahoma State (9-12, 1-7 Big 12)

G: #1 Bryce Thompson

G: #12 Javon Small

G: #13 Connor Dow

G: #51 John-Michael Wright

C: #23 Brandon Garrison

SERIES HISTORY

Overall: K-State leads 86-58

Big 12 Era: Oklahoma State leads 23-20 [15-5 at home]

On the Road: Oklahoma State leads 36-28

At Gallagher-Iba Arena: Oklahoma State leads 33-26

Active Streak: K-State, 3

Last Meeting: W, 70-66 [1/20/2024 in Manhattan]

Jerome Tang vs. Mike Boynton Jr.: Tang leads 3-0

K-STATE TRAVELS TO OKLAHOMA STATE SATURDAY

Kansas State (14-7, 4-4 Big 12) opens the month of February with a trip to Stillwater, Okla., to take on Oklahoma State (9-12, 1-7 Big 12) at Gallagher-Iba Arena on Saturday at 1 p.m., CT on Big 12 Now. The Cowboys will be the first repeat Big 12 opponent in 2024, as the Wildcats scored 18 of the last 25 points to erase a 7-point deficit and earn a 70-66 win at home on Jan. 20. It was the last victory for K-State, as the team has lost 3 in a row – all vs. ranked opponents – to fall to .500 in Big 12 play after a 4-1 start. OSU snapped a 6-game losing streak with a 70-66 win over West Virginia on Jan. 27 before Tuesday’s loss at No. 8/9 Kansas.

K-State will be looking to sweep the season series from Oklahoma State for the second straight year. The Wildcats have not swept the series in back-to-back seasons since 2018 and 2019, while they are looking for just their sixth win in Gallagher-Iba Arena since the schools have played a double-round robin Big 12 schedule starting in 2011-12.

KEY STORYLINES

• K-State has lost 3 consecutive games for the first time in head coach Jerome Tang’s tenure, which have all come against ranked opponents (No. 23/18 Iowa State, No. 4/4 Houston and No. 23/24 Oklahoma). The 73-53 loss to the Sooners on Tuesday night was just the third under Tang at Bramlage Coliseum, including the second Big 12 home setback. Among the Wildcats’ 14 wins are 5 Quad 1/2 victories (Villanova, Providence, LSU, UCF and Baylor).
• The defense has carried K-State so far in Big 12 play, allowing 66.8 points on 38.3 percent (176-of-460) shooting, including 27.2 percent (49-of-180) from 3-point range, through 8 games. The Wildcats rank in the Big 12’s top-4 in several categories, including first in 3-point field goal percentage defense and second in field goal percentage defense and blocks (5.0 bpg.).
• K-State has also had a strong presence at the rim, racking up 96 blocked shots through the first 21 games, which is just 4 shy of the 100 posted in 2022-23.
• Despite the 3 consecutive losses, K-State has shown the ability to be clutch in close games, posting a 5-1 mark in games decided by 4 points or less this season after wins over No. 9/9 Baylor and Oklahoma State. The Wildcats are also 10-0 under Tang in overtime games, including 5-0 this season (Providence, ORU, North Alabama, Villanova and Baylor).
• The Wildcats have a strong scoring trio of junior Cam Carter (15.8 ppg.), junior Arthur Kaluma (14.5 ppg.) and senior Tylor Perry (14.4 ppg.), who are responsible for 62 percent of the team’s scoring (44.7 out of 72.0 ppg.). K-State is the only Big 12 member to have 3 players rank in the league’s top-15 in scoring, as Carter ranks seventh, Kaluma 11th and Perry 12th. The trio have continued that scoring in Big 12 play, averaging a combined 41.3 points per game.
• Turnovers continue to be a challenge for the Wildcats, as they rank 335th nationally and last in the Big 12 with 14.9 turnovers/game. During the team’s 3-game skid, they have averaged 16.3 turnovers/game while yielding 20.3 points/game off those miscues.

A K-STATE WIN WOULD…

• Snap a 3-game losing streak.
• Be the 4 in a row in the series vs. Oklahoma State.
• Be the 27th at Gallagher-Iba Arena (29th in Stillwater).
• Even its road record to 3-3 on the season.
• Be the 1,736th in the program history, including 87th vs. OSU.

NOTES ON OKLAHOMA STATE (9-12, 1-7 Big 12)

• Under seventh-year head coach Mike Boynton Jr., Oklahoma State is off to a 9-12 start, including a 1-7 mark in Big 12 play. The Cowboys lost their first 6 league games before snapping the skid with a 70-66 win over West Virginia at home on Jan. 27. OSU is 8-5 at home this season, including 1-3 in Big 12 play.
• Oklahoma State is averaging 71 points on 43.9 percent shooting, including 34.9 percent from 3-point range, with 35.1 rebounds, 14.3 assists, 6.3 steals and 2.7 blocks per game, while allowing 70.1 points on 45 percent shooting, including 33.9 percent from 3-point range. They rank in the top-50 nationally in 3-pointers per game (43rd/9.0), including second in the Big 12. The Cowboys are connecting on 67.1 percent from the free throw line.
• Two Cowboys are averaging in double figures led by junior Javon Small, who is averaging 13.7 points on 41.7 percent shooting, including 39.4 percent from 3-point range, to go with a team-best 4.7 assists and 5.2 rebounds per game. He is one of 4 players with 30 or more 3-pointers with a team-best 43 triples. Senior Bryce Thompson is averaging 13.7 points on 41.7 percent shooting, including 34.4 percent from 3-point range. Freshman Brandon Garrison leads the team in rebounding (5.6 rpg.) and blocked shots (1.5 bpg.) to go with 7.0 points per game. Garrison is one of 4 players averaging better than 5 rebounds per game.
• Oklahoma State was picked 10th in the Big 12 preseason coaches’ poll. The Cowboys posted a 20-16 record, including an 8-10 mark in Big 12 play, and advanced to the quarterfinals of the NIT in 2022-23.
• Oklahoma State is led by Boynton, who has a 116-101 overall record. He is 5-8 all-time vs. K-State, including 3-3 at home.

SERIES HISTORY

• K-State holds an 86-58 lead in the all-time series which dates all the way back to 1922 and includes a 28-36 mark in Stillwater. Oklahoma State has a 23-20 advantage in the Big 12 era, including 23-17 in the regular season.
• The Wildcats have won 4 of the last 5 meetings with the Cowboys, including victory at Gallagher-Iba Arena in 2023. OSU had won 4 straight in 2020 and 2021 before the current streak.

LAST 10 MEETINGS [5-5]

LAST MEETING:

K-STATE 70, OKLAHOMA STATE 66 [Jan. 20, 2024]

• Junior Cam Carter scored the last 4 points, including the game-winning layup with 24 seconds, as K-State used another second-half rally to knock off Oklahoma State, 70-66, on Jan. 20 before 10,247 fans at Bramlage Coliseum.
• K-State trailed Oklahoma State for nearly 24 minutes, including 16 in the second half, before getting clutch plays from a variety of players down the stretch to pull out a victory. The Wildcats are now 5-1 on the season in games decided by 4 points or less.

LAST MEETING IN STILLWATER:

14/16 K-STATE 73, OKLAHOMA STATE 68 [Feb. 25, 2023]

• Consecutive 3-point field goals by senior Keyontae Johnson and junior Ish Massoud late in the second half gave No. 14/16 K-State the lift it needed in a tight contest, as the Wildcats swept the season series from
• Oklahoma State with a 73-68 win in the last meeting between the schools at Gallagher-Iba Arena on Feb. 25, 2023.

LAST TIME OUT:

23/24 OKLAHOMA 73, K-STATE 53

• On a night when it struggled offensively, K-State fought back from a 16-point halftime deficit to close to within single digits of No. 23/24 Oklahoma in the second half before falling 73-53 before 9,955 fans at Bramlage Coliseum.
• Behind the play of senior Tylor Perry, K-State (14-7, 4-4 Big 12) trimmed the double-digit deficit to 51-44 with 8:28 to play, as Perry was responsible for 13 of the Wildcats’ first 20 points of the second half. However, the home team could not get any closer, as Oklahoma (16-5, 4-4 Big 12) used a 12-1 run over the next 4:35 to prevent any further comeback en route to snapping a 2-game skid.
• Perry was the lone Wildcat to register double figures, finishing the night with a game-tying 23 points on 7-of-16 field goals, including 3-of-10 from 3-point range, and 6-of-8 free throws in nearly 40 minutes. It was his 25th career 20-point game, including the sixth this season. Senior David N’Guessan narrowly missed double figures with 9 points on 4-of-6 shooting.
• K-State could never get going offensively, as the Wildcats missed their first 11 field goal attempts and did not score until a free throw by N’Guessan with 11:48 remaining in the first half. N’Guessan broke the field goal drought with a turnaround jumper at the 10:30 mark.
• The Wildcats fell behind by as many as 17 points (28-11) in the first half before cutting the deficit to 12 with 1:17 before halftime on a pair of free throws by redshirt freshman Dorian Finister. The Sooners scored the final 4 points to take a 35-19 advantage at the break.
• The lead stood at 16 points with 18:14 to play before a Perry 3-pointer started a run of 20 of the next 31 points for K-State that cut the deficit to 51-44 with just over 8 to play. However, Oklahoma answered back with 12 of the next 13 to push back ahead by double digits and were never threatened again.
• K-State connected on just 30.2 percent (16-of-53) of its field goals, including 14.3 percent (4-of-28) from 3-point range, in seeing its losing streak hit 3 games. It was the second-lowest field goal percentage of the season (26.7 vs. Nebraska), while the 16 made field goals tied for the season-low.
• Oklahoma hit on 42.6 percent (23-of-54) from the field, including 50 percent (13-of-26) in the first half in building a 16-point lead. The Sooners took advantage of 14 Wildcat turnovers, turning those into 19 points, while 40 of their 73 points came in the paint.  They also made 24 of 39 free throw attempts.
• Four Sooners scored in double figures, including a pair of 20-point scorers in junior transfers Jalon Moore and Javian McCollum, who had 21 points each.
• Oklahoma wins the last game in the series as conference opponents, as the schools will not meet again in the regular season. The Sooners now lead the series, 114-104, including 22-19 in the Big 12 era.

POSTGAME NEWS & NOTES

• Five of the Wildcats’ 7 losses have been to Top 25 teams, falling to 1-5.
• The loss was just the third at home under head coach Jerome Tang.
• The 16 made field goals tied for a season-low and lowest under Tang.
• K-State turned the ball over 14 times, leading to 19 points by Oklahoma.
• K-State lost the rebounding battle, 39-35, including 12 offensive rebounds by Oklahoma that led to 12 second-chance points.
• Oklahoma held advantages in points off turnovers (19-7), points in the paint (40-18), second-chance points (12-8), fast-break points (14-5) and bench points (12-10).

BETTER DEFENSIVE EFFORT

• After allowing 75 points or more 4 times in the first 9 games, K-State has made strides on the defensive end during Big 12 play, allowing 66.8 points on 38.3 percent (176-of-460) shooting, including 27.2 percent (49-of-180) from 3-point range. The Wildcats didn’t allow 70 points in the first 5 Big 12 games in starting 4-1 before allowing 70 or more in the last 3 losses.
• Through 8 Big 12 games, K-State ranks among the top-4 in 4 defensive categories, including first in 3-point field goal percentage defense (27.2), second in field goal percentage defense (38.3) and blocked shots (5.0 bpg.) and fourth in scoring defense (66.75).
• 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 sixth in the Big 12 and 92nd nationally in rebounds/game (37.81), including seventh in the league and 67th nationally in offensive rebounds/game (12.19).
• K-State has out-rebounded its opponents 12 times in 21 games, while posting a +2.9 rebounding margin, which ranks 109th nationally.
• K-State has grabbed 40 or more rebounds in 7 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.

CONVERTING FROM THE LINE

• K-State has taken advantage of its opportunities from the free throw line,
• averaging 15.3 makes per game while converting on 72.6 percent from the line. The Wildcats rank among top-105 nationally in both makes (15.3) and attempts (21.0) per game, as the squad places fifth in the Big 12 in both categories.
• K-State has converted on 20 or more free throw attempts in 3 games (all wins), including a 23-of-27 effort vs. Providence (11/17/23), a historic 34-of-48 performance vs. North Alabama (12/2/23) and a 23-of-29 effort vs. Wichita State (12/21/23). The 34 makes vs. UNA were the most in a game since hitting 36 vs. South Dakota on Nov. 20, 2015, while the 48 attempts were the most since also attempting 48 vs. Southern Utah on Nov. 14, 2014.

OVERTIME SUCCESS

• K-State moved to 10-0 in overtime games, including 5-0 this season, under head coach Jerome Tang after Tuesday’s dramatic come-from-behind 68-64 victory over No. 9/9 Baylor. The Wildcats scored the last 9 points in the overtime period, including the game-clinching 4-point play from junior Arthur Kaluma with 20 seconds left, to earn the victory. This came after the squad rallied from a 6-point deficit with 1:53 to play to force the extra period.
• K-State has outscored its opponents, 65-46, in the overtime period, as the Wildcats have connected on 62.1 percent (18-of-29) from the field, including 50 percent (5-of-10) from 3-point range, and 82.8 percent (24-of-29) from the line.
• K-State’s 5 overtime wins this season tie the school record for the second consecutive season and the third time overall (1992-93 and 2022-23). The 5 overtimes also tie for the most in a single season. The 3 consecutive overtime games (Oral Roberts, North Alabama and Villanova) earlier this year marked the first such occurrence since winning 3 straight overtime games in Feb. 3-15, 1964.
• Tang is the first head coach in school history to win his first 10 overtime games, surpassing Dana Altman (1990-94), who was a perfect 7-0 in overtime games in his tenure. The 10 total overtime wins are the third-most by a head coach, trailing Tex Winter (15) and Jack Hartman (14).

OFFENSE CREATING MORE 3-POINTERS

• K-State is on pace to break the single-season mark for 3-point attempts for the second time in 3 seasons, as the Wildcats have already attempted 507 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 24.1 attempts per game, which ranks third in the Big 12.
• K-State has connected on 156 3-pointers, which are the second-most through the first 21 games. Four times the Wildcats have recorded double-digit 3-point makes, including a season-high 14 triples in the win over South Dakota State (11/13/23). Those 14 makes tied for the fifth-most in school history and were the most since hitting 16 at Oklahoma State on Feb. 2, 2019.
• Senior Tylor Perry is among the top 3-point shooters, as he ranks among the top-100 nationally in three 3-point categories, including 13th in attempts (175), 83rd in total 3-pointers (54) and 87th in 3-point field goals/game (2.57).

MORE THAN JUST THE 3

• K-State has shown its offense is more than just the 3-pointer, as the team is averaging 32.3 points in the paint this season, including 28.6 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.

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.