KANSAS STATE (5-10, 1-6 Big 12) vs. 14/15 WEST VIRGINIA (9-4, 2-3 Big 12)
Saturday, January 23, 2021 >> 3:05 p.m. CT >> Bramlage Coliseum (12,528) >> Manhattan, Kan.
TELEVISION
ESPN2 / WatchESPN
- Anish Shroff (play-by-play)
- Chris Spatola (analyst)
- Paul Ervin (producer)
TICKETS
Bramlage Coliseum will be open to approximately 15 percent capacity (1,879). There are no single-game tickets available.
SAFETY PRECAUTIONS
In accordance with City of Manhattan ordinance and Kansas State University policy, anyone entering Bramlage Coliseum must wear face coverings over their mouths and noses and continue wearing them inside the arena at all times.
COACHES
Kansas State: Bruce Weber (Wis.-Milwaukee ’78)
Overall: 479-275/23rd season
At K-State: 166-120/9th season
vs. West Virginia: 7-10 (5-3 at home)
West Virginia: Bob Huggins (West Virginia ‘77)
Overall: 890-376/39th season
Record at WVU: 300-165/14th season
vs. K-State: 11-7 (3-5 on the road)
PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP
Kansas State (5-10)
G: #5 Rudi Williams
G: #00 Mike McGuirl
G: #2 Selton Miguel
G: #3 DaJuan Gordon
F: #21 Davion Bradford
West Virginia (9-4)
G: #4 Miles McBride
G: #22 Sean McNeil
F: #11 Emmitt Matthews, Jr.
F: #2 Jalen Bridges
F: #1 Derek Culver
SERIES HISTORY
Overall: West Virginia leads 11-8
OPENING TIP
- Kansas State (5-10, 1-6 Big 12) returns home to Bramlage Coliseum on Saturday afternoon, as the Wildcats play host to No. 14/15 West Virginia (9-4, 2-3 Big 12) at 3 p.m., CT. K-State has won consecutive games against WVU at home, including an 84-68 upset of the No. 12/13 Mountaineers last season. Saturday’s game will air on ESPN2 with Anish Shroff (play-by-play) and Chris Spatola (analyst) on the call.
- K-State welcomes back former head coach Bob Huggins, who served as the top man in Manhattan for one season in 2006-07 before departing for his alma mater. He helped guide the Wildcats to their first 20-win season and the first postseason appearance in eight seasons, as his squad posted a 23-12 record and advanced to the second round of the NIT. Huggins, who was recently nominated for the Naismith Hall of Fame for the third time, ranks sixth all-time, including fourth among all active Division I head coaches, with 890 victories, including 300 at West Virginia.
- This will be the Wildcats’ fourth matchup against a Top 25 opponent, including the third against a Top 15 foe. The team dropped a 100-69 decision to No. 2/2 Baylor in their first Big 12 home game on Dec. 19 before road losses to No. 18 Texas Tech (82-71) and No. 4 Texas (82-67) earlier this month. K-State is 119-265 all-time vs. ranked opponents, which includes a 6-10 mark vs. the AP’s No. 14 ranked squad. Head coach Bruce Weber has a school-record 26 career wins against Top 25 foes.
- K-State is coming off its fifth consecutive loss in Tuesday night’s 76-50 setback at Oklahoma, as the Wildcats saw the Sooners grab the momentum with a 27-4 run over a near 11-minute span between the first and second halves. From the 5:19 mark of the first half to the 14:39 mark of the second half, the Sooners used the decisive run to flip a 5-point deficit (22-17) into an 18-point lead (44-26) that it would build to as many as 26. K-State could never get anything going offensively, posting season lows in 8 categories, including points (50), 3-pointers (3), free throws made (3) and attempted (6) and points off turnovers (6). Sophomore DaJuan Gordon (13) and freshman Selton Miguel (11) were the lone Wildcats to score in double figures.
- K-State, which has seen seven players miss a combined 46 games this season, continues to add players back to its active roster from various reasons. Sophomore big man Kaosi Ezeagu performed well in his return to the lineup at Oklahoma on Tuesday after missing 10 games due to injury, posting 7 points and 3 rebounds in 12 minutes. This came on the heels of getting back sophomore Antonio Gordon and freshman Luke Kasubke back against Texas on Jan. 16. Gordon grabbed a career-best 11 rebounds against the Sooners, while Kasubke scored his first career points.
- K-State has started 3 true freshmen (Davion Bradford, Selton Miguel and Nijel Pack) in 7 of 15 games, including 4 of 7 Big 12 games, while at least 2 true freshmen have started each of the last 10 games. The Wildcats are one of 6 teams (Kentucky, Duke, James Madison, North Carolina and Washington State) to start at least 3 true freshmen in at least one game, while the 33 combined starts by true freshmen rank second only to Kentucky’s 41.