Kansas State (8-19, 4-14 Big 12) will open play as the No. 9 seed in the 25th annual Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m., CT against No. 8 seed TCU (12-13, 5-11 Big 12) at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo.
The teams will meet for the fourth consecutive season in the Big 12 Championship with K-State winning each of the last three matchups, including a 53-49 victory in the first round last season.
Wednesday’s game will air on ESPN with Bob Wischusen (play-by-play), Fran Fraschilla (analyst) and Holly Rowe (reporter). The winner will face top-seed Baylor (21-1, 13-1 Big 12) in the quarterfinals on Thursday at 1:30 p.m. CT.
OPENING TIP
●K-State enters as the tournament’s No. 9 seed for the third time in program history and the first time since 2006. The Wildcats are 36-41 (.468) all-time in the Big Eight/12 Championship dating to its inception in 1977, including a 16-23 (.410) mark in the Big 12 era. The school is 0-2 as a No. 9 seed (2004, 2006) in the Big Eight/12 Championship, while it is 2-2 vs. the No. 8 seed (1977, 2004, 2006, 2019). The team is 3-1 all-time against the Horned Frogs at the Championship, including a 53-49 win in the first round last season. The two teams also met in 2015 (a 67-65 TCU win), 2018 (a 66-64 K-State overtime win) and 2019 (a 70-61 K-State win).
●The teams split their regular-season series with the Horned Frogs winning 67-60 in Manhattan on Jan. 2, while the Wildcats snapped an overall 13-game losing streak with a 62-54 win in Fort Worth on Feb. 20 to start their recent momentum.
●K-State finished the regular season on a high note by winning 3 of its last 4 games, including a 61-56 win over Iowa State on Saturday afternoon. The Wildcats continued their recent return to their defensive roots by holding the Cyclones to just 35.8 percent (19-of-53) shooting, including 21.7 percent (5-of-23) from 3-point range, and forcing 15 turnovers. The defensive effort made up for a poor shooting night, as the team hit on just 38 percent from the field, including 26.1 percent in the second half.
●Defense has played a pivotal role in the Wildcats’ recent success, as the team has held 4 of the last 5 opponents to under 60 points, including 54 by TCU, 57 by No. 7/8 Oklahoma and 56 by Iowa State in the last 3 wins. During this 5-game span, K-State is holding opponents to 58.2 points on 38.9 percent shooting, including 23.7 percent from 3-point range. The Wildcats have now held 102 opponents to 60 points or less during head coach Bruce Weber’s tenure, boasting a 92-10 (.902) record in those contests, including a 6-1 mark in 7 such games this season.
●Due to various issues this season, including injuries and COVID-related protocols, K-State has had to start 3 true freshmen (Davion Bradford, Selton Miguel and Nijel Pack) in 15 games, including 12 times in Big 12 play. The team has started at least 2 true freshmen in the last 21 games with Bradford starting 23 games, Pack 22 and Miguel 20. The Wildcats are one of 10 teams nationally to start at least 3 true freshmen in at least one game, while the 65 combined starts by true freshmen rank second nationally behind Kentucky’s 70 and just ahead of Washington State’s 61.
NOTES ON TCU (12-13, 5-11 Big 12)
●TCU (12-13, 5-11 Big 12) enters Wednesday’s game having lost 6 of its last 7 outings, including a 76-64 setback to No. 15/16 Texas at home to end the regular season on Sunday. The Horned Frogs connected on 47.1 percent from the field with junior R.J. Nembhard leading the way with 13 points.
●On the season, TCU is averaging 67.5 points on 44.0 percent shooting, including 34.3 percent from 3-point range, to go with 34.6 rebounds, 13.3 assists, 6.0 steals and 3.5 blocks per game, while allowing 71.2 points on 44.8 percent shooting, including 33.5 percent from 3-point range. The team is connecting on 67.6 percent from the free throw line.
●Two Horned Frogs (R.J. Nembhard and Mike Miles) are averaging in double figures, as Nembhard is fifth in scoring in Big 12 at 15.9 points on 40.1 percent shooting, including 34.9 percent from 3-point range, while adding averages of 4.3 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.0 steals in 34.8 minutes per game. Miles is averaging 13.8 points per game on 42 percent shooting, including 37 percent from 3-point range, to go with 3.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 32.8 minutes per game. Nembhard was named to the All-Big 12 Third Team, while Miles was an All-Freshman Team selection.
●TCU is led by fifth-year head coach Jamie Dixon, who has posted a 96-70 (.578) record, which includes an NCAA Tournament trip in 2018 and bids to the NIT in both 2017 and 2019. He is 424-193 (.687) in his 18th season as a head coach, which includes a stint at Pittsburgh (2003-16).
SERIES HISTORY
●K-State and TCU will meet for the 28th time in their histories with the Wildcats holding an 18-9 advantage in a series that dates to 1947. This will be the fifth meeting at the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship with K-State holding a 3-1 edge, including 3 straight wins, while this will be the second in the 8/9 matchup with TCU earning a 67-65 win in 2015.
●The team split their 2 regular-season meetings in 2021 with TCU posting a 67-60 win in Manhattan on Jan. 2, while K-State ended an overall 13-game losing streak with a 62-54 victory in Fort Worth on Feb. 20.
●Head coach Bruce Weber is 15-7 against TCU, including a 3-1 mark at the Big 12 Championship, while he is 8-6 against head coach Jamie Dixon.