KANSAS STATE (14-15, 8-10 Big 12) at CINCINNATI (17-12, 7-11 Big 12)
Wednesday, March 5, 2025 >> 6 p.m., CT >> Fifth Third Arena (12,012) >> Cincinnati, Ohio
TELEVISION
ESPN+ (online link)Eric Rothman (play-by-play)
- Tim Welsh (analyst)
- Trevor Towle (producer)
RADIO
K-State Sports Network
Flagships: // KMAN 1350 & WIBW 580
Satellite Radio: Ch. 382
Online: Varsity Network [free] / www.kstatesports.com/watch [free]
- Wyatt Thompson (play-by-play)
- Stan Weber (analyst)
LIVE STATS
COACHES
K-State: Jerome Tang [Charter Oak State College ‘07]
Record at K-State: 59-40/3rd Year
Career Record: 61-40*/3rd Year+
vs. Cincinnati: 1-1 [0-1 on the road]
Cincinnati: Wes Miller [North Carolina ‘07]
Record at Cincinnati: 80-55/4th Year
Career Record: 265-190/14th Year
vs. K-State: 1-1 [1-0 at home]
LAST GAME STARTERS:
K-State (14-15)
G: #0 Dug McDaniel
G: #11 Brendan Hausen
G: #2 Max Jones
W: #1 David N’Guessan
C: #34 Ugonna Onyenso
Cincinnati (17-12)
G: #1 Day Day Thomas
G: #2 Jizzle James
G: #10 Josh Reed
F: #23 Dillon Mitchell
C: #55 Aziz Bandaogo
SERIES HISTORY
Overall: Cincinnati leads 8-2
Big 12 Era: Tied 1-1
In Cincinnati: Cincinnati leads 3-0
At Fifth Third Arena: Cincinnati leads 1-0
Active Streak: K-State, 1
Last Meeting: W, 70-67 [12/30/2024 in Manhattan]
Jerome Tang vs. Wes Miller: 1-1
K-STATE BEGINS FINAL WEEK AT CINCINNATI WEDNESDAY
K-State (14-15, 8-10 Big 12) hits the road for the final time in the regular season on Wednesday night, as the Wildcats travel to Cincinnati, Ohio to take on the Cincinnati Bearcats (17-12, 7-11 Big 12) at 6 p.m., CT on ESPN+. This is the last week of the regular season with K-State hosting No. 10/10 Iowa State (22-7, 12-6 Big 12) at 12:30 p.m., CT on Saturday on Senior Day.
K-State and Cincinnati will be meeting for the second time this season and the first time since a 70-67 win by the Wildcats in the Big 12 opener on Dec. 30. The Bearcats have dominated the series, winning 8 of the 10 all-time matchups, including a 74-72 win in the last meeting at home in 2024.
K-State snapped a 4-game losing streak in Sunday’s wire-to-wire 65-56 win over Colorado, using its defense to hold the Buffaloes to an opponent season-low 56 points while scoring 20 points off 15 turnovers. The Wildcats played without senior Coleman Hawkins for the third straight game while they were also missing sophomore reserve Mobi Ikegwuruka, who was injured against UCF. The team has used a bigger lineup with center Ugonna Onyenso earning the start in the last 2 games.
LAST TIME OUT
Senior David N’Guessan paced three Wildcats in double figures with a game-high 21 points in the 65-56 win over Colorado on Sunday. The Wildcats led by as many as 17 points less than 6 minutes into the second half before the Buffaloes closed to within 60-52 points with less than 3 minutes to play. A pair of N’Guessan free throws after a key offensive rebound held off any further comeback.
N’Guessan, who eclipsed 1,000 career points in the first half, scored his 21 points on 8-of-14 field goals and 5-of-6 free throws to go with a game-high 8 rebounds and 2 steals. It was his sixth career 20-point game, including his team-leading fifth of the season. He was joined in double figures by juniors Brendan Hausen (11 points) and Dug McDaniel (10 points).
KEY STORYLINES
- Newcomers have combined to score 1640 (78.1 percent) of the team’s 2099 points, accounting for 77 of 100 double-digit scoring games. Senior returner David N’Guessan has scored in double figures in a team-best 23 games (out of 29 games played) with five 20-point performances, but the next 6 highest scorers are newcomers, including 19 double-digit scoring efforts by junior Brendan Hausen and 17 by junior Dug McDaniel, 16 by senior Max Jones and 15 by senior Coleman Hawkins.
- N’Guessan, who earned Big 12 Player of the Week honors for the first time on Feb. 10, continues to lead the Wildcats in both scoring (13.0 ppg.) and rebounding (7.1 rpg.) while connecting on a Big 12-best 62.4 percent (153-of-245) from the field. He has scored in double figures in 13 of 18 Big 12 games with 4 double-doubles, including a 20-point, 13-rebound effort vs. Arizona State (2/23/25).
- McDaniel has continued his emergence in the last 12 games, as he is averaging 13.5 points, 6.1 assists, 2.8 rebounds and 1.8 steals with 10 double-digit scoring games, including three 20-point efforts against No. 3/3 Iowa State (2/1/25), No. 13/13 Arizona (2/11/25) and BYU (2/15/25).
A K-STATE WIN WOULD…
- Be the first back-to-back wins since Feb. 8 and 11.
- Snap a 3-game road losing streak.
- Snap a 3-game losing streak to Cincinnati on the road.
- Be the first vs. the Bearcats on the road.
- Be the 1,755th in program history, including 3rd vs. UC.
NOTES ON CINCINNATI
- Led by fourth-year head coach Wes Miller, Cincinnati is 17-12 on the season, including 7-11 in Big 12 play. The Bearcats has won 5 of their last 8 games, including 4 straight wins at home (BYU, Utah, TCU and Baylor). Two of their 3 losses have come on the road against top 10 foes Iowa State and Houston. Overall, UC is 12-4 at home this season, including 5-4 in Big 12 play.
- Cincinnati is averaging 71.3 points on 45.5 percent shooting, including 33.2 percent from 3-point range, while allowing 65.3 points on 42.5 percent shooting, including 32.2 percent from 3-point range. The Bearcats are among the national leaders in several categories, including 25th in scoring defense, 27th in turnovers/game (9.9) and 39th in turnover margin (2.7).
- Three players (Jizzle James, Simas Lukosius and Dillon Mitchell) are averaging in double figures led by James’ 12.8 points per game. He is hitting on 42.9 percent shooting, including 37 made 3-pointers, to go with a team-best 110 assists. Lukosius is averaging 11.1 points on 39.6 percent shooting to go with a team-best 59 made 3-pointers. Mitchell is averaging 10 points on 61.8 percent shooting with a team-best 6.5 rebounds per game. Day Day Thomas and Dan Skillings Jr. are averaging better than 9 points per game.
- Miller has a 265-190 record in his 14th season as a head coach, including an 80-55 mark in his fourth season at Cincinnati. He was the head coach at UNC Greensboro (2011-21) before becoming head coach of the Bearcats in 2021. He is 1-1 vs. K-State in his career, including 1-0 at home.
LAST GAME OUT
- Cincinnati saw its 2-game winning streak end in a 73-64 loss at No. 4/4 Houston on Saturday afternoon. Guards Day Day Thomas (19 points) and Jizzle James (18 points) combined for 37 points, as the Bearcats connected on 44.1 percent shooting while posting a 32-28 rebounding edge.
SERIES HISTORY
- Cincinnati leads the all-time series, 8-2, including 3-0 in games played (1963, 1968, 2024) at home. The Bearcats had won 7 straight in the series before the Wildcats’ 70-67 win on Dec. 30, 2024.