# 2018–19 Kansas State Wildcats men's basketball team

The 2018–19 Kansas State Wildcats men's basketball team represented Kansas State University in the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Their head coach was Bruce Weber in his seventh year at the helm of the Wildcats. The team played its home games in Bramlage Coliseum in Manhattan, Kansas as members of the Big 12 Conference. They finished the season 25-9, to finish in first place. In the Big 12 tournament, they defeated TCU in the quarterfinals before losing to Iowa State in the semifinals. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament where they were upset by UC Irvine in the First Round.

## Previous season

The Wildcats finished the 2017–18 season 25–12, 10–8 in Big 12 play to finish in fourth place. They defeated TCU in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 tournament before losing to Kansas in the semifinals. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 9 seed in the South region. There they defeated Creighton, UMBC, and Kentucky to advance to the Elite Eight. In the Elite Eight, they lost to Loyola–Chicago.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
| Mawdo Sallah | 1 | F | 6'9" | 235 | RS Junior | Latri Kunda, Gambia | Transferred to Radford |
| Brian Patrick | 11 | G | 6'5" | 195 | RS Sophomore | Fort Lauderdale, FL | Transferred to Purdue Fort Wayne |
| Mason Schoen | 12 | G | 6'2" | 185 | RS Senior | Overland Park, KS | Graduated |
| Amaad Wainwright | 23 | G | 6'2" | 200 | Junior | Kansas City, MO | Transferred |
| Kade Kinnamon | 40 | G | 6'0" | 175 | Junior | St. John, KS | Granduated |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
| Austin Trice | 23 | PF | 6'7" | 230 | Junior | Chicago, IL | Wabash Valley College. |

### 2018 recruiting class

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Shaun Williams PG | St. Louis, MO | Hazelwood Central High School | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | Aug 4, 2017 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: N/A ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: Not Ranked Top 20 Rivals: Not Ranked Top 25 ESPN: Not Ranked Top 25 ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2018 Kansas State Basketball Commits". Rivals.com. Retrieved June 13, 2018. "2018 Kansas State Basketball Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved June 13, 2018. "2018 Kansas State Basketball Commits". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 13, 2018. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved June 13, 2018. "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved June 13, 2018. ||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| November 2, 2018* 7:00 pm, FSKC | No. 12 | Pittsburg State | W 79–39 | | 14 – Tied | 12 – Trice | 6 – Stokes | Bramlage Coliseum (8,652) Manhattan, KS |
| Regular season |||||||||
| November 9, 2018* 7:00 pm, FSKC | No. 12 | Kennesaw State Paradise Jam opening round | W 56–41 | 1–0 | 15 – Tied | 12 – Trice | 5 – Stokes | Bramlage Coliseum (11,021) Manhattan, KS |
| November 12, 2018* 8:00 pm, FSKC | No. 12 | Denver | W 64–56 | 2–0 | 25 – Brown | 16 – Wade | 4 – Wade | Bramlage Coliseum (9,412) Manhattan, KS |
| November 16, 2018* 6:50 pm, FloSports | No. 12 | vs. Eastern Kentucky Paradise Jam quarterfinals | W 95–68 | 3–0 | 16 – Sneed | 10 – Trice | 5 – Stokes | Sports and Fitness Center (2,162) St. Thomas, VI |
| November 18, 2018* 6:55 pm, FloSports | No. 12 | vs. Penn Paradise Jam semifinals | W 64–48 | 4–0 | 17 – Wade | 8 – Tied | 4 – Wade | Sports and Fitness Center (2,460) St. Thomas, VI |
| November 19, 2018* 6:30 pm, FloSports | No. 12 | vs. Missouri Paradise Jam final | W 82–67 | 5–0 | 21 – Wade | 6 – Tied | 6 – Brown | Sports and Fitness Center (2,274) St. Thomas, VI |
| November 24, 2018* 3:30 pm, FSKC | No. 12 | Lehigh | W 77–58 | 6–0 | 18 – Wade | 9 – Mawien | 5 – Tied | Bramlage Coliseum (8,578) Manhattan, KS |
| December 1, 2018* 1:30 pm, FS1 | No. 12 | at Marquette | L 71–83 | 6–1 | 12 – Tied | 4 – Tied | 3 – Stokes | Fiserv Forum (15,517) Milwaukee, WI |
| December 8, 2018* 3:30 pm, CBSSN | No. 16 | at Tulsa | L 46–47 | 6–2 | 13 – Sneed | 10 – Sneed | 4 – Stokes | Reynolds Center (5,719) Tulsa, OK |
| December 15, 2018* 7:00 pm, FSKC | No. 25-T | Georgia State | W 71–59 | 7-2 | 21 – Brown | 9 – Wade | 6 – Sneed | Bramlage Coliseum (9,563) Manhattan, KS |
| December 19, 2018* 7:00 pm, FSKC | | Southern Miss | W 55–51 | 8–2 | 18 – Stokes | 14 – Sneed | 3 – Tied | Bramlage Coliseum (8,815) Manhattan, KS |
| December 22, 2018* 6:00 pm, ESPN2 | | vs. Vanderbilt Wildcat Showcase | W 69–58 | 9–2 | 15 – Mawien | 9 – Sneed | 5 – Stokes | Sprint Center (14,062) Kansas City, MO |
| December 29, 2018* 7:00 pm, FSKC | | George Mason | W 59–58 | 10–2 | 20 – Stokes | 9 – Sneed | 7 – Brown | Bramlage Coliseum (9,973) Manhattan, KS |
| January 2, 2019 8:00 pm, ESPNU | | Texas | L 47–67 | 10–3 (0–1) | 13 – Mawien | 5 – Tied | 5 – Brown | Bramlage Coliseum (10,137) Manhattan, KS |
| January 5, 2019 1:00 pm, ESPNU | | at No. 11 Texas Tech | L 57–63 | 10–4 (0–2) | 16 – Brown | 11 – Maiwen | 2 – Tied | United Supermarkets Arena (15,098) Lubbock, TX |
| January 9, 2019 6:00 pm, ESPNU | | West Virginia | W 71–69 | 11–4 (1–2) | 29 – Brown | 6 – Sneed | 6 – Stokes | Bramlage Coliseum (9,590) Manhattan, KS |
| January 12, 2019 11:00 am, ESPN2 | | at No. 20 Iowa State | W 58–57 | 12–4 (2–2) | 23 – Brown | 9 – Wade | 4 – Tied | Hilton Coliseum (14,384) Ames, IA |
| January 16, 2019 6:00 pm, ESPN2 | | at No. 20 Oklahoma | W 74–61 | 13–4 (3–2) | 25 – Brown | 7 – Mawien | 5 – Brown | Lloyd Noble Center (7,597) Norman, OK |
| January 19, 2019 3:00 pm, ESPN2 | | TCU | W 65–55 | 14–4 (4–2) | 18 – Sneed | 5 – Brown | 6 – Wade | Bramlage Coliseum (9,809) Manhattan, KS |
| January 22, 2019 6:00 pm, ESPN2 | | No. 14-T Texas Tech | W 58–45 | 15–4 (5–2) | 15 – Brown | 7 – Brown | 3 – Stokes | Bramlage Coliseum (11,134) Manhattan, KS |
| January 26, 2019* 1:00 pm, ESPN | | at Texas A&M Big 12/SEC Challenge | L 53–65 | 15–5 | 17 – Wade | 7 – Tied | 6 – Stokes | Reed Arena (7,100) College Station, TX |
| February 2, 2019 5:00 pm, ESPNU | | at Oklahoma State | W 75–57 | 16–5 (6–2) | 24 – Wade | 6 – Wade | 3 – Tied | Gallagher-Iba Arena (8,457) Stillwater, OK |
| February 5, 2019 8:00 pm, ESPN | | No. 13 Kansas Sunflower Showdown | W 74–67 | 17–5 (7–2) | 18 – Brown | 9 – Wade | 5 – Tied | Bramlage Coliseum (12,528) Manhattan, KS |
| February 9, 2019 5:00 pm, ESPN2 | | at Baylor | W 70–63 | 18–5 (8–2) | 20 – Stokes | 7 – Tied | 6 – Brown | Ferrell Center (8,466) Waco, TX |
| February 12, 2019 8:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 18 | at Texas | W 71–64 | 19–5 (9–2) | 16 – Tied | 8 – Sneed | 6 – Wade | Frank Erwin Center (9,418) Austin, TX |
| February 16, 2019 3:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 18 | No. 23 Iowa State | L 64–78 | 19–6 (9–3) | 23 – Brown | 7 – Mawien | 3 – Tied | Bramlage Coliseum (12,528) Manhattan, KS |
| February 18, 2019 8:00 pm, ESPN | No. 23 | at West Virginia | W 65–51 | 20–6 (10–3) | 21 – Brown | 7 – Tied | 4 – Brown | WVU Coliseum (9,266) Morgantown, WV |
| February 23, 2019 3:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 23 | Oklahoma State | W 85–46 | 21–6 (11–3) | 12 – Tied | 7 – Brown | 6 – Neal-Williams | Bramlage Coliseum (10,699) Manhattan, KS |
| February 25, 2019 8:00 pm, ESPN | No. 16 | at No. 15 Kansas Sunflower Showdown | L 49–64 | 21–7 (11–4) | 12 – Stokes | 5 – Tied | 4 – Stokes | Allen Fieldhouse (16,300) Lawrence, KS |
| March 2, 2019 7:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 16 | Baylor | W 66–60 | 22–7 (12–4) | 20 – Wade | 7 – Brown | 5 – Stokes | Bramlage Coliseum (9,855) Manhattan, KS |
| March 4, 2019 8:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 18 | at TCU | W 64–52 | 23–7 (13–4) | 16 – Brown | 6 – Tied | 5 – Wade | Schollmaier Arena (6,258) Fort Worth, TX |
| March 9, 2019 5:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 18 | Oklahoma | W 68–53 | 24–7 (14–4) | 19 – Stokes | 7 – Tied | 6 – Stokes | Bramlage Coliseum (12,528) Manhattan, KS |
| Big 12 Tournament |||||||||
| March 14, 2019 1:30 pm, ESPN2 | (1) No. 15 | vs. (8) TCU Quarterfinals | W 70–61 | 25–7 | 19 – Sneed | 8 – Mawien | 6 – Brown | Sprint Center (18,930) Kansas City, MO |
| March 15, 2019 6:00 pm, ESPN2 | (1) No. 15 | vs. (5) Iowa State Semifinals | L 59–63 | 25–8 | 15 – Diarra | 7 – Tied | 3 – Brown | Sprint Center (19,066) Kansas City, MO |
| NCAA Tournament |||||||||
| March 22, 2019* 1:00 pm, TBS | (4 S) No. 18 | vs. (13 S) UC Irvine First Round | L 64–70 | 25–9 | 18 – Stokes | 12 – Mawien | 4 – Stokes | SAP Center (14,331) San Jose, CA |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Time. |||||||||

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes т = Tied with team above or below :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | Final |
| AP | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 16 | 25-T | RV | RV | RV | — | RV | RV | RV | RV | 18 | 23 | 16 | 18 | 15 | 18 | Not released |
| Coaches | 11 | 11^ | 12 | 10-T | 15 | 24 | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | 18 | 21 | 15 | 17 | 14 | 14 | 19 |
*AP does not release post-NCAA tournament rankings ^Coaches did not release a Week 2 poll.