# 2017–18 Kansas State Wildcats men's basketball team

The 2017–18 Kansas State Wildcats men's basketball team represented Kansas State University in the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Their head coach was Bruce Weber in his sixth year at the helm of the Wildcats. The team played its home games in Bramlage Coliseum in Manhattan, Kansas. They were members of the Big 12 Conference. They finished the 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.

## Previous season

The Wildcats finished the 2016–17 season 21–14, 8–10 in Big 12 play to finish in sixth place. They defeated Baylor in the first round of the Big 12 tournament to advance to the quarterfinals where they lost to West Virginia. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as a No. 11 seed in the South Region. They defeated Wake Forest in the First Four before losing to No. 6-seeded Cincinnati.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
| Carlbe Ervin II | 1 | G | 6'3" | 202 | Senior | Oklahoma City, OK | Graduated |
| Isaiah Maurice | 10 | F | 6'10" | 225 | RS Freshman | Durham, NC | Dismissed from the team due to violation of team rules |
| Zach Winter | 13 | G | 6'3" | 208 | Senior | Andover, KS | Graduated |
| Wesley Iwundu | 25 | F | 6'7" | 205 | Senior | Houston, TX | Graduated/2nd round, 33rd overall 2017 NBA draft |
| Austin Budke | 35 | F | 6'6" | 227 | Senior | Beloit, KS | Graduated |
| D. J. Johnson | 4 | F | 6'9" | 237 | RS Senior | St. Louis, MO | Graduated |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
| Mawdo Sallah | 1 | C | 6'8" | 225 | RS Junior | Latri Kunda, Gambia | Transferred from Mount St. Mary's. Will be eligible to play immediately since Sallah graduated from Mount St. Mary's. |
| Makol Mawien | 14 | PF | 6'9" | 215 | Sophomore | West Valley City, UT | Junior college transferred from New Mexico Junior College. |
| Amaad Wainright | 23 | SG | 6'4" | 200 | Sophomore | Kansas City, MO | Junior college transferred from Trinity Valley Community College. |
| Patrick Muldoon | 35 | SF | 6'7" | 210 | Junior | Basehor, Kansas | Transferred from Eastern Illinois. Will sit out 2017–18 season due to NCAA transfer rules and be eligible to play in 2018–19. |

### 2017 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Mike McGuirl #80 G | Manchester, CT | East Catholic High School | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | Sep 11, 2016 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: ||||||
| Nigel Shadd F | Chandler, AZ | Tri-City Christian Academy | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 225 lb (102 kg) | Sep 25, 2016 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: N/A ||||||
| Levi Stockard F | St. Louis, MO | Vashon High School | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 250 lb (110 kg) | Oct 3, 2016 |
| Recruiting 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: "2017 Kansas State Basketball Commits". Rivals.com. Retrieved June 20, 2016. "2017 Kansas State Basketball Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved June 20, 2016. "2017 Kansas State Basketball Commits". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 20, 2016. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved June 20, 2016. "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved June 20, 2016. ||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| Oct 21, 2017* 12:00 pm | | Missouri State ARC hurricane relief benefit | W 78–62 | | 15 – Diarra | 7 – Wade | 3 – 2 tied | Bramlage Coliseum Manhattan, KS |
| Oct 29, 2017* 2:00 pm, FSKC | | Fort Hays State | W 79–56 | | 18 – Sneed | 7 – 2 tied | 6 – Diarra | Bramlage Coliseum (10,979) Manhattan, KS |
| Nov 3, 2017* 8:00 pm, FSKC | | Emporia State | W 77–44 | | 20 – Wade | 10 – Wade | 4 – 2 tied | Bramlage Coliseum (6,841) Manhattan, KS |
| Regular season |||||||||
| Nov 10, 2017* 8:00 pm, FSKC | | American | W 83–45 | 1–0 | 17 – Wade | 9 – Mawien | 7 – Stokes | Bramlage Coliseum (8,218) Manhattan, KS |
| Nov 14, 2017* 7:00 pm, FSKC | | UMKC | W 72–51 | 2–0 | 14 – Brown | 9 – Sallah | 4 – 2 tied | Bramlage Coliseum (7,373) Manhattan, KS |
| Nov 17, 2017* 8:00 pm, FSKC | | UC Irvine Las Vegas Invitational | W 71–49 | 3–0 | 14 – Stokes | 5 – Sneed | 4 – Brown | Bramlage Coliseum (6,451) Manhattan, KS |
| Nov 20, 2017* 7:00 pm, FSKC | | Northern Arizona Las Vegas Invitational | W 80–58 | 4–0 | 20 – Brown | 5 – Wade | 7 – Sneed | Bramlage Coliseum (6,112) Manhattan, KS |
| Nov 23, 2017* 5:30 pm, FS1 | | vs. Arizona State Las Vegas Invitational semifinals | L 90–92 | 4–1 | 27 – Brown | 6 – Wainright | 7 – Wade | Orleans Arena (3,425) Paradise, NV |
| Nov 24, 2017* 7:00 pm, FS1 | | vs. George Washington Las Vegas Invitational 3rd place game | W 67–59 | 5–1 | 19 – Stokes | 9 – Wade | 3 – Brown | Orleans Arena (3,325) Paradise, NV |
| Nov 29, 2017* 7:00 pm, FSKC | | Oral Roberts | W 77–68 | 6–1 | 25 – Wade | 11 – Wade | 5 – 2 tied | Bramlage Coliseum (7,273) Manhattan, KS |
| Dec 3, 2017* 1:30 pm, SECN+ | | at Vanderbilt | W 84–79 | 7–1 | 21 – Sneed | 7 – Wade | 6 – Stokes | Memorial Gymnasium (8,750) Nashville, TN |
| Dec 5, 2017* 7:00 pm, FSKC | | USC Upstate | W 86–49 | 8–1 | 17 – Stokes | 7 – Wade | 5 – Stokes | Bramlage Coliseum (6,911) Manhattan, KS |
| Dec 9, 2017* 7:00 pm, FSKC | | vs. Tulsa Wichita Wildcat Classic | L 54–61 | 8–2 | 15 – Sneed | 8 – Sneed | 4 – 2 tied | Intrust Bank Arena (7,180) Wichita, KS |
| Dec 16, 2017* 7:00 pm, FSKC | | Southeast Missouri State | W 89–71 | 9–2 | 23 – Sneed | 9 – Wainright | 9 – Stokes | Bramlage Coliseum (7,389) Manhattan, KS |
| Dec 20, 2017* 10:00 pm, ESPN2 | | vs. Washington State Spokane Showcase | W 68–65 | 10–2 | 23 – Brown | 9 – Mawien | 7 – Stokes | Spokane Arena (12,058) Spokane, WA |
| Dec 29, 2017 8:00 pm, ESPNU | | at Iowa State | W 91–75 | 11–2 (1–0) | 34 – Wade | 8 – Wade | 7 – Stokes | Hilton Coliseum (14,384) Ames, IA |
| Jan 1, 2018 4:00 pm, ESPNU | | No. 6 West Virginia | L 69–77 | 11–3 (1–1) | 20 – Sneed | 10 – Wade | 6 – Stokes | Bramlage Coliseum (9,712) Manhattan, KS |
| Jan 6, 2018 3:00 pm, FSSW+ | | at No. 18 Texas Tech | L 58–74 | 11–4 (1–2) | 24 – Brown | 5 – Wade | 2 – 2 tied | United Supermarkets Arena (12,531) Lubbock, TX |
| Jan 10, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPNews | | Oklahoma State | W 86–82 | 12–4 (2–2) | 38 – Brown | 12 – Sneed | 4 – Diarra | Bramlage Coliseum (7,740) Manhattan, KS |
| Jan 13, 2018 12:00 pm, ESPN | | at No. 12 Kansas Sunflower Showdown | L 72–73 | 12–5 (2–3) | 22 – Wade | 7 – Sneed | 6 – Brown | Allen Fieldhouse (16,300) Lawrence, KS |
| Jan 16, 2018 8:00 pm, ESPNU | | No. 4 Oklahoma | W 87–69 | 13–5 (3–3) | 24 – Brown | 7 – Wade | 7 – Wade | Bramlage Coliseum (10,744) Manhattan, KS |
| Jan 20, 2018 3:00 pm, ESPNU | | No. 24 TCU | W 73–68 | 14–5 (4–3) | 20 – Wade | 6 – Wade | 9 – Brown | Bramlage Coliseum (11,194) Manhattan, KS |
| Jan 22, 2018 8:00 pm, ESPNU | | at Baylor | W 90–83 | 15–5 (5–3) | 34 – Brown | 6 – Wade | 6 – Diarra | Ferrell Center (4,787) Waco, TX |
| Jan 27, 2018* 1:00 pm, ESPNU | | Georgia Big 12/SEC Challenge | W 56–51 | 16–5 | 20 – Wade | 8 – Wade | 5 – Diarra | Bramlage Coliseum (10,314) Manhattan, KS |
| Jan 29, 2018 8:00 pm, ESPN | | No. 7 Kansas Sunflower Showdown | L 56–70 | 16–6 (5–4) | 20 – Wade | 8 – Wade | 5 – Brown | Bramlage Coliseum (12,528) Manhattan, KS |
| Feb 3, 2018 4:00 pm, ESPN2 | | at No. 15 West Virginia | L 51–89 | 16–7 (5–5) | 17 – Wade | 6 – Brown | 4 – Stokes | WVU Coliseum (13,329) Morgantown, WV |
| Feb 7, 2018 7:00 pm, LHN | | at Texas | W 67–64 | 17–7 (6–5) | 16 – Wade | 6 – Brown | 6 – Brown | Frank Erwin Center (9,211) Austin, TX |
| Feb 10, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPNU | | No. 7 Texas Tech | L 47–66 | 17–8 (6–6) | 13 – Wade | 11 – Wade | 2 – 3 tied | Bramlage Coliseum (9,365) Manhattan, KS |
| Feb 14, 2018 6:00 pm, ESPNU | | at Oklahoma State | W 82–72 | 18–8 (7–6) | 25 – Brown | 6 – Sneed | 4 – Wade | Gallagher-Iba Arena (7,017) Stillwater, OK |
| Feb 17, 2018 12:00 pm, ESPNU | | Iowa State | W 78–66 | 19–8 (8–6) | 22 – Wade | 8 – 2 tied | 9 – Wade | Bramlage Coliseum (9,645) Manhattan, KS |
| Feb 21, 2018 8:00 pm, ESPNU | | Texas | W 58–48 | 20–8 (9–6) | 16 – Brown | 13 – Sneed | 3 – Wade | Bramlage Coliseum (8,623) Manhattan, KS |
| Feb 24, 2018 5:00 pm, ESPNU | | at Oklahoma | L 77–86 | 20–9 (9–7) | 28 – Brown | 11 – Wade | 3 – Wade | Lloyd Noble Center (12,102) Norman, OK |
| Feb 27, 2018 8:00 pm, ESPNU | | at TCU | L 59–66 | 20–10 (9–8) | 24 – Wade | 7 – Mawien | 6 – Brown | Schollmaier Arena (6,682) Fort Worth, TX |
| Mar 3, 2018 1:00 pm, ESPN | | Baylor | W 77–66 | 21–10 (10–8) | 25 – Wade | 7 – Wade | 6 – Sneed | Bramlage Coliseum (10,299) Manhattan, KS |
| Big 12 Tournament |||||||||
| Mar 8, 2018 11:30 am, ESPN2 | (4) | vs. (5) TCU Quarterfinals | W 66–64 $^{OT}$ | 22–10 | 16 – Mawien | 9 – Mawien | 5 – Diarra | Sprint Center (17,903) Kansas City, MO |
| Mar 9, 2018 6:00 pm, ESPN | (4) | vs. (1) No. 9 Kansas Semifinals | L 67–83 | 22–11 | 29 – Mawien | 6 – Sneed | 5 – Sneed | Sprint Center (18,223) Kansas City, MO |
| NCAA tournament |||||||||
| Mar 16, 2018 5:50 pm, TNT | (9 S) | vs. (8 S) Creighton First Round | W 69–59 | 23–11 | 18 – Brown | 6 – Brown | 3 – 3 tied | Spectrum Center (17,943) Charlotte, NC |
| Mar 18, 2018 7:45 pm, truTV | (9 S) | vs. (16 S) UMBC Second Round | W 50–43 | 24–11 | 18 – Brown | 7 – Sneed | 2 – 2 tied | Spectrum Center (18,485) Charlotte, NC |
| Mar 21, 2018 8:37 pm, CBS | (9 S) | vs. (5 S) No. 18 Kentucky Sweet Sixteen | W 61–58 | 25–11 | 22 – Sneed | 9 – Sneed | 3 – 2 tied | Philips Arena (15,616) Atlanta, GA |
| Mar 24, 2018 5:09 pm, TBS | (9 S) | vs. (11 S) Loyola–Chicago Elite Eight | L 62–78 | 25–12 | 16 – Sneed | 6 – Sneed | 4 – Stokes | Philips Arena (15,477) Atlanta, GA |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. S=South. All times are in Central Time. |||||||||

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes :
| | 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 | — | — | — | — | — | RV | — | — | — | — | — | RV | RV | RV | — | — | RV | — | — | RV | Not released |
| Coaches | — | — | — | — | — | RV | — | — | — | — | — | RV | RV | RV | RV | — | RV | — | RV | RV | 19 |
*AP does not release post-NCAA tournament rankings