Kansas State Wildcats men's basketball
The Kansas State Wildcats men's basketball team represents Kansas State University in college basketball competition. The program is classified in the NCAA Division I, and is a member of the Big 12 Conference. The current head coach is Bruce Weber.
The program began competition in 1902, and has a long history of success. The first two major-conference titles captured by the school were won in the sport, in 1917 and 1919. Kansas State has gone on to capture 19 regular season conference crowns in the sport. Street & Smith ranked K-State 22nd in its 2005 list of the greatest college basketball programs of all time, while Jeff Sagarin listed the program 27th in his all-time rankings in the ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia. Following the 2017–2018 season, the Wildcats have a record of 1,658–1,147.
History
Kansas State University has appeared in 31 NCAA basketball tournaments, most recently in 2019. The team's all-time record in the NCAA tournament is 37–35. Kansas State's best finish at the tournament came in 1951, when it lost to Kentucky in the national championship game. The school has reached the Final Four 4 times, the Elite Eight 13 times, and the Sweet Sixteen 17 times. Included among K-State's tournament wins are some all-time classics, including an 83–80 win over Oscar Robertson's Cincinnati team in 1958, which Sports Illustrated called "the most exciting game of the 1958 season," and a 50–48 win over second-ranked Oregon State in 1981, which USA Today listed as one of the greatest games in NCAA tournament history.The team also had some notably successful seasons before the creation of the NIT and the NCAA tournament, including conference titles in 1917 and 1919 under coach Zora G. Clevenger. The Helms Athletic Foundation named Frank Reynolds the program's first All-American player in 1917, and the Premo-Porretta Power Poll retroactively ranked Kansas State #12 in 1910, #18 in 1916, #8 in 1917 and #7 in 1919.
with coach Jack Hartman.
The best season in the school's history may have been 1959, when the team finished the season ranked #1 in the final Associated Press Poll and Coaches Poll. K-State has finished ranked in the Top 10 of one of the two polls on ten occasions, and in the final top 25 polls 21 total times. The team has also posted a winning record at home every year since 1946.
After a lengthy period with little success during the 1990s and 2000s, the team returned to prominence under head coach Frank Martin. Following a twelve-year absence, the team returned to the NCAA tournament after the 2007–08 season. Following that season, Kansas State freshman Michael Beasley was named an All-American and Big 12 Conference Player of the Year. In the 2009–10 season, the team spent much of the year ranked in the Top 10 of the AP Poll and finished second in the Big 12. The team received a #2 seed in the 2010 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament and advanced to the Elite Eight. Along the way, the Wildcats defeated Xavier in a double-overtime thriller, which CBSSports.com called "one of the best games in the history of the Sweet 16."
, home of KSU basketball
On March 31, 2012, Bruce Weber was announced as head coach after Frank Martin left for South Carolina. During the 2012–2013 season, Weber's first in Manhattan, Kansas State won its first regular season conference title since 1977 and advanced to the NCAA tournament. Weber's team won the conference title again in the 2018–2019 season. K-State has appeared in the NCAA tournament five times in Weber's seven seasons, including advancing to the Elite Eight in 2018.
Kansas State has a total of 36 All-Americans, 19 regular-season conference championships and nine conference tournament championships.
The program ranks in the top 25 nationally in the following categories:
| Top 25 All-Time | Ranking |
| Weeks ranked #1 in AP Poll | 16th |
| Weeks ranked in top 5 of AP Poll | 24th |
| NCAA Tournament appearances | 20th |
| NCAA Final Four appearances | 22nd |
| NCAA Elite Eight appearances | 7th |
| NCAA Sweet Sixteen appearances | 11th |
| #1 NBA draft picks | 3rd |
The program also ranks in the top 40 nationally in the following categories:
| Top 40 All-Time | Ranking |
| All-time wins | 39th |
| Appearances in final AP Poll | 28th |
Top 25 rankings
Kansas State University has finished in the final rankings of the AP Poll or Coaches Poll on 21 occasions throughout its history, including one season at #1 in the final polls. The AP Poll first appeared in 1948, and has been published continuously since 1950–51. The Coaches Poll began in the 1950–51 season. Currently, the final AP Poll is released before the tournament and the final Coaches Poll is released after the tournament.| Season | Final Record | AP Poll | Coaches Poll |
| 1949–50 | 17–7 | 14 | n/a |
| 1950–51 | 25–4 | 4 | 3 |
| 1951–52 | 19–5 | 3 | 6 |
| 1952–53 | 17–4 | 12 | 9 |
| 1956–57 | 15–8 | — | 20 |
| 1957–58 | 22–5 | 3 | 4 |
| 1958–59 | 25–2 | 1 | 1 |
| 1959–60 | 16–10 | — | 16 |
| 1960–61 | 22–5 | 4 | 4 |
| 1961–62 | 22–3 | 6 | 5 |
| 1962–63 | 16–9 | — | 19 |
| 1972–73 | 23–5 | 9 | 7 |
| 1974–75 | 20–9 | 15 | — |
| 1976–77 | 24–7 | 16 | 11 |
| 1979–80 | 22–9 | — | 20 |
| 1987–88 | 25–9 | 20 | 8 |
| 2009–10 | 29–8 | 7 | 7 |
| 2010–11 | 23–11 | 21 | 24 |
| 2012–13 | 27–8 | 12 | 20 |
| 2017–18 | 25–12 | — | 19 |
| 2018–19 | 25–9 | 18 | 19 |
Rivalries
Kansas: Sunflower Showdown
Kansas State's main rivalry is with the Kansas Jayhawks. The rivalry peaked in the 1950s when both teams were annually national title contenders. The 1987–88 season also proved to be momentous in the rivalry. In the first matchup of the season, on January 30, 1988, Mitch Richmond scored 35 points to lead Kansas State to a 72–61 win to halt KU's then-record 55-game home winning streak. On February 18, KU turned the tables, prevailing 64–63 at Ahearn Field House in Manhattan to deny K-State a victory over KU in the old field house's last year. In what was supposed to be the rubber game, in the 1988 Big Eight Conference Men's Basketball Tournament, Kansas State won a decisive victory by a 69–54 score. However, the biggest was yet to come. Both teams qualified for the NCAA tournament, and after three wins each in the tournament they faced each other on March 27 in Pontiac, Michigan, for the right to advance to the Final Four. Led by Danny Manning's 20 points, KU turned a tight game into a runaway and prevailed 71–58. Kansas would go on to win the national championship.The rivalry slipped in significance after the 1988 season, and from 1994 to 2005 KU won 31 straight games against K-State, the longest streak for either school in the series. KU also posted a 24-game win streak against the Wildcats in Manhattan, which ended on January 30, 2008, when #22 Kansas State upset #2 Kansas 84–75.
Jeff Sagarin's rankings of the nation's top programs by decade in the ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia nicely track the history of the rivalry. In the 1950s, when the rivalry was at its peak, Kansas State finished the decade ranked as the #3 program in the nation and KU was ranked as #4. In the 1960s KU was ranked #9 for the decade and KSU was ranked #11. In the 1970s, the programs were again nearly even, with Kansas State ranked at #24 and KU at #25. In the 1980s some separation appeared, as KU finished the decade ranked at #19 and Kansas State at #31. The big difference appeared in the 1990s and 2000s when KU was ranked at #4 and #2 for the decades, while Kansas State does not appear anywhere in the top 40.
The rivalry has become more relevant again in recent years, with both teams ranked in the AP Top 25 for many of their match-ups.
Missouri
As of the 2014–15 season, Missouri is Kansas State's second most-played rival, with 235 games dating back to 1907. Kansas State leads the series 119–116. The series was last played in the 2011–12 season, before Missouri moved to the Southeastern Conference. For nearly a century beforehand, the two schools shared conferences, beginning in the 1913–14 season in the Missouri Valley Conference, then in the Big Eight Conference and its predecessors from 1928 to 1996, and finally the Big 12 Conference from 1996 to 2012.Wichita State
Kansas State had an ongoing in-state, out-of-conference rivalry with Wichita State, dating back to 1932 and last played in 2003. Kansas State leads the series 20–11. The series had six games from 1932 to 1964, then six games on a home-and-home rotation from the 1969–70 to 1971–72 seasons, and most recently 19 home-and-home games every season from 1985–86 to 2003–04.When Wichita State became a Top 25 regular in the early 2010s, there came interest in reviving the series. In February 2013, Kansas state senator Michael O'Donnell introduced a bill requiring Kansas and Kansas State to schedule Wichita State.
Postseason
NCAA Tournament results
The Wildcats have appeared in the NCAA Tournament 31 times. Their overall record in the NCAA Tournament is 37–35 through the 2019 tournament.| 1948 | Elite Eight Final Four National 3rd Place Game | Wyoming Baylor Holy Cross | W 58–48 L 52–60 L 54–60 | |
| 1951 | Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight Final Four National Championship | Arizona BYU Oklahoma A&M Kentucky | W 61–59 W 64–54 W 68–44 L 58–68 | |
| 1956 | Sweet Sixteen Regional 3rd Place Game | Oklahoma City Houston | L 93–97 W 89–70 | |
| 1958 | Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight Final Four National 3rd Place Game | Cincinnati Oklahoma State Seattle Temple | W 83–80OT W 69–57 L 51–73 L 57–67 | |
| 1959 | Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight | DePaul Cincinnati | W 102–70 L 75–85 | |
| 1961 | Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight | Houston Cincinnati | W 75–64 L 64–69 | |
| 1964 | Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight Final Four National 3rd Place Game | Texas Western Wichita State UCLA Michigan | W 64–60 W 94–93 L 84–90 L 90–100 | |
| 1968 | Sweet Sixteen Regional 3rd Place Game | TCU Louisville | L 72–77 L 63–93 | |
| 1970 | Sweet Sixteen Regional 3rd Place Game | New Mexico State Houston | L 66–70 W 107–98 | |
| 1972 | Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight | Texas Louisville | W 66–55 L 65–72 | |
| 1973 | Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight | Southwest Louisiana Memphis State | W 66–63 L 72–92 | |
| 1975 | First Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight | Penn Boston College Syracuse | W 69–62 W 74–65 L 87–95OT | |
| 1977 | First Round Sweet Sixteen | Providence Marquette | W 87–80 L 66–67 | |
| 1980 | #7 | First Round Second Round | #10 Arkansas
| W 71–53L 69–71OT |
| 1981 | #8 | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight | #9 San Francisco
| W 64–60W 50–48 W 57–52 L 68–82 |
| 1982 | #5 | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen | #12 Northern Illinois
| W 77–68W 65–64 L 65–69 |
| 1987 | #9 | First Round Second Round | #8 Georgia
| W 82–79OTL 61–80 |
| 1988 | #4 | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight | #13 La Salle
| W 66–53W 66–58 W 73–70 L 58–71 |
| 1989 | #6 | First Round | #11 Minnesota | L 75–86 |
| 1990 | #11 | First Round | #6 Xavier | L 79–87 |
| 1993 | #6 | First Round | #11 Tulane | L 53–55 |
| 1996 | #10 | First Round | #7 New Mexico | L 48–69 |
| 2008 | #11 | First Round Second Round | #6 USC
| W 80–67L 55–72 |
| 2010 | #2 | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight | #15 North Texas
| W 82–62W 84–72 W 101–962OT L 56–63 |
| 2011 | #5 | Second Round Third Round | #12 Utah State
| W 73–68L 65–70 |
| 2012 | #8 | Second Round Third Round | #9 Southern Miss
| W 70–64L 59–75 |
| 2013 | #4 | Second Round | #13 La Salle | L 61–63 |
| 2014 | #9 | Second Round | #8 Kentucky | L 49–56 |
| 2017 | #11 | First Four First Round | #11 Wake Forest #6 Cincinnati | W 95–88 L 61–75 |
| 2018 | #9 | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight | #8 Creighton
| W 69–59W 50–43 W 61–58 L 62–78 |
| 2019 | #4 | First Round | #13 UC Irvine | L 64–70 |
From 2011–2015 the round of 64 was known as the Second Round, round of 32 was Third Round
NCAA Tournament seeding history
The NCAA began seeding the tournament with the 1979 edition.| Years → | '80 | '81 | '82 | '87 | '88 | '89 | '90 | '93 | '96 | '08 | '10 | '11 | '12 | '13 | '14 | '17 | '18 | '19 |
| Seeds→ | 7 | 8 | 5 | 9 | 4 | 6 | 11 | 6 | 10 | 11 | 2 | 5 | 8 | 4 | 9 | 11 | 9 | 4 |
NIT results
The Wildcats have appeared in the National Invitation Tournament seven times. Their combined record is 6–8.| 1976 | Quarterfinals | Kentucky | L 78–81 |
| 1992 | First Round Second Round | WKU Notre Dame | W 85–74 L 48–64 |
| 1994 | First Round Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals 3rd Place Game | Mississippi State Gonzaga Fresno State Vanderbilt Siena | W 78–69 W 66–64 W 115–77 L 76–82 L 79–92 |
| 1998 | First Round | NC State | L 39–59 |
| 1999 | First Round | TCU | L 71–72 |
| 2007 | First Round Second Round | Vermont DePaul | W 59–57 L 65–70 |
| 2009 | First Round Second Round | Illinois State San Diego State | W 83–79OT L 52–70 |
NCIT results
The Wildcats appeared in one of the only two ever National Commissioners Invitational Tournaments. Their record is 0–1.| 1974 | Quarterfinals | Bradley | L 64–68 |
Individual awards and accomplishments
Retired jerseys
The following players' jerseys have been retired by Kansas State, though their respective jersey numbers remain available for use. They represent the finest basketball players to come through Kansas State. The criteria for determining the honor includes statistical achievement, conference and national records, honors received, character and sportsmanship.National honors
The following Kansas State players and coaches are in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame :- Bob Boozer
- Jack Gardner
- Mitch Richmond
- Tex Winter
- Bob Boozer
- Rolando Blackman
- Jack Gardner
- Tex Winter
Player honors
- USBWA National Freshman of the Year
- Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award
- Pete Newell Big Man Award
Coaching honors
- NABC Coach of the Year Award
Coach of the year - '''UPI College Basketball Coach of the Year
Conference honors
The Big Eight Conference established the Conference Player of the Year and Coach of the Year awards in 1957. These awards have continued into the Big 12 Conference era.- Player of the Year
- Coach of the Year
Wildcats to pros
- Tyrone Adams
- Ernie Barrett
- Danny Beard
- Michael Beasley
- Rolando Blackman
- Bob Boozer
- Jack Carby
- Norris Coleman
- Luis Colon
- Denis Clemente
- Larry Comley
- Les Craft
- Roy DeWitz
- Justin Edwards
- Mike Evans
- Wally Frank
- Carl R. Gerlach
- Thomas Gipson
- David Hall
- Rick Harman
- Ed Head
- Jordan Henriquez
- Steve Henson
- Lew Hitch
- Steve Honeycutt
- Stephen Hurt
- Martavious Irving
- Jim Iverson
- Wes Iwundu
- Mike Johnson
- Askia Jones
- Jerry Jung
- Curtis Kelly
- Darren Kent
- Dick Knostman
- Lon Kruger
- Ernie Kusnyer
- Don Matuszak
- Cartier Martin
- Jeremiah Massey
- Don Matuzsak
- Rodney McGruder
- Pat McKenzie
- Steve Mitchell
- Willie Murrell
- Ed Nealy
- Jack Parr
- Pervis Pasco
- Nick Pino
- Cedrick Price
- Jessee Priscock
- Jacob Pullen
- Randy Reed
- Mitch Richmond
- Bob Rousey
- Jamar Samuels
- Matt Siebrandt
- Earl Seyfert
- Howie Shannon
- Roy Smith
- Shane Southwell
- Jack Stone
- Roger Suttner
- Jerry Venable
- Bill Walker
- Jeff Webb
- Chuckie Williams
- Gene Williams
- Larry Williams
- Jari Wills
- Mike Wroblewski
Draft history
Former players as coaches
A number of former Wildcat players have gone to successful careers as head basketball coaches, including:- Bob Chipman – finished career as 21st-winningest coach in college basketball history
- Mike Evans
- Bill Guthridge – National college coach of the year
- Steve Henson
- Tim Jankovich
- Gene Keady – 4x national college coach of the year; National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame
- Lon Kruger – Coached five Division I schools to the NCAA tournament
- Jim Molinari
- Brad Underwood
Coaches
| Coach | Years at KSU | W | L | Win% | Conf. W | Conf. L | Conf. Win % | Awards and Achievements During Tenure |
| Charles W. Melick | 1905–1906 | 7 | 9 | .438 | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| Mike Ahearn | 1906–1911 | 26 | 24 | .520 | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| Guy Lowman | 1911–1914 | 30 | 16 | .652 | 0 | 10 | .000 | |
| Carl J. Merner | 1914–1916 | 19 | 15 | .559 | 13 | 13 | .500 | |
| Zora G. Clevenger | 1916–1920 | 54 | 17 | .761 | 38 | 16 | .704 | • 2 Conference Regular Season Championships • Highest winning percentage in program history |
| E.A. Knoth | 1920–1921 | 14 | 6 | .700 | 11 | 4 | .733 | • Highest conference winning percentage in program history |
| E.C. Curtiss | 1921–1923 | 5 | 28 | .152 | 5 | 27 | .156 | |
| Charles Corsaut | 1923–1933 | 89 | 81 | .524 | 61 | 63 | .492 | |
| Frank Root | 1933–1939 | 38 | 72 | .345 | 19 | 47 | .287 | |
| Jack Gardner†^ | 1939–1942; 1946–1953 | 147 | 81 | .645 | 66 | 46 | .589 | • 1 NCAA Championship Game • 2 Final Fours • 2 Elite Eights • 1 Sweet Sixteen • 2 NCAA Tournament Appearances • 3 Conference Regular Season Championships • 3 Conference Holiday Tournament Championships • 2 times ranked in top 6 of final AP and UPI polls |
| Chili Cochrane | 1942–1943 | 6 | 14 | .300 | 1 | 9 | .100 | |
| Cliff Rock | 1943–1944 | 7 | 15 | .318 | 1 | 9 | .100 | |
| Fritz Knorr | 1944–1946 | 14 | 33 | .298 | 6 | 14 | .300 | |
| Tex Winter†^ | 1953–1968 | 261 | 118 | .689 | 154 | 57 | .730 | • 2 Final Fours • 4 Elite Eights • 6 Sweet Sixteens • 6 NCAA Tournament Appearances • 8 Conference Regular Season Championships • 4 Conference Holiday Tournament Championships • Ranked No. 1 in final AP and UPI polls • 4 times ranked in top 6 of final AP and UPI polls • UPI National Coach of the Year • Big 7 Coach of the Year • 2-time Big 8 Coach of the Year • Undefeated conference season • Developed the Triangle offense |
| Cotton Fitzsimmons | 1968–1970 | 34 | 20 | .630 | 19 | 9 | .679 | • 1 Sweet Sixteen • 1 NCAA Tournament Appearance • 1 Conference Regular Season Championship • Big 8 Coach of the Year • NABC District Coach of the Year |
| Jack Hartman | 1970–1986 | 295 | 169 | .636 | 133 | 91 | .594 | • 4 Elite Eights • 6 Sweet Sixteens • 7 NCAA Tournament Appearances • 1 NIT Tournament Appearance • 3 Conference Regular Season Championships • 2 Conference Tournament Championships • NABC Coach of the Year • 2-time Big 8 Coach of the Year • NABC District Coach of the Year • Most wins in program history |
| Lon Kruger | 1986–1990 | 81 | 46 | .638 | 34 | 22 | .607 | • 1 Elite Eight • 1 Sweet Sixteen • 4 NCAA Tournament Appearances • NABC District Coach of the Year • Only KSU coach to take squads to NCAA Tournament in four consecutive seasons |
| Dana Altman | 1990–1994 | 68 | 54 | .557 | 19 | 37 | .339 | • 1 NCAA Tournament Appearance • 2 NIT Tournament Appearances • Big 8 Coach of the Year |
| Tom Asbury | 1994–2000 | 85 | 88 | .491 | 29 | 63 | .315 | • 1 NCAA Tournament Appearance • 2 NIT Tournament Appearances |
| Jim Wooldridge | 2000–2006 | 83 | 90 | .480 | 32 | 64 | .333 | |
| Bob Huggins | 2006–2007 | 23 | 12 | .657 | 10 | 6 | .625 | • 1 NIT Tournament Appearance |
| Frank Martin | 2007–2012 | 117 | 54 | 50 | 32 | .610 | • 1 Elite Eight • 1 Sweet Sixteen • 4 NCAA Tournament Appearances • 1 NIT Tournament Appearance • Big 12 Coach of the Year • Highest NCAA seed in program history • Most wins in one season in program history • CollegeInsider.com Big 12 Coach of the Year • Jim Phelan Award as mid-season National Coach of the Year • USBWA District VI Coach of the Year • NABC District 8 Coach of the Year • Only KSU coach to win 20 or more games in first 5 seasons | |
| Bruce Weber | 2012–Present | 150 | 89 | 69 | 57 | • 1 Elite Eight • 1 Sweet Sixteen • 5 NCAA Tournament Appearances • 2 Conference Regular Season Championships • Big 12 Coach of the Year • USBWA District VI Coach of the Year • Most wins by a first-year coach in program history • Most wins in the first 2 years. • Most conference wins by a first-year coach in program history • Most conference wins in the first 2 years. • Most conference wins in the first 3 years. • Most all-time Top 25 victories • Only KSU coach to win 25 or more games in back to back seasons |
Conference membership history
- ?–1912: Kansas Intercollegiate Athletic Association
- 1913–1927: Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association
- 1928–1947: Big 6 Conference
- 1948–1957: Big 7 Conference
- 1958–1995: Big 8 Conference
- 1996–Present: Big 12 Conference
Series records