2008–09 Kansas State Wildcats men's basketball team

The 2008–09 Kansas State Wildcats men's basketball team represented Kansas State University in the 2008–09 college basketball season. The Wildcats, led by second-year head coach Frank Martin, played their home games at Bramlage Coliseum.

2008–09 Kansas State Wildcats men's basketball
NIT, Second Round
ConferenceBig 12 Conference
Record22–12 (9–7 Big 12)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaBramlage Coliseum (12,500)
Seasons
2008–09 Big 12 men's basketball standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
No. 14 Kansas142 .875278 .771
No. 7 Oklahoma133 .813306 .833
No. 9 Missouri124 .750317 .816
Kansas State97 .5632212 .647
Texas97 .5632312 .657
Texas A&M97 .5632410 .706
Oklahoma State97 .5632312 .657
Nebraska88 .5001813 .581
Baylor511 .3132415 .615
Iowa State412 .2501517 .469
Texas Tech313 .1881419 .424
Colorado115 .063922 .290
2009 Big 12 Tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll [1]

Pre-season

The 2007–08 season was a successful one for the Wildcats. They returned to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1996. 2007–08 was also the first season for head coach Frank Martin. Michael Beasley and Bill Walker led the team in scoring and nearly every other offensive category. They were also both drafted, marking the first time since 1990 that a Wildcat was drafted (Steve Henson was the last). It was also the first time since 1982 that more than one Wildcat was drafted (Tyrone Adams, Randy Reed and Ed Nealy.

Regular season

Kansas State became just the second school in Big 12 history (after Iowa State in 2004–05) to rally from an 0–4 start to get back to at least .500 in conference play. The previous best finish after such a start came in 1983–84 when K-State finished Big Eight play with a 5–9 mark.

The Wildcats finished the conference season in a tie for fourth place with a 9–7 record in the Big 12 and a 21–10 record overall. They earned the number four seed in the 2009 Big 12 men's basketball tournament. 2008–09 marks the third consecutive year that the team earned one of the top 4 spots in the tournament, and thus received a first round bye.

Incoming signees

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
NameHometownHigh school / collegeHeightWeightCommit date
Buchi Awaji
SG
Glendora, CaliforniaLos Angeles-Loyola H.S.6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)185 lb (84 kg)Apr 25, 2008 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: N/A
Abdul Herrera
C
Washington, D.C.Miami-Hutchinson C.C.6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)265 lb (120 kg)Apr 23, 2008 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • 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:

  • "Kansas State 2008 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 10, 2008.
  • "2008 Kansas State Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved November 10, 2008.
  • "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved November 10, 2008.
  • "2008 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 10, 2008.

[2]

Schedule

Date
time, TV
Rank#Opponent#ResultRecordSite (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
11/09/2008*
2:00 pm
WashburnW 81–57 
Bramlage Coliseum (7,733)
Manhattan, KS
Regular season
11/14/2008*
7:00 pm, FSKC
Florida A&MW 96–57 1–0
Bramlage Coliseum (9,070)
Manhattan, KS
11/16/2008*
2:00 pm
SE Missouri StateW 88–68 2–0
Bramlage Coliseum (8,109)
Manhattan, KS
11/19/2008*
7:00 pm, FSKC
Emporia StateW 82–60 3–0
Bramlage Coliseum (8,083)
Manhattan, KS
11/22/2008*
6:00 pm
at Cleveland StateW 69–59 4–0
Wolstein Center (2,827)
Cleveland, OH
11/25/2008*
7:00 pm, FSKC
OaklandW 83–64 5–0
Bramlage Coliseum (8,356)
Manhattan, KS
11/28/2008*
11:00 pm, ESPNU
vs. Kentucky
Findlay Toyota Las Vegas Invitational
L 72–74 5–1
Orleans Arena (5,000)
Paradise, Nevada
11/29/2008*
6:30 pm, ESPN2
vs. Iowa
Findlay Toyota Las Vegas Invitational
L 63–65 5–2
Orleans Arena (2,000)
Paradise, NV
12/07/2008*
7:30 pm, FSN
at Oregon
Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series
L 70–75 5–3
McArthur Court (8,256)
Eugene, OR
12/11/2008*
7:00 pm, FSKC
vs. Southern MissW 74–55 6–3
Sprint Center (6,054)
Kansas City, MO
12/14/2008*
6:00 pm
Gardner–WebbW 107–48 7–3
Bramlage Coliseum (8,112)
Manhattan, KS
12/20/2008*
1:00 pm
CentenaryW 73–51 8–3
Bramlage Coliseum (8,861)
Manhattan, KS
12/30/2008*
7:00 pm, FSKC
WagnerW 82–53 9–3
Bramlage Coliseum (7,304)
Manhattan, KS
01/03/2009*
1:00 pm, FSKC
Idaho StateW 83–57 10–3
Bramlage Coliseum (7,446)
Manhattan, KS
01/05/2009*
7:00 pm, FSKC
Chicago StateW 99–68 11–3
Bramlage Coliseum (5,381)
Manhattan, KS
01/10/2009
12:30 pm, B12N
No. 6 OklahomaL 53–61 11–4
(0–1)
Bramlage Coliseum (12,528)
Manhattan, KS
01/13/2009
7:00 pm, B12N
at Kansas
Sunflower Showdown
L 71–87 11–5
(0–2)
Allen Fieldhouse (16,300)
Lawrence, KS
01/17/2009
5:00 pm, B12N
at NebraskaL 51–73 11–6
(0–3)
Devaney Sports Center (11,736)
Lincoln, NE
01/21/2009
8:00 pm, ESPN2
BaylorL 65–84 11–7
(0–4)
Bramlage Coliseum (9,386)
Manhattan, KS
01/24/2009
5:00 pm, B12N
at ColoradoW 77–75 OT12–7
(1–4)
Coors Events Center (6,061)
Boulder, CO
01/28/2009
8:00 pm, FSKC
MissouriW 88–72 13–7
(2–4)
Bramlage Coliseum (9,665)
Manhattan, KS
01/31/2009
3:00 pm, B12N
at No. 11 TexasW 85–81 OT14–7
(3–4)
Frank Erwin Center (13,186)
Austin, TX
02/03/2009
7:10 pm, FSKC
Iowa StateW 65–50 15–7
(4–4)
Bramlage Coliseum (9,489)
Manhattan, KS
02/07/2009
3:00 pm, B12N
at Texas A&MW 65–60 16–7
(5–4)
Reed Arena (10,367)
College Station, TX
02/11/2009
8:00 pm, ESPNU
Texas TechW 85–73 17–7
(6–4)
Bramlage Coliseum (9,941)
Manhattan, KS
02/14/2009
2:30 pm, ABC
No. 16 Kansas
Sunflower Showdown
L 74–85 17–8
(6–5)
Bramlage Coliseum (12,528)
Manhattan, KS
02/17/2009*
7:00 pm
North Carolina CentralW 95–49 18–8
(6–5)
Bramlage Coliseum (7,681)
Manhattan, KS
02/21/2009
5:00 pm, FSKC
at Iowa StateW 50–46 19–8
(7–5)
Hilton Coliseum (11,922)
Ames, IA
02/25/2009
8:00 pm, ESPNU
at No. 11 MissouriL 74–94 19–9
(7–6)
Mizzou Arena (14,825)
Columbia, MO
02/28/2009
7:00 pm, B12N
NebraskaW 77–72 20–9
(8–6)
Bramlage Coliseum (12,528)
Manhattan, KS
03/03/2009
6:30 pm, ESPN2
at Oklahoma StateL 71–77 20–10
(8–7)
Gallagher-Iba Arena (12,106)
Stillwater, OK
03/07/2009
12:30 pm, B12N
ColoradoW 76–64 21–10
(9–7)
Bramlage Coliseum (10,152)
Manhattan, KS
Phillips 66 Big 12 tournament
03/12/2009
2:00 pm, B12N
vs. Texas
Quarterfinals
L 58–61 21–11
Ford Center (14,909)
Oklahoma City, OK
2009 NIT tournament
03/18/2009*
7:00 pm
Illinois State
First Round
W 83–79 OT22–11
Bramlage Coliseum (8,130)
Manhattan, KS
03/20/2009*
8:30 pm
at San Diego State
Second Round
L 52–70 22–12
Cox Arena (5,100)
San Diego, CA
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Central Time.

[3]

Roster

#NameHeightWeight (lbs.)PositionClassHometownPrevious Team(s)
0Jacob Pullen6'0"200GSo.Maywood, IL, U.S.Proviso East HS
1Fred Brown6'2"190GSo.West Palm Beach, FL, U.S.Dwyer HS
13Justin Werner6'3"190GFr.Topeka, KS, U.S.Washburn Rural HS
15Luis Colon6'10"265CJr.Bayamón, Puerto RicoKrop HS (Miami, FL)
21Denis Clemente6'1"175GJr.Bayamón, Puerto RicoCalusa Prep HS (Miami, FL)
University of Miami
23Dominique Sutton6'5"210GSo.Durham, NC, U.S.Patterson HS (Lenoir, NC)
24Curtis Kelly6'8"250FJr.New York, NY, U.S.Rice HS
University of Connecticut
25Buchi Awaji6'3"185GJr.Los Angeles, CA, U.S.Loyola HS
Florida International University
Citrus College
31Chris Merriewether6'3"210GJr.Jacksonville, FL, U.S.Arlington Country Day HS
32Jamar Samuels6'7"215FFr.Washington, DC, U.S.Patterson HS (Lenoir, NC)
33Victor Ojeleye6'6"225FFr.Ottawa, KS, U.S.Patterson HS (Lenoir, NC)
40Ron Anderson6'8"255FSo.Upper Marlboro, MD, U.S.McCallie HS (Chattanooga, TN)
42Darren Kent6'11"230FSr.Apple Valley, MN, U.S.Eastview HS

[4]

Statistics

Season Box Score

See also

References