2011 Kansas State Basketball Predictions

2010-11 Results:

Overall: 23-11 (16-2 H, 5-5 A, 2-4 N)
Big 12: 10-6 (7-1 H, 3-5 A)
Conference Tournament: Lost in quarterfinals
Postseason: Lost in third round

Faced with high expectations, including a school-best No. 3 preseason rankings in both The Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today Coaches’ poll, Kansas State overcame numerous off-the-court issues to post its unprecedented fifth consecutive trip to the postseason, including its third in the last four seasons to the NCAA Tournament, to cap a 23-win campaign in 2010-11.

Overall, K-State finished the season with a 23-11 overall record, including a tie for third place with Texas A&M at 10-6 in the Big 12 standings. The 23 wins ties for the sixth-most in a single season in school history, while it marks the fourth time in the last five seasons that the squad has tallied 10 or more league victories in a single season.

Roster

Returning Starters

Rodney McGruder
Jamar Samuels
Shane Southwell

Other Returning Players

Will Spradling
Martavious Irving
Jordan Henriquez
Victor Ojeleye
Nino Williams

Newcomers

Adrian Diaz
Thomas Gipson
Jeremy Jones
Omari Lawrence
Angel Rodriguez
James Watson

Head Coach

Frank Martin

Key Losses

Kansas State lost two starters in Jacob Pullen and Curtis Kelly. Pullen started in 31 games last season and averaged 20.2 ppg, 3.7 apg, 2.9 rpg, and 1.6 spg. He was a Third Team All-American; and a two-time First Team All-Big 12. Kelly averaged 10.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks in 22 starts.

Schedule

Date	Opponent / Event
11/6/2011	vs. Fort Hays State
11/11/2011	vs. Charleston Southern
11/14/2011	vs. Loyola
11/22/2011	vs. Maryland Eastern Shore
12/1/2011	vs. George Washington
12/4/2011	@ Virginia Tech
Wichita Wildcat Classic
12/8/2011	vs. West Virginia
12/11/2011	vs. North Florida
Hy-Vee Wildcat Classic
12/17/2011	vs. Alabama
Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic
12/22/2011	vs. Southern Illinois
12/23/2011	Clemson/UTEP
12/25/2011	TBD
Regular Season
12/31/2011	vs. Howard
1/4/2012	@ Kansas
1/7/2012	vs. Missouri
1/10/2012	vs. Baylor
1/14/2012	@ Oklahoma
1/18/2012	vs. Texas
1/21/2012	@ Oklahoma State
1/25/2012	@ Texas Tech
1/28/2012	vs. Oklahoma
1/31/2012	@ Iowa State
2/4/2012	vs. Texas A&M
2/7/2012	vs. Texas Tech
2/11/2012	@ Texas
2/13/2012	vs. Kansas
2/18/2012	@ Baylor
2/21/2012	@ Missouri
2/25/2012	vs. Iowa State
2/28/2012	@ Texas A&M
3/3/2012	vs. Oklahoma State
Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship
3/7/2012	TBD

2011-12 Preview

It’s a new era of Kansas State men’s basketball in many respects in 2011-12. A daunting task for the Wildcats is to replace a four-year starter and all-time leading scorer in Pullen as well as a two-year starter in Curtis Kelly. The Wildcats return seven lettermen, including five players with starting experience, from a squad that posted a 23-11 overall record, including a tie for third place in the league standings at 10-6, en route to its third NCAA Tournament appearance in four years in 2010-11. Among the five returning with starting experience are senior Jamar Samuels, junior Rodney McGruder and sophomores Jordan Henriquez and Shane Southwell.

Backcourt

The job of replacing Pullen will come in the form of numbers, where the Wildcats return four players – Martavious Irving, Rodney McGruder, Shane Southwell and Will Spralding – with significant experience in the backcourt to go with a host of newcomers in transfers Jeremy Jones and Omari Lawrence as well as freshmen Angel Rodriguez, Shawn Meyer and Brian Rohleder. McGruder and Spradling are the undisputed leaders of the team, having experienced the highs and lows of the 2010-11 season.

Spradling is expected to be the team’s primary point guard after backing up Pullen for most of his freshman campaign. He averaged 6.4 points on nearly 40 percent shooting a year ago, including 37 percent from 3-point range, with 1.8 assists and 1.6 rebounds in 21.9 minutes per game. The team’s top offensive returner, McGruder averaged 11.1 points on 43.9 percent shooting, including 40.8 percent from 3-point range, with a team-best 5.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 30.6 minutes per game in 2010-11.

Frontcourt

Much like the backcourt, the frontcourt has plenty of talent and experience, but must offset the loss of starter Curtis Kelly, who averaged 10.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.3 blocks as a senior in 2010-11. The Wildcats return three players with starting experience, including 2010 Big 12 Sixth Man Award winner senior Jamar Samuels, sophomore Shane Southwell and junior Jordan Henriquez.

The group also includes the return of senior Victor Ojeleye and redshirt freshman Nino Williams and promising newcomers in transfer James Watson and freshmen Adrian Diaz and Thomas Gipson.

Samuels looks to regain his sophomore form when he averaged 11 points on 53.9 percent shooting to go with 4.9 rebounds en route to earning the Sixth Man Award. Henriquez should be an anchor down low in his junior season after gaining significant experience as a sophomore in 2010-11. He averaged 3.7 points on 45.6 percent shooting to go with 4.3 rebounds and1.3 blocks in 13.6 minutes per game.

Other Resources on Tigers Basketball

More Big 12 Basketball Predictions

Kansas Jayhawks	Missouri Tigers
Baylor Bears	Iowa State Cyclones
Kansas State Wildcats	Texas Longhorns
Oklahoma State Cowboys	Oklahoma Sooners
Texas A&M Aggies	Texas Tech Red Raiders

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