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
Conference	Big 12 Conference
Record	22–12 (9–7 Big 12)
Head coach	Frank Martin
Assistant coaches	Matt Figger Dalonte Hill Brad Underwood
Home arena	Bramlage Coliseum (12,500)

2008–09 Big 12 men's basketball standings

	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
No. 14 Kansas	14	–	2		.875			27	–	8		.771
No. 7 Oklahoma	13	–	3		.813			30	–	6		.833
No. 9 Missouri †	12	–	4		.750			31	–	7		.816
Kansas State	9	–	7		.563			22	–	12		.647
Texas	9	–	7		.563			23	–	12		.657
Texas A&M	9	–	7		.563			24	–	10		.706
Oklahoma State	9	–	7		.563			23	–	12		.657
Nebraska	8	–	8		.500			18	–	13		.581
Baylor	5	–	11		.313			24	–	15		.615
Iowa State	4	–	12		.250			15	–	17		.469
Texas Tech	3	–	13		.188			14	–	19		.424
Colorado	1	–	15		.063			9	–	22		.290
† 2009 Big 12 Tournament winner Rankings from AP poll

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

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Buchi Awaji SG	Glendora, California	Los Angeles-Loyola H.S.	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	Apr 25, 2008
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/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:   247Sports: N/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.

Schedule

Date time, TV	Rank#	Opponent#	Result	Record	Site (attendance) city, state
Exhibition
11/09/2008* 2:00 pm		Washburn	W 81–57	–	Bramlage Coliseum (7,733) Manhattan, KS
Regular season
11/14/2008* 7:00 pm, FSKC		Florida A&M	W 96–57	1–0	Bramlage Coliseum (9,070) Manhattan, KS
11/16/2008* 2:00 pm		SE Missouri State	W 88–68	2–0	Bramlage Coliseum (8,109) Manhattan, KS
11/19/2008* 7:00 pm, FSKC		Emporia State	W 82–60	3–0	Bramlage Coliseum (8,083) Manhattan, KS
11/22/2008* 6:00 pm		at Cleveland State	W 69–59	4–0	Wolstein Center (2,827) Cleveland, OH
11/25/2008* 7:00 pm, FSKC		Oakland	W 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 Miss	W 74–55	6–3	Sprint Center (6,054) Kansas City, MO
12/14/2008* 6:00 pm		Gardner–Webb	W 107–48	7–3	Bramlage Coliseum (8,112) Manhattan, KS
12/20/2008* 1:00 pm		Centenary	W 73–51	8–3	Bramlage Coliseum (8,861) Manhattan, KS
12/30/2008* 7:00 pm, FSKC		Wagner	W 82–53	9–3	Bramlage Coliseum (7,304) Manhattan, KS
01/03/2009* 1:00 pm, FSKC		Idaho State	W 83–57	10–3	Bramlage Coliseum (7,446) Manhattan, KS
01/05/2009* 7:00 pm, FSKC		Chicago State	W 99–68	11–3	Bramlage Coliseum (5,381) Manhattan, KS
01/10/2009 12:30 pm, B12N		No. 6 Oklahoma	L 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 Nebraska	L 51–73	11–6 (0–3)	Devaney Sports Center (11,736) Lincoln, NE
01/21/2009 8:00 pm, ESPN2		Baylor	L 65–84	11–7 (0–4)	Bramlage Coliseum (9,386) Manhattan, KS
01/24/2009 5:00 pm, B12N		at Colorado	W 77–75 OT	12–7 (1–4)	Coors Events Center (6,061) Boulder, CO
01/28/2009 8:00 pm, FSKC		Missouri	W 88–72	13–7 (2–4)	Bramlage Coliseum (9,665) Manhattan, KS
01/31/2009 3:00 pm, B12N		at No. 11 Texas	W 85–81 OT	14–7 (3–4)	Frank Erwin Center (13,186) Austin, TX
02/03/2009 7:10 pm, FSKC		Iowa State	W 65–50	15–7 (4–4)	Bramlage Coliseum (9,489) Manhattan, KS
02/07/2009 3:00 pm, B12N		at Texas A&M	W 65–60	16–7 (5–4)	Reed Arena (10,367) College Station, TX
02/11/2009 8:00 pm, ESPNU		Texas Tech	W 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 Central	W 95–49	18–8 (6–5)	Bramlage Coliseum (7,681) Manhattan, KS
02/21/2009 5:00 pm, FSKC		at Iowa State	W 50–46	19–8 (7–5)	Hilton Coliseum (11,922) Ames, IA
02/25/2009 8:00 pm, ESPNU		at No. 11 Missouri	L 74–94	19–9 (7–6)	Mizzou Arena (14,825) Columbia, MO
02/28/2009 7:00 pm, B12N		Nebraska	W 77–72	20–9 (8–6)	Bramlage Coliseum (12,528) Manhattan, KS
03/03/2009 6:30 pm, ESPN2		at Oklahoma State	L 71–77	20–10 (8–7)	Gallagher-Iba Arena (12,106) Stillwater, OK
03/07/2009 12:30 pm, B12N		Colorado	W 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 OT	22–11	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.

Roster

#	Name	Height	Weight (lbs.)	Position	Class	Hometown	Previous Team(s)
0	Jacob Pullen	6'0"	200	G	So.	Maywood, IL, U.S.	Proviso East HS
1	Fred Brown	6'2"	190	G	So.	West Palm Beach, FL, U.S.	Dwyer HS
13	Justin Werner	6'3"	190	G	Fr.	Topeka, KS, U.S.	Washburn Rural HS
15	Luis Colon	6'10"	265	C	Jr.	Bayamón, Puerto Rico	Krop HS (Miami, FL)
21	Denis Clemente	6'1"	175	G	Jr.	Bayamón, Puerto Rico	Calusa Prep HS (Miami, FL) University of Miami
23	Dominique Sutton	6'5"	210	G	So.	Durham, NC, U.S.	Patterson HS (Lenoir, NC)
24	Curtis Kelly	6'8"	250	F	Jr.	New York, NY, U.S.	Rice HS University of Connecticut
25	Buchi Awaji	6'3"	185	G	Jr.	Los Angeles, CA, U.S.	Loyola HS Florida International University Citrus College
31	Chris Merriewether	6'3"	210	G	Jr.	Jacksonville, FL, U.S.	Arlington Country Day HS
32	Jamar Samuels	6'7"	215	F	Fr.	Washington, DC, U.S.	Patterson HS (Lenoir, NC)
33	Victor Ojeleye	6'6"	225	F	Fr.	Ottawa, KS, U.S.	Patterson HS (Lenoir, NC)
40	Ron Anderson	6'8"	255	F	So.	Upper Marlboro, MD, U.S.	McCallie HS (Chattanooga, TN)
42	Darren Kent	6'11"	230	F	Sr.	Apple Valley, MN, U.S.	Eastview HS

Statistics

See also

• 2008–09 Big 12 Conference men's basketball season