Kansas State (16-9) is coming off a heartbreaking defeat in Boulder on Saturday. Unfortunately, it doesn’t get any easier as they return home to face the Kansas Jayhawks (20-1) who will likely be ranked #1 after the new rankings come out on Monday. ESPN will be on hand for Big Monday.

The game against Colorado was a hard fought game. Unfortunately, the Wildcats came up one-tenth of a second short from winning as Rodney McGruder canned a three-pointer at the buzzer. As it turned out, the ball was still in his hand when the clock hit zero, but it couldn’t have been any closer. Kansas State played very poorly against CU, but fought hard to the final whistle which has to be admired somewhat.

Last Meeting

Kansas continued their recent domination over Kansas State with a 90-66 victory on January 29^th in Lawrence. Kansas played emotionally strong for their guard Robinson, who had just lost his mother. KU dominated the game from the get go and never gave Kansas State a chance to cut the deficit. KU has won the last seven meetings including the Big 12 championship game last season.

A Look at Kansas

Kansas has played like a team possessed ever since they lost their first game to Texas on January 22^nd. The Hawks have gone 6-0, winning by an average of 18.3 points per game. They are one of the hottest teams in the country. After a dominating 89-66 victory in Ames on Saturday, Kansas should move to #1 in the country when the new rankings are released tomorrow.

Kansas is lead by their twin forwards Marcus and Markieff Morris. Marcus leads the team in scoring with 16.9 points per game and is first on the team with 8.5 rebounds per game. His brother sits right behind him with 13.2 points per game and 7.0 rebounds.

This Kansas team resembles the 2008 national championship team. They have tremendous inside talent while also having great guards. The depth on Kansas was overlooked in preseason rankings. Last season the Hawks were on the shoulders of Cole Aldrich and Sherron Collins. This season, it is much more of a team effort as they have 6 players who average at least 8.8 points per game. Kansas’ leading minutes leader is Tyshawn Taylor who averages 27.9 minutes per game.

Key Statistics about KU

Kansas might be the best offensive team in the nation. They average the sixth-most points per game in the country at 83.9, are second in the nation with 18.6 assists per game, and lead the nation in field goal percentage with a staggering 52.3 percent from the floor. The Hawks are unselfish which is their major strength.

Key Players

Marcus Morris/Markieff Morris

The Morris twins are the heart of the Kansas team. They lead the team in rebounding and scoring. They are two of the tallest players on the team (Marcus 6’9 235 lbs, Markieff 6’10 245 lbs) and are projected first round draft picks for next season’s NBA draft.

Tyshawn Taylor

Taylor (6’3 185 lb JR guard) lit up Kansas State in Manhattan last year. He is the assists leader this year for the Hawks with 4.8 assists per game. He has also been a key scorer for the team, averaging 8.8 points per game.

Josh Selby

Selby (6’2 183 lb FR guard) is the leading three-point shooter for Kansas. He was listed as the number one player in the 2010 class by rivals.com. Josh Selby was suspended for the start of the season for supposedly accepting improper benefits. He currently is averaging 12 points per game and 3.2 assists per game. He was a key contributor in KU’s first win over K-State this season. He is questionable for the game against Kansas State.

Injury Report

Thomas Robinson

Robinson has gone through so much this season that you hate to see an injury for him now. He is a key part of the Kansas Jayhawks and will be out for at least two weeks recovering from surgery.

3 Keys for a Wildcat Victory

1. Play with Fire – The last time these two teams met it appeared that Kansas State just gave up. KU scored on uncontested layups, forced turnovers almost at will, and walked completely over Kansas State. If K-State wants any chance they have to play with energy the entire game.
2. Win the first and final 5 minutes of each half – K-State has struggled in the beginning and end of each half in a lot of the games this year. If K-State has a chance of winning they have to prevent Kansas from getting off to a hot start, and the cats need to finish strong at the end of both half’s.
3. Believe – Simply put, you can’t win if you don’t believe. Yes, Kansas State lost to Colorado twice. Yes Kansas State has only beaten KU twice since 1994. But what did those two teams (2005, 2008) have in common? They believed. “We will beat KU in Manhattan, we will beat them in Lawrence, we will beat them in Africa” – Michael Beasley, enough said.