The No. 23 Kansas State Wildcats (11-1), who are a defensive possession away from being undefeated, have been a surprise team this season by all means. The Wildcats won at a neutral site against a ranked Alabama team as well as picking up a win against Long Beach State, to compliment a road win at Virginia Tech.

The Wildcats look to add to their resume and continue to prove doubters wrong against the No. 15 Kansas Jayhawks (10-3). The Wildcats are coming off a 82-46 blowout of the Howard Bisons (4-11). Following the game, Frank Martin and the Wildcats were already looking ahead to conference play. “We are ready, and we have been ready,” Martin said. “That is what these guys work for, and it is why they spend all of those hours in the gym and weight room. We go through the challenges of the preseason and non-conference schedule for one reason and that is Big 12 play. That does not guarantee wins, but I know these guys are ready to go.”

The Wildcats have arguably the most brutal beginning schedule of any team this season. The Wildcats start off at Kansas, then plays host to two top-10 teams in Missouri and Baylor.  “If you gave me the option of who we have to play, I would not choose those guys, but it is the same for everybody because we are all in the same boat,” coach Martin said. “Everybody goes to Allen Fieldhouse, everyone comes to Bramlage, and everyone has to play at Mizzou. It is the same for everyone.”

Kansas State has catapulted right back into the national spotlight after most believed the Wildcats wouldn’t be prevalent without superstar guard Jacob Pullen. However, the returning players, along with a mix of newcomers, have meshed well and helped the Wildcats to a nearly perfect record headed into conference play.

More importantly, the Wildcats have been shooting lights out lately. In the past two games, Kansas State has shot 50-percent from the field, and if you stretch back further you’ll see they shot 45-percent against UTEP, 54-percent against Southern Illinois and 44-percent against Alabama; all games, which were played away from home.

That is a great sign headed into conference play and a big part of it comes from the leadership of Rodney McGruder and Will Spradling. McGruder has missed just three shots in the past two games, including missing on just one three point attempt out of seven tries. He’s embraced the role of leader of this team and you can really pinpoint his recent success to the Wildcats uprising and newly found identity.

Following the Howard game, McGruder was content with the win but was already looking ahead to Kansas. “I am just ready to play that game. I wish that it was tomorrow,” he said. “I am just excited and amped up for it. I cannot wait until Wednesday.”

Sophomore guard Spradling offered his opinion on Kansas as well. “They do not have the same players as last year, but they play the same way,” he said. “They play the same defense every year. Offensively, they pretty much run the same thing, but with different guys.”

History tells us that Kansas State will have a tough time winning this game on the road at Kansas. The Wildcats have only beaten Kansas twice in the past ten years, both wins coming on Kansas State’s home floor. However, this year, that could easily change. As many expected, Kansas is having a down year and doesn’t have nearly as much talent as it usually bolsters. Kansas struggled at home against Long Beach State, a team the Wildcats handled easily, as well as against an under-manned Ohio State team that was without it’s superstar Jared Sullinger.

Despite their problems this season, Kansas still has maintained their dominant edge. Mostly due to their dominant inside force Thomas Robinson, who’s averaging 17.7 points and 12.2 rebounds per game this season. He could easily prove to be a big problem for Kansas State. Tyshawn Taylor has also made his presence felt this season despite fighting off the injury bug.

To beat the Jayhawks at home, the Wildcats will need consistent effort on the defensive end. This season in all of Kansas’ losses, the Jayhawks have averaged 15 turnovers a game, with an average of 6.3 coming from senior Taylor. In addition, the Jayhawks shot around 26-percent from three-point land and got a combined 19 points in three losses from their bench. It should be noted in their latest blowout, Conner Teahan was the only non-starter to score in a 26-point win.

The bench has been non-exisent and that could pose to be a big problem for Kansas as the Wildcats average 28 foul shots per game. Depth will play a big part in this game and the team that can bring an impact from the bench will more than likely be in better position to win the game.

With the emergence of the Wildcats bench and improvement from guards Jeremy Jones and Angel Rodriguez, Kansas State has enough firepower to steal a win on the road in Lawrence. Jordan Henriquez will play a huge part because his length could potentially hurt Robinson on the offensive end. Freshman Thomas Gipson will also play a huge part in slowing down Robinson, as I’m sure he’ll be guarding him on the defensive end. Creating foul shots for himself and getting Kansas’ star player in foul trouble could be instrumental in a wildcat victory.

The game is set to take place Wednesday, January 4, 2012 at 7PM CT.