The No. 3 Kansas State Wildcats (3-0) and the No. 12 Gonzaga Bulldogs (2-1) both are coming off a major challenges. However, unlike the Bulldogs, the Wildcats were able to fight-off an upset and came away with a victory. The Wildcats had a tough time challenging the unexpectedly hot-hand of Presbyterian, while the Bulldogs couldn’t handle posterior threat Billy White from San Diego State. Also, Gonzaga’s Elias Harris was unable to produce toward the end of the game, which allowed San Diego State to key in on Gonzaga star Steven Gray.

Kansas State’s Curtis Kelly is questionable for Monday’s game against Gonzaga, still being held out at head coach Frank Martin’s decision. Harris, Gonzaga’s best player, is also questionable after leaving their last game early with a leg injury.

If Harris is unable to go, the Wildcats could key-in on Gray, as the did Aztecs late. This could be huge for the Wildcats’ hopes of coming out with a victory against the rugged Bulldogs.

Keys to victory

Stop Steven Gray

The last highly-touted star that visited Manhattan came away with 22 points, and 10 turnovers. However, five of those 22 came in the second half while the Wildcats pulling away easily. Gonzaga’s Steven Gray has the ability to take over games as can be seen by his current statistics. Gray is averaging 25.7 points, 7.3 assists, six rebounds, and three steals per outing for the Bulldogs.

If the Wildcats are able to force Gray into mistakes and keep him off the glass, the Wildcats should be in prime position to take over the game.

Utilize Frontcourt

In Gonzaga’s most recent loss, all but 21 of San Diego State’s points came from their frontcourt. Kansas State has arguably one of the deepest frontcourts in the nation. If Kelly makes his return for the Wildcats, he could cause havoc in the paint.

Jamar Samuels has been magnificent of late and should be the main threat on offense. If the Wildcats can get consistent production from the frontcourt, they should be able to keep pace with Gonzaga and will be in good shape to come out victorious.

Free-Throws

After poor free-throw shooting nearly came back to haunt the Wildcats against Presbyterian, many Wildcat players stayed late and shot free-throws before they left. K-State is shooting a dismal 50 percent as a team from the charity stripe. The Wildcats will need to be much better from the free throw line if they hope to counter a Gonzaga team that shoots 73 percent from the line.

The game should be a close, hard-fought game, so free-throws will be very important.

Taking care of the ball

One of the reasons the Wildcats were able to stop an upset-bid by Presbyterian is because they took care of the ball. When the final buzzer rang, the Wildcats had four total turnovers to compliment their 17 assists. If the Wildcats can take care of the ball and show balance on offense, they should be able to stave off Gonzaga and move on to face the winner between no. 1 Duke and Marquette.