(8) Kansas @ Kansas State

Bitter rivals clash in the Little Apple, as the (No. 8) Kansas Jayhawks travel to Manhattan to battle the Kansas State Wildcats, who are desperate to snap their losing streak. The BIG XII is at it again, folks, with eight different teams residing in the Top-25 Rankings, with Kansas (18-4, 6-3 in BIG XII) looking to once again flex their muscles as the dominant force within the toughest conference in the country. After losing two out of three games, (Head Coach) Bill Self's troops responded with convincing victories over Oklahoma State (83-54) and most recently (No. 4) Houston in a 78-65 triumph over the weekend. Against one of the toughest defensive teams in the land, KU shot a blistering 68.9% from the field, including 25-of-32 within the arc (78.1%) and 6-of-13 beyond it (46.2%). Conversely, they relegated the Cougars to just 36.2% shooting overall. Four players scored in double-figures for the Jayhawks, led by 20 points from (Senior Center) Hunter Dickinson, who added 8 rebounds, 4 assists, and a block.

It has been a very different story for Kansas State (14-8, 4-5 in BIG XII), who have struggled to replicate the success that they enjoyed in their first campaign under (Head Coach) Jerome Tang. Last season, the Wildcats were 26-10, ascended as high as fifth in the Ap Poll, and advanced all the way to the Elite Eight. However, it has been a different story in year number two, particularly when it comes to replacing the services of Keyontae Johnson and Markquis Nowell, who are both playing in the NBA. Losers of four straight games, KSU has struggled mightily on the offensive end during this stretch, shooting just 40.8% from the field and 28.9% from three, while committing more turnovers (14.8) than assists (10.3). Saturday's narrow 72-72 loss at Oklahoma State was the only loss not to come by double-digits, as the Wildcats had multiple looks to tie the game in the waning moments.

Our Call: Kansas 78 , Kansas State 68