OPEN GAME THREAD: Texas Tech

#6 Kansas St. Wildcats (22-4 | 9-3) AT Texas Tech Red Raiders (16-10 | 4-8)

United Spirit Arena — Lubbock, Texas
Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2010 — 7:05 PM CST

Big 12 Network | ESPN Full Court | ESPN360

BracketCat is back in the hizzy tonight — Lubbock is a little too far from my stomping grounds.

K-State has not won in Lubbock during the Big 12 era. Our last win there came in 1986.

Like our recent history in Lincoln that came to an end this season, let's hope this history-making team can reverse the ugly trend in west Texas.

For my previous analysis of the Red Raiders, click here. For K-State's game notes, follow the jump.

From the K-State Sports Information Department:

Kansas State (22-4, 9-3 Big 12) continues the stretch run of the Big 12 regular season today, when the Wildcats travel to Lubbock, Texas, to face Texas Tech (16-10, 4-8 Big 12) at the United Spirit Arena, at 7 p.m.

The contest is the last of back-to-back road tilts for the squad that began in Saturday's 83-68 win over Oklahoma in Norman.

After today's trip to Lubbock, the Wildcats will play two of their last three regular-season games in the friendly confines of Bramlage Coliseum, beginning Saturday against Missouri (20-7, 8-4 Big 12).

This will be the 25th all-time meeting between K-State and Texas Tech in a series that dates back to 1955.

Each squad has won 12 games in the series — however, the Red Raiders have won 11 of the 16 meetings in the Big 12 era, including all six home games.

The Wildcats' last win (73-72) in Lubbock came Dec. 4, 1986, in the last of non-conference home-and-home series.

The game will be broadcast regionally on the Big 12 Network, with Doug Bell (play-by-play) and Stephen Howard (analyst) on the call.

K-State moved up further in the Top 10 on Monday, ranking sixth in both the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today Coaches' polls.

It marked the fourth time this season that the Wildcats have been ranked in the Top 10 in both polls, including the third straight week.

It is the highest AP ranking since also placing sixth on March 13, 1962, while it is the highest ranking in the coaches' poll since USA Today took over ownership of the poll in 1991-92.

It marks the first time that the program ranked among the AP Top 15 for eight consecutive weeks since the 1961-62 squad was ranked among the AP Top 10 for 15 weeks, while the team's current 11-week stay in the AP Top 25 is the longest since the 1972-73 squad was ranked for 16 straight weeks.

The Wildcats are off to their best start in nearly 50 years with their current 22-4 record.

The mark ties for the fourth-best start in school history and the best since the 1961-62 squad finished the year at 22-3.

The team posted its 23rd 20-win season Feb. 13, becoming the first Wildcat squad to tally 20 or more wins in four consecutive seasons.

In addition, Frank Martin became the first head coach in school history to post three 20-win seasons to start a career, while Saturday's win over Oklahoma gave him the most wins (65) by a head coach in his first three seasons.

K-State ran its winning streak to five games on Saturday with an 83-68 victory over Oklahoma at the Lloyd Noble Center.

The win was the Wildcats' fifth straight on the road in league play and guaranteed them a winning conference road record for the first time in the Big 12 era and for the first time since the 1987-88 season.

The squad shot 53.3 percent for the game, including 58.1 percent in the second half, to top 80 points for the 15th time this season.

Senior Denis Clemente led five players in double figures with 27 points on 11-of-18 shooting, including 5 of 9 from 3-point range, to go with six assists.