Texas A&M Aggies (12-3 | 1-0) AT #12 Kansas State Wildcats (13-2 | 0-1)
Bramlage Coliseum — Manhattan, Kan.
Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2010 — 6:03 PM CST
ESPN2
If you need some help getting psyched for tonight's game, just remember: The only thing worse than a Jayhawk is a Jayhawk trying to be an Aggie.
Flush the Turd!
For my previous analysis of the Aggies, click here. To see K-State's game notes, follow the jump.
From the K-State Sports Information Department:
Kansas State (13-2, 0-1 Big 12) looks to rebound from its first loss of the New Year on Tuesday, when the Wildcats return home to host Texas A&M (12-3, 1-0 Big 12) before a sold-out crowd at Bramlage Coliseum, at 6 p.m.
The game will match two of the more physical teams in the Big 12 — the squads rank first and second in the league in personal fouls drawn (26.0 to 23.9) per game and free throws attempted (32.9 to 29.9) per game, and first and third in free throws made (21.4 and 19.7) per game.
The Aggies are riding a three-game winning streak into Manhattan, where the Wildcats have won 12 consecutive games, dating back to the 2008-09 season (which is tied for the longest streak in Bramlage Coliseum history).
Despite the loss on Saturday to Missouri, the Wildcats boast an impressive 13-2 overall record, which is tied for the fifth-best start in school history and the best since the 1981-82 squad also posted a 13-2 mark.
K-State is 55-40 (.579) all-time in home conference openers, dating back to the old Missouri Valley Conference in 1914.
However, the team is just 4-9 (.307) since the start of the Big 12 in 1997.
This will be the 21st meeting between the two schools, including the 17th since the inception of the Big 12, with the Wildcats holding a 14-6 advantage in the series, including an 8-0 mark at home.
It will mark the second time in the last three seasons that the Aggies have played in the home conference opener in Manhattan, with the Wildcats posting a 75-54 win on Jan. 19, 2008.
The contest will be televised nationally on ESPN2, with Jon Sciambi (play-by-play) and Doug Gottlieb (analyst) on the call.
The Wildcats saw their first Top 10 ranking in more than 35 years last just one week with Saturday's loss, after which the squad tumbled two spots to No. 12 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' poll.
The Top 10 ranking was the highest for K-State in the coaches' poll since USA Today took over ownership of the poll in 1991-92 and marked just the 12th time that a Wildcat team reached the Top 10 at any point in a season in school history.
The team dropped two spots in the AP poll to No. 13, which still is just the ninth Top 15 ranking in the last 35 seasons.
The squad, whose 15 opponents boast a .636 winning percentage through Jan. 11, currently has a consensus Top 10 RPI (in all four major RPI polls) and a strength of schedule ranked 17 or better nationally.
K-State posted season lows in seven categories, including points (68) and field goal percentage (42.0), while Missouri extended the nation's second-longest home-court winning streak to 30 games with a 74-68 victory at Mizzou Arena on Saturday afternoon.
Junior Jacob Pullen knotted the game at 66-all on a 3-pointer with 57 seconds left, but Tiger guard Zaire Taylor followed with his first 3-pointer of the day, with 33 seconds remaining.
Then Laurence Bowers grabbed a key offensive rebound and the ensuing free throws to clinch the game.
Three Wildcats scored in double figures, led by the backcourt duo of Jacob Pullen (21) and Denis Clemente (16), who combined for 30 or more points for the 11th time this season.