Colorado Buffaloes (11-12 | 2-7) AT #9 Kansas St. Wildcats (19-4 | 6-3)
Bramlage Coliseum — Manhattan, Kan.
Saturday, Feb. 13, 2010 — 5:05 PM CST
Big 12 Network | ESPN Full Court | ESPN360
I'll go ahead and push this early since there are a lot of good games today.
Colorado has fallen on hard times since we last faced the Buffaloes.
How hard? Well, they've only won one game since then and they have dropped two in a row at home.
Just one more Northtard for the Wildcats to feast on in the Octagon of Semi-Doom.
For my previous analysis of the Buffaloes, click here. To remind yourself of what happened last time, click here. For K-State's game notes, follow the jump.
From the K-State Sports Information Department:
Kansas State (19-4, 6-3 Big 12) returns home for a two-game homestand Saturday afternoon, when the Wildcats play host to Colorado (11-12, 2-7 Big 12) at Bramlage Coliseum, at 5 p.m.
It will be the first contest for the squad in six days, since knocking off Iowa State 79-75 last Saturday at Hilton Coliseum, and the first of back-to-back home games, which continue Wednesday against Nebraska (13-10, 1-7 Big 12).
The Wildcats will be looking to make history with a win against the Buffaloes, which would represent not only the 20th of the season, but also would give the squad four consecutive 20-win seasons for the first time in school history.
In addition, the win would make Frank Martin the first head coach in school history to post 20 wins in his first three seasons.
It also would be the fastest 20-win season since the 1961-62 squad won 20 in just 22 contests.
The game will be broadcast regionally on the Big 12 Network, as well as nationally on ESPN Full Court, with Mitch Holthus (play-by-play), Rich Zvosec and Paul Splittorff (analyst) on the call.
Saturday's contest will match two of the better backcourts in the Big 12, when the Wildcat tandem of Jacob Pullen (18.8 points per game) and Denis Clemente (15.7 points per game) will match up with the Buffalo pair of Cory Higgins (18.0 points per game) and Alec Burks (16.8 points per game).
The quartet ranks among the top 15 scorers in the league in both overall and conference-only games.
It will be the 141st meeting between K-State and Colorado, including the 64th in Manhattan.
The two teams have met at least twice annually since 1948.
The Wildcats own a 96-44 advantage in the series, which dates back to 1933, and have won eight straight over the Buffaloes, including four in a row at Bramlage Coliseum.
It is the longest winning streak by either team in the series since K-State won nine consecutive from 1985 to 1989, while it is the longest winning streak in Manhattan for the Wildcats since winning 29 straight from 1965-94.
K-State continued its move in the polls Monday, when the Wildcats jumped into the Top 10 in both major polls for the second time this season, ranking ninth in both the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today Coaches' polls.
It is the highest AP ranking since also placing ninth in the poll more than 35 years ago on March 13, 1973, while it matches 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 has ranked among the AP Top 15 for six consecutive weeks since the 1961-62 squad was ranked among the AP Top 10 for 14 consecutive weeks, while the team has ranked among the AP Top 25 for nine straight weeks for the first time since the 1972-73 team was ranked for 16 weeks in a row.
The Wildcats claimed their eighth straight win over the Cyclones, including their fourth in a row in Ames, behind Denis Clemente's game-high 30-point effort in a 79-75 victory Feb. 6.
The squad overcame poor first-half shooting to claim its first win this season when trailing at halftime.