Nebraska Cornhuskers (13-12 | 1-9) AT #7 Kansas St. Wildcats (20-4 | 7-3)
Bramlage Coliseum — Manhattan, Kan.
Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2010 — 6:10 PM CST
FOX Sports Kansas City | ESPN Full Court | ESPN360
Poor Nebraska. Tonight will be its fifth straight game against a ranked team, including two in a row on the road.
It's hell being the worst team in the best (or near-best) conference on the planet, ain't it?
For my previous analysis of the Cornhuskers, 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 (20-4, 7-3 Big 12) concludes its brief two-game home-stand Wednesday night, when the Wildcats complete the season series with Nebraska (13-12, 1-9 Big 12) at Bramlage Coliseum, at 6 p.m.
The squad will be looking to sweep the series from the Cornhuskers for just the third time since the pair joined the Big 12 in 1997, including the first time since 2004.
It will be the 218th meeting between the two long-time rivals, including the 103rd in Manhattan.
The two teams have met at least twice annually since 1922.
The Wildcats own a 124-93 advantage in the series, which dates back to 1906, and have won seven of the last eight meetings at Bramlage Coliseum.
The game will be broadcast regionally on FOX Sports Kansas City, as well as nationally on ESPN Full Court, with Ben Boyle (play-by-play) and Stan Weber (analyst) on the call.
K-State moved further up in the Top 10 on Monday, ranking seventh in both the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today Coaches' polls.
It marked the third time this season that the Wildcats have been ranked in the Top 10 in both polls, including the second straight week.
It is the highest AP ranking since also placing sixth on March 13, 1962, 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 seven consecutive weeks since the 1961-62 squad was ranked among the AP Top 10 for 15 weeks, while the team has ranked among the AP Top 25 for 10 straight weeks for the first time since the 1972-73 squad was ranked for 16 weeks in a row.
The Wildcats, who are past the midway point of the Big 12 season, are off to their best start in nearly 50 years with their current 20-4 record.
The mark ties for the fifth-best start in school history and the best since the 1961-62 squad opened the year at 21-3.
The team posted its 23rd 20-win season in Saturday's 68-51 win over Colorado, becoming the first Wildcat squad to tally 20 or more wins in four consecutive seasons.
Head coach Frank Martin also became the first head coach in school history to post three 20-win seasons to start a career.
In addition, it was the earliest that a K-State team has won 20 games in a season, surpassing the 1958-59 squad that won its 20th game three days later on Feb. 16, 1959.
K-State earned its ninth consecutive win over Colorado on Saturday afternoon, including its fifth straight at Bramlage Coliseum, with a 68-51 victory.
The Wildcats converted 22 turnovers into 26 points in the victory, marking the 12th time this season that the squad scored 20 or more points off an opponent's mistakes.
Juniors Jacob Pullen and Curtis Kelly each posted double-doubles in Big 12 play for the first time in their careers — Pullen led with 15 points to go with a game-high 10 assists, while Kelly posted 12 points and a career-tying 11 rebounds, to go with three blocks and three steals.