#10 Kansas St. Wildcats (18-4 | 5-3) AT Iowa St. Cyclones (13-9 | 2-5)
Hilton Coliseum — Ames, Iowa
Saturday, Feb. 6, 2010 — 1:05 PM CST
ESPN2 | ESPN360
"Survive and advance" is the name of the game today.
For my previous analysis of the Cyclones, click here. To see K-State's game notes, follow the jump.
From the K-State Sports Information Department:
Kansas State (18-4, 5-3 Big 12) continues its road swing on Saturday afternoon, when the Wildcats travel to Ames, Iowa, to face Iowa State (13-9, 2-5 Big 12) at Hilton Coliseum, at 1 p.m.
It will be the second of back-to-back road games for K-State and the second of four road games in a six-game stretch.
Saturday's contest will match two of the better duos in the Big 12 -- the Wildcat tandem of Jacob Pullen (19.0 points per game) and Denis Clemente (15.0 points per game) will match up with the Cyclone pair of Craig Brackins (16.5 points per game) and Marquis Gilstrap (14.5 points per game).
The quartet each rank among the top 15 scorers in the league, in both overall and conference-only games.
It will be the 209th meeting between K-State and Iowa State, and the 92nd in Ames.
The two teams have met at least twice annually since 1918.
The Wildcats own a 132-76 advantage in the series, which dates back to 1909, and have won seven straight over the Cyclones, including three in a row at Hilton Coliseum.
It is the longest winning streak by either team in the series, since K-State won eight consecutive from 1975 to 1977, while it is the longest winning streak in Ames for the Wildcats since winning six straight from 1972-77.
The contest will be broadcast nationally on ESPN2, with Jnebon Sciambi (play-by-play) and Mike Kelley (analyst) on the call.
K-State returned to the Top 10 for the third time this season on Monday, when the Wildcats jumped one spot to a tie for 10th with Duke in the Associated Press poll.
The squad moved two spots to No. 11 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll.
It marks the first time the program has ranked among the AP Top 15 for five consecutive weeks since the 1961-62 squad was ranked among the AP Top 10 for 14 consecutive weeks, from Dec. 19, 1961, to March 13, 1962.
The Wildcats have ranked among the nation's Top 25 in both polls for eight consecutive weeks -- the longest such streak since the 1972-73 season.
K-State earned its first win in Lincoln since 2006 on Tuesday night, when the Wildcats shot 49.2 percent in posting a 76-57 win over Nebraska at the Devaney Sports Center.
The 19-point victory marked the largest margin of victory in a league road game since the inception of the Big 12, while it was the largest in Lincoln since a 27-point win (82-55) on Feb. 3, 1973.
The team used its defensive pressure to force 16 Cornhusker turnovers, converting the miscues into at least 20 points for the 11th time this season.
Senior Denis Clemente led four Wildcats in double figures with his game-high 23 points on 7-of-14 shooting, including 5-of-9 from 3-point range, to go with a game-high five assists.
It marked the 10th time in the last 12 games that the squad had four or more players score in double figures.
Sophomore Jamar Samuels tallied a near double-double with 15 points and a game-high nine rebounds.
Juniors Jacob Pullen and Curtis Kelly added 13 and 12 points, respectively, while Kelly had at least five blocks for the fourth time this season.
At 18-4, the Wildcats are off to their best start under head coach Frank Martin and their best mark since the 1961-62 squad opened the year with a 20-2 overall mark.