Kansas State really could not have asked for a better two-day stretch of basketball in the Big 12 Conference. This past week worked out perfectly. On Tuesday, K-State knocked off Kansas, 74-67 at Bramlage Coliseum, knocking the Jayhawks further down the Big 12 standings and giving itself a better chance to win the conference. Then, Baylor lost to Texas on Wednesday, putting the Wildcats in sole possession of first place. It’s lonely at the top right now. But tonight, K-State will have to defend its top spot. The Wildcats go to the Ferrell Center tonight to face Baylor, a team that is just one game back of them in the conference standings. A win further separates K-State from the pack, while a loss drops the Wildcats back some and makes the path to a trophy a little bit harder. It’s going to be a tough one for the Wildcats, who will need to face a tough zone defense from a very surprising Baylor team, but K-State is hot itself right now, so this one could really go either way. Here’s three questions, two players to watch and one observation leading up to today’s game against the Bears.<doc-sep>With Makai Mason (toe) and King McClure (knee) out due to injury, the short-handed Baylor Bears (15-8, 6-4) fell to a sneaking Kansas State (17-6, 8-2) at home 70-63. Tonight, Baylor was an energy team that just didn’t have the horses to get across the finish line. Devonte Bandoo (15 points, 2 steals) and Freddie Gillespie (13 points, 9 rebounds, 2 blocks) had excellent games as spot-starters. Gillespie, in particular, was at the center of everything good for the Bears. Gillespie was outstanding as a screen setter and finishing on pick-and-roll opportunities. His energy on the glass and on defense was often what held together a team that couldn’t keep up with a more talented K-State team. Baylor’s chances of winning hinged on how well Kansas State shot from outside. Unfortunately for the Bears, K-State shot above their average at 35.6% (9-26). Kamau Stokes (20 points) and Barry Brown Jr. (13 points) were a combined 6-13 from three. The defense held Dean Wade (12 points, 7 rebounds) to a modest 4-10 from the floor. Wade was harassed by double teams most of the game, sometimes before he could even touch the ball. The game plan for tonight was to keep the ball out of Wade’s hands and hope K-State’s shooters would miss enough shots. It was the right plan, especially given the personnel issues, but it didn’t turn out Baylor’s way. Part of that difficulty was with their own three-point shooting. The Bears shot 25% (6-24) from deep. Jared Butler (13 points), who played an overall good game, was too quick to pull the trigger on several occasions. He was 3-10, while Bandoo was 1-6. If both of those two had hit at their averages, Baylor might have won tonight’s game. The team effort was great all game. For the most part, player and ball movement were excellent. The point distribution between the players is a testament to that. Baylor really needed someone to step up in a big way, though, and no one could quite lift the load. Mario Kegler (8 points, 4 rebounds) was a ghost for most of this game. He had a couple of moments when he bullied a smaller defender or ran out in transition, but his offensive game was limited. He couldn’t take advantage of his strength on drives. That wasn’t helped, of course, by the fact that he was mostly on the floor with two other non-shooters in Mark Vital and one of Gillespie or Flo Thamba. Even still, a player of his size and athleticism needs to find ways to get to the rim. Obim Okeke was the first guard off the bench, a sign of just how far Darius Allen has fallen in his coaches’ estimation. Okeke was far more involved in the offense than he needed to be. The ball found his hands frequently, perhaps because K-State’s defenders weren’t very concerned if it got there. Baylor’s next game is on Monday at home hosting Oklahoma. With a tough schedule ahead, the Bears need a win to protect their home floor and keep their Tournament dreams alive despite suffering a disparaging number of injuries to key players this season.<doc-sep>In a rugged game filled with runs and lead changes, Kansas State’s final run was enough to overcome the Baylor Bears, 70-63, Saturday in Waco. With the win, the Wildcats become the first Big 12 team to reach eight conference wins, and they open a one and one-half game lead on the rest of the Big 12 with eight league games left to play. K-State (18-5, 8-2 Big 12) rode a strong first half performance by Xavier Sneed and a strong second half from Cartier Diarra to weather a spirited effort by the Baylor Bears (15-8, 7-4). Baylor was without the services of shooting wizard Makai Mason and junior guard King McClure. At various times the Bears had three freshmen on the floor, but they played confident basketball and made it difficult for the Wildcats to play offense in the paint. The referees were stingy with the whistles, and Baylor took advantage, bringing an aggressive, physical style to the game. Baylor started fast and led 21-16 a little under eight minutes to play in the first half, but K-State established the pace it wanted, finished the half on a 15-8 run, and went to the break with 31-29 lead. Both Barry Brown and Dean Wade were quiet in the first half, with 3 points and 4 points, respectively, but Xavier Sneed contributed 9, Stokes scored 7, and Mawien had a hard-earned 6 before halftime. Out of the break, K-State hit only 1 of its first 9 shots, and Baylor took advantage with transition buckets for forge ahead, 36-33. The Bears would eventually lead 48-41 just past the midpoint of the second half, but K-State allowed them only five points over the next 6:20 while the ‘Cats scored 21 to take a 62-53 advantage with 3:20 to play. Baylor cut the lead to 68-63 late, but two free throws by Diarra sealed the win for K-State. The game was even, in many respects. It was tied for over eight minutes of action and featured nine lead changes. Baylor committed 13 turnovers, while K-State had 11. K-State won the rebounding battle 33-32. Both teams had five steals. Two unexpected proficiencies led Coach Weber’s team to victory: The ‘Cats made 9 of 26 three-point attempts (35%) to the Bears’ 6-24 (25%). More significantly (and unexpectedly, given recent results), K-State connected on 15 of 17 free throw attempts (88%), which was key to closing out the win. Kamau Stokes led the Wildcats with 20 points. He was joined in double-figures by Barry Brown (13), Dean Wade (12) and Cartier Diarra (10). After scoring nine in the first half, Sneed was held scoreless after the break. K-State had 17 assists on 23 field goals, with Brown distributing six and Stokes and Diarra having four apiece. Team rebounding was the theme, with Wade and Mawien each grabbing 7, Stokes 6 and all of the starters corralling at least three. Baylor was led in scoring by spot starter Devonte Bandoo, who had 15. Jared Butler and Freddie Gillespie pitched in 13 apiece. What we Learned K-State’s physicality and experience can wear teams down. For a team that plays zone, Baylor brought an aggressive, physical style to the game. At one point, the Bears’ Mark Vital even tackled Kamau Stokes along the sideline, into what the referees determined was a traveling violation. The Bears challenged shots to the tune of seven blocks and pestered rebounders, making outlet passes difficult. In the end, though, K-State’s pressure man-to-man forced the Bears into difficult shots and created offensive opportunities for the ‘Cats. Although the turnover battle was relatively even, K-State outscored the Bears in points off those turnovers by a 19-9 margin. Cartier Diarra has found the confidence that he appeared to lack through most of the early season. In the follow-up to his breakout, windmill dunk-punctuated performance against KU in Bramlage, Diarra made two crucial three-pointers as the Wildcats first clawed back from behind and then extended their lead late in the game. He also made the game’s most impressive pass, as he was falling out of bounds saving a ball on the baseline, but tossed the ball ahead of Barry Brown at the half-court line, leading to an uncontested dunk. With Diarra and Sneed contributing, the pressure on Wade and Brown is not so overwhelming. The offense has looked better since Dean’s health has improved. If Stokes can keep the stroke he showed today and the rest of the supporting cast contributes, the offense could become (dare we hope?) efficient. If that happens, given the team’s defensive prowess, K-State will be tough for anyone in the Big 12 to catch. Speaking of which... Today’s win was the Wildcats’ eighth straight in conference play, equaling a streak that had not been accomplished at K-State since 1974, a season in which they won 11 straight. Earlier this week, we asked whether Bruce and the Boys could handle prosperity. The answer, at least for one game, is an emphatic “Yes.” Not only do the Wildcats now enjoy a 1 1⁄ 2 game lead over everyone else in the Big 12, but—like it or not—they should find themselves ranked when the polls come out on Monday. Then, a new test of their resolve in the face of admiration will begin. Next Up The ‘Cats hit the road to attempt vengeance for their home loss against the Texas Longhorns Tuesday at 8:00. The game fortunately airs on ESPN2, rather than the Longhorn Network, so we’ll actually get to watch.<doc-sep>These boys are on fire. Seven straight conference wins, including last Tuesday’s 74-67 beating of the hated Jayhawks, has your Wildcats firmly in first place at 7-2 in the Big 12 conference. That victory showed that these Wildcats are the real deal, handling the pressure of being on top while facing a talented team. In years past, Wildcat teams have folded under that kind of pressure, but these guys seem to be using that pressure as fuel. If they can keep it up, great things await. Standing in their way are Scott Drew’s Bears squad. Headed in to the mid-week games, K-State and Baylor were tied for first place in the Big 12. But the Bears dropped a road game to the Texas Longhorns, and are currently sitting in third place at 6-3 in the conference. A win for the Bears would put them back into a first-place tie with K-State (Iowa State fell to TCU earlier today to drop them out of first-place contention for this week). The last time these two teams met in Waco, the Wildcats walked out of the Ferrell Center with a 90-83 victory. K-State has also won the last four in the series. And Baylor is without star big man Tristan Clark, and senior guard Makai Mason has been battling injury this week and was virtually a non-factor in the Bears’ loss to Texas. He’s listed as a “game time decision” for this afternoon. The Wildcats have the skill to pull this thing off, they have the momentum, and this group has the series history. But these guys still have to play hard and not take anything for granted to maintain both their win streak as well as their hold on first place. If you want to win the Big 12, you have to keep winning games on the road. This afternoon’s game is scheduled for a 5:05pm CST tip-off, and will be available on ESPN2 with Rich Hollenberg (play-by-play) and Tim Welsh (analyst) on the call. You should also be able to access the game on WatchESPN.com/ESPN3. You will also be able to listen to live audio across much of the K-State Sports Network with with Wyatt Thompson (play-by-play) and Stan Weber (analyst) calling the action. The game will also be available streaming for free online via the TuneIn app/TuneIn.com and at www.kstatesports.com/watch. Satellite coverage is also available at XM 381 / Internet 972 (likely the BU broadcast). Live stats are available at k-statesports.com, and Twitter updates (@KStateMBB) will also be a part of the coverage from K-State Athletics. PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP Kansas State Wildcats (17-5, 7-2 Big 12) G: #3 Kamau Stokes G: #5 Barry Brown Jr. G/F: #20 Xavier Sneed F: #32 Dean Wade F: #14 Makol Mawien Baylor Bears (15-7, 6-3 Big 12) G: #10 Makai Mason G: #3 King McClure G: #12 Jared Butler G/F: #11 Mark Vital G/F: #4 Mario Kegler Go Cats!<doc-sep>
Broadcast info: ESPN2 at 5pm CT. As everyone expected heading into conference play, tonight’s game features the two leaders in the Big XII Conference standings. The Kansas State Wildcats (17-5, 7-2) are on a seven-game conference winning streak and stand alone in first place. Your Baylor Bears (15-7, 6-3), meanwhile, have won seven of their last 8 games. Kansas State’s streak has a couple of more impressive victories with wins over Kansas at home and Iowa State in Ames, but Baylor has its own win over Texas Tech in Waco and several dominating road wins over lesser conference opponents to boast. Both of these teams are currently riding high and hope to finish in the top half of the standings. Kansas State, though unranked, has proven itself to be a Tournament team, particularly with star forward Dean Wade back in the lineup after missing early season games with injury. The Big XII preseason player of the year is the exact sort of player the Bears struggle to contain. He’s a skilled big man comfortable working from the elbows and shooting from the soft spots in the zone. Baylor doesn’t have anyone who matches up well with Wade. Mario Kegler will likely pull the assignment, but he will likely struggle to contain Wade’s advanced face-up game. Other than Kegler, Baylor’s other defenders lack either the size, quickness, or savvy to contain him. Barry Brown and Kamau Stokes are tough-minded guards, and Brown certainly isn’t afraid of big moments in games. The best approach for Baylor is to let those two shoot from deep. Stokes and Xavier Sneed are both 34% 3-point shooters, but Brown is down to 30% on the season. With K-State shooting only 32.8% on the season, Scott Drew can increase his team’s odds of winning if he encourages Bruce Weber’s guards to take shots away from Wade. With reports that Makai Mason being a game time decision due to a foot injury, Drew might have to try a few tricks to boost his team’s chances. Packing the paint to limit K-State inside is one of those options. Another, more creative option may be to implement something like a box-and-one defense, in which 4 defenders play zone while the fifth defender sticks to his man. Baylor used this scheme a few years ago to lock down Georges Niang for a win in Iowa State’s Hilton Coliseum. Sticking a rabid defender like Mark Vital on Wade while the rest of the team zones up could be an effective curveball if Baylor needs late game stops. Mason’s presence will mostly be felt on the other end of the floor. Baylor’s offense has been diverse recently, but Mason is the team’s best late clock creator. Jared Butler and King McClure will need to be on point if Mason is out. Butler, especially, will bear a heavier responsibility. Kegler will need to be efficient when he gets an inside touch or the chance to bully his way to the rim. Expect a low scoring affair, especially if Mason isn’t playing. Baylor will want to ugly this game up. Let’s say it’s something in the range of Baylor 64 - Kansas State 61 if Baylor’s game plan shakes out. If the Wildcats get hot from three, this is an 8-12 point loss for the Bears, even at home. Sic’em Bears!