STILLWATER - Keep up to date with K-State and Oklahoma State all day long in the KSO GameCenter.

1. Be locked in

I don't know that K-State's effort was significantly lacking last week at Texas A&M, but the focus certainly was. The Wildcats obviously can't afford such a mental lapse again. Bruce Weber needs his team to understand they'll have to play well to win in Stillwater, and that every game the rest of the way represents an opportunity to try and win a championship.

2. No second chances

The Cowboys shoot the three pretty well, and they also aren't afraid to launch from deep. This could lead to a lot of long rebounds, which sometimes turn into second open looks from three for the Pokes. K-State needs to control the glass and make it one-shot possessions for the Cowboys.

3. There's no more open than open...

It's easy to criticize offensive philosophy when shots aren't falling, but K-State got tons of oepn, easy looks against A&M's zone the Wildcats just didn't connect on. Yes, there's much value in being aggressive and attacking the basket, but you've also got to take (and make) open shots that present themselves within the rhythm of the offense.

PREDICTION: I don't see the Wildcats sleepwalking again this weekend, not in a league game. Oklahoma State should give K-State a real challenge, but the Wildcats' defense will just be too good - and the experience will show with some timely shots on offense - as K-State wins its sixth straight Big 12 game.

K-State 67, Oklahoma State 59

GAME 21

KANSAS STATE (15-5, 5-2 Big 12) at OKLAHOMA STATE (9-11, 2-5 Big 12)

Saturday, February 2, 2019 >> 5:05 p.m. CT >> Gallagher-Iba Arena (13,611) >> Stillwater, Okla.

TELEVISION

ESPNU

Chuckie Kempf (play-by-play)Reid Gettys (analyst)Brian Boyle (producer)

RADIO

K-State Sports Network

Wyatt Thompson (play-by-play)Stan Weber (analyst)

Listen Online: TuneIn.com [free] // www.kstatesports.com/watch [free]

Satellite Radio: XM 391 / Internet 982

LIVE STATS

www.okstate.com

okstate.statbroadcast.com [media only]

TICKETS

www.okstate.com/tickets

(877) ALL-4-OSU [255.4678]

COACHES

Kansas State: Bruce Weber (Wis.-Milwaukee ’78)

Overall: 453-240/21st season

At K-State: 140-85/7th season

vs. Oklahoma State: 9-5 (2-4 on the road)

Oklahoma State: Mike Boynton, Jr. (South Carolina ’03)

Overall: 30-26/2nd season

At Oklahoma State: 30-26/2nd season

vs. Kansas State: 0-2 (0-1 at home)

PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP

Kansas State (15-5, 5-2 Big 12)

G: #3 Kamau Stokes

G: #5 Barry Brown, Jr.

G/F: #20 Xavier Sneed

F: #32 Dean Wade

F: #14 Makol Mawien

Oklahoma State (9-11, 2-5 Big 12)

G: #4 Thomas Dziagwa

G: #13 Isaac Likekele

G: #21 Lindy Waters III

F: #12 Cameron McGriff

F: #14 Yor Anei

SERIES HISTORY

Overall: K-State leads 80-53

Current Streak: K-State, 2

In Stillwater: Oklahoma State leads 33-26

At Gallagher-Iba Arena: Oklahoma State leads 30-24

Last Meeting: W, 82-72, 2/14/18

Weber vs. Boynton, Jr.: 2-0 (1-0 on the road)

OPENING TIP

Kansas State (15-5, 5-2 Big 12) returns to Big 12 play on Saturday evening, as the Wildcats travel to Stillwater, Okla., to take on Oklahoma State (9-11, 2-5 Big 12) at historic Gallagher-Iba Arena. The game will tip at 5:05 p.m., CT on ESPNU with Chuckie Kempf (play-by-play) and Reid Gettys (analyst) on the call.

K-State enters February with the trip to Oklahoma State, which begins a stretch of road games in 4 of its first 6 contests and includes back-to-back trips to Baylor (14-6, 5-2 Big 12) and Texas (12-9, 4-4 Big 12) in a 4-day span on Feb. 9 and 12. The home games in that span include visits from nationally-ranked squads from Kansas (16-5, 5-3 Big 12) and Iowa State (16-5, 5-3 Big 12).

After a trip to West Virginia (9-12, 1-7 Big 12), the Wildcats will finish with 3 of their last 5 games at home.K-State enters Saturday’s contest in a two-way tie for first place in the Big 12 with a surging Baylor squad, which has won 6 of its last 7 games, as both sit just a half-game ahead of No. 16/15 Texas Tech (17-4), No. 20/20 Iowa State and No. 11/12 Kansas, which all 5-3 in league play.

Not far from the pack is Texas, at 4-4, and TCU (15-5, 3-4 Big 12) and Oklahoma (15-6, 3-5) with 3 wins each. K-State still carries a 5-game winning streak in Big 12 into Saturday’s contest, but did see its overall winning streak end in the 65-53 loss at Texas A&M in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge on Jan. 26, in which, the Aggies used an 18-6 run in the first 10 minutes of the second half to ignite an offense that connected on 51 percent shooting. It marked just the second time that the Wildcats have allowed an opponent to shoot better than 50 percent from the field and the first since Marquette connected on an opponent-high 56.8 percent (25-of-44) on December 1. Despite the loss, the team finished non-conference play with at least 10 wins for the fourth straight season.

Oklahoma State enters Saturday’s game with huge momentum after dispatching of a hot South Carolina team, 74-70, to garner a point for the Big 12 in helping the league secure the Challenge title for the first time since 2016. The Cowboys are the Big 12’s best 3-point shooting team at 8.8 makes per game on 37.9 percent, as two players (Lindy Waters III and Thomas Dziagwa) rank among the Top 5 in both 3-point percentage and makes per game. Waters (12.5 ppg.) and Dziagwa (10.6 ppg.) are among a trio averaging in double figures led by junior Cameron McGriff, who leads the team in scoring (13.5 ppg.), rebounding (7.9 rpg.) and steals (1.3 spg.).

K-State and Oklahoma State will meet for the 134th time on Saturday in a series that dates all the way back to 1922. The Wildcats hold an 80-53 all-time lead in the series, however, the Cowboys are 33-26 at home with wins in 12 of the last 15 meetings at Gallagher-Iba Arena. K-State swept the series a season ago for the first time since 2012, winning 86-82 at home on Jan. 10 before an 82-72 victory in Stillwater on Feb. 14.Despite a disappointing defensive effort at Texas A&M, K-State still ranks among the nation’s best in several defensive categories, including fourth in scoring defense (58.8 ppg.), 35th in turnover margin (+3.4), 37th in 3-point field goal percentage defense (30.5) and 54th in both field goal percentage defense (40.8) and turnover forced (15.5).

The Wildcats have now held 12 of their 20 opponents to 60 points or less, while 3 of the last 5 opponents (Iowa State, TCU and Texas Tech) have been held to its season-low in points.

NOTES ON OKLAHOMA STATE

Oklahoma State (9-11, 2-5 Big 12) ended a 3-game losing streak with an impressive 74-70 win over a surging South Carolina team in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge on Saturday, as junior Thomas Dziagwa paced three Cowboys in double figures with a game-high 19 points that included 5 3-pointers.

Oklahoma State is averaging 69.6 points on 43.0 percent shooting, including a Big 12-best 37.9 percent from 3-point range, to go with 36.1 rebounds, 13.7 assists, 6.0 steals and 4.3 blocks per game, while allowing 69.8 points on 40.9 percent shooting, including 33.1 percent from 3-point range. The team is connecting on 68.4 percent from the line. The Cowboys also rank first in the Big 12 with an average of 8.8 3-pointers per game.Oklahoma State is averaging 66.0 points in Big 12 play on 39.7 percent shooting, including 36.3 percent from 3-point range, while allowing 70.4 points on 40.8 percent shooting, including 31.6 percent from 3-point range.

The youthful Cowboys are led by a trio of underclassmen, including junior Cameron McGriff, who paces three players in double figures at 13.5 points on 39.8 percent shooting, including 34.6 percent from 3-point range, to go with a team-best 7.9 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game. Fellow juniors Lindy Waters III and Dziagwa are averaging 12.5 and 10.6 points per game and rank among the Top 5 in 3-pointers per game. Dziagwa is averaging a Big 12-best 3.1 per game, while Waters is fourth at 2.2 per contest.

Oklahoma State is led by head coach Mike Boynton, Jr., who has posted a 30-26 (.536) record in his second season, which includes a 21-win season and trip to the NIT quarterfinals in his inaugural season. Boynton has been an assistant coach at Coastal Carolina (2005-07), Wofford (2007-08), South Carolina (2008-13), Stephen F. Austin (2013-16) and OSU (2016-17).