SAN JOSE - No. 4 seed Kansas State is the top dog - seed wise, at least - among the four teams playing in the SAP Center in San Jose for the right to advance to the Sweet 16 in Louisville.

The Wildcats (25-8) have also been road dogs this season. Can K-State's bunch travel with that mentality through March, as well?

We start to find out today, as the Wildcats face No. 13 seed UC-Irvine (30-5) in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.

1. Embrace the grind.

K-State likely won't play many pretty offensive basketball games the rest of the way. And, that's okay, as the Wildcats probably won't allow any, either.

The Wildcats took on the identity of a defensive-minded grinder in last year's march to the Elite 8, and it's going to take a similar mentality - and constant effort - to make a similar run this year.

This game will almost certainly be played at a pace where it feels like every single possession matters, and that's something the Wildcats need to handle - no, enjoy - more than the Anteaters.

2. Compete on the glass.

Irvine is one of the better rebounding teams in college basketball and will start more size inside than you typically see these days.

The Anteaters are probably going to win the rebound battle in this one. That doesn't have to be a killer, however, as long as the Wildcats keep this battle competitive and keep Irvine mostly off the offensive glass.

K-State is too good on defense, and Irvine too average on offense, for the Anteaters to have a big day without a number of second chance-opportunities.

3. Make them match you.

It's going to be tempting to match Irvine's size with lineups featuring multiple bigs out of the Makol Mawien, Austin Trice and Levi Stockard trio.

Simply put, don't do it.

K-State's best lineup in March (including last week in Kansas City) is easily Kam Stokes, Barry Brown, Cartier Diarra, Xavier Sneed and Makol Mawien. There will absolutely need to be deviations from that lineup, but it's the group that should start - and finish - games.

The Wildcats tried to replace Dean Wade's lost size (and match TCU's) by starting Austin Trice in K.C. Trice didn't even play poorly, but the Wildcats lost spacing and identity - and immediately fell in a 12-point hole. Weber went to the 'Elite 8' lineup, and K-State rolled by 20-plus the rest of the way.

Make Irvine match your athleticism and explosiveness. Make their bigs guard Sneed on the perimeter. And, use the size of guys like Brown, Diarra and Sneed to even up the size mis-match by taking advantage of small Irvine guards.

PREDICTION: There's no reason to expect this to be an easy win for K-State. Irvine is a trendy upset pick, has won 30 basketball games (including 16 in a row), and the Wildcats won't have Dean Wade.

While it won't be easy, it also won't be an upset.

Irvine hasn't played a team anywhere near K-State's caliber for over two months, and that game (Dec. 21 vs. Butler) was a 17-point loss for the Anteaters. The Wildcats are a significantly more physically gifted - and better coached - team. Upsets can (and will) happen this month, much crazier than an Irvine win here would be, but the Wildcats aren't letting the season end this fast.

K-State 66, UC Irvine 56

GAME 34

18/14 KANSAS STATE (25-8) vs. UC IRVINE (30-5)

Friday, March 22, 2019 >> 1 p.m. CT >> SAP Center (17,496) >> San Jose, Calif.

NCAA South Regional First Round

TELEVISION

TBS / March Madness Live

Spero Dedes (play-by-play) Len Elmore (analyst) Steve Smith (analyst) Ros Gold-Onwude (sideline reporter)

NATIONAL RADIO

Westwood One

Chris Carrino (play-by-play)Mike Montgomery (analyst)

Online: March Madness Live App [free] / www.ncaa.com/marchmadnesslive

Satellite Radio: Sirius 138 / XM 207 / Internet 974

RADIO

K-State Sports Network

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

No Satellite Radio Coverage due to NCAA Tournament regulation

KMAN 1350 AM / KMKF 101.5 FM / WIBW 580 AM

LIVE STATS

ncaa.com/mediastats

TICKETS

Vivid Seats (www.vividseats.com/)

Prices: $66 (upper level) / $100 (lower level)

COACHES

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

Overall: 463-243/21st season

At K-State: 150-88/7th season

vs. UC Irvine: 2-0 (0-0 at neutral sites)

UC Irvine: Russell Turner (Hampden Sydney ’92)

Overall: 187-127/9th Year

At UCI: Same

vs. Kansas State: 0-1 (0-0 at neutral sites)

PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP

Kansas State (25-8, 14-4 Big 12)

G: #2 Cartier Diarra

G: #3 Kamau Stokes

G: #5 Barry Brown, Jr.

G/F: #20 Xavier Sneed

F: #14 Makol Mawien

UC Irvine (30-5, 15-1 Big West)

G: #2 Max Hazzard

G: #3 Robert Cartwright

G: #14 Evan Leonard

F: #32 Tommy Rutherford

F: #5 Jonathan Galloway

NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY

Appearance: 31st (5th under Bruce Weber)

Overall: 37-34 (4-4 under Bruce Weber)

In South Region: 4-3 (4-2 under Bruce Weber)

First Round: 11-5 (last time: 2018)

as a No. 4 seed: 3-2 (last time: 2013)

vs. a No. 13 seed: 1-1 (last time: 2013)

SERIES HISTORY

Overall: K-State leads 1-0 (last time: 2017)

at NCAA Tournament: First meeting

Last Meeting: W, 71-49, 11/17/17

Weber vs. UC Irvine: 2-0 (0-0 at neutral sites)

Weber vs. Turner: 2-0 (0-0 at neutral sites)

OPENING TIP

No. 18/14 Kansas State (25-8, 14-4 Big 12) was rewarded for its successful season on Sunday, as the Wildcats earned their 31st bid to the NCAA Tournament, including the fifth in seven seasons under Bruce Weber. The team is the No. 15 overall seed in the field, including the third among the four No. 4 seeds (trailing Kansas and Florida State). K-State has now advanced to the postseason 11 times in the last 13 seasons (nine NCAA Tournaments and two NITs), including three straight NCAA Tournaments for the first time since making five consecutive appearances from 2010 to 2014.

The Big 12 co-champion, K-State was selected as a No. 4 seed in the NCAA South Regional and will travel to San Jose, Calif., to play No. 13 seed and Big West regular-season and tournament champion UC Irvine (30-5, 15-1 Big West) in the first round at 1 p.m., CT (11 a.m., PT) on Friday, March 22 at the SAP Center. The game will air on TBS with Spero Dedes (play-by-play), Len Elmore and Steve Smith (analysts) and Ros Gold-Onwude (sideline reporter) on the call. The winner will advance to play either No. 5 seed Wisconsin (23-10, 14-6 Big Ten) and No. 12 seed Oregon (23-12, 10-8 Pac-12) on Sunday, March 24.

K-State is making its 38th postseason appearance, which includes 31 in the NCAA Tournament and seven in the NIT. The Wildcats have posted a 37-34 all-time record in NCAA Tournament play, including 11-5 in the first round. The school will be making its third appearance as a No. 4 seed and the first since the 2013 NCAA Tournament, in which, the Wildcats lost to No. 13 seed La Salle, 63-61, in the West Regional in Kansas City. The other appearance as a No. 4 seed came in the 1988 NCAA Tournament when the team advanced to the Elite Eight by defeating No. 13 La Salle (66-53), No. 5 DePaul (66-58) and No. 1 Purdue (73-70) before falling to No. 6 Kansas (71-58) in Pontiac, Mich. It will be the school’s third consecutive appearance (2017-19) in the South Regional and the fourth overall with the other trip coming in 1993.

K-State earned its fifth 20-win season under Weber and finished as co-champion of the Big 12 with Texas Tech with identical 14-4 marks. The Wildcats have posted 25 wins in consecutive seasons for the first time in school history, while the 14 in Big 12 play tie the 1958-59 and 2012-13 squads for the most in school history. Defense carries the Wildcats as they are holding opponents to 59.2 points (third nationally) on 41.4 percent shooting, including 31.2 percent from 3-point range. The team has held 18 of 33 opponents (9 Big 12 foes) to 60 points or less with two eclipsing 70.

UC Irvine has won a school-record 30 games, including 16 in a row dating back to Jan. 19, and went a near perfect 15-1 mark in Big West play. Like the Wildcats, the Anteaters are among the best defensive teams in the country, placing third in total rebounds (1,411), ninth in rebounding margin (+7.3) and 11th in total rebounds per game (40.3), while is fifth in field goal percentage defense (38.0).

This will be the second meeting between the schools and the first since 2017.

NOTES ON UC IRVINE

UC Irvine (30-5, 15-1 Big West) enters Friday’s game with 16 consecutive wins dating back to a 74-68 win at Cal State Northridge on Jan. 19. The last loss came at home to Long Beach State, 80-70, on Jan. 16. After winning the regular season title with a near perfect 15-1 mark, the Anteaters swept through the Big West Tournament with wins over UC Riverside (63-44), Long Beach State (75-67) and Cal State Fullerton (92-64). Junior Max Hazzard, the grandson of UCLA great Walt Hazzard, was named tournament MVP.

UC Irvine is averaging 72.9 points on 45.9 percent shooting, including 36.1 percent from 3-point range, to go with 40.3 rebounds, 13.3 assists, 5.7 steals and 4.3 blocks per game, while allowing 63.3 points on 38 percent shooting, including 33.2 percent from 3-point range. The team is connecting on 69.6 percent from the free throw line.

The Anteaters rank among the best rebounding teams, averaging 40.3 boards per game. They rank third nationally in total rebounds (1,411), ninth in rebounding margin (+7.3), 11th in rebounds/game and 15th in defensive rebounds. The squad ranks among the Top 20 in scoring defense and is fifth nationally in field goal percentage defense (38.0).

Offensively, UC Irvine is one of the most diverse teams with nine players averaging 5 or more points per game, including a pair of double-digit scorers in Hazzard (12.5 ppg.) and Evan Leonard (11.1 ppg.). Hazzard (84) and Leonard (54) have combined for 141 of the squad’s 238 3-point field goals and are both shooting 40 percent or better from long range. First team All-Big West and Defensive Player of the Year Jonathan Galloway is averaging a team-best 8.0 boards to go with 7.0 points and 1.1 blocks per game.

UC Irvine is led by head coach Russell Turner, who a 187-127 (.595) record in nine seasons at the helm. He has led the Anteaters to six postseason appearances in the last seven seasons with six 20-plus win seasons.

SERIES HISTORY

K-State and UC Irvine will meet for just the second time in their respective school history, including for consecutive seasons after the Wildcats earned a 71-49 victory at Bramlage Coliseum on Nov. 17, 2017.

K-State used a stellar defensive effort to earn the 71-49 victory over UC Irvine last season, holding the Anteaters to 29.6 percent (16-of-54) shooting, including 20.0 percent (4-of-20) from 3-point range, while scoring 21 points off of 17 turnovers. K-State shot 47 percent from behind the 3-point line and got off to a hot start from the field, jumping out to 18-4 lead less than seven minutes into the first half.

Kamau Stokes led the way with 14 points, while Xavier Sneed (12) and Cartier Diarra (10) also had double digits.

Head coach Bruce Weber is 2-0 all-time against UC Irvine with the other meeting coming while he was at Illinois, as the Illini defeated Russell Turner in his first game as Anteater head coach, 79-65, on Nov. 8, 2010.