It's time for a full Preview & Prediction for today's Sunflower Showdown between Kansas and Kansas State.

Saturday, February 29, 2020 // 12:36 p.m. CT // Bramlage Coliseum (12,528) // Manhattan, Kan.

TELEVISION

CBS Sports / CBS Sports App

Brad Nessler (play-by-play)Jim Spanarkel (analyst)Evan Washburn (sideline reporter)Ryan Galvin (producer)

RADIO

K-State Sports Network

Flagships: // KMAN 1350 & WIBW 580

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

Satellite Radio: XM 386 / Internet 976

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

TICKETS

www.kstatesports.com/tickets

(800) 221.CATS [2287]

Gameday: $99 (bench & GA)/$175 (chairback)

Wildcat 4-Pack: $300 ($75 each)

PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP

Kansas State (9-19)

G: #2 Cartier Diarra 6-4 JR

G: #00 Mike McGuirl 6-2 JR

G/F: #20 Xavier Sneed 6-5 SR

F: #11 Antonio Gordon 6-9 FR

F: #14 Makol Mawien 6-9 SR

Kansas (25-3)

G: #1 Devon Dotson 6-2 SO

G: #0 Marcus Garrett 6-5 JR

G: #4 Isaiah Moss 6-5 SR

G: #30 Ochai Agbaji 6-5 SO

C: #35 Udoka Azubuike 7-0 SR

-K-State Athletics Communications

OPENING TIP

Kansas State (9-19, 2-13 Big 12) continues one of its most challenging stretches in school history on Saturday, as the Wildcats will play host to No. 1/1 Kansas (25-3, 14-1 Big 12) in the 293rd edition of the Dillon’s Sunflower Showdown at Bramlage Coliseum. Following its 85-66 loss at No. 2/2 Baylor on Tuesday night, K-State will play the No. 1 and No. 2 in consecutive games for just the second time in school history and the first time since losing to No. 1 UCLA and No. 2 Michigan at the 1964 Final Four at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo. The Wildcats are just the fifth Division I team since 1996-97 to play the nation’s top two teams in the same week and the first since West Virginia in 2016. The game will tip at 12:36 p.m., CT on CBS with Brad Nessler (play-by-play), Jim Spanarkel (analyst) and Evan Washburn (sideline reporter) on the call. This will be the first time CBS has called a Sunflower Showdown since a 69-62 Kansas win at Allen Fieldhouse on Jan. 17, 1998.

-K-State Athletics Communications

Last time out Kansas forced turnovers on over one-third of K-State's first half possessions on the way to a 16-point halftime lead. K-State never really threatened in the second half.

KU dominated on twos (54% to 42%) and scored seven more points from the free throw line in addition to an 11% gap in offensive rebounding percentage. Since then, KU has won 10 straight running its win streak to 13 and pulling into a tie with Baylor atop the Big 12 after winning in Waco last Saturday.

Udoka Azubuike is playing at an extremely high level and coming off his best two games of the season. He is a double-double machine and will be a handful for the Wildcat defense inside. Devon Dotson compliments him at the point and is also playing at a high level. The one negative lately for Dotson is struggling a bit from behind the 3-point line.

Marcus Garrett has also struggled shooting the ball lately and has scored in single digits 5 of the last 6 games. Isaiah Moss is playing better on the perimeter, while Agbaji has scored in double figures three of the last four.

Off the bench Braun hasn't matched his 6-of-10 from three game vs K-State the first time, but he has made seven of his last 11. McCormack has played really well lately in limited minutes off the bench, while Enaruna gives them depth in the post.

The major change for KU since beating K-State in Lawrence has been going with a four-guard starting line up around Azubuike in the middle. Dotson, Garrett and Agbaji have started every game, with Moss and Braun mixing in at the fourth guard spot.

For the first time in a while, K-State is in position where it needs to play nearly a perfect game to beat KU. This is the worst K-State team in the metrics since the final year of Tom Asbury and the first two of Jim Wooldridge, all ranking 115 or worse in Kenpom. The Cats have to play extremely well to have any chance.

1. Limit turnovers

The game in Lawrence turned when KU quit turning the ball over while forcing a bunch during the first half. K-State has to keep the TO rate under 18%, or so, to have any shot.

2. Make a bunch of 3s

K-State is not a good 3-point shooting team, but they will need 10+ makes and 45% shooting behind the arc to win this one. Points in the paint could be tough against Azubuike, so jump shots will be a key.

3. Big games from the big three

Diarra, Sneed, and Mawein all have to play well. It's going to take 45+ points combined with high efficiency (1.10 or better from two of the three) to be in this game.

Bluntly, I just do not see K-State being competitive in this game. The Wildcats have slowly trended downward - even during this losing streak - from at least staying in games to the point where the Wildcats have not given themselves a legitimate chance to win a game in the final minutes in quite some time. I don't think things magically get better against the best team in college basketball.