It's time for a complete Preview & Prediction for tonight's contest between Kansas State and Oklahoma.

Wednesday, January 29, 2020 >> 7:02 p.m., CT >> Bramlage Coliseum (12,528) >> Manhattan, Kan.

TELEVISION

Big 12 Now on ESPN+

Mark Neely (play-by-play)Lance Blanks (analyst)Sean Jackson (producer)

RADIO

K-State Sports Network

Flagships: // KMAN 1350 & WIBW 580

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

Satellite Radio: XM 388 / Internet 978

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

TICKETS

www.kstatesports.com/tickets

(800) 221.CATS [2287]

Gameday: $20 (bench & GA)/$40 (chairback)

Wildcat 4-Pack: $70 ($17.50 each)

OPENING TIP

Kansas State (8-11, 1-5 Big 12) jumps back into Big 12 play on Wednesday night, as the Wildcats welcome former lettermen, assistant coach and head coach Lon Kruger and his Oklahoma Sooners (13-6, 3-3 Big 12) to Bramlage Coliseum. The Sooners are the first repeat Big 12 opponent, as they seek to sweep the season series from the Wildcats for the first time since 2012 after rallying for a 66-61 win at home in the Big 12 opener on Jan. 4. The game will tip at 7:02 p.m., CT on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ with Mark Neely (play-by-play) and Lance Blanks (analyst) on the call.

-Provided by K-State Athletics Communications

In Norman about thre weeks ago K-State looked to be in control with about four minutes left but was outscored by OU 12-0 to finish the game in a 66-61 loss to the Sooners. Since then, Oklahoma has beaten Texas, TCU, and Mississippi State with losses to Iowa State, Kansas, and Baylor.

In Big 12 play the normally fast paced Sooners have slowed from the low 70s to mid 60s and are playing especially slow on defensive possessions, with a league slowest 19.1 seconds per possession. The offense is still in the upper half at 1.01 points per possession, best in the league at taking care of the ball (turnover rate of 15%) and second in the league in 3PT% (34.8%).

Defensively, the Sooners sit at sixth in the league (1.00 ppp) and are best at not sending opponents to the free throw line (17.1% opposing FT rate).

***Post-Game Press Conference from earlier contest in Norman***

Austin Reaves played the hero in Norman with clutch shots down the stretch and a 4-of-8 performance from behind the arc. Since then, Reaves is 3-of-31 and struggling.

Freshman De'Vion Harmon has moved to the starting line up and playing solid. Jamal Bieniemy is the third guard and has been up and down. He is coming off of one of his worst games this year vs Mississippi State. Doolittle continues to play tough and rebound but is only 8-of-26 from the field his last two games. Brady Manek continues to be OU's best player and is leading the Big 12 in 3PT% at 51% in league games, though he had one of worst games this year against K-State in Norman. Alondes Williams moved out of the starting role and barely played for a couple games, but he played very well against Mississippi State. Kuath, Hill, and Iwakor are all playing spot minutes.

1. Be efficient on offense

Oklahoma is not a ball pressure team, so K-State needs to take advantage in a game where the Wildcats likely aren't going to have a high turnover rate. Last time against OU K-State shot under 40% on twos, which was a big difference in the loss. K-State has only three games this year with an efficiency of 1.04 or better.

2. Even up free throws

OU doesn't foul a lot, and K-State does.

In Norman the Sooners shot 20 more FTs and scored 18 more points from the FT line. The Cats aren't likely to win the FT rate battle, but they need to avoid the 50%+ gap that occurred in Norman.

3. Avoid the bad run(s)

Far too often this year K-State has given up those four-to-six minute runs of very little scoring and a double digit scoring gap for the opponent. Most recently we saw it to start the second half at Alabama. This is something bad teams do, and while this season is likely not going to result in postseason play showing improvement in this area as the season progresses could carry over to next year.

Oklahoma has been the better team this season, but this feels like the first game K-State potentially "should" win in some time.

K-State was up seven points with less than four minutes to go in Norman. And, while that result does nothing to guarantee K-State will find itself in a similar advantageous position at home, recent performances against West Virginia and Alabama suggest K-State is probably better than it was when it collapsed late in Norman.

If the Wildcats truly are making improvement - even at a slower rate than many would enjoy - it may well produce a second-straight Big 12 home victory this evening.

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