Kansas State @ Texas preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 12, 2019 ) Kansas State 71, Texas 64

Texas can become the 18th school in Division I to reach 1,800 wins in program history with a victory over visiting Kansas State on Saturday night. More important for both teams, however, is trying to avoid an 0-3 start to Big 12 play.

Texas, which opened its conference slate with a 59-44 loss at No. 4 Baylor on Saturday, dropped to 0-2 with a 72-62 home loss to Oklahoma on Wednesday while Kansas State lost to the Sooners, 66-61, in their Big 12 opener in Norman, Okla., on Saturday and then dropped a heartbreaker at home Tuesday to TCU, 59-57, on center Kevin Samuel's tip-in with 1.7 seconds left. So it's an early must-win contest for both teams if they hope to contend in the Big 12. "Panic time? No I wouldn't say we need to panic," Texas guard Courtney Ramey told hookem.com. "We just need to let everything go. We're a good team. OK, we lost two games in a row; it's not the end of the world. We can still win games." Kansas State also must deal with bad weather in getting to Austin for the game, canceling its charter flight Friday because of snow and ice in the Manhattan area and is now scheduled to depart Saturday morning for the contest.

TIME: 8 p.m. ET, TV: Longhorn Network

ABOUT KANSAS STATE (7-7, 0-2 Big 12): The Wildcats are off to their worst start in five seasons, but none of the losses have been blowouts and head coach Bruce Weber told kansas.com he is still optimistic his team can turn things around. "I like our guys," Weber said. "They care, they keep competing (and) I believe in them. We just have to get a little smarter." Senior forward Xavier Sneed leads the team in scoring (15.3 points per game) and rebounding (5.3) while junior guard Cartier Diarra (12.0 points) also is averaging in double figures while dishing off 5.8 assists per game.

ABOUT TEXAS (10-4, 0-2): The Longhorns have struggled offensively, ranking near the bottom of the league in scoring (66.7 points) and connecting on a combined 11-of-45 3-pointers (24.4 percent) in the losses to the Bears and Sooners. "We have a group of guys right now on our team that wants to win," Longhorns coach Shaka Smart said. "But they have to want, need and have a desperation to do all the little things that go into winning more." Four of the team's five starters average in double figures. led by junior guard Matt Coleman III (12.1) and Ramey (11.1) with junior forward Jericho Sims grabbing a team-best 8.4 rebounds while also averaging 9.4 points per game.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Kansas State holds a 22-16 series lead over Texas and has won five of the last six matchups, including three in a row in Austin.

2. The Wildcats have held 94 opponents to 60 points or fewer in Weber's seven seasons as coach, compiling an 85-9 mark in those contests, including 6-1 this season.

3. Sims posted his third straight double-double with 12 points and 15 rebounds against Oklahoma and is averaging 12.3 points and 13.7 rebounds over the last three games.

PREDICTION: Texas 66, Kansas State 61