SE Missouri St. @ Kansas State preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 16, 2008 ) SE Missouri St. 68, Kansas State 88

Kansas State has had a week off to process the disappointment of a 61-54 loss to Tulsa and prepare for Saturday's home game against Southeast Missouri State. The Wildcats' second setback of the season snapped a four-game winning streak, and made coach Bruce Weber realize that his team needs to find more ways to get the ball down low to sophomore forward Makol Mawien and senior forward Mawdo Sallah.

"We have to look at them and trust them,'' Weber told reporters. "But we have to give them a chance. We have to throw it to them. If anything, get it inside so that sucks the defense down." Mawien (5.8 points 17.6 minutes per game) is 26-for-34 from the field this season while Sallah (3.2, 13.2) is 13-for-20. It sounds like a better idea than hoisting up 3-pointers as Kansas State converts 35.5 percent from beyond the arc after going 4-for-31 versus Tulsa. The Redhawks of the Ohio Valley Conference have won four straight games - their longest non-conference run in four seasons -- after a 75-69 victory at Southern Illinois on Dec. 9, and started 3-0 in December for the first time since 1998-99.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, ESPN3

ABOUT SOUTHEAST MISSOURI STATE (6-4): Sophomore guard Denzel Mahoney leads the OVC in scoring at 19 points per game and shoots 52.5 percent from the field - 47.1 from 3-point range after making 10-of-12 from beyond the arc over his last four contests. The Redhawks will be without 6-10 junior center Mark Laros (5.6 points, 4.3 rebounds) for the fourth straight game because of mononucleosis and could be missing junior center Justin Carpenter (10.6 points, team-high 6.0 rebounds), who is day-to-day with a concussion after not playing against Southern Illinois. Senior forward Milos Vranes (6.7 points, 5.1 rebounds) has helped pick up the slack, recording 14 points and six rebounds in 22 minutes versus Southern Illinois.

ABOUT KANSAS STATE (8-2): Junior guard Kamau Stokes (team highs of 14.9 points and 4.0 assists per game) was 1-for-8 from deep against Tulsa with his shooting percentages from the field (45.5) and 3-point range (44.8) nearly identical. Dean Wade, a 6-0 junior forward, averages 13.0 points and a club-most 6.6 rebounds after recording 13 and six versus Tulsa while shooting 55.8 percent from the field. Junior guard Barry Brown (14.3 points, 29.3 percent from beyond the arc) and sophomore forward Xavier Sneed (11.4) are the other double-figure scorers.

TIP-INS

1. The Wildcats allow 61.1 points per game, which were 13th-fewest nationally through Wednesday's contests.

2. Kansas State and its opponents have each grabbed 326 rebounds this season.

3. Southeast Missouri State was voted to finish 10th among the 12 teams in the OVC preseason poll with Mahoney named to the All-OVC preseason team.

PREDICTION: Kansas State 72, Southeast Missouri State 61