Oklahoma State @ Kansas State preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 2, 2019 ) Kansas State 75, Oklahoma State 57

Big-12 leading Kansas State would like nothing better than to put perhaps the final nail in the coffin of in-state rival Kansas' hopes of a 15th consecutive piece of a conference regular-season title. However, first, the 21st-ranked Wildcats must get by a visiting Oklahoma State squad that just snapped an eight-game conference losing skid and is looking to close the season strong.

Kansas State broke open a second-half tie versus West Virginia with a 19-2 spurt Monday in a 65-51 win, extending their Big 12 road winning streak to six games - matching its longest such streak since 2010. "We win these road games, and you do that with experience. You've got guys who have been through it. They're poised, they stay focused, they're disciplined on defense. You only have a chance if you guard on the road." The Wildcats, who lead the Jayhawks and Texas Tech by one game in the standings, face No. 12 Kansas on the road Monday in a quick-turnaround game. Oklahoma State, meanwhile, snapped an eight-game conference losing skid in Monday's 68-61 triumph over TCU, as Thomas Dziagwa scored 23 points for the second consecutive game, connecting on 6-of-11 behind the arc.

TV: 4 p.m. ET, ESPN2

ABOUT OKLAHOMA STATE (10-16, 3-10 Big 12): "There's still a lot of basketball to play. In a lot of ways, and probably for a myriad of reasons this team was written off and given up on about a month ago, and they never stopped working," coach Mike Boynton told reporters. "I'm happy that we were able to get over the hump and now look forward to seeing what we can build from it." Over the past two games, Dziagwa (11.3 points, Big 12-leading 85 3-pointers) has scored 46 points and shot 13-for-22 from 3-point range. "He has supreme confidence because he works really hard. The 20,000 made shots in the summer, that's a big deal. That's why the kid can go through anything and still believe that he's a really, really capable player, and I'm really proud that the numbers are showing up for him."

ABOUT KANSAS STATE (20-6, 10-3): Senior guard Barry Brown (15.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 2.0 steals), who is making a push for conference player of the year, had 21 points, four assists and four steals against the Mountaineers to move into fifth on the school's all-time scoring list with 1,696 points while extending his school-record steals total to 240. “He’s terrific,” West Virginia coach Bob Huggins told reporters. “I compare him to Jevon Carter in what he did here in his maturation process. He is a terrific defender and he has obviously become a very good offensive player ... He has improved from year to year to year. That’s obviously because he puts a lot of work in. He’s also a terrific leader. He keeps those other guys in line.” Junior forward Xavier Sneed (10.3 points, 5.6 rebounds) scored a season-high 19 points against West Virginia, including 11 points and three 3-pointers during the decisive surge, while Dean Wade, who left the Wildcats' loss to Iowa State on Saturday with a recurrence of the leg injury he suffered early in the season, added 10 points and six rebounds.

TIP-INS

1. The Wildcats won the first meeting 75-57 on Feb. 2 at Gallagher-Iba Arena behind a near school-record 16 made 3-point field goals - five by Brown. Wade scored 24 points and Brown 18 for the Wildcats.

2. Kansas State G Kamau Stokes (10.0 points) and Wade (13.5 points, 6.6 rebounds), both dealing with foot injuries, are expected to play Saturday despite participating very little in practice during the week.

3. Cowboys F Yor Anei (6.9 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.2 blocks) rejected five shots Monday to give him 57, leaving him eight shy of tying Byron Houston's school freshman record of 65 blocks in 1988-89.

PREDICTION: Kansas State 74, Oklahoma State 61