Kansas State @ Texas Christian preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 19, 2019 ) Texas Christian 55, Kansas State 65

Kansas State enters the final week of Big 12 play in prime position to end in-state rival Kansas' record 14-year regular-season title streak. The 15th-ranked Wildcats, who are tied with No. 11 Texas Tech for first place and a game ahead of the Jayhawks, need only to win their final two games - starting with Monday night's contest at slumping TCU - to garner at least a share of the crown.

"It's there for us to take," Wildcats coach Bruce Weber told reporters following Saturday night's 66-60 victory over Baylor. "We've got to go take it." That won't be easy against a TCU squad that has dropped five of its last six games, including two in a row, and finds itself squarely on the NCAA Tournament bubble while desperately in need of another marquee win on Senior Night. The Horned Frogs blew a chance for picking up one of those wins on Saturday when they were routed at home by Texas Tech 81-66. "Our backs are against the wall," TCU coach Jamie Dixon told reporters. "We've got to find a way to win this game on Monday."

TV: 9 p.m. ET, ESPN2

ABOUT KANSAS STATE (22-7, 12-4 Big 12): Dean Wade, the preseason Big 12 Player of the Year who has been hampered by a foot injury, had 20 points on 9-of-15 shooting to go along with four rebounds and three blocks in the win over the Bears in one of his best games of the season. "We've got two games left and we can't let it slip (away) now," the 6-10 senior forward told reporters. "These are two crucial, tough games. We've just got to come out focused - right energy, right mindset - and come out and play the basketball we've been playing all season." Senior guard Barry Brown Jr. leads the team in scoring (15.1) followed by Wade (13.2), forward Xavier Sneed (10.4) and point guard Kamau Stokes (10.4), who had 16 points, five assists and four rebounds in the victory over Baylor.

ABOUT TCU (18-11, 6-10): The Horned Frogs enter the final week in a tie for seventh place with Oklahoma, which ends its season at Kansas State on Saturday, and will be trying to avenge a 65-55 road loss to the Wildcats in the first meeting. "We've lost two in a row," Dixon told reporters after the loss to the Red Raiders. "We got beat by a pretty good margin. We've put ourselves in a hole. ... The interesting thing is we have a game Monday so we have to find a way to get better and play better and respond in the right way." The Horned Frogs are led in scoring by sophomore forward Kouat Noi (15.1) followed by guard Desmond Bane (14.9) and senior point guard Alex Robinson (13.2), who leads the Big 12 with an average of 7.0 assists per game.

TIP-INS

1. Brown, who has started 112 consecutive games and played in a school-record 134 straight games, also has a school-record 247 career steals which is tied for sixth best with Russell Robinson of Kansas (2004-08) in Big 12 history.

2. TCU was outscored 24-0 off the bench in the loss to Texas Tech.

3. Kansas State is 77-8 when holding opponents to 60 points or fewer in the Bruce Weber era.

PREDICTION: Kansas State 65, TCU 58