Rogers' 10* BIG MONDAY MELTDOWN >> Off 3-0 SWEEP!
(NCAAB) Kansas vs. Kansas State,
Point Spread: -2.00 | -110.00 Kansas (Away)
Result: Win
The set-up: The 17-4 Kansas Jayhawks (6-2 in Big 12) are currently ranked No. 5 in the latest AP poll (a new poll will be released Monday afternoon), as thy head to Manhattan Kansas to take on in-state and Big 12 rival Kansas State. The Wildcats are 16-5 (5-3 in Big 12) and are looking to avenge a one-point loss suffered in Lawrence just two weeks ago (Jan. 13). Kansas leads the overall series with Kansas State, 194-93, including having won 55 of the last 60 meetings dating to Feb. 12, 1994.

Kansas: Devonte Graham scored 23 points and Malik Newman hit two go-ahead free throws with 15 seconds left to provide Kansas that 73-72 win in the first meeting. Kansas features a four-guard lineup in which Graham ( leads in scoring (17.3) and assists (7.3). The remaining three starting guards are Mykhailiuk (16.8 & 4.0), Vick (13.4 & 5.5) and Newman (11.9 & 4.9). The 7-0 Azubuike (13.9 & 7.6) is the fifth starter. No other player scores as much as 5.0 PPG. Mykhailiuk scored 24 points and Newman added 15 and a team-high seven rebounds in the Jayhawks' 79-68 victory over Texas A&M on Saturday but the Jayhawks lost last Tuesday 85-80 at Oklahoma. The Sooners fouled center Udoka Azubuike repeatedly in the second half to come from behind, as Azubuike missed all but one of his eight free throws. Kansas coach Bill Self blamed himself for not taking Azubuike out in crunch time, and said he expects other teams to do the same thing if he leaves in his big man, who is shooting 37.5 percent from the line. "Bad decision," Self said after Tuesday's game. "It was on me, for this game. I did not do our team any favors

Kansas State: The 6-8 Dean Wade has taken center stage for Kansas State over the last two weeks. He kicked off a streak of five consecutive 20-point outings with 22 in that 73-72 loss to the Jayhawks back on Jan. 13 and capped it with 20 points and eight rebounds as the Wildcats pushed their winning streak to four games in a 56-51 win over Georgia on Saturday. The winning run has corresponded with the insertion into the lineup of backup PG Cartier Diarra. Starting guard Kamau Stokes (13.4 & 4.6 APG) is sidelined with a broken bone in his foot (happened against against Texas Tech on ). Diarra (6.9) has averaged 13.2 points per game in his six starts. Guard Barry Brown also has picked up the slack. He's averaging 22.0 points in those games, compared with his team-leading 17.3 on the season. Getting back to Wade, he's averaging 16.2 & 6.5, while guard Sneed (11.0 & 4.4) also adds double digits.

The pick: Kansas State coach Bruce Weber has his team playing very well. KSU has not trailed in a conference game since a brief one-point deficit in the first half against Oklahoma back on Jan. 16. The Wildcats defeated the Sooners 87-69 with a second-half eruption, then led wire-to-wire at home against TCU and at Baylor. In their most recent game, they overcame a second-half deficit to defeat Georgia 56-51 Saturday in the Big 12/SEC Challenge. However, as note already, this series is lopsided in Kansas' favor. Then again, not as much as it was a decade ago. Kansas won 25 straight games between 1983 and 2007 on the Wildcats' home floor but Kansas-State has won four of the last 10 games in Manhattan. Kansas' Bill Self, in his 15th season, has won all but one conference championship in his time there. He relies on strong guard play, a dependable big man, at least away from the free-throw line (see above), and a solid defense. The Wildcats may be 11-1 at home this season but these are the type of games Kansas has been winning against Kansas State (and the rest of the Big 12, as well), for years. Make the Jayhawks a 10* play.