No. 7 Kansas Jayhawks (17-4 overall, 6-2 Big 12) vs. Kansas State Wildcats (16-5 overall, 5-3 Big 12)

Time: 8 p.m. | Location: Bramlage Coliseum, Manhattan

TV: ESPN | Radio: IMG Jayhawk Radio Network

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Keys for Kansas

1. Get on the glass

After being outrebounded in 10 consecutive games — and 13 of 21 for the season — the Jayhawks are in position to finally come out on top in the rebounding department against a team with which they match up well.

That does not mean it will happen, of course. And KU coach Bill Self likely is in the camp of “Don’t tell me, show me.” But the Jayhawks and Wildcats are the two worst rebounding teams in the Big 12, statistically, and if KU big man Udoka Azubuike can play for two halves the way he played the first half against Texas A&M, it will go a long way toward helping the Jayhawks’ chances.

In the first meeting, K-State outrebounded KU, 27-25, with the Wildcats grabbing one more offensive rebound (9-8) and one more defensive one (18-17).

Azubuike grabbed eight rebounds in that meeting and Lagerald Vick snagged six. In the handful of games between the two meetings, KU guards Devonte’ Graham and Malik Newman have been great on the boards for the Jayhawks.

If that continues, KU could finally come out on the right end of the rebounding battle.

2. Contain Cartier

The last time these two teams faced each other, the Wildcats were still reeling from the loss of point guard Kam Stokes and in search of a way to fill his role.

They found it in a big way in freshman Cartier Diarra, who has been sensational in the past few weeks and kick-started his solid season with a monster effort against the Jayhawks.

In that one, Diarra consistently got by his man and scored at the rim, finishing with 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting in 35 minutes. At one point, Diarra scored 11 straight K-State points to help the Wildcats build a late lead.

Graham, as he does most games, drew the assignment of guarding the Wildcats’ fast and physical guard. And it will be interesting to see if the lessons Graham learned from facing Diarra the first time will serve him well this time around.

Graham is just 6-of-30 from the floor during KU’s last two games. So it would be a bonus if he can get his shot going again. But even if he can’t, staying in front of Diarra and making things difficult for the KSU offense will go a long way.

3. Free throw focus

The Wildcats rank second in the Big 12 in free throw percentage, but it’s more the way the Wildcats get to the line that’s impressive and not necessarily the number of trips.

K-State’s 412 free throw attempts this season rank just sixth in the conference, but the Wildcats lead the Big 12 in free throw attempts per field goal attempt (40.5 percent), which means they often run good offense and find a way to get to the line before just throwing up a bad shot.

K-State shoots .752 from the free throw line (310-of-412) and has been there almost 100 times more than the Jayhawks this season.

With that said, Self on Saturday said he was pleased by the way his team — 221-of-319 for 69.3 percent and ninth among Big 12 teams — has started driving the ball downhill more and received more trips to the free throw line as a result.

If Kansas can continue that trend, while limiting the Wildcats’ trips, it could help their chances tremendously.

Mega Matchup

Shooting offense vs. Shooting defense

It sounds like a pretty simple concept, but it figures to be as important as ever when these two teams — who are both gifted and versatile offensively, while striving for greatness defensively — get together.

Want to see what a 1-point game looks like statistically? Just look back at the box score from the first time these teams faced each other this season.

KU shot 49 percent from the floor, 43.5 percent from 3-point range and 88.2 percent from the free throw line — all terrific percentages in a tough game. The Wildcats, meanwhile, shot 49.1 percent from the floor, 38.1 percent from 3-point range and 90.1 percent from the free throw line. The difference in all three areas was minuscule, but it played a huge difference, as KU’s 10-8 edge in 3-pointers made was enough to make up for the Wildcats’ 15-10 advantage in free throws. The difference? One point. The final score? Kansas 73, K-State 72.

The last time these two teams faced each other, it marked a showdown between the top 3-point shooting offense in the Big 12 (Kansas) and the conference’s best 3-point defense (K-State).

Things have changed a little in the past few weeks, with the Wildcats falling from first in 3-point defense to third. But how these teams perform — and defend — behind the arc likely will play a huge role in tonight’s outcome. The Wildcats have, however, improved offensively a great deal since the start of Big 12 play, ranking second in offensive efficiency, first in effective field goal percentage and first in 3-point percentage in conference games.

While KU ranks first in the conference at .407 percent shooting the 3-pointer — good for 17th nationally — the Jayhawks also aren’t too shabby at defending it. KU, like K-State, limits opponents to .317 percent shooting, and the Jayhawks will be facing a KSU squad shooting .371 from deep, which is good for fourth in the conference.

Jayhawk Pulse

After a short break from the daily grind of Big 12 basketball, the Jayhawks jump back in full force with, arguably, the toughest game they will face the rest of the season.

After falling to Kansas, 73-72, in a hard-fought game at Allen Fieldhouse on Jan. 13, the Wildcats have responded with four consecutive victories, including wins over Oklahoma, TCU and at Baylor.

That run pushed K-State back into the Big 12 title race and the Wildcats could pull into a first-place tie with Kansas should they win tonight.

On the flip side, the Jayhawks are well aware of the fact that four teams — and, really five, if you count 4-4 Texas — remain hot on their heels and in contention to end KU’s streak of 13 consecutive Big 12 titles. A win over the Wildcats, which would give the Jayhawks the season sweep for the fourth time in the last six seasons, likely would make it one less team with which Kansas has to contend as the Big 12 race rolls into the second half.

Kansas enters this one as a 2-point favorite in the eyes of Las Vegas.

Probable Starters

No. 7 Kansas

G – Devonte’ Graham, 6-2, 185, Sr.

G – Malik Newman, 6-3, 190, Soph.

G – Svi Mykhailiuk, 6-8, 205, Sr.

G – Lagerald Vick, 6-5, 175, Jr.

C – Udoka Azubuike, 7-0, 280, Soph.

Kansas State

G – Cartier Diarra, 6-4, 190, Fr.

G – Barry Brown, 6-3, 195, Jr.

G – Xavier Sneed, 6-5, 212, Soph.

F – Dean Wade, 6-10, 228, Jr.

F – Makol Mawien, 6-9, 225, Soph.