No. 11 Kansas State at Iowa State

•  WHEN/WHERE: 12:45 p.m. Saturday at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa

•  TV/RADIO: KMCI (Ch. 38); WHB (810 AM)

ABOUT KANSAS STATE (15-3, 4-1 Big 12): The Wildcats will try to recover from their first loss in a month in a difficult venue. Hilton Coliseum is one of the toughest places to play in the Big 12, and Iowa State won both meetings against K-State last year. … Will Spradling might have more motivation than the rest of his teammates. He was held scoreless against Kansas and played one of his worst games. … Shane Southwell has been on a nice scoring streak lately — a 12-point average in his past six games.

•  ABOUT IOWA STATE (13-5, 3-2 Big 12): Despite a surprising loss to Texas Tech on Wednesday, the Cyclones are having another solid season. Behind coach Fred Hoiberg and guards Korie Lucious and Will Clyburn, Iowa State has won seven of its last nine games. Its only losses were have come on the road in Big 12 play at Kansas and at Texas Tech. … As usual, the Cyclones are tough to beat at home. They have won 17 straight at Hilton Coliseum, which is the ninth-best streak in the nation and the fourth-best in program history. … Iowa State is one of the nation’s top scoring teams, averaging nearly 80 points.

•  BOTTOM LINE: A game like this will prove K-State’s mettle. No one can be blamed for losing at Hilton Coliseum, but a victory would set the Wildcats apart in the Big 12 standings.