Kansas State-Oklahoma basketball preview

3 p.m. Saturday at Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Okla.

KMCI (Ch. 38); WHB (810 AM)

The Wildcats are beginning to look like a team that can do two things: Win at home and lose close on the road. K-State has won 14 straight at Bramlage Coliseum and it has lost five straight away from home. Winning at Oklahoma will require a strong defensive effort. The Sooners average 83 points. K-State beat Oklahoma last month by slowing down Cameron Clark. Shane Southwell played strong defense against him, but he may not be able to do the same this time. Though Southwell is expected to play on Saturday, he may be limited to about 20 minutes while he battles a left ankle injury.

The Sooners have struggled a bit since a 6-2 start in the Big 12, but they are still tough at home, where they have an 11-3 record. Oklahoma is one of the most efficient offensive teams in the nation. All five of its starters average double figures, with Cameron Clark and Buddy Hield leading the way as premier scorers. Lon Kruger uses a guard-oriented attack, but he has one of the conference’s best forwards in Ryan Spangler, a Gonzaga transfer who is nearly averaging a double-double. Kruger has never defeated Bruce Weber in four tries.

The winner of this game stays in the race for second place in the Big 12. K-State beat Oklahoma at home thanks to strong defense. The Wildcats will need to slow the Sooners once again to win the rematch.

This story was originally published February 21, 2014 at 5:59 PM with the headline "Kansas State-Oklahoma basketball preview."