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GAME NOTES: The ninth-ranked Kansas State Wildcats try to make school history today as they shoot for their 20th win of the season when they suit up against the Colorado Buffaloes in a Big 12 Conference showdown at Bramlage Coliseum.

With a win today the Wildcats would have their fourth straight 20-win campaign, marking the first time the program has managed to put together such consistent efforts. On a personal note, head coach Frank Martin would become the first coach to start his career off with three straight 20-win seasons as well.

The team is riding a two-game win streak and has won three of the last four games overall, thanks to a narrow 79-76 triumph versus Iowa State on the road last weekend. At 6-3 in conference play, the Wildcats entered the weekend tied with both Missouri and Texas A&M for second place in the Big 12 standings.

At the other end of the spectrum are the Buffaloes with just two league wins in nine opportunities. The squad is suffering with a three-game slide right now and has lost six of its last seven games overall. A week ago, Colorado was turned away by Missouri at home in an 84-66 final. Three days prior, the Buffs raised more than a few eyebrows when they took top-ranked Kansas to overtime before losing by six in their own building.

Winners of eight straight in the series, Kansas State owns a 96-44 advantage in the relationship with the Buffaloes entering the weekend. The Wildcats, who are a commanding 53-10 in their own building over the years, won the most recent meeting last month on the road with an 87-81 final.

Alec Burks scored a career-high 27 points for the Buffaloes last weekend, shooting 9-of-19 from the floor for a team that converted just 35.7 percent from the field in the loss to Missouri at home. Also scoring in double figures for the home team was Cory Higgins who before fouling out, put up 15 points in the losing effort against one of the strongest defensive teams in the conference. One of two players to have started all 23 games for the Buffaloes this season, Higgins sits atop the scoring list for the program with his 18.0 ppg, having made 124-of-149 at the free-throw line. Burks (16.8 ppg) has also been busy at the charity stripe with his 113-of-144 effort, which means the duo has combined for more than half of the unit's conversions at the line so far this season. Burks is also the top rebounder for the team with just under five boards per outing, but what that means is that this group is typically beaten on the glass by the competition, averaging a rebounding deficit of more than six per game.

Knasas State shot only 30.6 percent from the floor in the opening half, leaving the Wildcats with a four-point deficit at the break at Hilton Coliseum last weekend, but in the second half the squad erupted for 53.6 percent to slip by the Cyclones and capture the four-point road win. Denis Clemente made good on 6-of-8 shots behind the three-point line and all six of his free-throw chances to finish with 30 points, followed by Jacob Pullen with 15 points as he made only 4-of-13 from the floor. Curtis Kelly and Jamar Samuels contributed with 12 and 10 points, respectively, as well. Clemente, who scored a season-high against Iowa State, has hit for double figures in five straight games and 13 of the last 14 outings overall for KSU and is now second on the team in scoring with his 15.7 ppg, getting by with his mere 38.4 percent shooting from the floor. Pullen (18.8 ppg) does a little better from the field at 41.2 percent, but it is at the free-throw line where he has done so much damage with 123-of-154 thus far. This group is currently averaging 81 ppg, while permitting just 69.1 ppg and forcing foes into more than 17 turnovers per game.

This game pits a strong home team in Kansas State against a weak road opponent with the Buffs having won just one of their nine true road outings this season. Expect the trend to continue on both sides as coach Martin wills his team to another victory.