The second-ranked Kansas Jayhawks host the Oklahoma State Cowboys in NCAA basketball action Saturday at 4pm EST. The ESPN3 live stream is here, though it is blacked out in some parts of the country.
The Kansas Jayhawks have been outside of the top ten in just one week: the third of the season. Week 13 is the highest Kansas has been in either poll this year, ranking second in the AP Top 25 and first in the USA Today Coaches Poll.
The Jayhawks have the nation's longest winning streak at 18 games. The only defeat of the season came in the second game, as #21 Michigan State topped them at home 67-64. Since that point, Kansas has had only three games decided by five points or fewer, and one game reach overtime.
Ben McLemore leads the Jayhawks in scoring, notching 16.1 points per game. Jeff Withey is the leading rebounder with 8.3 boards per game. Travis Releford is the team's best shooter, recording a .617 field goal percentage so far this year.
Kansas defeated West Virginia 61-56 in the most recent contest. Withey and Releford each added 15 points, while Withey and Kevin Young had the team lead in rebounds (with seven apiece). Withey also blocked four shots, which is actually under his season average in that department (4.3).
The Cowboys are 4-4 in their last eight games, including all of the losses they've had this season. Oklahoma State has only one loss outside of the Big 12 conference. In the past two games (both victories), the Pokes have notched 80 and 78 points. However, they haven't won a road game yet this season, going 0-4 thus far with six more to go including tonight's contest.
Markel Brown is the team leader with 14.8 points per game. Philip Jurick records boards at a 7.2 per game clip and has a .654 shooting percentage.
In the Pokes' 78-76 win over Iowa State on Wednesday, Smart had 21 points and Brown was two boards shy of a double-double.Phil Forte contributed 17 points off of the bench. It was the third match-up in a row between the Cowboys and Cyclones that a basket scored in the last five seconds made the difference. Smart had the game-winning shot with 3.1 ticks to go.
The Jayhawks won each of the two games last year between the teams, with Thomas Robinson pulling down double-doubles in each one. Robinson had 24 points and 14 rebounds in the Jayhawks' 81-66 win at home on February 11, 2012, and added 17 points plus 11 boards in the 70-58 road win two weeks later. Cowboy Kelton Page hit seven three-pointers and ended with 29 points in the second game.
The other regular season match between the teams is 18 days away in the third-to-last home game for Oklahoma State.