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The college basketball regular season has only a few weeks remaining but it's pretty clear how the season of the three area teams are going. Kansas is ranked No. 2 in the country and generally looks terrific, Missouri is solid but has their ups and downs while Kansas State is arguably the biggest disappointment in college basketball.
As of now, all three are still within reach of an NCAA tournament bid. For Kansas and Missouri, that's a given. For Kansas State, it's not. On Saturday, all three teams will be in action.
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Oklahoma vs. Missouri, 12:30 p.m.: The Tigers are at home so they'll win, right? That's what it feels like with this team. The Tigers are 18-6 overall, 4-5 in the Big 12 and ranked No. 19 in the AP top 25. They've shown they can win at home and they struggle mightily on the road. The good news is that Oklahoma isn't very good at all. They're 12-11 overall but have the same 4-5 conference record as Mizzou. The Tigers should win this and win it handily.
Iowa State vs. Kansas, 3:00 p.m.: The poor Cyclones. I don't mean that in an insulting way but these Jayhawks are playing some of their best basketball of the year. In the last two games, they've beaten Nebraska by 20 points and put up 103 on Missouri -- without Josh Selby. The star freshman is expected to return for Saturday's game at Allen Fieldhouse but Kansas is good enough where he feels like a luxury at times. Kansas should have no problems with Iowa State on Saturday afternoon. Why does Iowa State have a chance? In January, Kansas had a string of closer-than-they-should-be games. Sandwiched in the middle was a five point victory over Iowa State in Ames. So, with some help, Iowa State has shown they can hang with KU. I just don't see that happening on Saturday. KU is looking to improve to 24-1 and 9-1 in the Big 12.
Kansas State vs. Colorado, 8:00 p.m.: The Wildcats travel to Boulder to play the Buffaloes on Saturday night in what is almost a must-win. K-State, if they're looking for a tournament bid, need to win games like this, even on the road. Colorado won three consecutive league games to start the year -- Missouri, Kansas State and Oklahoma State -- but have only won one since. K-State will be looking to avenge a 74-66 loss in Manhattan the last time these two teams played. The status of Curtis Kelly is unknown but Frank Martin says he's playing on Saturday. The Wildcats have won two in a row and need to keep that momentum. At 16-8 on the season, they can't afford any more losses that shouldn't be there. This is a tough game but I think Kansas State pulls it out.
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The best game on that list to watch would be Kansas State vs. Colorado, I think. The other two have the makings of a blowout and K-State-Colorado figures to be a little closer. The worst game is either the Missouri and Kansas game. Both teams may be on their way to blowouts.