After a 10-1 start that has them ranked nationally for the first time all year, the No. 25 Kansas State Wildcats will try to wrap up a successful non-conference schedule with a home game Saturday against the Howard Bison.
Frank Martin's team has built a strong resume, with a road win at Virginia Tech, a neutral court upset over Alabama as well as winning the Diamond Head Classic championship in Hawaii.
Just as importantly, they've avoided any ugly losses, with their only defeat coming in 2OT to West Virginia.
Howard, a 4-10 team from the Mid Eastern Athletic Conference coming off a 89-34 pounding to Kansas on Thursday, shouldn't provide the Wildcats with much of a challenge.
However, a common opponent will give Kansas State an early look at how they stack up against their in-state rivals before the Jan. 4 showdown between the two schools.
The Wildcats, without a dominant individual scorer in the wake of Jacob Pullen's graduation, will try to keep their half-court offense running on all cylinders while featuring a defense built around athletic big men Jordan Henriquez and Jamar Samuels.
The 1:00 PM game will be broadcast regionally on Fox Sports Kansas City.
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