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Two rivals in dire need of a bounce-back victory will square off Saturday on CBS as No. 9 Kansas hosts Kansas State in the first of two meetings between the in-state foes. The Jayhawks have won 18 straight at Allen Fieldhouse against the Wildcats and have won 27 of 28 home games in the series since the Big 8 became the Big 12 in the 1996-97 season.

In-state rivals hit the court as we continue our College Basketball odds series with a Kansas State-Kansas prediction and pick.

K-State relied heavily on freshman point guard David Castillo and junior-college transfer Mobi Ikegwuruka during a narrow loss against Texas Tech earlier this week. Tang sent a message in the process: He is ready to build for the future with young players who display maximum effort when they are on the court.

From a statistical point of view, K-State simply doesn’t do anything all that well. This team ranks 141st nationally in 3-point shooting and 113th nationally in 2-point shooting

Kansas State basketball coach Jerome Tang says he likes the progress the Wildcats are making day-to-day despite their current four-game losing streak.