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.

The No. 9-ranked Kansas Jayhawks men’s basketball team is set to play in-state rival Kansas State on Saturday. Both teams are coming off losses: K-State fell to Texas Tech on Tuesday and KU stumbled at Iowa State on Wednesday.

The game tips off at Allen Fieldhouse, where Kansas will look to right the ship after a recent stretch of inconsistency. A win over Kansas State could steady the course for Bill Self’s squad as they push toward the heart of Big 12 play.

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.