Kansas State (13-7, 1-4 Big 12) looks to get back on winning track on Monday night, as the Wildcats host the Baylor Bears (13-5, 3-2 Big 12) at Bramlage Coliseum before a nationally-televised audience on ESPN’s Big Monday broadcast at 8 p.m. The squad will be playing its second of four contests on Big Monday, which includes a 75-59 setback at No. 15 Missouri on Jan. 17 and upcoming tilts with nationally-ranked Kansas (Feb. 14) and Texas (Feb. 28). Monday’s game will be broadcast on ESPN with Brent Musburger (play-by-play), legendary Army, Indiana and Texas Tech head coach Bob Knight (analyst) and Holly Rowe (sideline reporter) on the call. It is also available on the web at ESPN3.com.

K-State leads the all-time series with Baylor, 12-10, including a 7-4 mark at home. The two teams have split the last six meetings, including both in Manhattan. Last season, the Wildcats earned a pair of victories over the Bears, the first being a 76-74 win at the Ferrell Center on Jan. 26 then capped by an 82-75 win in the semifinals of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship at the Sprint Center on March 12. The win in Waco was the only one surrender by Baylor at home a season ago. The Bears have split their eight meetings at Bramlage Coliseum dating back to 1988. Six of the last eight games between the two teams have decided by less than 10 points, including three by two points. Monday’s game will feature two of the Big 12’s prolific scorers in Baylor’s LaceDarius Dunn and K-State’s Jacob Pullen, who have each posted more than 1,800 points their respective careers. Dunn ranks fourth all-time with 2,058 points, while Pullen is tied for 16th with 1,812 points.

The Wildcats enter Monday’s contest with losses in four of their last five games, including a 64-56 setback at No. 11/10 Texas A&M on Saturday at Reed Arena in College Station, Texas. The teams battled back-in-forth for much of the defensive slugfest, which included a combined 48 fouls and 33 turnovers. The squad rallied from several deficits, including nine in the first half, to tie it on seven occasions, lastly at 48-all with under five minutes to play. However, the Aggies used a mini 5-0 run capped by a pair of free throws by Khris Middleton with 1:32 remaining to separate themselves. Freshman Will Spradling cut the lead to single possession - 55-53 - with just over a minute to play, however, Texas A&M salted the game away from the free throw line, connecting on 9-of-10 shots from the stripe in the final 45 seconds.

K-State was solid defensively, holding A&M to 37.2 percent shooting from the field, including 28 percent in the second half, while forcing 17 turnovers. However, the team struggled offensively once again, posting their fourth sub-60 point effort in the last 10 games. The Wildcats shot 40 percent from the field, including 32.1 percent in the second half, and made just 5-of-20 shots from 3-point range. The squads combined for 33 turnovers, however, the Aggies took advantage, converting 17 Wildcat miscues into 19 points.

The 115 points in the last two Big 12 games are the fewest in consecutive conference contests under head coach Frank Martin and the fewest since K-State scored 101 points in back-to-back games against Nebraska and Kansas in 2006. The 56 points against Texas A&M were the fewest in a Big 12 game since scoring 51 against Nebraska on Jan. 17, 2009. The team is now 1-10 under Martin when scoring under 60 points, including an 0-4 record this season. The Wildcats are averaging 67.4 points in five league games on 43 percent shooting, including 34.3 percent from 3-point range, to go with 18.2 turnovers per contest. The team ranks eighth in field goal percentage, 10th in scoring offense, 11th in turnover margin and assist-to-turnover ratio and 12th in turnovers per game in league-only statistics. The turnover issue is particularly glaring, as the next best team is Baylor with 16.8 turnovers during Big 12 play. Usually a strong point for K-State, which has averaged 18.7 points per game off of opponent turnovers since Martin became came head coach in 2007, the squad has allowed their opponents to average 15.8 points off of turnovers, including an average of 21.2 points during Big 12 play. The team has been out-scored 106-71 in points off turnovers in league play. The 24 turnovers against Missouri on Jan. 17 were the most against an opponent since turning it over 25 against Nebraska in 2009, while the 28 points off turnovers scored by the Tigers were the most against a Martin-coached team. It marked the sixth time that the squad has turned the ball over 20 or more times, while it was the fifth time that an opponent has scored more than 20 points off these miscues.

The loss to Texas A&M spoiled a solid all-around game by Kansas State’s two seniors - Jacob Pullen and Curtis Kelly - who combined to scored 36 of the team’s 56 points. Pullen once again led the team in scoring with a game-high 21 points, which included three treys, while Kelly collected his fifth career double-double, including his first this season, with 15 points, a career-tying 11 rebounds and six blocked shots. It marked the 14th time that Pullen has led the team in scoring in just 17 games played. He has scored in double figures now 91 times in his career, which has only been accomplished more by Rolando Blackman (100, 1977-81) and Mike Evans (93, 1974-78) in school history. With his first basket of the second half against the Aggies, Pullen became just the fourth Wildcat and the first since Askia Jones in 1994 to top 1,800 career points. He now needs 11 steals and 10 rebounds to become the first player in school history with 1,800 points, 400 assists, 300 rebounds and 200 steals in a career. He already ranks in the Top 10 of 18 career categories in school history, including 17 in Top 5. He recently earned his 100th career start against Texas Tech on Jan. 15. Kelly, who has missed nine games this season for various reasons, earned his first double-double since the Missouri game on Feb. 27, 2010. He tied his career-high of 11 boards, which he also accomplished against IUPUI on Nov. 28, 2009, while his six blocks tied his total from the South Dakota game on Jan. 3, 2010. Kelly seems to be finding his rhythm again, averaging 10.3 points on 70 percent shooting (14-of-20) from the field to go with 7.3 rebounds in three games back from his six-game suspension due to NCAA secondary rules violations. He has scored in double figures in seven of his 11 games this season, including 19 vs. Duke on Nov. 23.

The Wildcats have just one player - Rodney McGruder - has started all 20 games this season, including just two others - Will Spradling and Jordan Henriquez-Roberts - have played in all 20 games. The squad has used eight different starting lineups this season, while Spradling and fellow freshman Shane Southwell are just the second and third rookie guards to start a game under head coach Frank Martin. Senior Jacob Pullen and Curtis Kelly missed three and six games, respectively, due to NCAA secondary rules violations, while the team’s four upperclassmen - Pullen, Kelly, Jamar Samuels and Victor Ojeleye - have all played in the same game just eight times.

Kansas State fell out of The Associated Press Top 25 poll on Jan. 17 for the first time in 23 consecutive polls dating back to Dec. 14, 2009 after starting the year at No. 3 for their highest-ever preseason ranking. The No. 3 ranking was the highest in an AP poll in almost 50 years since the team ranked No. 3 on March 6, 1962. The team is expected to fall out of the Coaches’ poll after 24 weeks after consecutive losses last week.

The Book on Baylor

Baylor enters Monday’s game with a 13-5 overall record and 3-2 mark in Big 12 action after dispatching of Oklahoma State, 76-57, on Saturday in Waco. The win snapped a two-game skid for the Bears, who won seven straight to start the season. The squad shot an impressive 60 percent from the field, including a stellar 76.5 percent in the second half, while holding the Cowboys to just 39.2 percent, including 21.1 percent from long range. Four players scored in double figures led by rookie phenom Perry Jones III, who many experts believe could be the first player taken in 2011 NBA Draft if decides to declare. Jones scored a team-high 24 points on 7-of-9 shooting to go with eight rebounds, while senior LaceDarius Dunn added 16 points on 6-of-9 field goals. Anthony Jones and Quincy Acy each tallied near double-doubles, while A.J. Walton dished out seven assists to go with seven points and three steals. Baylor is 2-4 away from home this season, including a 1-1 mark in Big 12 play. The team returns eight lettermen, including three starters, from a squad that posted a 28-8 overall record, including an 11-5 mark in the Big 12, and advanced to the Elite Eight for the first time in school history.

The Bears are averaging a 73.1 points on 48.1 percent shooting from the field, including 37.1 percent from 3-point range, with 37.4 rebounds, 12.6 assists, 7.9 steals and 4.2 blocks per game. The team is stellar on the defensive end, yielding 60.7 points on 41.1 percent shooting, including 35.3 percent from 3-point line, while forcing 16.1 turnovers per contest. The squad is third in the league in scoring defense, rebounding margin and steals, while they are fourth in 3-point field goal percentage. Baylor is balanced with five players averaging eight or more points, including three in double figures led by Dunn’s conference-best 21.3 points per game. Earlier this season, he became just the fifth player in the Big 12 era to post 2,000 career points and the first since Richard Roby in 2008. Jones is second in scoring at 14.1 points per game on a team-best 57.5 percent shooting to go with 7.0 rebounds per game. He has tallied 20 or more points in four of the last five contests. Acy also scores in double figures at 13.1 points to go with team-best 7.7 rebounds per outing.

Baylor is led by eighth-year coach Scott Drew, who has compiled a 122-108 (.530) record since taking over in 2003-04. He has led the squad to three consecutive 20-win seasons, including a school-record 28 wins and a trip to the Elite Eight for the first time in school history last season.

Series vs. Baylor

This will be 23rd meeting between K-State and Baylor on the hardwood and the 12th in Manhattan. The series dates all the way back to a 60-52 win by the Bears in the 1948 NCAA West Regional Finals at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City. K-State holds a 12-10 edge in the all-time series, including a 7-4 mark at home. Baylor has a 9-7 advantage since the start of the Big 12 in 1997, including a split of eight meetings in Bramlage Coliseum. The last Wildcat win at home in the series came in a 69-60 victory on Jan. 17, 2007, while the Bears won the last meeting in Manhattan, 83-65, on Jan. 21, 2009. K-State won two hard-fought games last season, handing Baylor its only home defeat on Jan. 26, 2010 before earning an 82-75 win in the semifinals of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship on March 12. Jacob Pullen led the way in both contests, scoring 25 points on 7-of-11 shooting in the win at the Ferrell Center before totaling 26 points on 7-of-13 field goals in the victory in Kansas City.

Getting Defensive

K-State has been solid defensively this season, holding its opponents to 64.8 points per game on 40.5 percent shooting, including 34.8 percent from 3-point range, while forcing them into 16.5 turnovers per game. The Wildcats have held 14 opponents to 65 points or less, including 11 of the last 15, while holding 10 foes to under 40 percent shooting from the field. The team also holds an impressive +8.8 rebounding margin against its foes, which ranks fifth nationally. The squad is averaging 40.6 rebounds per game, including 15.9 offensive rebounds, while holding its opponents to 31.8 rebounds per game. K-State leads the Big 12 in offensive rebounds, while it is second in both overall rebounds and margin. The squad has paced in the league in offensive rebounds in each of Frank Martin’s three seasons as head coach. This rebounding edge has helped the Wildcats post 303 second-chance points (15.2 per game) compared to just 193 (9.7 per game) for its opponents. They have out-scored their opponent in this regard in all but four games. The team has scored 20 or more second-chance points in five contests, including a season-high 25 against UMKC on Dec 31 and Texas Tech on Jan. 15. This statistic has been particularily stark Kansas State’s 13 wins, where the team has averaged 17.6 second-chance points compared to just an average of 10.6 second-chance points in the seven losses.

Digging the Long Ball

One of the more lethal components of the Wildcats’ offense under head coach Frank Martin has been the ability to convert from long range. The team has posted 200 or more treys in each of the last three seasons under Martin, including a school-record 253 makes in 2009-10. This year’s squad seems to be on track to continue that trend, as they rank third in the Big 12 in 3-point field goals per game (7.1) and sixth in 3-point field goal percentage (36.7), while trailing just Iowa State (181) and Missouri (156) in total 3-pointers (141). The team has tallied double-digit treys in five contests, including a season-best 13 (on a season-high 59.1 percent) against Texas Tech on Jan. 15. The 13 makes ties six others for the seventh-most in a game in school history, while they are most since the team had 14 against UNLV on Dec. 12, 2009.