Tonight at 9:00 p.m. ET, the No. 18-ranked Kansas Jayhawks (11-4, 2-0, Big 12), who entered the year in the front cart of the hype train, will be pitted against the No. 9 Iowa State Cyclones (14-1, 2-1 Big 12) who suffered their first loss of the year this weekend. Watch the game on ESPN or live stream it for free here. Jayhawks fans can listen to the game on KJHK 90.7 FM, while Cyclones fans can tune in to the biggest game of the season thus far by turning their radio dials to 1430 KASI AM.
Kansas seems to have put some early struggles behind them at the right time, as they're in the midst of a four-game stretch of facing nothing but Top 25 foes. On Saturday they spanked No. 25 Kansas State by 26 points, and head coach Bill Self is loving their energy level.
"Playing a certain way with energy is contagious," Self said. "I think everybody is just playing with more energy now consistently than we probably have at any point in time this year. It's definitely getting better."
They face a tough matchup in Iowa State, a team that has been turning heads all year and is smarting after a bad loss. "The big thing I told our guys is that this needs to hurt," head coach Fred Hoiberg said. "We gave away a golden opportunity because we couldn't secure the rebounds."
"I just think we got off our rhythm," Georges Niang said. "We didn't move the ball around and didn't play with good pace like we usually do. We're a fast team and we like to get up. I just think we didn't do that, and they capitalized on that."
Running a fast-paced game may backfire against Kansas' athleticism and size, but they're likely best off using the style that got them their first 14 victories.
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