Saturday at 3 p.m. will be an opportunity for either the K-State or Colorado men's basketball team to post a winning conference record, as the teams, both 1-1 in Big 12 play, compete in Boulder, Colo.

The Buffaloes are fresh off a 78-71 upset of then-No. 22 Baylor, who improved their record to 10-6. Like K-State (14-2), their last game featured scoring from a variety of sources with five players in double figures. Junior guard Cory Higgins had a game-high 18 points and shot 6-8 from the foul line. Junior guard Marcus Relphorde had 17 points and seven rebounds.

"They've been scoring the ball at a high, high clip," Coach Frank Martin said. "Their offense has become even more difficult because you have to guard all five guys now."

Higgins and Relphorde are two of four guards in the starting lineup for Colorado, so K-State should have a size advantage in the post, where junior forwards Curtis Kelly and Dominique Sutton and sophomore Jamar Samuels wreaked havoc against Texas A&M. Kelly had seven points and seven rebounds; Samuels cashed in with 19 points; and Sutton claimed a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds.

Despite the dominance of K-State's forwards, the team also has two of the best guards in the country. Senior Denis Clemente showed what he is capable of as he broke loose for 20 points in the first half of the Texas A&M game, and junior Jacob Pullen finished with 15 points and was perfect from the foul line.

K-State had four players in double figures on Tuesday, and everyone on the roster got time. The freshmen, now 16 games into their K-State careers, have the complete confidence of Martin, he said. Because of that, he is comfortable putting any of them in the game, which has been necessary due to some foul trouble for the posts in the last couple games.

In Colorado's game against Baylor, the Buffaloes had four fast break points. In K-State's game against Texas A&M, the Wildcats got 15 fast break points. As the teams try to control the tempo, the one closest to staying true to their game is to get out and run.

"We've just got to rebound and outlet it quickly to Denis or Jake," Samuels said. "That'll get everyone going. As soon as they score the first four or five points, everyone relaxes."

K-State forced the same number of turnovers they committed against Texas A&M, but Colorado forced 18 from Baylor while only committing five of their own. Taking care of the ball is always a deciding factor during games, but considering Colorado's latest victory, it will probably be a point of focus for the Wildcats.

"It's going to be a dogfight," Samuels said. "It's getting us prepared for Monday." Monday, of course, referring to K-State's game against Texas, which will be televised on ESPN's Big Monday.

In keeping with the way Big 12 schools have been defending their home courts recently, Colorado is an undefeated 9-0 at home this season. It is looking to win its 10th consecutive game there on Saturday. Senior Chris Merriewether credited home court success of the league to the fans and school pride.

"You've got great fan support," Merriewether said. "That's always the sixth man." He also said Big 12 teams have a lot of pride, and although everyone wants to win every game, they dig in a little deeper on the home court.