Wildcats look to start February with victory against Aggies

Coming off of two straight conference losses, the K-State men's basketball team hopes to bounce back with a home win against Texas A&M on Saturday afternoon.

The game will feature two teams both looking to improve on their performance in the second half of the Big 12 Conference schedule.

Although the Wildcats lost two straight games, head coach Frank Martin remains optimistic that his team is doing the right things in order to be successful.

"We're fortunate enough that we were in those situations," Martin said. "I tend to look at it the other way, I think it's a great learning experience. It's reaffirming to our guys that we're real close. We're right there. I'm extremely disappointed that we didn't win either one of those games. We are in no way in acceptance of the outcome of either game, but it continues to reassure me just how close we are."

This K-State team is looking to imitate many of Martin's other ball clubs and have a successful month of February. Last season, the Wildcats were 3-5 in January, but seemed to hit their stride in February and won eight games to only one loss. On Saturday, K-State gets a chance to once again turn things around.

"Every team is different," Martin said. "Let's see how this team fares in February. Do I have confidence that it can happen? Absolutely, but I'm not going to predict it because I know how hard winning is."

K-State (15-6, 4-5 Big 12) has been getting key contributions from all of its players as of late. Senior forward Victor Ojeleye is beginning to see more playing time and as a result was able to collect a career-high 10 rebounds in the Wildcats' loss to Iowa State on Tuesday.

"He's awesome," Martin said referring to Ojeleye. "He's playing well right now."

Texas A&M (12-9, 3-6) was picked by the coaches to win the Big 12 in the preseason, but the team has been plagued by injuries. Senior guard Dash Harris and junior forward Khris Middleton have not played in the last two games due to injuries. The two have combined to score 18.6 points per game in Big 12 play.

Like the Wildcats, the Texas A&M is also coming off of a loss. The Aggies fell 63-60 in the final minute against a Baylor team that is ranked sixth in the country.

"They're good," Martin said about Texas A&M. "They're comfortable in who they've become without the injured players. You watch them play now, they're playing their tails off. Think about this, think about how good they're playing right now, and add those guys back on their roster. Put them full speed and you'll understand why a lot of people picked them to win the league."

Saturday will be the first time K-State and Texas A&M have met this season, and Martin knows that while the Wildcats haven't met their own expectations this far in Big 12 play, a win this weekend is critical.

"I understand that it's about winning games," Martin said. "The reason that I'm passionate and the reason I chase players around is because I want them to win so they can experience all the good that comes with winning. Like I tell the players all the time, ‘who cares who's winning the race halfway through the mile? If the race is a mile, the only thing that matters is who crosses the finish line when the race is over.' It's not where you're at halfway through the race. We're worried about the end line, not where we're at right now."