K-State hopes to get Foster back for matchup with No. 17 Oklahoma
Coming off another convincing victory, Oklahoma is enjoying its longest winning streak in Big 12 play in six seasons.
While Kansas State is mired in its longest skid in almost 10 years, help could be on the way.
The No. 17 Sooners go for a sixth consecutive win Saturday night when they visit a Wildcats team hoping to get leading scorer Marcus Foster back from suspension.
Oklahoma (17-7, 8-4) has outscored opponents by an average of 19.0 points during its run after beating No. 14 Iowa State 94-83 on Monday, never trailing in the second half and leading by as many as 20. TaShawn Thomas had 22 points while matching season highs with 11 rebounds and five assists, and Isaiah Cousins scored 19 as the Sooners posted their highest point total of the season.
They hadn't won five consecutive conference games since opening 11-0 in league play in 2008-09. Second-place Oklahoma is within 1 1/2 games of Kansas in the Big 12, which currently boasts six ranked teams.
"The statement is letting everybody know that we're trying to come back and show that we're for real," said star Buddy Hield, leading the conference with 17.6 points per game. "The Big 12 is tough. Winning a game like this shows that Oklahoma is no joke."
Kansas State (12-13, 5-7) hasn't had much to laugh about during a five-game losing streak, its longest since dropping six in a row Feb. 2-19, 2005. The Wildcats, however, have been without Foster -- as well as reserve Malek Harris -- for the last three games due to suspensions for violating team rules. It's looking like both players could return as soon as Saturday.
The Sooners can't be happy to hear that after watching Foster, averaging 14.0 points, put the Wildcats on his back in a 66-63 overtime win in Norman on Jan. 10. The sophomore guard connected on a game-tying floater with 8 seconds left in regulation, then knocked down the winning 3-pointer with 3 seconds remaining in the extra period.
"Oklahoma's a very good team -- in my eyes, one of the best teams in the conference," Foster said after the game. "So this is a really big win for us, especially being away."
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Foster has averaged 17.7 points while shooting 10 of 18 from long distance in three games against the Sooners. Kansas State has taken four of five in the series, though its last three victories have come by an average of 3.6 points.
Foster was certainly missed in four-point defeats in the Wildcats' last two games, 61-57 to then-No. 25 Texas last Saturday and 76-72 at No. 21 West Virginia on Wednesday. Nino Williams matched a career high with 22 points against the Mountaineers, but Kansas State couldn't hold a late lead after coming back from 10 down in the final 5 1/2 minutes.
"You have to execute. You have to get back to the fundamentals. .... Those little plays are the difference," coach Bruce Weber said.
The Wildcats have dropped five straight against Top 25 opponents, but only one of those defeats came by more than six points.
Oklahoma is 11-1 at home compared to 4-4 on the road. Hield is averaging 15.8 points on 35.3 percent shooting away from home, down from his marks of 19.3 and 54.8 in Norman. He scored a career-high 31 against Kansas State last month.
While Hield continues to produce, Ryan Spangler has stepped up during the five-game win streak with an average of 15.6 points on 75.0 percent shooting. He posted his ninth double-double of the season Monday with 14 points and 12 rebounds.
