Manhattan, KS (My Sportsbook) - Big 12 Conference play begins today for the sixth-ranked Oklahoma Sooners and the Kansas State Wildcats, as the teams meet in Manhattan.

Oklahoma opened the season with 12 consecutive victories before finally losing a game to a strong Arkansas squad. Fortunately for the Sooners, they have bounced back strong from that setback with a pair of blowout victories over rather weak non-league foes. On Monday, Oklahoma rolled to a 100-64 decision over Maryland-Eastern Shore.

Kansas State opened the season with a five-game win streak, and although the team then lost three straight, it has rallied for six consecutive triumphs to move to 11-3 overall. On Monday, the Wildcats rolled to a 99-68 decision over Chicago State, and they are now a sensational 10-0 at home.

The Sooners own a 101-89 series lead over Kansas State, so the Wildcats will attempt to narrow that gap today.

Oklahoma is fortunate to possess one of the truly elite players in all of college basketball. Blake Griffin is a sensational talent, as the power forward brings a wealth of size, strength and athleticism to the court. He is averaging 22.1 ppg this season on the strength of 66.1 percent shooting from the field, and he is also ripping down 14.0 rpg. Griffin has gotten plenty of help this season from Willie Warren, a standout freshman guard who provides 16.2 ppg. Rounding out a trio of double-digit scorers for Oklahoma is Tony Crocker with 10.7 ppg. In the romp over Maryland-Eastern Shore earlier this week, Griffin tallied 20 points and 16 rebounds in only 22 minutes of action. Crocker and Warren both netted 15 points for the Sooners, who connected on 50.0 percent of their field goal attempts and limited their overmatched opponents to 31.1 percent shooting. A 20-9 edge in points from the foul line also helped the cause.

Kansas State is racking up 81.5 ppg this season while limiting opponents to 61.0 ppg on 37.9 percent shooting from the field. The Wildcats are led by Jacob Pullen, who provides 14.7 ppg. Denis Clemente is scoring 12.2 ppg, and Fred Brown adds 10.1 ppg. K-State is pulling down 8.5 rpg more than the opposition and has forced 270 turnovers in 14 outings. In the 31-point thrashing of Chicago State on Monday, Brown exploded for 26 points off the bench. Darren Kent added 13 points for the Wildcats, who got 12 points from Pullen. As a team, Kansas State played tremendous defense, limiting Chicago State to 34.4 percent shooting from the field. A 47-39 rebounding advantage and 35 points from the foul line also helped the cause.