Postgame: K-State 82, Baylor 75

When everyone thought Texas was good, fans lined up outside Bramlage Coliseum 20 hours before tip-off.

When No. 1 Kansas walked into the Octagon of Doom, the K-State student section was so loud it seemed to double in size.

Excitement was high for both of those must-see games, but today's showdown with the Jayhawks easily surpasses each of them on the exhilaration scale.

Both teams are ranked in the top 10, both teams respect each other and their third game of the season will be for a Big 12 Tournament championship. One scalper outside the Sprint Center last night said tickets will be worth up to $500 today.

For a Sunflower Showdown of this magnitude, I see at least some people forking over that kind of cash.

The stakes are certainly high for both sides. K-State is fighting for its first Big 12 ring and an outside shot for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Kansas will be out to prove it can play hard for a full 40 minutes against a quality opponent.

The game should be a classic, and K-State players are looking forward to it. Players were subdued in their comments following last night's game, saying they were motivated only to play on the Big 12's biggest stage. The opponent didn't matter.

But following Thursday's win against Oklahoma State, they openly talked about how much fun it would be to play Kansas a third time.

"We want that rematch," Dominique Sutton said. "Our goal is to play for a championship, and we know Kansas is going to be waiting there at the top. That's who we have to beat."

Kansas won the two regular-season meetings against K-State, but both were closely contested.

The Jayhawks won at Bramlage Coliseum in overtime because the Wildcats couldn't hit enough big shots, avoid fouling Cole Aldrich or contain Sherron Collins down the stretch. Still, if a late call had gone their way, the game would have been theirs.

In the rematch at Allen Fieldhouse, Kansas pulled away in the last five minutes to win by 17, but the score was tied at 45-45 early in the second half. The Wildcats didn't back down in a tough atmosphere, but most believed they would have performed better in a neutral setting.

We find out today.

What must change from the last game in order for K-State to win?

For starters, the Wildcats need more than just Jacob Pullen and Denis Clemente. While they combined for 41 points in Lawrence, no one else scored more than six points. Curtis Kelly, Jamar Samuels and Dominique Sutton combined for just eight points.

They also need to get off to a strong start. At Allen Fieldhouse, the Jayhawks led early and had an answer for every K-State run from that point on. Today, K-State needs to throw the opening punch.

Coming off two of their best games of the season, the Wildcats should be ready.

Briefly looking back at the Baylor game:

Player of the game: Dominique Sutton. Pullen and Clemente played very well, too, but Sutton was everywhere. He scored 14 points, grabbed 14 rebounds and made four steals. When he was on the court, he was at the center of just about every big play.

Play of the game: When Sutton threw down a driving, contested dunk on the baseline to open up the second half, you just knew K-State was going to win. On his twitter feed following the game, Jamar Samuels asked his followers how Sutton's dunk wasn't a top 10 play on Sportscenter.

Do this again: The formula for a K-State win now seems pretty simple. Clemente + Pullen + Sutton/Samuels/Kelly = victory. Against Oklahoma State Samuels went off and K-State won easy. Against Baylor, Sutton was at the top of his game and K-State held off a hot shooting Bears squad.

Try to avoid: I'm not sure how K-State could have avoided it, because Baylor was on fire early, but Baylor shot 68 percent of its shots in the first half.

Bottom line: Baylor played well. K-State simply played better. The Wildcats earned one of their best victories of the season, and became the winningest team in school history (with 26 wins) along the way. Now they get to get to play for a tournament championship.