The argument can be made that the Big 12 is the best conference in college basketball (and the argument is made frequently). With as wild as the conference can be at times, one thing has remained consistent over the last decade: dominance by the Kansas Jayhawks. KU has won 10 straight league titles, and they are currently on pace to win #11. This dominance has been over the entire conference, certainly including the rival Kansas State Wildcats. Kansas State came out of the gates on fire to start the Big 12 season, but the Wildcats have slowed down, and they were no match for Kansas on Saturday, falling in the Sunflower State Showdown 68-57.

Allen Fieldhouse was rocking from the opening tip, and the Jayhawks did not disappoint the home crowd. Breaking out to an early lead, and quickly extending it to as high as 20-5 not even midway into the first half, Kansas was in the driver's seat throughout the game. For the Wildcats, the only real highlight of the first half was a brief 5-0 run to cut Kansas' lead in half, but that was about it.

The first half is when Perry Ellis kicked off his best game of the season. Along with netting 13 of his 16 points, he showed off some impressive passing skills, assisting freshman Kelly Oubre on a dunk following a rebound. Ellis dominated down low for the Jayhawks, something that the team has been looking for all season. As an undersized team, Bill Self's squad has been looking for players to outplay their size, and Ellis did just that on Saturday.

The second half started off similarly to the first, with Kansas outscoring K-State quickly. Kansas did not play particularly well offensively, shooting just 44.8% from the floor as a team, along with only scoring approximately 1 point per possession in the first half (on the low end of their performances this season), but a solid defensive effort and a weak game from the Royal Purple kept this game wide open throughout. K-State never got closer than within 11 during the second half, and that was the margin they lost by, 68-57.

Kansas State's Marcus Foster and Thomas Gipson tied for a game-high in points with 19, however nobody else on Bruce Weber's squad finished with more than 6 points. Gipson led the team in rebounds with 7, while Nino Williams and Justin Edwards tied for the team lead in assists with 2. While K-State played a relatively clean game, committing just 7 turnovers, their offensive output was poor throughout. The team was just 20/60 (33.3%) from the floor, and only 35.7% from three-point range, including an 0/7 start to the game from downtown. The Wildcats were also just 12/21 from the free throw line.

Four players scored in double digits for the Jayhawks, led by Perry Ellis with his 16. Wayne Selden dropped 14, Brannen Greene 11 and Frank Mason III added 10 as well. Off the bench, freshman Devonte Graham led KU in assists with four. Ellis had a game high 12 rebounds, while Kelly Oubre pulled down 9 boards of his own. Kansas showed good ball movement during the game, despite less than stellar team offensive numbers, assisting on 18 of 26 field goals on the afternoon.

The Kansas State Wildcats are at a crossroads right now. Bruce Weber's team has fallen to 12-10 on the season, 5-4 in conference, with one of the nation's most difficult stretches coming up (in their final 9 games, they will play 7 teams which are currently ranked). They have showed moments of stellar play, including a win against Baylor and a win at Oklahoma, but they have also showed numerous poor performances, including Saturday's weak offensive performance versus Kansas and a loss in December to Texas State. The Big 12 is an incredibly strong conference, and the Wildcats will need to fix the numerous issues they're facing right now if they wish to make any sort of run to the NCAA Tournament.

Kansas is doing what Kansas does: leading the Big 12. Bill Self's team has won the conference 10 years running for a reason. The offensive output was not great in this game, with a relatively low shooting percentage and continued poor free throw shooting to name a few things, but there were plenty of good signs for the Jayhawks as they continue to hit their stride. Perry Ellis having his best game of the season and the continued development of Kelly Oubre are great signs for KU going forward as they look for their 11th straight Big 12 title.

Kansas State gets a break in their rough schedule in their next game, as they head to Lubbock to take on the lowly Texas Tech Red Raiders on Wednesday. For Kansas, they head into a rematch against Iowa State on Monday at home, whom they lost to in Ames on January 17.

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About the author
Brendan Dzwierzynski
Originally from just outside of Chicago, IL, USA, Brendan is a at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, KS, USA. Brendan has a great deal of experience in broadcasting and journalism. He has won several awards for radio work, including the Best Sports Play-by-Play at the Columbia College Chicago High School Radio Awards, won during his senior year of high school. He currently serves as the FM Sports Director at KJHK-FM. In terms of writing, he currently writes for several publications, including VAVEL, RockChalkTalk.com (an SB Nation website), thewrestlinggame.com, as well as two personal blogs, titled Per audacia ad astra and Press Box Opinions (sports-only). Brendan is a fan of the Green Bay Packers, Chicago Cubs and White Sox, Chicago Bulls, Chicago Blackhawks and all teams at the University of Kansas.