Manhattan, KS (SportsNetwork.com) - Both the 22nd-ranked Bay

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Manhattan, KS (SportsNetwork.com) - Both the 22nd-ranked Baylor Bears and Kansas State Wildcats will try to extend winning streaks as they clash head- to-head in a Big 12 Conference matchup at Bramlage Coliseum on Saturday. Baylor has won back-to-back games, with an overtime 66-59 victory over TCU and a narrow 74-73 win over Iowa State serving as the most recent contests for the Bears, who are 3-1 away from home. Kansas State is on a three-game winning streak after picking up a victory over Texas Tech, 58-51, on Wednesday. The Wildcats are 3-1 in the Big 12 this season, and own a 7-2 home mark. This will be the 31st meeting between the Big 12 Conference rivals in their series history. Kansas State holds a slim 16-14 all-time advantage over the Bears, which includes a 9-6 mark in Manhattan. But Baylor is looking to win its third straight contest against the Wildcats. With four seconds left to play in regulation and Iowa State holding a one- point lead, Kenny Chery buried a jumper to give Baylor a 74-73 lead and victory over the Cyclones on Tuesday in Waco. Baylor shot 42.9 percent from the floor in the contest, and made 9-of-23 from 3-point range. Royce ONeale scored 15 points to lead the squad, while Rico Gathers tallied a double-double of 14 points and 15 rebounds. Johnathan Motley chipped in 14 points of his own in the win, and Chery rounded out a group of double-digit scorers with 13 points, adding in four assists. Taurean Prince, who scored just five points in the teams win over Iowa State, leads the Bears in scoring this season at 11.6 ppg. Baylor doesnt have one player that has been explosive on the offensive end, but rather a group of steady contributors. Chery (10.4 ppg), Motley (10.3 ppg) and Gathers (10.3 ppg) are all averaging a scoring total in double figures heading into Saturdays matchup. The team is toward the bottom of the Big 12 rankings in terms of scoring offense (69.1 ppg), but the Bears have been excellent on the defensive side of the ball, allowing only 57.3 ppg to opponents - good for third in the league. Gathers leads Baylor and the Big 12 in rebounding, averaging 11.6 rpg. It was a pretty miserable day for both Texas Tech and Kansas State offensively on Wednesday, as neither team could manage a shooting percentage above 39 percent. But it was the Red Raiders who flopped harder, netting only 33.9 percent of their tries from the floor in the loss. Kansas State was led offensively by Marcus Foster, who scored 14 points and grabbed a team-best five rebounds. Wesley Iwundu was the only other Wildcats player in double figures at 10 points, though Justin Edwards and his nine-point effort werent far off the pace. Kansas State hit on 21-of-26 from the free-throw line in the win. Foster has come up with some big shots for Kansas State this season, which means the sophomore guard is playing well beyond his years. That fact is highlighted even more in his team-leading 13.7 ppg mark on 43 percent shooting. His 45.5 3-point field goal percentage the best on his team and ranks third in the Big 12 Conference. Thomas Gipson (11.4 ppg) and Nino Williams (10.4 ppg) each contribute double-digit scoring as well, but Kansas State heads into Saturday with the lowest scoring average (65.7 ppg) in the conference. And Williams, who averages a team-best 4.7 rpg, will be tasked with keeping Prince in check under the basket. Dikembe Mutombo Nuggets Jersey .com) - The San Antonio Spurs will try to even their series with the Dallas Mavericks Monday night when the two teams collide at American Airlines Arena for Game 4. Will Barton Jersey . -- Martin Kaymer never lost sight of opportunity even amid so much evidence of trouble in the closing stretch Sunday at The Players Championship. http://www.authenticnuggetsproshop.com/Nikola-Jokic-Jersey/ .com) - The Atlanta Hawks have stepped up to every challenge during their 14-game winning streak and will face another daunting task Friday with Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder in town. Dikembe Mutombo Jersey . -- The Sacramento Kings and guard Jimmer Fredette have completed a buyout of his contract, clearing the way for the former BYU sensation to become a free agent. Tyler Lydon Nuggets Jersey .Michael Briscoe is serving a life sentence for sexual assault, kidnapping and first-degree murder in the death of 13-year-old Nina Courtepatte in 2005.LAKE FOREST, Ill. - If the New Orleans Saints are looking for comfort, they can take some in this: Their week was almost smooth compared to their opponents. And unlike the Bears, theyre still in the playoff hunt. The Saints will try to shake off their most lopsided loss of the season and give their post-season hopes a boost when they visit Chicago on Monday night. Its a matchup between two of the leagues most disappointing teams. You can watch the game live on TSN1, TSN3 and TSN4 at 8:30pm et/5:30pm pt. They come in with identical records (5-8) and are trying to put a difficult week behind them. The Saints got blasted 41-10 at home last week by Carolina. The Bears got hit with another round of turmoil, with offensive co-ordinator Aaron Kromer acknowledging he was a source behind a critical report by the NFL Network about quarterback Jay Cutler. Man, this is a humbling league, New Orleans coach Sean Payton said. The Saints began the week tied for the NFC South lead with Atlanta — their next opponent — despite dropping four of five. They allowed 497 yards and got pounded by a Carolina team that came in with six straight losses. Payton said during the week he would not rule out lineup changes, and safety Kenny Vaccaro said Thursday his role is changing. He would not say exactly how, and his coach offered few details. Payton also made some roster changes this week, cutting receiver Joe Morgan on Tuesday and promoting receiver Seantavius Jones from the practice squad. A lot of it is the expectation that showing up and playing is enough, right tackle Zach Strief said. Its not: OK, I put my uniform on, I look good, I walk out on the field and now that were here and were the Saints and we have this history where well win games, now were just going to win this game. ... Thats not the reality of this league. For the Bears, this season has been one harsh reality check. They came in with visions of a playoff run, only to fall out of contention for the seventh time in eight years. The situation with Kromer was just another in a line of distractions. He owned up in public to what he did on Friday after asking players and coaches for forgiveness on Monday. That happened after he complained to the NFL Networks about Cutlers ability to audible out of run plays that might not work. The stoory also suggested the Bears had buyers remorse for signing their quarterback to a contract extension after last season.dddddddddddd But according to the Chicago Tribune, Kromer insisted in his apology to the team that he never mentioned that. Kromer said he never considered quitting over this and coach Marc Trestman insisted he did not think about firing him. But the episode raised more questions about the leadership and the direction of the franchise in a season when there were already more than a few. The Kromer situation was just another log in a fire that includes linebacker Lance Briggs missing practice to open a restaurant near Sacramento in the week leading up to the opener; defensive end Lamarr Houston suffering a season-ending injury celebrating a meaningless late sack at New England; and some eyebrow-raising incidents involving Brandon Marshall. Among them was a long, rambling news conference over past allegations of domestic abuse; flying to New York weekly to record Showtimes Inside The NFL program; and challenging a Detroit fan on Twitter to a boxing match for charity. Kromers leak cuts to one of Trestmans pillars, and that is building relationships based on trust. There appeared to be a breach even if Cutler insisted the offence came away from Mondays meeting in a better position. He owned up to it, Cutler said. He let everyone know, Hey, I made a mistake. This is where we stand. And this is where we need to move on to. I wish more guys were like that. He said the Bears have to continue on and that the offence will come together. But they have looked more like a broken bunch. The Bears have been hit hard by injuries, with Briggs, Charles Tillman and Marshall among the key players on injured reserve. Chicago joined the 1923 Rochester Jeffersons as the only teams to give up 50 or more points in consecutive games when it got pounded by New England and Green Bay. The struggles on defence and regression on offence have added up to the most disappointing season in recent memory. We know the (offensive) system works, Kromer said. It worked last year. And its worked in the past in places both myself and Marc have been. Question is: Who will be around to fix the Bears after this season? ___ AP NFL websites: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL ' ' '