(Photo credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images)

Kansas State did not have designs on a last-place finish in the Big 12 headed into Jerome Tang's fourth year, especially on the heels of back-to-back postseason-less campaigns.

And yet the Wildcats find themselves in a battle for last place anyway, as Kansas State hosts rebuilding Utah Tuesday in Manhattan, Kan.

Despite an 0-5 start in Big 12 play that has left his squad just 9-9 overall, head coach Jerome Tang sees signs pointing toward getting that elusive first conference win.

'Well, we're playing with energy, effort and enthusiasm, first of all, and then we're really sharing the ball,' Tang said. 'There's been some great ball movement out there and as we keep doing that, we're going to get the right shots.'

The Wildcats dropped a heartbreaker on the road against Oklahoma State last time out, 84-83, the team's third-straight single-digit loss. That result, while disappointing, showed further signs of improvement. Kansas State won the rebounding battle (39-37) for the first time in Big 12 play.

'We're rebounding better. We're more physical,' Tang said. 'Rebounding in the first few games in the Big 12, there was such a rebounding disparity that it didn't even give us a chance. And now we're giving ourselves a chance. And so now we got to take the next step.'

Utah (9-9, 1-4) wasn't expected to contend in the preseason under first-year coach Alex Jensen, but the Utes have been a feisty bunch, hanging around in losses against No. 15 Texas Tech (88-74) and versus rival No. 9 BYU (89-84).

That fight finally paid off in their last game in the form of Jensen's first Big 12 win, an 82-79 victory over TCU.

'Continuity is always underrated,' Jensen said. 'I told our guys, 'You are good enough.''

Leading scorer Terrence Brown (21.6 ppg) certainly looked the part again versus the Horned Frogs. Brown rattled off 26 points to lead all scorers, nailing 4 of 5 from long range.

PJ Haggerty leads Kansas State in scoring (22.8 ppg), rebounding (5.1) and assists (4.6).

Focus could help determine the outcome Tuesday night, with both teams ready to turn their attention to rivalry games this weekend. Kansas State will host Kansas on Saturday, while Utah has a rematch at BYU.

--Field Level Media