Kansas State @ Creighton preview

Marcus Foster was the leading scorer at Kansas State his freshman and sophomore years, but the senior shooting guard will be up against his former team when eighth-seeded Creighton plays the No. 9 Wildcats in the first round of the South Region on Friday in Charlotte, N.C. Foster transferred to Creighton after the 2014-15 season and last week was named first-team all-Big East for the second straight year.

Foster, who struggled with disciplinary issues during his two years at Kansas State, is averaging 24 points over the past four games to boost his season average to 20.3, fourth in the Big East. Creighton finished in a three-way tie for third in the Big East with Seton Hall and Providence, then lost in overtime in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament to Providence. Kansas State finished fourth in the Big 12 and advanced to the semifinals of the conference tournament, losing to Kansas for the third time this season 83-67. The Wildcats played without leading scorer Dean Wade (16.5), who sustained a foot injury in the quarterfinal win against TCU, and second-leading scorer Barry Brown (16) left after getting poked in the eye two minutes into the game. Kansas State coach Bruce Weber was optimistic after the game Friday that both would be available for the start of the NCAA Tournament.

TV: 6:45 p.m. ET, TNT

ABOUT CREIGHTON (21-11): Foster averaged seven 3-pointers a game and has become substantially more accurate from beyond the arc this season, converting on 42.2 percent of his attempts compared to 34.1 last season; and he was under 40 percent both seasons at Kansas State, as well. Foster has a solid compliment in the backcourt in junior shooting guard Khyri Thomas, who is shooting 41.9 percent from 3-point distance. Thomas averaged 20.8 points over the final five regular-season games, but was kept quiet in the overtime loss to Providence on Thursday, scoring eight points - just the third time this season he has been held to single digits.

ABOUT KANSAS STATE (22-11): Wade is a 6-10 junior forward who shoots 55 percent from the floor and leads the Wildcats at 6.3 rebounds a game. Creighton starts four guards and 6-10 senior forward Toby Hegner, who averages just three rebounds a game, so Kansas State should have a clear advantage down low if Wade is healthy. The Wildcats are also excited about 6-9 sophomore forward Makol Mawien, who took advantage of Wade's absence to score a season-high 29 points against Kansas and he should see increased minutes against Creighton, regardless of Wade's status.

TIP-INS

1. Creighton went 1-4 against top-seeded teams in the NCAA Tournament, beating Villanova in overtime on Feb. 24.

2. The Bluejays have won at least one postseason game in eight of its last nine appearances.

3. Kansas State has outscored its opponent in the paint in 23 of 33 games.

PREDICTION: Kansas State 77, Creighton 76