Brandon Rush had the opportunity to add a little extra flavor to an already delicious-looking in-state rivalry after Wednesday night’s Iowa State game.

He could’ve pulled a Michael Beasley - mentioned Africa, mentioned a rec center, guaranteed a victory. He sealed his lips instead.

“I’m not like that,” junior guard Rush said. “But we’re going to bring it.”

It was probably for the best that Rush didn’t guarantee anything. No one from either team would’ve been smart to promise a victory, because they’re both struggling.

“The way I look at it,” Kansas coach Bill Self said, “you have a couple teams who really need a win.”

Saturday’s 8 p.m. game matches two teams who were playing much better in January.

Back then, Kansas State’s young team was just starting to jell under coach Frank Martin. Kansas had been rolling opponents for a month. K-State won that game, but the Jayhawks, despite their recent struggles, should fare better on Saturday.

This time around, there’s no 25-game-Manhattan winning streak on their minds and no perfect record to keep intact. All of that took a toll on Kansas the first game. Senior guard Russell Robinson remembers feeling extra nerves.

“Believe it or not, that put pressure on us,” Robinson said of the streaks. “This time around we’re just trying to get back to the level we’re capable of.”

The loss to Kansas State was cathartic but also negative. They didn’t have as much pressure from being undefeated, but the Jayhawks felt a hangover for a while. Like Robinson said, they haven’t quite been at the same level. That was evident in the two defeats Kansas sustained after losing to the Wildcats. The Jayhawks played sluggishly. They didn’t rebound or shoot. No player could step into the role of a consistent scorer.

Wednesday night against Iowa State, Self and the players said some of those problems were solved. They’ve now realized they can come back from losses. It just took a while to adjust to the feeling of losing.

“We’re a tougher team by far because we understand that we can be beat,” sophomore guard Sherron Collins said. “Anybody can beat anybody. We have a whole different mindset.”

Because of that new attitude the Jayhawks discovered Wednesday night, they aren’t searching for a victory as desperately as their neighbors to the west. The Wildcats should be out for blood just as much as they were a month ago.

Back on Jan. 30, no team hungered for a victory against Kansas more than the Wildcats. Angry fans turned Bramlage Coliseum into an electric, dysfunctional house of contempt, cheering more against Kansas than for their own team. The players responded with a streak of intensity and toughness that the Jayhawks couldn’t match.

K-State wanted to win then to end the streak. Now they want to win to end another streak, one that dates back to 1996. That was the last year the Wildcats made the NCAA Tournament. When the fans stormed the court after beating Kansas and lifted freshman forwards Beasley and Bill Walker up on their shoulders, postseason glory seemed like a guarantee. It doesn’t anymore.

Since then, the Wildcats have fallen far from their perch atop the conference and are losers of four of their last five games. K-State is on the bubble for the NCAA Tournament, and a victory at Kansas would likely put them on solid footing for a bid.

Oh, they’ll be energized all right, and the Jayhawks better be too, if they want to win. The guards will have to do a better job on freshman guard Jacob Pullen. Sophomore forward Darrell Arthur will have to stay out of foul trouble and guard Walker better from the three-point line.

More than anything, Kansas will have to play smarter down the stretch. KU’s experience didn’t shine through in the second half against Kansas State. A younger team out-hustled and out-executed the Jayhawks during the most important part of the game.

Rush didn’t want to guarantee a victory, but Self at least promised they wouldn’t be lacking energy or toughness when they have to battle the Wildcats in a game that both teams really need to win.

“I think that our guys will be as excited as they’ve been all year,” Self said. “I would be totally disappointed if it wasn’t a great effort game for us.”

—Edited by Russell Davies