A No. 2 Kansas team that averages 77.8 points per game will be challenged by some of the best defense the Big 12 can offer in the form of No. 14 Iowa State on Saturday. Kansas coach Bill Self and starting guard Dajuan Harris agree – the Cyclones play hard defense.

Kansas (15-1, 4-0 Big 12) enters Saturday’s game fresh off Tuesday’s rally-from-behind 79-75 win over Oklahoma to preserve its undefeated start on the conference schedule. Iowa State (13-2, 4-0 Big 12) travels to Lawrence after an 84-50 triumph over Texas Tech in Ames.

Both seeking a five-win start to the Big 12 slate, the Jayhawks and Cyclones share a commonality in field goal shooting (KU 47.2%, ISU 46.9) ahead of Kansas’ 125-year celebration weekend on campus.

But, an ISU defense that sits atop the conference will make the Jayhawks work for every bit of it. On Friday, Harris said he expects Iowa State’s ball screen defense to be a critical part of the game.

“I think we get it to like a middle ball screen with me and KJ (Adams), maybe Zach (Clemence) too, and play to the short row and try to see what can happen after that,” Harris said about the ISU defense.

“We just got to share the ball, get them moving side to side and then find like the open creases and try to attack that because we know that they're going to go down (screens),” Harris added. "We just got to send cutters when we drive and look to do to the skip pass and try to find open creases.”

Harris, averaging 8.6 points per game, has opened Big 12 play shooting 71% from three-point land. Scoring double-figures through his last three starts, Harris shot a perfect 5 of 5 from behind the arc during a career-high scoring night (18) at Texas Tech on Jan. 3 and dropped three more 3s at West Virginia on Jan. 7.

Tasked with juggling a heavy ball-screen defense just as his scoring ramps up, Harris recalled cutting his teeth as a freshman against former Kansas guard Marcus Garrett and center Udoka Azubuike in practice.

“When I first got here, it was Marcus Garrett guarding me and then Dok downing it, so it was hard,” Harris said. “They were the two best defensive players in the country, so when I first tried, I couldn’t do anything and I was smaller than I am now… I learned a lot freshman year, just to see what’s opening and then don’t try to force it.”

Regularly surpassing 30 minutes per game, KU’s usual assist leader said the increase in offensive production is all mental.

“My teammates and my coaches, they tell me every day I need to shoot the ball and teams are making me shoot the ball,” Harris said. “I just got to have the confidence to step up and make the shot.”

Meeting Harris on the defensive end on Saturday will be Iowa State guard Caleb Grill – another speedy ballhandler that’s found his way into the three-point scoring column. Grill opened Big 12 play with five 3s each against Baylor and Oklahoma.

Harris is looking forward to mixing freshman guard Gradey Dick into the Kansas offense more against the Cyclones, as well. Dick scored eight points through 36 minutes on Tuesday vs. the Sooners and enters Saturday looking to break back into double figures.

According to Harris, Dick’s capable of adding the right spark Kansas will need against an Iowa State defense that’s out to impress.

“We need to set more screens for (Dick) because we know they’re going to face guard the whole game,” Harris said. “We need him to get a lot of touches because he’s one of our best scorers, best three-point shooter too. If we give him more touches, that opens up more for our offense. We need him going.”