K-State Wildcats vs. Central Arkansas: TV, game time, preview and prediction
The Kansas State men’s basketball team will play its first game since returning from the Baha Mar Hoops tournament in the Bahamas when it hosts Central Arkansas at 7 p.m. on Wednesday inside Bramlage Coliseum.
Here’s everything you need to know before tipoff, plus a game prediction:
When: 7 p.m. Wednesday
Where: Bramlage Coliseum (Manhattan)
TV: ESPN+ (streaming service, subscription required)
Radio: KCSP (610 AM) in Kansas City, KFH (1240 AM and 97.5 FM) in Wichita
Betting line: K-State by 25.5
Over/Under: 155.5
STARTING LINEUPS
P | No. | Central Arkansas | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
F | 12 | Tucker Anderson | 6-9 | Fr. | 10.6 |
F | 0 | Ubongabasi Etim | 6-9 | So. | 6.2 |
G | 4 | Johannes Kirsipuu | 6-2 | So. | 3.6 |
G | 25 | Elias Cato | 6-9 | Jr. | 14.8 |
G | 5 | Masai Olowokere | 6-5 | Sr. | 8.8 |
P | No. | Kansas State | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
F | 7 | David N’Guessan | 6-9 | Sr. | 7.6 |
F | 13 | Will McNair | 6-11 | Sr. | 8.4 |
G | 24 | Arthur Kaluma | 6-7 | Jr. | 13.5 |
G | 5 | Cam Carter | 6-3 | So. | 18.0 |
G | 2 | Tylor Perry | 5-11 | Sr. | 19.2 |
About Central Arkansas (1-4):
Central Arkansas is off to a 1-4 start that features a win over Hendrix and losses to Tulsa, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Vanderbilt and Southeast Missouri State. Anthony Boone’s team is not expected to do much this season, as it currently sits in the bottom 50 of Ken Pomeroy’s national college basketball ratings database.
Central Arkansas struggles to score on offense and gives up too many easy points on defense. Elias Cato leads the team in scoring at 14.8 points per game.
About Kansas State (3-2):
The Wildcats are coming off a 91-83 loss to Miami in the championship game of the Baha Mar Hoops tournament. K-State gave up too many easy looks in that game and paid the price. It will try to rebound against Central Arkansas with a few players who have been hot at the start of this season.
Tylor Perry and Cam Carter are both averaging more than 18 points per game, and Arthur Kaluma is starting to come on at 13.5 points per game. Will McNair has been a pleasant surprise of late as the team’s starting center. K-State will get freshman guard Dai Dai Ames back for this game after he served a one-game suspension for fighting against Providence.
Prediction:
Jerome Tang was smart to schedule Central Arkansas this week.
Whenever a team comes back from an early season tournament that is played several time zones away, it can be hard for its players to give maximum effort in their next game. It’s understandable that the Wildcats will suffer some type of letdown after playing two physical games against Providence and Miami in the Bahamas.
Coaches want to put the worst team on their schedule in this spot, and that is exactly what Central Arkansas is this season.
The Bears rank No. 322 nationally, per Ken Pomeroy. By comparison, the Wildcats sit at No. 47.
K-State should have absolutely no problem winning this game. The only question is, how big will the margin be?
It is hard to project games with massive spreads like this, and no team has defeated Central Arkansas by more than 17 this season. That loss came at Tulsa. The Bears only lost at Vanderbilt by four. It may be hard for the Wildcats to completely run away with this one. Then again, Central Arkansas is about to play its third straight road game.
Personally, I like the Wildcats to win, but maybe not cover.
K-State 87, Central Arkansas 69
Last game prediction: Miami 81, K-State 74 (Actual: Miami 91, K-State 83)
Season Record: 5-0
Season Record ATS: 4-1
Season Record O/U: 4-1
