K-State Wildcats vs. Texas Longhorns: Basketball lineups, TV, time, score prediction

The details

When/where: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Erwin Center, Austin, Texas

TV/radio: Longhorn Network; KKGQ (92.3 FM) in Wichita, KCSP (610 AM) in Kansas City.

About Texas (13-4, 3-2 Big 12): The Longhorns are off to a 13-4 start under new coach Chris Beard, but they have struggled a bit lately. Texas has dropped two of its past three games, with the losses coming at Oklahoma State and Iowa State. It seems like the Longhorns are still searching for a go-to scorer. Timmy Allen leads the team with 11.5 points per game, but four of his teammates averaged 9.1 points or more. They get the bulk of their scoring in the paint and at the free-throw line. They are only shooting 33.2% from the three-point line.

About Kansas State (9-7, 1-4 Big 12): The Wildcats picked up their first Big 12 win of the season over the weekend when they defeated Texas Tech 62-51 at Bramlage Coliseum. They had a full assortment of 10 scholarship players and their entire coaching staff available for that game. That is once again expected to be the case against Texas on Tuesday. K-State is among the nation’s best teams at defending the three, as teams are only shooting 26.5% from three-point range against them. Nijel Pack leads the team with 15.4 points per game. Mark Smith is the Big 12’s leading rebounder at 8.3 boards per game.

Projected lineups

Prediction

You can’t take much away from the game K-State and Texas played earlier this month at Bramlage Coliseum.

The Longhorns won that game 70-57, but the Wildcats were playing without starting point guard Markquis Nowell and all three of their centers. K-State only used seven players that day, because of COVID issues within its roster. Bruce Weber and associate head coach Chris Lowery also watched from home while Shane Southwell coached the game.

Things should be different in the rematch, as K-State is expected to be at full strength on Tuesday at the Erwin Center.

That should make this a more competitive game until the final buzzer.

Believe it or not, this is a good matchup for the Wildcats. Texas doesn’t shoot well from three-point range and is often content to try and win low-scoring games under Beard. If K-State can hold the Longhorns below 65 points, it will probably take its chances.

The Wildcats could also surprise the Longhorns with their new starting lineup, which features four guards instead of two traditional big men.

But winning this game won’t be easy. Texas has been susceptible on the road this season, but it owns a perfect 11-0 record in Austin. It beat Oklahoma 66-52 in its last home game and trounced West Virginia 74-59 in its Big 12 home opener.

Texas has more depth and home-court advantage. The Longhorns may also play with a boost of energy coming off a loss. Odds favor them winning a back-and-forth game.

Texas 66, K-State 61.