K-State Wildcats vs. Wichita State Shockers: Basketball lineups, TV, time, odds, pick
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THE DETAILS
When: 8 p.m. on Saturday
Where: Bramlage Coliseum
TV: ESPNU
Radio: KCSP (610 AM) in Kansas City, KKGQ (92.3 FM) in Wichita
Betting line: K-State by 6
Over/Under: 128
STARTING LINEUPS
P | No. | Wichita State | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
F | 11 | Kenny Pohto | 6-11 | So. | 5.7 |
F | 33 | James Rojas | 6-6 | Sr. | 6.9 |
G | 3 | Craig Porter Jr. | 6-2 | Sr. | 13.9 |
G | 1 | Xavier Bell | 6-3 | So. | 5.7 |
G | 10 | Jaykwon Walton | 6-7 | Jr. | 13.3 |
P | No. | Kansas State | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
F | 3 | David N’Guessan | 6-9 | Jr. | 5.7 |
F | 35 | Nae’Qwan Tomlin | 6-10 | Jr. | 8.3 |
F | 11 | Keyontae Johnson | 6-6 | Sr. | 18.0 |
G | 5 | Cam Carter | 6-3 | So. | 6.7 |
G | 1 | Markquis Nowell | 5-8 | Sr. | 15.0 |
About Wichita State (4-3):
The Shockers are off to an up-and-down start this season. They have decent wins over Richmond, Grand Canyon and Tarleton State, but they also have discouraging losses against Alcorn State, San Francisco and Missouri. The most recent of those defeats came at home against the Tigers on Tuesday. Mizzou rallied late and beat Wichita State 88-84 in overtime. Craig Porter Jr. and Jaykwon Walton have led the Shockers in scoring this season. They have found success away from home, beating Richmond on the road and Grand Canyon on a neutral floor.
About Kansas State (6-1):
The Wildcats lost their first game under new coach Jerome Tang earlier this week at Butler. The Bulldogs came out hot on offense and led by double digits for much of the night. Tang was disappointed that K-State didn’t get leading scorer Keyontae Johnson more involved in that game, even though he scored 20 points. Senior center Abayomi Iyiola was unavailable against Butler with an injury. Getting him back in the rotation could help in the post against Wichita State. Nae’Qwan Tomlin has had some quiet games after a loud start. He failed to score against both LSU and Butler.
Prediction
Shortly after Kansas State lost to Butler earlier this week, Jerome Tang turned his attention to Wichita State.
He spoke passionately about what it would mean for the Wildcats to beat the Shockers in front of a juiced home crowd.
“I’m excited about Saturday,” Tang said. “Our football team is going to win the Big 12 championship and then that night Bramlage is going to be rocking and rolling. I can’t wait. I just want to make sure that all of our fans who are in Arlington and have tickets for that game, they give them to someone who will wear purple and be in Bramlage and get this thing going. I’m fired up about it.”
This game clearly means a lot to the Wildcats, who haven’t played at home since Nov. 17. It is unlikley that a sellout crowd will show up for the game, given that much of the K-State fan base will still be in Texas following K-State/TCU in the Big 12 football championship game.
But strong attendance is expected, nonetheless.
K-State will be motivated to beat Wichita State, especially coming off its first loss of the season. Add a good home-court advantage onto that motivation and it could be hard for the Shockers to keep up on Saturday night.
K-State 70, Wichita State 61
Last game prediction: K-State 72, Butler 70
Season record: 6-1.
Season record against the spread: 4-3.
