THE DETAILS
When: Saturday at 1pm
Where: Bramlage Coliseum, Manhattan
TV: ESPN
Radio: KCSP (610 AM) in Kansas City, KKGQ (92.3 FM) in Wichita
Bet line: K state of 1.5
Above under: 134
STARTING LINE-UPS
P
NO.
State of Iowa
ht.
year
PPG extension
f
5
Aljaz Kunc
6-8
Mr.
8.8
f
21
Osun Osunniyi
6-10
Mr.
8.9
g
3
Tamin Lipsey
6-1
Fr.
7.5
g
13
Jaren Holmes
6-4
Mr.
13.6
g
22
Gabe Kalscheur
6-4
Mr.
12.4
P
NO.
state of Kansas
ht.
year
PPG extension
f
3
David N’Guessan
6-9
Jr.
6.7
f
35
Nae’Qwan Tomlin
6-10
Jr.
10.4
f
11
Keyontae Johnson
6-6
Mr.
17.5
g
5
Cam Carter
6-3
AS.
6.2
g
1
Markquis Nowell
5-8
Mr.
16.8
Iowa State Information (17-8, 8-5 Big 12):
Lately the Cyclones have collapsed along with the Wildcats. Iowa State got off to a 13-2 start, but now sits at 17-8. He has lost four of his last six games. But Iowa State rebounded in the win column earlier this week with a 70-59 home win over TCU. The Cyclones are improving with Aljaz Kunc back in the starting lineup, but Caleb Grill played just 12 minutes in his last game and was held scoreless as he continues to grapple with a back problem.
Iowa State defeated K-State earlier this season 80-76 at the Hilton Coliseum. The Cyclones have not been a strong team away from home this season, going 2-6 in real away games.
About Kansas State (19-7, 7-6 Big 12)
The Wildcats are coming off a 79-65 loss at Oklahoma that dropped them to 19-7 on the season. They’ve gone from the hottest team in the conference to one of the coldest in recent weeks. Markquis Nowell and Keyontae Johnson are no longer producing at the elite levels they were early in Big 12 play. K-State’s offense has declined along with them. Three-pointers have been a problem, as the Wildcats have gone cold beyond the arc in recent weeks.
Jerome Tang is also looking for more from his role players. For example: Cam Carter and David N’Guessan have not scored in either of their last two games. K-State is hoping to get a push from its home crowd. The Wildcats only lost to Bramlage once all season.
Prediction
Jerome Tang hasn’t changed his starting lineup since David N’Guessan recovered from a foot injury last month.
Maybe it’s time for a change.
The Wildcats could use a spark off a daunting losing streak. Why not switch things up and see if bringing a new player or two into the starting rotation will light a fire under the entire team?
Second-year guard Cam Carter was held scoreless in consecutive games. N’Guessan also hasn’t scored in more than a week. Tang has spoken out that complacency could be a problem for K-State following its most recent loss to Oklahoma. One thing he could solve is to give Desi Sills or Ismael Massoud an opportunity in the starting lineup.
All four of the aforementioned players have shown that they can help the Wildcats win games. They just haven’t lately. Maybe a role reversal could help get them back on track.
Tang wasn’t afraid to dramatically change the way she allocates minutes and roles earlier this season. I won’t be surprised if he returns to it for a key home game against Iowa State and uses K-State players who give it their all time against the Cyclones.
For that reason, and a few others, I think this is a good place to support the Wildcats. They are desperate for a win, have been strong at home all season and Iowa State generally struggles on the road.
If K-State simply returns to play with reckless abandon, as we saw earlier in the season, that should be enough to defeat the Cyclones.
Iowa State is a sensational team on defense. It forces turnovers on 26% of opponents’ possessions and allows teams to shoot only 32.2% from three-point range. But he doesn’t do very well in attack. He beat K-State earlier this season by aggressively scoring on the rim and grabbing a ton of offensive rebounds. That formula may work at home, but it will be hard to duplicate the effort away without the benefit of a friendly boo.
The Wildcats will be highly motivated to win this game and I think they will find a way to do exactly that.
K-State 73, Iowa State 67
Prediction of the last match: K-State 72, Oklahoma 69. (Actual Score: Oklahoma 79, K-State 65)
Season record: 17-8.
Season record against the spread: 13-12.
