Kansas vs. Kansas State: College basketball game preview, TV schedule
Last season, Kansas State lost two heartbreakers to rival Kansas by a combined five points. Will the Wildcats get over the hump this time around?
TV schedule: Saturday, Jan. 13, 12:00 p.m. ET. ESPN
Arena: Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kansas
One of the more undervalued rivalries in college basketball lies in the Big 12, between Kansas and Kansas State. Part of the reason why it’s not as covered is due to the Jayhawks being a highly ranked team, while the Wildcats, for the most part, are unranked and creeping more towards the bubble.
This time around, Kansas State 12-4 (2-2) is looking for revenge, led by junior Barry Brown, who dropped a career-high 38 points in the 88-84 win over Oklahoma State. Xavier Sneed recorded a double-double, while Cartier Diarra had 17 points in the game as well — the best for the freshman to this date.
These guys are going to need all the scoring they can get, with the third leading scorer and top passer on the team Kamau Stokes out indefinitely with a knee injury. For a team known more for their balance, guys like Diarra and even Dean Wade will need their offensive output to be even higher.
Especially against Kansas 13-3 (3-1) who is still the favorites to win the Big 12 until the team is officially knocked off. After getting ran off their home floor against Texas Tech, Jayhawks have responded with wins over TCU and Iowa State to remain one game back of first place.
In the win over the Cyclones, Malik Newman finally had his breakout game with his new team. Essentially the sixth starter for the team, the sophomore had 27 points off the bench for the 83-78 victory. Svi Mykhailiuk was big also in the game with 23 points.
Next: Latest Big 12 power rankings
In games like this, the location of the game means very little, even if it’s at Kansas. But what does matter is the loss of Stokes, which makes things all the harder for the Wildcats to run their offense. Look for the Jayhawks to win another league game, pulling away in the second half.
Prediction: Kansas 80 – Kansas State 68