Kansas State vs. Marquette: 2018-19 college basketball game preview, TV schedule

Marquette Basketball is looking for a high-profile win after two missed opportunities, while Kansas State Basketball is hitting the road for the first time in 2018-19.

TV schedule: Saturday, Dec. 1 at 2:30 EST (FS1)

Location: Fiserv Forum (Milwaukee, Wis.)

After meeting almost annually throughout the 1980s, Saturday’s matchup in Milwaukee will be Marquette’s first meeting with no. 12 Kansas State in nearly 31 years. But despite the lengthy hiatus, the two former foes are picking up right where they left off – with one of the more intriguing matchups of the entire non-conference season.

It’s eerie how similarly head coaches Steve Wojciechowski and Bruce Weber constructed their respective teams. Marquette (5-2) and K-State (6-0) are both centered around score-first guards (Markus Howard and Barry Brown) and versatile forwards (Sam Hauser and Dean Wade).

Both teams returned the bulk of last year’s minutes, particularly the Wildcats, who are running back almost the same exact squad after an Elite Eight run (KSU’s top six scorers – which are the same six players as last year – are averaging 64.9 points per game this season after averaging 66.1 per game in 2017-18).

And when comparing starting lineups, each player has an obvious counterpart to shadow on defense:

5-foot-11 Howard vs. 6-foot Kamau Stokes
6-foot-5 Sacar Anim vs. 6-foot-3 Brown
6-foot-8 Sam Hauser vs. 6-foot-5 Xavier Sneed
6-foot-10 Joey Hauser vs. 6-foot-10 Wade
6-foot-9 Theo John vs. 6-foot-9 Makol Mawien

Now, those five-man groups will certainly be free-flowing throughout the game, but if those are in fact the starting and closing lineups, we are in for a doozy (Marquette could switch out Anim with the 6-foot-3 Joseph Chartouny as well).

Sneed may be able to attack the elder Hauser off the dribble, though the Golden Eagles do own distinct advantages in other positions. With a similarly sized Stokes on the floor, Howard will not be forced to defend a big guard and he should be able to find plenty of clean looks on the offensive end.

K-State could always shift the bigger Brown on to Howard; if that’s the case, it will be up to Wojciechowski to emphasize a quicker tempo so his star guard can hunt an advantageous matchup before K-State sets their defense. MU’s secondary guard – whether that is Anim, Chartouny, or Brendan Bailey – will also need to take advantage of their favorable size mismatch against Stokes.

More from Busting Brackets

And unlike the previous two iterations of Marquette basketball, this Golden Eagle crew is loaded with plenty of frontcourt options to throw at Wade, who is averaging 16.2 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game this year. Either Hauser brother is capable of hanging with Wade, and John is athletic enough to stick with the K-State senior in short bursts on the perimeter as well. Wojo also has two 6-foot-7 options on his bench that could provide valuable defensive minutes against the adaptable Wade: the lanky sophomore Jamal Cain or the hulking junior Ed Morrow.

This is not your older sibling’s MU team either. Marquette is up to 49th in KenPom’s adjusted defensive efficiency through seven games, as additional length and experience have significantly boosted the team’s defensive rebounding rate and lowered the Golden Eagles’ previously abhorrent foul rate.

Against a K-State team that loves to work inside the arc – the Wildcats are 314th in three-point percentage and 327th in three-point attempts – Marquette’s 10th-ranked two-point defense should also come in handy. The Golden Eagles were torched inside at Indiana, but they bounced back with two strong interior defensive efforts against Kansas and Louisville.

Kansas State will be ready with a few tricks up its sleeve as well. The Wildcats own a top-five defense this season, and even though they are yet to face a legitimate test, their cohesiveness and strong metrics over the previous two campaigns are befitting of a sturdy defensive backbone. K-State’s success is built upon limiting the other team’s possessions; the Wildcats are 10th in defensive rebounding rate, 14th in forced turnover rate, and 54th in opponent’s free throw rate.

Marquette rarely gets to the line and has real issues holding onto the ball – the Golden Eagles have one of the worst turnover rates among high-major teams this year – so Kansas State may be able to put a vice-like grip on its Cream City hosts.

It’d be surprising if either team jumped out to a big lead in this one, and a tightly contested game generally favors the home team. But after the Golden Eagles’ disastrous showing in Bloomington, ensuing sluggish start against Presbyterian, and catastrophic near 10-minute scoring drought to start the second half against Kansas, it’s tough to put any faith in this fickle team. After all, MU is only 6-26 against ranked opponents in the Wojo era.

Next. Power Rankings: Kansas, Gonzaga vie for top spot. dark

Then again, after a late rally against a feisty Louisville squad last week and a decisive victory over Charleston Southern on Tuesday night, maybe this Marquette squad is finally rounding into form. Here is the only prediction that is certain to come true: betting on this game is a fool’s errand.

Home/Big East