Kansas State vs Iowa State: 2018-19 College basketball game preview, TV schedule

Iowa State takes on Kansas State in a Big 12 battle. Can the Wildcats overcome recent struggles as they head to Ames?

TV Schedule: January 12 at 12:00 PM/EST on ESPN2

Location: Hilton Coliseum (Ames, Iowa)

Before the start of the season, this matchup looked very intriguing as Iowa State would play host to the preseason No. 12 team in Kansas State.

Instead, the contest is between the Wildcats, who have already lost on four occasions this season, and the No. 20 Iowa State Cyclones.

Thankfully, Kansas State earned its first conference win over West Virginia on Wednesday when the Wildcats came back to defeat West Virginia in unbelievable fashion. However, KSU lost the two prior contests, one in blowout fashion to Texas; the other by two possessions to No. 11 Texas Tech.

But it’s not like the Cyclones have much confidence entering Saturday, either. Although Iowa State upset No. 5 Kansas in blowout fashion last week, it dropped its next game to Baylor, one of the worst teams in the Big 12.

Nonetheless, Iowa State was absolutely dominant on all facets against the Jayhawks. The group shot 46 percent from the floor and 52 percent from beyond the arc. The Cyclones forced 24 turnovers while giving up just half that figure. If Iowa State were to perform in a similar fashion, it could hang with, and probably defeat, any team in the country.

It’s incredibly difficult to picture a struggling Kansas State team to win on the road against a top-20 opponent in Iowa State. However, it will be very intriguing to see how Iowa State senior Marial Shayok, who leads the Big 12 in scoring with 20.1 points per game, performs against one of the toughest defenses in the country.

But even if the Virginia transfer were to struggle, the Cyclones have plenty of other scoring threats in Michael Jacobsen (13.9 ppg), Lindell Wigginton (12.8 ppg), and freshman Talen Horton-Tucker (12.6 ppg).

On the other hand, Kansas State needs to hope forward Dean Wade returns from a foot injury in order to stand a chance on Saturday. The senior is the group’s best player this season as he posts 13.6 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game. Without him, the Wildcats will need standout performances from seniors Barry Brown Jr (13.6 ppg, 4.4 rpg) and Kamau Stokes (10.8 ppg).

With or without Wade on the floor, Iowa State should come up victorious Saturday afternoon. If Wade sits, expect the Cyclones to run the Wildcats off the floor.