K-State Wildcats at Iowa State Cyclones: TV, time, game preview & score prediction

The Kansas State men’s basketball team will try to remain on top of the Big 12 standings when it travels to Iowa State on Wednesday for a game at Hilton Coliseum.

Here’s everything you need to know before tipoff, plus a score prediction:

When: 8 p.m. Wednesday

Where: Hilton Coliseum (Ames, Iowa)

TV: ESPN2

Radio: KCSP (610 AM) in Kansas City, KFH (1240 AM and 97.5 FM) in Wichita

Betting line: Iowa State by 9.5

Over/Under: 135.5

STARTING LINEUPS

About Iowa State (14-4, 3-2)

The Cyclones are coming off a 73-72 road victory over TCU, which put them above .500 in the Big 12 standings. They have won most of their games this season thanks to an elite defense that forces opponents to turn the ball over on 26.7% of their possessions. They are also strong in the paint, holding opponents to 44.9% shooting from 2-point range.

The Cyclones are undefeated at home this season. Keshon Gilbert and Milan Momcilovic are their leading scorers.

About Kansas State (14-4, 4-1)

The Wildcats are coming off a 70-66 victory against Oklahoma State that kept them in a first place tie with Texas Tech in the Big 12 standings. They have struggled on offense in recent weeks, but they have been excellent on defense. Teams are only averaging 61.8 points against them in Big 12 play.

Cam Carter leads the team in scoring, but Arthur Kaluma has been the hotter hand lately. The Creighton transfer had 23 points against the Cowboys and he also drained a game-winning 3 against Baylor.

K-State at Iowa State prediction

The odds are stacked against K-State in this one.

Winning at Hilton Coliseum is never easy, but it is harder than ever for visiting teams to find success against the Cyclones in Ames this season.

Iowa State is off to an 11-0 start in its own building with an average victory margin of 31 points. Granted, many of those wins came against overmatched competition, but the Cyclones were able to upset Houston at home and throttle Iowa (90-65) and Oklahoma State (66-42).

Why have they been so dominant at home? That question can be answered with one word: defense.

The Cyclones rank second nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency and they create more turnovers than any other team in the country. That makes this a difficult matchup for K-State.

Jerome Tang’s team has suffered from a turnover problem in recent weeks. The Wildcats are giving the ball away on 21.1% of their possessions, a number that ranks 339th nationally out of 362 teams.

K-State has won four of its first five conference games by playing strong defense and making timely shots. That formula should be enough to keep this game competitive, but if the Cyclones can get some easy points off turnovers and take an early lead, it will be very difficult for the Wildcats to mount a comeback.

This would be a challenging game for K-State in any location. Add in home-court advantage for Iowa State and the Cyclones have an obvious edge.

Iowa State 73, K-State 62

Last game prediction: K-State 68, Oklahoma State 60. (Actual result: K-State 70, Oklahoma State 66)

Season Record: 16-2

Season Record ATS: 10-8

Season Record O/U: 12-6