K-State Wildcats vs. Oklahoma Sooners: Basketball lineups, TV, time, odds, pick

Kellis Robinett
K-State Athletics

THE DETAILS

When: 8 p.m. Tuesday

Where: Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Oklahoma

TV: ESPNU

Radio: KCSP (610 AM) in Kansas City, KKGQ (92.3 FM) in Wichita

Betting line: K-State by 1.5

Over/Under: 141

STARTING LINEUPS

P

No.

Kansas State

Ht.

Yr.

PPG

F

3

David N’Guessan

6-9

Jr.

7.1

F

35

Nae’Qwan Tomlin

6-10

Jr.

10.2

F

11

Keyontae Johnson

6-6

Sr.

17.6

G

5

Cam Carter

6-3

So.

6.4

G

1

Markquis Nowell

5-8

Sr.

16.9

P

No.

Oklahoma

Ht.

Yr.

PPG

F

1

Jalen Hill

6-6

Sr.

10.2

F

35

Tanner Groves

6-10

Sr.

9.6

G

12

Milos Uzan

6-4

Fr.

6.4

G

3

Otega Oweh

6-5

Fr.

3.8

G

25

Grant Sherfield

6-2

Sr.

16.5

About Kansas State (19-6, 7-5 Big 12):

The Wildcats are coming off a 71-63 road loss against Texas Tech. Jerome Tang’s team has been in a bit of a slump lately, losing four of the past six games after getting off to a scorching-hot start. Markquis Nowell and Keyontae Johnson are two big reasons why. Neither of them have played up to the all-conference levels they were earlier in the season.

Johnson failed to score 10 points in his first game with the Wildcats on Saturday. Nowell has committed at least five turnovers in five straight games. They will look to get back on track against Oklahoma with the help of their supporting cast.

About Oklahoma (12-13, 2-10 Big 12)

The Sooners are coming off a 78-55 home loss against Kansas, but that was hardly their only lopsided defeat in recent weeks. Ever since Oklahoma shockingly beat No. 1 Alabama 93-69 in the Big 12/SEC Challenge it has been on a downward trajectory, losing four straight conference games by an average of 19 points.

Oklahoma hasn’t won a Big 12 game since Jan. 14. Grant Sherfield leads Oklahoma with 16.5 points per game, while Jalen Hill and Tanner Groves have given them a consistent inside presence.

Prediction

This is a tricky game to predict.

On one hand, Kansas State is not playing its best basketball at the moment. The Wildcats have lost four of their past six games and they haven’t won a road game since Jan. 7. Markquis Nowell and Keyontae Johnson are slumping. Momentum is not on their side.

On the other hand, Oklahoma is the worst team in the Big 12. The Sooners have lost seven straight conference games, mostly by wide margins. They might not be good enough to beat the Wildcats, regardless of their recent form.

The oddsmakers probably got this one right by making K-State a slim favorite. It could go either way.

The Sooners are shooting 53.3% from two-point range this season, which could pose some problems for the Wildcats. But they also don’t force many turnovers on defense. That should come as music to the ears of K-State fans. If the Wildcats don’t turn the ball over at a high rate, they will take their chances against the worst team in the Big 12.

One other recent trend favors K-State here. The Wildcats responded well from their last loss. When Tang is angry his players typically respond with a strong performance. I expect that to happen here.

K-State 72, Oklahoma 69

Last game prediction: K-State 70, Texas Tech 66 (Actual: Tech 71, K-State 63).

Season record: 17-7

Season record against the spread: 13-11

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