K-State Wildcats vs. Texas Tech Red Raiders: Basketball lineups, TV, time, odds, pick
THE DETAILS
When: 6 p.m. Saturday
Where: United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock, Texas
TV: ESPN+
Radio: KCSP (610 AM) in Kansas City, KKGQ (92.3 FM) in Wichita
Betting line: K-State by 2
Over/Under: 142
STARTING LINEUPS
P | No. | Kansas State | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
F | 3 | David N’Guessan | 6-9 | Jr. | 7.5 |
F | 35 | Nae’Qwan Tomlin | 6-10 | Jr. | 10.2 |
F | 11 | Keyontae Johnson | 6-6 | Sr. | 18.0 |
G | 5 | Cam Carter | 6-3 | So. | 6.7 |
G | 1 | Markquis Nowell | 5-8 | Sr. | 16.9 |
P | No. | Texas Tech | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
F | 0 | Kevin Obanor | 6-8 | Sr. | 15.3 |
F | 1 | Lamar Washington | 6-4 | Fr. | 3.3 |
G | 20 | Jaylon Tyson | 6-6 | So. | 10.3 |
G | 24 | Kerwin Walton | 6-5 | Jr. | 4.4 |
G | 23 | De’Vion Harmon | 6-2 | Sr. | 13.0 |
About Kansas State (19-5, 7-4):
The Wildcats are coming off a blowout victory over TCU. After spending the early portion of Big 12 play at less than 100% in terms of health, K-State is now at full strength with David N’Guessan back in the starting lineup as the team’s five man.
Markquis Nowell and Keyontae Johnson continue to lead the team in scoring, but both have been up and down lately. Johnson has dealt with foul trouble and Nowell has battled turnover issues in recent games. Other players like Desi Sills and Tykei Greene could emerge as key contributors by helping them against Texas Tech.
About Texas Tech (12-12, 1-10):
The Red Raiders are the worst team in the Big 12, but that doesn’t mean they are hapless. Texas Tech won its last home game in overtime against Iowa State and has been competitive with teams all season long despite not winning many games.
It will be interesting to see how Texas Tech handles injury issues in this game. Pop Isaacs and Fardaws Aimaq have both missed recent games with injuries, but it is possible one or both could return to the lineup against the Wildcats. Texas Tech is no longer the defensive juggernaut it was in recent years, as it is regularly allowing teams to score 70-plus points.
Prediction
K-State is the obvious pick here.
The Wildcats are a much better team than the Red Raiders and they are at full strength while Texas Tech is dealing with the possible absence of two starters. But that doesn’t mean this will be an easy game for Jerome Tang’s team.
In their first meeting, Texas Tech held a 45-37 lead with 12:56 remaining at Bramlage Coliseum and K-State needed a big run over the final 8 minutes to pull away for a 68-58 victory.
Switching venues to United Supermarkets Arena, which is expecting a sellout crowd on Saturday, could be a huge factor in this matchup. Texas Tech is one of the hardest teams to beat on the road in the conference, and K-State will need to play well to escape Lubbock with a victory.
That being said, the Wildcats hold big advantages here. They have much more firepower on offense than the Red Raiders and they are also better on defense. Texas Tech will need to score a lot of points in the paint and force a big amount of turnovers to pull off an upset here.
I expect this game to be close, but K-State is the healthier and better team. Give me the Wildcats to win and cover.
K-State 70, Texas Tech 66
Last game prediction: K-State 77, TCU 71 (Actual: K-State 82, TCU 61).
Season record: 17-6.
Season record against the spread: 13-10.
