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

THE DETAILS

When: 1 p.m. Saturday

Where: Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, Oklahoma

TV: ESPNU

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

Betting line: Oklahoma State by 2

Over/Under: 138

STARTING LINEUPS

About Kansas State (21-7, 9-6):

The Wildcats are coming off a pair of home victories over Iowa State and Baylor that has put them back near the top of the Big 12 standings. Desi Sills is now in the starting lineup instead of David N’Guessan. The Wildcats have played some of their best basketball with a smaller lineup, so don’t expect any changes against Oklahoma State.

Keyontae Johnson scored 25 points in his last outing, while Markquis Nowell became the first player in school history to have 10 assists and zero turnovers in a game.

About Oklahoma State (16-12, 7-8):

The Cowboys have lost three straight games. Mike Boynton’s team needs to bounce back quickly if it hopes to reach the NCAA Tournament. Before its recent swoon, Oklahoma State had won seven of eight and many thought the Cowboys were the hottest team in the conference. But losses to Kansas, TCU and West Virginia have put them on the bubble.

Bryce Thompson and Kalib Boone lead the Cowboys in scoring. Moussa Cisse is a shot-blockiing threat off the bench.

Prediction

K-State might seem like the obvious pick in this situation, but there are more than a few sneaky reasons why analytical sites favor Oklahoma State in this game.

Yes, the Wildcats are on a winning streak and the Cowboys have lost three consecutive contests. But that doesn’t tell the whole story of this matchup.

K-State won both of its past two games at home, where the Wildcats have been nearly unbeatable this season. Put the Wildcats on the road and they tend to struggle. Jerome Tang’s team is 3-6 in true road games, and it has lost five straight away from home.

That’s not good news heading into Gallagher-Iba Arena. Oklahoma State is a strong team at home, having won five of its past six in Stillwater.

Oklahoma State will also be desperate for a win on Saturday, as it needs a victory to strengthen its case for a NCAA Tournament bid. Motivation will be on its side.

K-State defeated Oklahoma State 65-57 earlier this season in Manhattan, but the Cowboys didn’t have Cisse in that game. Adding him to the lineup and switching venues makes the rematch much more interesting. Oklahoma State has one of the best defenses in all of college basketball and only allows teams to shoot 45.5% from two-point range.

Scoring will be hard to come by for the Wildcats. They will need to play strong defense and score points in transition to knock off the Cowboys, who turn the ball over on 21% of their possessions.

If K-State gets some cheap points and its two main stars (Johnson and Nowell) both play at a high level it will find a way to win this game. But we haven’t seen that type of performance from the Wildcats on the road in quite some time.

Beating a team in their building when they are playing for their NCAA Tournament lives is not an easy thing to do this time of year. For that reason, I’m picking Oklahoma State.

Oklahoma State 68, K-State 64

Last game prediction: Baylor 72, K-State 68 (Actual: K-State 75, Baylor 65).

Season record: 18-9.

Season record against the spread: 14-13.