K-State Wildcats vs. Chicago State Cougars: Game preview, TV, time and prediction
The Kansas State men’s basketball team will try to close out the nonconference portion of its schedule with a victory when it hosts Chicago State at 7 p.m. on Tuesday inside Bramlage Coliseum.
Here’s everything you need to know before tipoff, plus a game prediction:
When: 7 p.m. Tuesday
Where: Bramlage Coliseum (Manhattan)
Stream: ESPN+
Radio: KCSP (610 AM) in Kansas City, KFH (1240 AM and 97.5 FM) in Wichita
Betting line: K-State by 20.5
Over/Under: 138.5
STARTING LINEUPS
P | No. | Chicago State | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
F | 22 | Cameron Jernigan | 6-7 | Jr. | 2.7 |
G | 2 | Deshawn Jean-Charles | 6-7 | So. | 5.9 |
G | 1 | Wesley Cardet | 6-6 | Jr. | 18.8 |
G | 24 | Jahsean Corbett | 6-7 | Jr. | 13.1 |
G | 12 | Brent Davis | 6-3 | Jr. | 9.2 |
P | No. | Kansas State | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
F | 7 | David N’Guessan | 6-9 | Sr. | 7.4 |
F | 13 | Will McNair | 6-11 | Sr. | 7.6 |
G | 24 | Arthur Kaluma | 6-7 | Jr. | 15.3 |
G | 5 | Cam Carter | 6-3 | So. | 16.3 |
G | 2 | Tylor Perry | 5-11 | Sr. | 15.8 |
About Chicago State (7-12):
The Cougars have played more games than anyone else in the country this season because they don’t belong to a conference. Chicago State’s independent schedule will actually end on Feb. 19, well before any league begins its postseason tournament. This team has such a strange schedule that it will play at Oklahoma State on Wednesday.
Chicago State has managed to pull off some upsets this season, including a road win over Northwestern. But it enters this contest on a four-game losing streak. Wesley Cadet leads Chicago State in scoring. As a team, the Cougars don’t rank that highly in any statistical category, but they are good at forcing turnovers on defense.
About Kansas State (9-3):
The Wildcats are coming off a 69-60 victory over Wichita State. That game happened all the way back on Dec. 21, so K-State players should be well rested for this game. David N’Guessan is coming off his best outing of the season. The Wildcats are also welcoming transfer guard Ques Glover to the rotation after he missed the first 12 games with an injury.
This is K-State’s final chance to experiment with lineup combinations before it begins Big 12 play against UCF on Saturday.
Prediction:
This is one of those games where K-State is almost certainly going to win.
By how much? That’s the question.
The Wildcats are favored by 20.5, which is the second largest spread of the season. Jerome Tang’s team was able to cover an even bigger number (27) when it beat Central Arkansas 100-56 in November. But it needed overtime to beat Oral Roberts and North Alabama the last two times it was favored by double digits at home.
That might suggest that K-State will struggle to separate from Chicago State on Tuesday, but I think this game sets up well for the Wildcats. They are extremely well rested after getting a holiday break and Glover will be ready to show off his skills while making his debut in a purple uniform.
Chicago State also doesn’t score the ball well enough to throw a scare into K-State. It shoots 27.9% from 3-point range and 46.9% from everywhere else. It also allows teams to make 56.3% of its shots from within the arc.
Expect the Wildcats to get easy buckets from Will McNair and David N’Guessan, which will open up the perimeter for their shooters.
K-State should start the new year without a stress-free win.
K-State 79, Chicago State 56
Last game prediction: K-State 75, Wichita State 69. (Actual result: K-State 69, Wichita State 60)
Season Record: 10-2
Season Record ATS: 6-6
Season Record O/U: 9-3
