Wildcats or Jayhawks? Here are our Sunflower Showdown predictions
The Kansas State Wildcats will take on the Kansas Jayhawks in one of the most highly anticipated Sunflower Showdown basketball games in recent memory at 8 p.m. on Monday at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence.
K-State (21-6, 11-3 Big 12) is looking to stay all alone in first place of the conference standings, while KU (20-7, 9-5) is trying to remain in the race and extend its streak of league titles to 15.
The Jayhawks are favored by 3 1/2.
Here are our predictions for the game.
Sam Mellinger: KU 74, K-State 71
K-State is the better team, but it’s hard to imagine Kansas not motivated by a higher calling at home after Saturday’s emasculation in Lubbock, Texas.
Blair Kerkhoff: KU 67, K-State 64
Home building makes the difference, as it has all season for the Jayhawks. But it should be noted the Wildcats had great chances to win in Allen Fieldhouse each of the past two seasons.
Kellis Robinett: K-State 72, KU 70
The Jayhawks are undefeated at home this season and the Wildcats haven’t won in Lawrence since 2006, but none of that seems to matter to this group of K-State seniors. They’ve been nails as underdogs and have won six straight Big 12 road games.
If K-State can defend the three-point line, take advantage of KU turnovers with transition buckets and get another double-digit scoring effort from Xavier Sneed it will have a shot to win in the final moments.
After missing potential game-winners in their past two trips to Allen Fieldhouse, Barry Brown and Dean Wade will be ready for the moment.
Jesse Newell: KU 73, K-State 65
K-State’s defense relies heavily on turnovers, and that style won’t play as well at Allen Fieldhouse as it did at Bramlage Coliseum. The whistle will be tighter for K-State, and I can’t see a scenario where KU turns it over 30-plus percent of the time like it did in the first game.
The other key for the Jayhawks will be three-point shooting. The Wildcats will give up those looks, and KU has been hot recently at the Fieldhouse, making 43 percent of its threes in the last five home games combined.
KU’s loss at Texas Tech was ugly, and there has to be some worry for coach Bill Self that his team could still be fatigued with a short turnaround following Saturday’s late-night game. This still seems to me like a contest where the Jayhawks, fueled by a crazy atmosphere, turn up the defensive intensity and fire away with more confidence.
This story was originally published February 25, 2019 at 10:13 AM with the headline "Wildcats or Jayhawks? Here are our Sunflower Showdown predictions."