Kansas State vs. Arizona State preview: tipoff time, TV info, players to watch, prediction
Arizona State vs. Kansas State
When: 6:30 p.m. Thursday
Where: Orleans Arena, Las Vegas
TV: FS1
Radio: 1480-AM; 102.5-FM; 107.9-FM
Projected lineups
P | No. | Arizona State | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
F | 10 | Vitaliy Shibel | 6-9 | Fr. | 2.8 |
F | 23 | Romello White | 6-8 | Fr. | 18.3 |
G | 11 | Shannon Evans | 6-1 | Sr. | 20.3 |
G | 0 | Tra Holder | 6-1 | Sr. | 22.3 |
G | 44 | Kodi Justice | 6-5 | Sr. | 12.3 |
P | No. | Kansas State | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
F | 14 | Makol Mawien | 6-9 | So. | 5.8 |
F | 32 | Dean Wade | 6-10 | Jr. | 12.8 |
G | 20 | Xavier Sneed | 6-5 | So. | 11.3 |
G | 5 | Barry Brown | 6-3 | Jr. | 12.3 |
G | 3 | Kamau Stokes | 6-0 | Jr. | 11.8 |
The Lowdown: This is the first true test of the season for both teams. Kansas State has beaten up on some of the worst teams in college basketball, and Arizona State has only played one name opponent, San Diego State. Both teams are 4-0 and eager to validate their early success with a win in the semifinals of the Las Vegas Invitational.
K-State player to watch: Kamau Stokes. This projects to be a high-scoring game, and K-State’s point guard has traditionally shined in shootouts. Arizona State has scored at least 90 points in every game this season, which means the Sun Devils will try and run against the Wildcats. Stokes should have plenty of opportunities to set his teammates up with open shots and hit threes. This is his chance for a big game.
Arizona State player to watch: It’s hard to pick just one, as the Sun Devils have several explosive scorers, but Tra Holder is best of the bunch. The senior guard is averaging a team-high 22.3 points and scored 35 points in his last outing against UC Irvine.
Prediction
This game will probably come down to how K-State defends. If the Wildcats can hold the Sun Devils below 80, they will almost certainly win. But if Arizona State has another 90-point effort, it will be hard for K-State to keep up.
Kellis Robinett: @kellisrobinett
This story was originally published November 22, 2017 at 11:21 AM with the headline "Kansas State vs. Arizona State preview: tipoff time, TV info, players to watch, prediction."