Kansas State vs. Washington State preview: lineups, tipoff time, TV info, prediction
Kansas State vs. Washington State
When: 10 p.m. Wednesday
Where: Spokane Arena, Spokane, Wash.
TV: ESPN2
Radio: 1480-AM; 102.5-FM; 107.9-FM
Projected lineups
P | No. | Kansas State | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
F | 14 | Makol Mawien | 6-9 | So. | 5.8 |
F | 32 | Dean Wade | 6-10 | Jr. | 13.0 |
G | 20 | Xavier Sneed | 6-5 | So. | 11.4 |
G | 5 | Barry Brown | 6-3 | Jr. | 14.3 |
G | 3 | Kamau Stokes | 6-0 | Jr. | 14.9 |
P | No. | Washington State | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
F | 43 | Drick Bernstine | 6-8 | Sr. | 6.7 |
F | 3 | Robert Franks | 6-7 | Jr. | 18.3 |
G | 40 | Kwinton Hinson | 6-4 | Jr. | 4.6 |
G | 4 | Viont’e Daniels | 6-2 | Jr. | 9.4 |
G | 22 | Malachi Flynn | 6-1 | So. | 15.4 |
The Lowdown: Kansas State is trying to close out the initial portion of its nonconference schedule (the Wildcats still play Georgia in the Big 12/SEC challenge) with a victory that would make it 10-2. Washington State is looking to build off a recent win over IUPUI. The Cougars started 6-0, including wins over San Diego State and St. Mary’s, but stumbled with consecutive losses to UC-Davis, Idaho and UTEP.
K-State player to watch: Xavier Sneed. The last time K-State played a true road game, the sophomore wing scored 21 points in a win over Vanderbilt. He is coming off a 23-point outing. Sneed is playing with lots of confidence at the moment.
Washington State player to watch: Robert Franks. The junior forward is averaging 18.3 points. When he’s on, he’s really good. Franks has scored 22 or more points in four different games this season, including 32 against UC-Davis. He is also averaging 7.1 rebounds. Dean Wade and Makol Mawien will have their hands full on defense.
Prediction
It’s not a true road game for K-State, but it might as well be. The Wildcats will travel two time zones away to play in front of a Washington State crowd. That could make things difficult for K-State, but it also thrived during a win at Vanderbilt earlier this month. The Wildcats are the more balanced team, and should win if they play well.
Kellis Robinett: @kellisrobinett
This story was originally published December 19, 2017 at 3:19 PM with the headline "Kansas State vs. Washington State preview: lineups, tipoff time, TV info, prediction."