Oklahoma State at Kansas State preview: keys to game, lineups, TV info, prediction
Oklahoma State at Kansas State
When: 7 p.m. Wednesday
Where: Bramlage Coliseum, Manhattan
TV: ESPNews
Radio: 1480-AM; 102.5-FM; 107.9-FM
Projected lineups
P | No. | Oklahoma State | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
F | 41 | Mitchell Solomon | 6-9 | Sr. | 9.1 |
F | 35 | Yankuba Sima | 6-11 | Jr. | 4.2 |
G | 5 | Tavarius Shine | 6-6 | Jr. | 11.8 |
G | 30 | Jeffrey Carroll | 6-6 | Sr. | 15.9 |
G | 1 | Kendall Smith | 6-3 | Sr. | 11.1 |
P | No. | Kansas State | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
F | 14 | Makol Mawien | 6-9 | So. | 5.8 |
F | 32 | Dean Wade | 6-10 | Jr. | 14.9 |
G | 20 | Xavier Sneed | 6-5 | So. | 11.4 |
G | 5 | Barry Brown | 6-3 | Jr. | 15.5 |
G | 2 | Cartier Diarra | 6-4 | Fr. | 4.3 |
The Lowdown: This game is of vital importance to both teams. Kansas State is off to a 1-2 start in Big 12 play after losing to West Virginia and Texas Tech last week. Oklahoma State has the same conference record after defeating Iowa State in its last game. A victory will get one team back to .500 in conference play. The loser will be in a big hole at 1-3.
K-State player to watch: Cartier Diarra. Starting point guard Kamau Stokes is out indefinitely with a foot injury, and Diarra is the next man up. The redshirt freshman is one of the most athletic players on K-State’s roster, and he scored 11 points against Texas Tech. But this is different. How will he handle leading the offense?
OSU player to watch: Jeffrey Carroll. The senior guard is among the top scorers in the Big 12, and the Cowboys will try to lean on him in this game. A 40.9 percent shooter from three-point range, the Wildcats will need to be aware of him at all times.
Prediction
Kansas State 78, Oklahoma State 74. It will be hard for the Wildcats to replace Kamau Stokes in the long term, but this is a good short-term matchup. The Cowboys struggle on defense, and K-State players will be motivated to win for Stokes. Give the home team a slight edge.
Kellis Robinett: @kellisrobinett
This story was originally published January 9, 2018 at 3:07 PM with the headline "Oklahoma State at Kansas State preview: keys to game, lineups, TV info, prediction."