Kansas State at Baylor preview: Keys to game, lineups, TV info, prediction
Kansas State at Baylor
When: 8 p.m. Monday
Where: Ferrell Center, Waco, Texas
TV: ESPNU
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. | 6.2 |
F | 32 | Dean Wade | 6-10 | Jr. | 15.6 |
G | 20 | Xavier Sneed | 6-5 | So. | 11.5 |
G | 5 | Barry Brown | 6-3 | Jr. | 16.9 |
G | 3 | Cartier Diarra | 6-0 | Jr. | 6.4 |
P | No. | Baylor | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
F | 0 | Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. | 7-0 | Sr. | 15.3 |
F | 11 | Mark Vital | 6-5 | Fr. | 7.4 |
G | 25 | Tristan Clark | 6-9 | Fr. | 8.3 |
G | 22 | King McClure | 6-3 | Jr. | 9.7 |
G | 20 | Manu Lecomte | 5-11 | Sr. | 16.5 |
The Lowdown: Kansas State is coming off its best week of the season. After beating No. 4 Oklahoma and No. 24 TCU at home, the Wildcats moved up to third in the Big 12 standings. They will try to keep their winning streak going on the road against Baylor. The Bears, off to a 2-5 start in Big 12 play, are in a different spot. They need to beat the Wildcats to boost their NCAA Tournament hopes.
K-State player to watch: Cartier Diarra. The freshman point guard will be tasked with leading K-State’s offense against Baylor’s 2-3 zone defense. The Wildcats have gone cold at times against zones this season (remember Tulsa?) and it will be up to Diarra to create open shots for himself and his teammates. One of the league’s hottest outside shooters of late, his three-point shooting could be a factor in this game.
Baylor player to watch: Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. It’s not always easy for K-State to go toe-to-toe with big front courts, and Lual-Acuil is one of the bests big men the Wildcats have faced. The 7-footer is averaging 15.3 points and could create some problems for K-State guards trying to score near the basket.
Kellis Robinett’s Prediction
Baylor 68, Kansas State 65. This is a tricky game to predict. K-State is the better team, and the Wildcats have played well lately. But Baylor, with its size and zone defense, can be a bad matchup. It’s a toss-up. Give the Bears an edge at home, where they have won their last two by an average of 12.5.
Kellis Robinett: @kellisrobinett
This story was originally published January 21, 2018 at 12:54 PM with the headline "Kansas State at Baylor preview: Keys to game, lineups, TV info, prediction."