Kansas State-Baylor basketball lineups, tipoff time, TV info and a prediction
Here are projected starters with TV and radio information for the Kansas State Wildcats vs. the Baylor Bears Big 12 basketball game.
When/where: 7 p.m., Saturday, Bramlage Coliseum, Manhattan
TV/radio: ESPN2, KQAM (1480 AM) in Wichita, KCSP (610 AM) in Kansas City
Projected lineups:
P | No. | Baylor | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
F | 33 | Freddie Gillespie | 6-8 | Jr. | 5.0 |
G | 11 | Mark Vital | 6-5 | So. | 6.9 |
G | 12 | Jared Butler | 6-3 | Fr. | 9.6 |
G | 4 | Mario Kegler | 6-7 | So. | 10.7 |
G | 10 | Makai Mason | 6-1 | Sr. | 14.6 |
P | No. | Kansas State | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
F | 14 | Makol Mawien | 6-9 | Jr. | 6.7 |
F | 32 | Dean Wade | 6-10 | Sr. | 12.9 |
G | 20 | Xavier Sneed | 6-5 | Jr. | 10.3 |
G | 5 | Barry Brown | 6-3 | Sr. | 15.3 |
G | 3 | Kamau Stokes | 6-0 | Sr. | 10.1 |
About Baylor (19-9, 10-5 Big 12): This will be a different than K-State beat 70-63 last month in Waco, Texas. The Bears were without starting guards Makai Mason and King McClure in that one, but both players were on the court for Baylor’s overtime win over Texas on Wednesday. McClure was limited to a few minutes, and Mason didn’t play in crunch time. But they gave the Bears extra depth and extra scoring options. Mason is the team’s leading scorer and an excellent three-point shooter. Baylor has won three straight games. The Bears are one of the hardest playing teams in the Big 12 and try to win by grabbing offensive rebounds behind Freddie Gillespie and Mark Vital. They are one game behind K-State and Texas Tech in the Big 12 standings.
About No. 16 Kansas State (21-7, 11-4 Big 12): The Wildcats are coming off a 64-49 loss at Kansas, but they still control their own destiny in the Big 12 race. If they win their final three games, starting with Baylor on Saturday, they will clinch at least a share of their first conference championship since 2013. K-State will try to finish the regular season strong without Cartier Diarra, who remains out because of a broken finger on his shooting hand. It will also need to get by with hobbled starters Dean Wade and Kamau Stokes. Wade has not looked like himself the past two weeks while playing through a sore foot. K-State won its first meeting with Baylor behind 20 points from Stokes and several key plays from Diarra.
Prediction: K-State has won five straight over Baylor, but extending that streak won’t be easy. The Bears won’t be short-handed like they were last month in Waco, and the Wildcats are now the ones dealing with injuries. Still, this seems like a game K-State should win. It’s at home and Barry Brown will have something to prove after his no-show at KU. K-State 69, Baylor 66.