Kansas State-Oklahoma basketball lineups, tipoff time, TV info and a prediction
Here are projected starters with TV and radio information and a prediction for the Kansas State Wildcats vs. the Oklahoma Sooners game:
When/where: 5 p.m., Saturday, Bramlage Coliseum, Manhattan
TV/radio: ESPN2, KQAM (1480 AM) in Wichita, KCSP (610 AM) in Kansas City
Projected lineups:
P | No. | Oklahoma | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
F | 21 | Kristian Doolittle | 6-7 | Jr. | 10.9 |
F | 35 | Brady Manek | 6-9 | So. | 12.0 |
G | 0 | Christian James | 6-4 | Sr. | 14.8 |
G | 1 | Rashard Odomes | 6-6 | Sr. | 6.8 |
G | 24 | Jamal Bienlemy | 6-4 | Fr. | 4.6 |
P | No. | Kansas State | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
F | 14 | Makol Mawien | 6-9 | Jr. | 6.6 |
F | 32 | Dean Wade | 6-10 | Sr. | 13.0 |
G | 20 | Xavier Sneed | 6-5 | Jr. | 10.4 |
G | 5 | Barry Brown | 6-3 | Sr. | 15.1 |
G | 3 | Kamau Stokes | 6-0 | Sr. | 10.5 |
About Oklahoma (19-11, 7-10 Big 12): The Sooners got off to a rough start in Big 12 play, but they have bounced back nicely in the past month. Oklahoma has won four of its past five games to make a push for the NCAA Tournament. Some bracket projections have them solidly in the field after beating Kansas 81-68 earlier this week. Christian James has been the team’s stop scorer the entire way, while Brady Manek has heated up of late. Lon Kruger hasn’t found much success at his alma mater in recent years. He is 0-6 on the road against Bruce Weber.
About No. 18 Kansas State (23-7, 13-4 Big 12): The Wildcats are coming off a 64-52 victory over TCU. They are one win shy of clinching at least a share of the Big 12 championship. They are currently tied with Texas Tech atop the league standings and can win a league title with a win over Oklahoma or a Texas Tech loss at Iowa State on Saturday. Kamau Stokes has arguably been K-State’s best player this month. He has topped double digits in four straight games and taken a load off the shoulders of teammates Barry Brown and Dean Wade. This could be a big game for Brown, who needs a strong final impression to win Big 12 Player of the Year.
Prediction: K-State and its senior class have come too far to let this game slip away. Bruce Weber is 6-0 at home against Oklahoma and this isn’t the Sooners team that will end that winning streak. The Wildcats will take care of business and then cut down the nets to celebrate their first Big 12 championship since 2013. K-State 68, Oklahoma 61.