Kansas State-Monmouth basketball lineups, tipoff time, TV info and a prediction
The Kansas State Wildcats basketball team returns to action against the Monmouth Hawks at 7 p.m. on Wednesday at Bramlage Coliseum.
The details
When/where: 7 p.m. Wednesday at Bramlage Coliseum, Manhattan, Kansas
TV/radio: Streaming on ESPN+ (subscription required); KKGQ (92.3 FM) in Wichita, KCSP (610 AM) in Kansas City.
Projected lineups
P | No. | Monmouth | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
F | 4 | Mustapha Traore | 6-8 | Sr. | 7.5 |
F | 21 | Nikkei Rutty | 6-8 | So. | 6.0 |
G | 25 | Samuel Chaput | 6-0 | So. | 3.0 |
G | 3 | Deion Hammond | 6-4 | Jr. | 13.5 |
G | 13 | Marcus McClary | 6-3 | Jr. | 6.5 |
P | No. | Kansas State | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
F | 23 | Montavious Murphy | 6-9 | Fr. | 3.5 |
F | 14 | Makol Mawien | 6-9 | Sr. | 8.5 |
G | 20 | Xavier Sneed | 6-5 | Sr. | 14.0 |
G | 00 | Mike McGuirl | 6-2 | Jr. | 6.0 |
G | 2 | Cartier Diarra | 6-4 | Jr. | 17.5 |
About Monmouth (1-1): The Hawks began the season with a 66-62 victory over Lehigh and then followed that up with a 97-74 loss at Hofstra. This week, they will hit the road to play both K-State and Kansas. They open the season with five straight road games. Junior guard Deion Hammond is Monmouth’s leading scorer, averaging 13.5 points per game. Monmouth is playing K-State in a home game that is affiliated with the Fort Myers Tipoff, where the Wildcats will face Pittsburgh and then Bradley or Northwestern during Thanksgiving week.
About Kansas State (2-0): The Wildcats remained undefeated by winning at UNLV in overtime over the weekend. Offense has been a bit of a struggle for K-State in its first two games, particularly in the first half, but Cartier Diarra and Xavier Sneed have done enough to lead the team to a pair of early victories. Sneed was hobbled at times against UNLV and has only been a limited participant at practice this week. Bruce Weber said he may play less than usual in this game. Each of K-State’s next two opponents should be a significant step down in competition for the Wildcats. Monmouth (247) and Arkansas Pine Bluff (341) currently rank near the bottom of Ken Pomeroy’s college basketball ratings system.
Prediction: This has all the makings of a blowout victory for K-State. The Wildcats trailed at halftime in each of its first two games before rallying to win. Things should be easier this time around against an opponent that allowed 97 points in its last outing. K-State 81, Monmouth 62