Kansas State Wildcats vs Mississippi State Bulldogs: Prediction, time, TV and lineups
The details
When/where: 10:30 a.m. Saturday at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.
TV/radio: ESPNU; KKGQ (92.3 FM) in Wichita, KCSP (610 AM) in Kansas City.
Projected lineups
P | No. | Mississippi State | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
F | 24 | Abdul Ado | 6-11 | Jr. | 3.8 |
F | 1 | Reggie Perry | 6-10 | So. | 14.6 |
G | 12 | Robert Woodard | 6-7 | So. | 11.6 |
G | 5 | Iverson Molinar | 6-3 | Fr. | 9.9 |
G | 23 | Tyson Carter | 6-4 | Sr. | 17.9 |
P | No. | Kansas State | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
F | 11 | Antonio Gordon | 6-9 | Fr. | 6.1 |
F | 14 | Makol Mawien | 6-9 | Sr. | 8.4 |
G | 20 | Xavier Sneed | 6-5 | Sr. | 15.1 |
G | 00 | Mike McGuirl | 6-2 | Jr. | 6.3 |
G | 2 | Cartier Diarra | 6-4 | Jr. | 11.3 |
About Mississippi State (6-2): The Bulldogs began the season with five straight victories, but they have since lost two of their past three games. Those defeats came against Villanova and Louisiana Tech. Mississippi State coach Ben Howland relies mostly on two players on offense, as Tyson Carter and Reggie Perry both average more than 14 points per game. The Bulldogs also feature significant size inside. Abdul Ado and Reggie Perry are both solid rim protectors and could pose problems for the Wildcats in the front court.
About Kansas State (6-3): The Wildcats are still looking for their first quality victory of the season, and they can pick it up this weekend against Mississippi State. Bruce Weber is optimistic about their chances coming off a blowout victory over Alabama State in which the team amassed 29 assists and scored a season-high 86 points. Xavier Sneed scored 20 points and Cartier Diarra had 10 assists in that game. Front court depth could be an issue for K-State in this game, as Montavious Murphy, James Love and Nigel Shadd have not played in several weeks. Avoiding fouls will be important for Makol Mawien.
Prediction: This should be an evenly matched game between two teams trying to prove themselves on a neutral court. K-State is coming off a better performance than Mississippi State, which could help the Wildcats stay hot from the outside. But the Bulldogs have the more complete roster and the better front court. That should give them a slight edge in this game.
Mississippi State 65, K-State 62.