Kansas State Wildcats vs. Alabama Crimson Tide: Lineups, time, TV and a prediction
The details
When/where: 5 p.m. Saturday, Coleman Coliseum, Tuscaloosa, Alabama
TV/radio: ESPN2; KKGQ (92.3 FM) in Wichita, KCSP (610 AM) in Kansas City.
Projected lineups
P | No. | Kansas State | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
F | 14 | Makol Mawien | 6-9 | Sr. | 7.2 |
F | 34 | Levi Stockard | 6-8 | Jr. | 4.7 |
G | 20 | Xavier Sneed | 6-5 | Sr. | 14.7 |
G | 00 | David Sloan | 6-0 | Jr. | 4.7 |
G | 2 | Cartier Diarra | 6-4 | Jr. | 12.9 |
P | No. | Alabama | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
F | 3 | Alex Reese | 6-9 | Jr. | 9.2 |
F | 1 | Herbert Jones | 6-7 | Jr. | 10.1 |
G | 23 | John Petty | 6-5 | Jr. | 16.7 |
G | 2 | Kira Lewis | 6-3 | So. | 16.3 |
G | 5 | Jaden Shackelford | 6-3 | Fr. | 12.3 |
About Kansas State (8-10, 1-5 Big 12): The Wildcats are coming off an 81-60 loss at Kansas that most will remember for a brawl between the two teams at the end of the game. They will need to move past that distraction in order to have a chance against Alabama. K-State hasn’t handled distractions perfectly this season. When the team was delayed by one day arriving in Austin for a road game against Texas it lost by 14 in a game that was out of reach after 30 minutes. Bruce Weber will be without freshman forward Antonio Gordon and might also be without junior guard Mike McGuirl, who has missed the past three games while recovering from a concussion. Starting forwards Makol Mawien and Levi Stockard will need to avoid foul trouble against the Crimson Tide. Guards Xavier Sneed and Cartier Diarra will need to have good scoring games, as Alabama is gifted on offense.
About Alabama (11-7, 4-2 SEC): The Crimson Tide is one of the hottest teams in the SEC. Alabama has won consecutive games against previously unbeaten Auburn, Missouri and Vanderbilt to enter the NCAA Tournament conversation. New coach Nate Oats has done a nice job with his team. The Tide is strong on offense and has averaged 83 points during their current winning streak. Four different starters average at least 10 points per game. Junior guard John Petty is leading the way at 16.7 points per game. Alabama’s only two losses over the past month came on the road against Kentucky and Florida.
Prediction
This game didn’t look all that daunting for Kansas State when it was announced as part of the Big 12/SEC Challenge during the offseason, but it feels like one of the Wildcats’ most difficult tests of the year now.
Alabama is on a hot streak and K-State will be without its full assortment of players because of injuries and suspensions.
It could be difficult for the Wildcats to keep up with the Crimson Tide, who are averaging 83.1 points. K-State will need Xavier Sneed and Cartier Diarra to have big games while also playing strong defense to have a chance on the road. That hasn’t typically happened for the Wildcats in this series, as Weber has never won a road game in the Big 12/SEC Challenge.
Alabama 75, K-State 68.