K-State Wildcats vs. Arkansas Razorbacks: Basketball lineups, time, TV, prediction
The details
When/where: 8 p.m. Monday at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City.
TV/radio: ESPNews; KKGQ (92.3 FM) in Wichita, KCSP (610 AM) in Kansas City.
Projected lineups
P | No. | Arkansas | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
F | 10 | Jaylin Williams | 6-10 | So. | 6.0 |
F | 23 | Connor Vanover | 7-3 | Jr. | 10.5 |
G | 4 | Davonte Davis | 6-4 | So. | 6.7 |
G | 5 | Au’Diese Toney | 6-6 | Sr. | 11.3 |
G | 1 | JD Notae | 6-2 | Sr. | 21.7 |
P | No. | Kansas State | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
F | 1 | Kaosi Ezeagu | 6-10 | Jr. | 7.5 |
F | 25 | Ismael Massoud | 6-9 | So. | 10.0 |
G | 3 | Selton Miguel | 6-2 | S0. | 9.0 |
G | 13 | Mark Smith | 6-4 | Sr. | 11.5 |
G | 24 | Nijel Pack | 6-0 | So. | 16.5 |
About Arkansas (3-0): The Razorbacks are off to an undefeated start after reaching the Elite Eight last season. Eric Musselman has turned Arkansas into a consistent winner since taking over coach in 2019. So far this year, Arkansas has defeated Mercer, Gardner Webb and Northern Iowa to sit at No. 16 in the national rankings with one of the nation’s most potent offenses, averaging 84.3 points per game. The Razorbacks have only been average on defense. Three-point defense has been a big weakness early on. They are allowing teams to shoo 43.4% against them from the outside. Connor Vanover poses an obvious challenge inside with his 7-foot-3 frame. JD Notae leads the team with 21.7 points per game.
About Kansas State (2-0): The Wildcats are off to an 2-0 start with wins over Florida A&M and Omaha. They are playing much faster and shooting the ball at a better rate than they did last season with transfers Markquis Nowell, Ismael Massoud and Mark Smith already making an impact. But they will face their first true test of the year at the CBE Hall of Fame Classic against Arkansas. Nijel Pack is leading K-State with 16.5 points per game. Expect Mike McGuirl to come off the bench until he regains his shooting touch. Davion Bradford is also still a few weeks away from returning to the starting lineup as he gets back into game shape after coming down with pneumonia earlier this month.
Prediction: It will be interesting to see how the Wildcats handle their first true test of the season.
Arkansas is a big step up in competition from the likes of Florida A&M and Omaha. K-State has the look of an improved team this year, but are the Wildcats ready to compete against a top 20 team in a tournament setting?
We are about to find out.
K-State shouldn’t have much trouble scoring against Arkansas, but the Wildcats could have problems stopping the Razorbacks. That makes this a fascinating matchup. A slow pace would seem to favor K-State, but Bruce Weber’s team has averaged 16.8 seconds per possession this season, which is actually slightly faster than Arkansas has been playing at 16.9 seconds per possession.
The Wildcats can win if they play at a high level on defense, but that won’t be easy against an opponent as efficient and experienced as the Razorbacks.
Give Arkansas a small advantage in this one.
Arkansas 75, K-State 70.