K-State Wildcats vs. TCU Horned Frogs: Men’s basketball lineups, TV, time, prediction
The details
When/where: 8 p.m. Wednesday at Bramlage Coliseum in Manhattan.
TV/radio: ESPNU; KKGQ (92.3 FM) in Wichita, KCSP (610 AM) in Kansas City.
About TCU (10-2, 0-1 Big 12): The Horned Frogs have only played one game since Dec. 21, a 76-64 home loss against Baylor on Saturday. They had an extended layoff because of COVID issues within their roster. They are now back and searching for their first conference victory of the season. Mike Miles is one of the best guards in the Big 12, as he leads the Horned Frogs in both scoring and assists. Slowing him down will be a priority for the Wildcats. TCU has a big front court and is one of the nation’s best teams at grabbing offensive rebounds. But the Horned Frogs aren’t a good shooting team. They have only made 31.6% of their three-pointers this season.
About Kansas State (8-6, 0-3 Big 12): The Wildcats have lost their first three Big 12 games of the season while dealing with COVID issues within their roster. They are hoping to end their losing streak with a playing rotation that is expected to be back near full strength against TCU. Nijel Pack has carried the scoring load for K-State recently and is now averaging 15.1 points per game. The Wildcats could use more from Davion Bradford, who is only averaging 4.6 points and 2.8 rebounds after playing at a much higher level last season. Mike McGuirl may miss this game while he remains in COVID protocol. Bruce Weber is expected to coach his first game since Jan. 1.
Projected lineups
P | No. | TCU | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
F | 2 | Emanuel Miller | 6-7 | Jr. | 10.7 |
F | 5 | Chuck O’Bannon Jr. | 6-6 | Sr. | 10.1 |
C | 4 | Eddie Lampkin | 6-11 | So. | 5.3 |
G | 1 | Mike Miles | 6-2 | So. | 17.7 |
G | 10 | Damion Baugh | 6-4 | Jr. | 8.9 |
P | No. | Kansas State | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
F | 21 | Davion Bradford | 7-0 | So. | 4.6 |
F | 25 | Ismael Massoud | 6-9 | So. | 8.6 |
G | 13 | Mark Smith | 6-4 | Sr. | 10.6 |
G | 24 | Nijel Pack | 6-0 | So. | 15.1 |
G | 1 | Markquis Nowell | 5-8 | Jr. | 12.6 |
Prediction
The outcome of this game will depend on how well K-State plays on defense.
If Bruce Weber can get the Wildcats to defend at a high level and hold the Horned Frogs below 70 points they will have a good shot at winning their first Big 12 game of the season.
Seventy seems to be a meaningful number for this team. K-State has allowed its opponents to reach 70 points five times this season, and it has lost all five of those games. By contrast, the Wildcats are 8-1 when they hold their opponents below 70 points. The only loss came by a single point against Marquette 64-63.
Playing strong defense is never easy against TCU, because it has Mike Miles in the back court and three big forwards in the front court. TCU has topped 70 points in seven of its 12 games. But the Horned Frogs can have their issues. They only make 31.6% of their shots from three-point range. They also rely heavily on rebounds and free throws to score.
If the Wildcats exploit those weaknesses, they can win this game my a narrow margin.
Give them a slight edge playing at home with a healthy roster for the first time since late December.
K-State 67, TCU 62.