K-State Wildcats vs. Radford Highlanders: Basketball lineups, TV, time, odds, pick
THE DETAILS
When: 1:30 p.m. Wednesday
Where: Bramlage Coliseum, Manhattan
TV: ESPN+
Radio: KCSP (610 AM) in Kansas City, KKGQ (92.3 FM) in Wichita
Betting line: K-State by 15 1/2
Over/Under: 139
STARTING LINEUPS
P | No. | Radford | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
F | 0 | Justin Archer | 6-7 | So. | 7.0 |
F | 15 | Madiaw Niang | 6-10 | Sr. | 5.6 |
G | 14 | Bryan Antoine | 6-5 | Jr. | 10.0 |
G | 1 | Daquan Smith | 6-1 | Jr. | 11.2 |
G | 2 | Josiah Jeffers | 6-1 | Sr. | 9.4 |
P | No. | Kansas State | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
F | 3 | David N’Guessan | 6-9 | Jr. | 7.8 |
F | 35 | Nae’Qwan Tomlin | 6-10 | Jr. | 10.4 |
F | 11 | Keyontae Johnson | 6-6 | Sr. | 17.8 |
G | 5 | Cam Carter | 6-3 | So. | 7.0 |
G | 1 | Markquis Nowell | 5-8 | Sr. | 14.0 |
About Radford (6-6):
The Highlanders will head to Bramlage Coliseum on a three-game losing streak. They have suffered defeats against VMI, VCU and Eastern Kentucky after starting the season 6-3. But this team might not be a cupcake opponent for the Wildcats, as they played both Marquette and Notre Dame tough in a pair of road losses earlier this season. Radford does not defend well from three-point range and is allowing opponents to shoot 36.7% from beyond the arc. On offense, it gets most of its points from two-point range, where it makes 51.9% of its shots. The Highlanders try to have balance on offense with Daquan Smith leading all scorers at 11.2 points per game.
About Kansas State (10-1):
The Wildcats are off to their best start in a decade at 10-1 and can make things even better with a win over Radford in their final game before the start of Big 12 play. K-State has won four consecutive games, including a 71-56 victory over Nebraska on Saturday at T-Mobile Center. The Wildcats will likely look to get a few extra players involved in this game. Jerome Tang only used seven players against Nebraska, and this team needs a deeper rotation for Big 12 games. For that reason, fans can expect to see Abayomi Iyiola, Ismael Massoud and Dorian Finister in a rare weekday afternoon game.
Prediction
You can’t take anything for granted in college basketball, but it will come as an enormous surprise if K-State is unable to win this game.
The Wildcats check in at No. 50 in the latest Ken Pomeroy ratings, which is a mile ahead of No. 232 Radford.
K-State should win this game. The only real question is if it will cover the spread of 15 1/2 points. If Jerome Tang’s team comes out focused and ready to play the answer should be yes. K-State is 8-2 against the spread as a favorite this season, including a 4-1 mark as a double-digit favorite. Its lone “loss” against the spread came against Kansas City, but it still won that game 69-53.
Thing is, the Wildcats might not be totally locked in for this one. They scheduled opening tip for 1:30 p.m. so players could get a head start on Christmas break and head home Wednesday evening. Perhaps they won’t be interested in running up the score in the second half.
Radford will be no match for K-State. The Wildcats should be able to overwhelm them with talent and athleticism alone. But the Highlanders have played a pair of name opponents to within 10 points this season, falling 79-69 at Marquette and 79-76 at Notre Dame. Their biggest loss of the season: 11 points.
That provides a hint of mystery to this game.
My initial thought was to pick K-State by about 20, but after diving into the numbers I think 15 is a more likely number. Radford is not an easy team to blow out and the Highlanders might be more motivated than K-State in the second half. I can see the Wildcats leading by 18 at halftime and then letting Radford sneak through the backdoor for the cover.
K-State 77, Radford 63
Last game prediction: K-State 65, Nebraska 62
Season record: 10-1.
Season record against the spread: 6-5.