K-State Wildcats vs. Texas Tech Red Raiders: Basketball game time, TV, odds and pick

The Kansas State men’s basketball team will next be in action against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at 8 p.m. on Tuesday inside Bramlage Coliseum.

Here’s everything you need to know before tipoff, including a score prediction:

When: 8 p.m. Saturday

Where: Bramlage Coliseum in Manhattan

Stream: CBS Sports Network

Radio: KCSP (610 AM) in Kansas City, KFH (1240 AM and 97.5 FM) in Wichita

Betting line: Texas Tech by 6.5

Over/under: 143.5

STARTING LINEUPS

About Texas Tech (11-4, 2-2 Big 12)

The Red Raiders are coming off a heartbreaking overtime loss against Iowa State in which they conceded a tying basket to the Cyclones at the end of regulation. That defeat dropped Texas Tech to 2-2 in conference games this season.

Grant McCasland’s team is one of the best in the Big 12 when it comes to offense. The Red Raiders are shooting 39.7% from 3-point range and 57.7% from 2-point range this season. They also make 77.7% of their free throws. They aren’t as skilled on defense, but they do force turnovers on 19.7% of all possessions. JT Toppin and Darrion Williams lead the team in scoring.

About Kansas State (7-8, 1-3 Big 12)

The Wildcats are in a tailspin. They have lost six of their past seven games and are coming off a 87-57 loss against Houston. That 30-point margin was the biggest loss of the Jerome Tang era. K-State has slumped hard on offense during that stretch. The Wildcats haven’t topped 71 points in a game since early December.

Jerome Tang has been experimenting with different lineups of late. In certain games, the Wildcats have tried Macaleab Rich off the bench. In others, they’ve tried Ugonna Unyenso. Senior forward David N’Guessan leads the team in scoring.

K-State game prediction

The Wildcats might be getting the Red Raiders at a good time.

Texas Tech is coming off an emotional overtime loss against Iowa State, and a home game against Arizona is next on the schedule. This is a “sandwich game” for the Red Raiders. It won’t be a surprise if they look like a distracted team in this spot.

K-State does have a rivalry game against Kansas next up on its schedule, but it’s hard to imagine the Wildcats looking past anybody as they sit at 7-8 on the season. Jerome Tang’s team should be motivated to try and redeem itself after an ugly loss to Houston.

Motivation will be on K-State’s side. Will that be enough for the Wildcats to pull off an upset at home?

Maybe. But K-State will need to raise its level of play on defense to win this game. Texas Tech can score inside and out with its talented lineup of shooters. Oklahoma State (79) and Houston (87) both averaged more than 1.1 points per possession against K-State. The Wildcats need to do better to give themselves a chance against the Red Raiders.

Brendan Hausen, Max Jones and Coleman Hawkins should be able to score from the perimeter against a mediocre 3-point defense. But they may need to truly heat up for K-State to win.

I expect K-State to play hard against Texas Tech and make this a close contest. But the Red Raiders will find a way to win because they have the superior offense with scorers like JT Toppin, Darrion Williams and Chance McMillan.

Texas Tech 77, K-State 71

Last game prediction: Houston 70, K-State 55

Actual score: Houston 87, K-State 57

Season record: 9-6

Season record ATS: 5-10

Season record O/U: 8-7.

This story was originally published January 14, 2025 at 6:15 AM.

Kellis Robinett

The Wichita Eagle

Kellis Robinett covers Kansas State athletics for The Wichita Eagle and The Kansas City Star. A winner of more than a dozen national writing awards, he lives in Manhattan with his wife and four children.