K-State Wildcats vs. UNC Greensboro: TV, time, odds & pick for basketball opener
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- K-State opens 2025-26 season Tuesday at Bramlage Coliseum vs UNC Greensboro.
- Wildcats favored by 16.5; oddsmakers set total at 134.5 for opening night.
- K-State projects offensive strength with PJ Haggerty leading; defense needs work.
The Kansas State men’s basketball team will open the 2025-26 season with a game against UNC Greensboro at 7 p.m. Tuesday inside Bramlage Coliseum.
Here’s everything you need to know before tipoff.
K-State vs. UNC Greensboro: Game details
When: 7 p.m., Tuesday
Where: Bramlage Coliseum (Manhattan)
TV: ESPN+
Radio: KCSP (610 AM) in Kansas City, KFH (1240 AM and 97.5 FM) in Wichita
Odds: K-State by 16.5 with an O/U of 134.5
Probable starters
UNC-Greensboro (0-0)
- F (12) — Justin Neely, 6-6, Sr., 0.0 ppg
- F (11) — Valentino Pinedo, 6-8, Sr., 0.0
- G (3) — Jordan Brown, 6-1, Sr., 0.0
- G (24) — Landon King, 6-1, Jr., 0.0
- G (0) — Antwann Jones, 6-6, Sr., 0.0
Kansas State (0-0)
- F (21) — Khamari McGriff, 6-9, Sr., 0.0
- F (0) — Elias Rapieque, 6-9, Jr., 0.0
- W (14) — Mobi Ikegwuruka, 6-6, Jr., 0.0
- G (1) — Abdi Bashir, 6-7, Jr., 0.0
- G (4) — PJ Haggerty, 6-4, Jr., 0.0
About UNC-Greensboro:
The Spartans are coming off a 20-win season that saw them finish near the top of the standings in the Southern Conference. Their roster has changed drastically since last March, but they were a quality shooting team a year ago.
Mike Jones is back as coach. Justin Neely, a transfer from Albany, is new. He may be this team’s new go-to scorer. He averaged 15.1 points and 7.8 rebounds last season. UNC-Greensboro enters the season with a No. 235 rating by Ken Pomeroy.
About K-State:
The Wildcats split their exhibition games, winning 112-90 over Newman and losing 100-91 at Missouri. K-State looked like an improved team on offense during its preseason games. But it struggled mightily on defense. The Tigers scored at will inside against the Wildcats. Then the Jets bombed away from the perimeter. It will be interesting to see what changes head coach Jerome Tang makes for the season-opener.
One thing is already clear: PJ Haggerty will likely lead this team in scoring. The Memphis transfer topped 20 points in both of the exhibition games and figures to pace the team once again on Tuesday. K-State enters the year with a No. 61 rating by Ken Pomeroy.
K-State game prediction:
Jerome Tang has gone 3-0 in home openers with the Wildcats, winning all three games by an average of 22 points.
On paper, this looks like it should be another easy win for K-State. UNC Greensboro enters the season with a rating of No. 235 at Ken Pomery and No. 270 at Bart Torvik. The Wildcats are the better team, and they will benefit from playing in front of a home crowd.
But can K-State cover the large spread?
It’s always tricky to predict games like this early in the season. K-State has enough firepower on offense to win by a big margin on opening night. But its defense was not stellar during a pair of exhibition games against Missouri and Newman. It may be hard for K-State to run away with this one of it can’t get stops.
Still, I like the Wildcats to win big. PJ Haggerty will come out aggressive and there’s no reason for him or any of his teammates to let up. K-State should have a big advantage in terms of athleticism, and that will be the difference.
K-State 90, UNC-Greensboro 70