K-State Wildcats vs. UCF Knights: Big 12 basketball game time, TV, odds and pick
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- K-State hosts UCF at Bramlage Coliseum Wednesday, seeking first Big 12 win.
- UCF brings efficient offense and offensive-rebound edge; K-State must defend boards.
- Oddsmakers list K-State by 1.5; pick favors Wildcats to win a close game.
The Kansas State men’s basketball team will return to action at 7 p.m. Wednesday when it hosts UCF in a Big 12 game inside Bramlage Coliseum.
K-State (9-7, 0-3 Big 12) is coming off three straight losses at the start of conference play. UCF (13-2, 2-1 Big 12) is fresh off a win over Cincinnati.
Here’s everything you need to know before tipoff:
K-State vs. UCF Game details
When: 7 p.m. Wednesday
Where: Bramlage Coliseum in Manhattan
TV: Peacock
Radio: KCSP (610 AM) in Kansas City, KFH (1240 AM and 97.5 FM) in Wichita
Odds: K-State by 1.5 with an O/U of 171.5.
Probable starters
UCF (13-2, 2-1 Big 12)
- F (4) — Jamichael Stillwell, 6-8, Sr., 12.3 ppg
- F (99) — Jordan Burks, 6-9, Jr., 12.6
- C (7) — John Bol, 7-2, So., 5.9
- G (2) — Riley Kugel, 6-5, Sr., 14.5
- G (1) — Themus Fulks, 6-2, Sr., 13.0
Kansas State (9-7, 0-3 Big 12)
- F (21) — Khamari McGriff, 6-9, Sr., 9.7
- F (0) — Elias Rapieque, 6-9, Jr., 4.1
- G (34) — Nate Johnson, 6-3, Sr., 11.4
- G (1) — Abdi Bashir, 6-7, Jr., 13.2
- G (4) — PJ Haggerty, 6-4, Jr., 22.9
About UCF:
The Knights are in contention for an NCAA Tournament berth. They have quality wins over Kansas and Texas A&M. And they recently won a back-and-forth game against Cincinnati to start 2-1 in conference play.
UCF is a skilled team on offense. It is shooting 37.5% from 3-point range and 54.9% from 2-point range. On top of that, the Knights grab an offensive rebound on 38.9% of all possessions. The Knights have size on the inside. Riley Kugel is the team’s leading scorer.
About K-State:
The Wildcats are still searching for their first win in Big 12 play. They began conference action with losses to BYU, Arizona and Arizona State. They have shown talent on offense this season, shooting 37.4% from 3-point range and 54.2% from 2-point range. But they have been beaten on the glass in recent games and their defense has been average at best.
PJ Haggerty leads the team in scoring.
K-State game prediction:
This is a hard game to handicap.
On paper, the Knights have been a little better than the Wildcats this season. But they have played a weak schedule and lost their only conference road game by double digits against Oklahoma State. The Wildcats have certainly had their problems of late, but they should play with maximum intensity at home as they seek to end a three-game losing skid.
Which teams will have an advantage?
I would lean UCF on a neutral court. But this game will be played at Bramlage Coliseum. With that in mind, I’m going to give a tiny edge to K-State. The Wildcats are the more desperate team heading into this game, and home court should aid them in the closing moments.
K-State will need to do something to combat UCF’s frontcourt. The Wildcats can’t lose the rebounding battle the same way they did in their first three conference games and expect to win on Wednesday. But Jerome Tang was surely challenging K-State’s big men all week about that.
For that reason, I’m picking K-State to correct a few issues and win a close one.
K-State 92, UCF 88
Last game prediction: K-State 90, Arizona State 85 ❌ (actual score: Arizona State 87, K-State 84)
Season record: 10-6.
Season record ATS: 7-9.
Season record O/U: 11-5.