K-State Wildcats vs. KU Jayhawks: Basketball game time, TV, odds and prediction
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Kansas hosts K‑State at 1 p.m. Saturday; game on CBS at Allen Fieldhouse.
- KU favored by 16.5; Jayhawks aim to rebound after back‑to‑back losses.
- K‑State shows renewed effort under interim coach Matthew Driscoll.
The Kansas State men’s basketball team will return to action against its biggest rival at 1 p.m. on Saturday at Allen Fieldhouse.
Interim K-State head coach Matthew Driscoll will continue to lead the Wildcats now that Jerome Tang has been relieved of his duties.
The Wildcats (12-18, 3-14 Big 12) are coming off a win over West Virginia. The Kansas Jayhawks (21-9, 11-6 Big 12) are fresh off a loss to Arizona State.
Here’s everything you need to know before tipoff:
K-State vs. Kansas game details
When: 1 p.m. Saturday
Where: Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence
TV: CBS
Radio: KCSP (610 AM) in Kansas City, KFH (1240 AM and 97.5 FM) in Wichita
Odds: Kansas by 16.5 with an O/U of 150.5.
Probable starters
Kansas (21-9, 11-6 Big 12)
- F (40) — Flory Bidunga, 6-10, So., 13.8 ppg
- F (15) — Bryson Tiller, 6-11, Fr., 8.5
- F (14) — Melvin Council, 6-4, Sr., 13.3
- G (3) — Tre White, 6-7, Sr., 14.0
- G (22) — Darryn Peterson, 6-6, Fr., 19.5
Kansas State (12-18, 3-14 Big 12)
- F (21) — Khamari McGriff, 6-9, Sr., 9.3
- F (15) — Taj Manning, 6-7, Jr., 4.1
- G (34) — Nate Johnson, 6-3, Sr., 12.3
- G (10) — David Castillo, 6-1, So., 10.6
- G (4) — PJ Haggerty, 6-4, Jr., 23.3
About Kansas:
The Jayhawks are coming off consecutive losses to Arizona and Arizona State. They have lost three of their past four. That cold streak prevented Kansas from contending for a conference championship, but KU is still pushing for a top-four seed at next week’s Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City. Bill Self’s team has been elite on defense, and Flory Bidunga gave K-State’s players a bunch of problems earlier this season in Manhattan. Darryn Peterson didn’t play in that game. He is expected to be active on Saturday.
About K-State:
A disappointing season continues for the Wildcats, but they are coming off a win over West Virginia. Believe it or not, K-State has won more conference games with interim head coach Matthew Driscoll (2) than former head coach Jerome Tang (1) this year. Leading scorer PJ Haggerty missed the WVU game, but he is expected to return against KU. Nate Johnson, CJ Jones and Andrej Kostic have all found more freedom with Driscoll in the lead chair.
K-State game prediction:
Some may look at recent results and assume that K-State is catching KU at a good time.
The Jayhawks are coming off a pair of losses. The Wildcats are fresh off a win. Momentum favors the visiting team. Maybe now is the time for K-State to win its first game at Allen Fieldhouse since 2006.
I disagree with that logic.
College basketball teams are erratic. One game rarely has much of an impact on the next.
To me, it seems more likely that KU will be highly motivated to bounce back and win big on Saturday. The last two times KU was coming off a loss and playing at home, the Jayhawks beat Houston 69-56 and Iowa State 84-63. Both of those opponents were ranked in the top 10. K-State is not.
The Wildcats have played hard under Driscoll. That shouldn’t change. But the Jayhawks have traditionally dominated this rivalry at home, and the Wildcats will have problems scoring against athletic defenders like Flory Bidunga, Tre White and Melvin Council.
This has the makings of a blowout.
Kansas 95, K-State 70
Last game prediction: West Virginia 75, K-State 71 ❌ (actual score: K-State 65, West Virginia 63)
Season record: 20-10.
Season record ATS: 13-17.
Season record O/U: 21-9.