Game time: Nov. 20, 9:30 p.m. EST
Where: Bramlage Coliseum, Manhattan, KS
TV: PEACOCK
VITALS: Kansas State is coming off an exhilarating victory over Tulsa on Monday night and looks to move to 5-0 against Mississippi State. The Wildcats had their worst shooting performance, and they will want to reverse it against the Bulldogs. Mississippi State hasn't been great on offense, but it allows the fewest perimeter shots in the SEC.
Betting line: K-State (+2.5)
O/U: 164.5
Moneyline: MSST -145, KSU +125
PROJECTED STARTERS
WILDCATS
G P.J. Haggerty: 26.0 PTS, 4.8 REB, 5.8 AST
G Abdi Bashir Jr.: 12.0 PTS, 7.0 REB, 3.0 AST
G Nate Johnson: 14.0 PTS, 7.0 REB, 4.8 AST
F Khamari McGriff: 13.5 PTS, 4.2 REB, 1.0 STL
F Mobi Ikegwuruka: 3.3 PTS, 2.7 REB, 0.8 AST
BULLDOGS
G Josh Hubbard: 22.3 PTS, 2.7 REB, 6.7 AST
G Shawn Jones Jr.: 11.7 PTS, 7.0 REB, 2.7 AST
G Ja'Borri McGhee: 9.3 PTS, 3.0 REB, 2.0 STL
F Achor Achor: 5.3 PTS, 7.7 REB, 1.0 BLK
C Quincy Ballard: 4.7 PTS, 5.3 REB, 0.7 BLK
QUOTABLE: "Their maturity in those moments, that’s what made it so exciting," K-State coach Jerome Tang said in his Tulsa postgame press conference. "When you see your kids mature and grow and take steps forward, there’s nothing more exciting than that."
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CBS SPORTS HAS SLIGHT LAUD FOR KANSAS STATE AGAINST UTAH
Not many are giving Kansas State a fighting chance against No. 12 Utah this Saturday.
But one site has slight optimism that it can be competitive. CBS Sports is among those rare believers in the Wildcats in Salt Lake City.
The article wrote:
“The K-State defense is among the most opportunistic in the nation, with 24 takeaways on the season and five in Saturday's win over Oklahoma State. Meanwhile, Utah has just six takeaways over its last six games, and the Utes can be sloppy at times, as they've averaged seven penalties over their last four games. That contrasts with the disciplined unit that Chris Klieman leads as KSU averages the fifth-fewest penalties (3.5) in FBS. Excelling on the margins should allow the Wildcats to stay within this spread, with the model having this as a one-score game as KSU covers well over 70% of the time.”
