Kansas State Wildcats vs. Kansas State Wildcats. Kentucky: NCAA Tournament time, telecast, odds, prediction

the details

when: 1:40 p.m. Sunday

where: Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, North Carolina

television: CBS

radio: KCSP (610 AM) in Kansas City, KKGQ (92.3 FM) in Wichita

Bet line: KFC at 2.5

Above under: 145

starting lines

about no. 6 Kentucky (22-11):

The Wildcats are coming off a 61-53 victory over Providence in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. Kentucky won that game thanks to 25 rebounds from big man Oscar Cheppuis. But the Wildcats got recording contributions from all over. Kentucky is a big company in almost every position. All five of her starters are 6-foot-4 or taller. Kentucky has all kinds of success on the glass and grabbing offensive rebounds at the elite level. Approximately 40% of her offensive possessions result in second chances.

about no. 3 Kansas State (24-9):

The Wildcats are coming off a 77-65 win over Montana State in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. K-State pulled out early in the second half of that game and never looked back. Marquis Noel finished with 17 points and 14 assists. Keontae Johnson scored 18 points and eight rebounds. Nae’Qwan Tomlin and David N’Guessan both hit double figures in the paint. K-State defends the three-point line at the elite level but struggles with turnovers. Reducing bugs seems to be the most important part of its games.

prediction

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: K-State and Kentucky are about to play the NCAA game for Wildcat supremacy.

These teams are about to meet in the postseason for the third time in the past decade.

Kentucky won the first meet 56-49 in 2014. K-State won the last meet 61-58 in the 2018 Sweet 16. Now we get a rubber match.

Story continues

This could go either way.

K-State will wear white jerseys as the top seed, but Kentucky is favored by two and a half points. John Calipari’s team will also take advantage of large crowds on Sunday, as the Big Blue Nation will fill Greensboro Coliseum with crowds.

This could be a significant factor given how much K-State has struggled away from home this season. But there will be a few hundred fans dressed in purple in attendance. So perhaps this angle is exaggerated. Kentucky’s advantage in convenience over quick turnaround seems more feasible.

On the field, K-State will need to get Kentucky to react to the way you play and not the other way around. Jerome Tang’s team defends the three-point line very well. If you can stop Kentucky from making outside shots and being offensive, with Nae’Qwan Tomlin and David N’Guessan making Oscar Tshiebwe defend around the perimeter, he’ll take his chances.

But Kentucky grabs offensive rebounds at an astonishing pace. If Kentucky can put together a bunch of easy points on second chance chances and Tomlin gets in trouble early against Chipui, it could be a long day for K-State.

Kentucky doesn’t have a high turnover rate (16.7% of the time), so this is good news for K-State.

Calipari made an interesting comment on Saturday. He said an opposing player tends to do something “crazy” against him whenever Kentucky loses games this season. Can anyone on the K-State roster reach “Insane” on this game?

Can Marquis Noel hit 3 logos? Can Keyontae Johnson flirt with 30 points? Can Tomlin run at 20 points?

If the answer is yes, then I think K-State advances to the Sweet 16. If the answer is no, then Kentucky moves on.

It’s a tough call, but I’m going to give Kentucky a slight advantage here. They have a size advantage at each position against K-State, and this can make it difficult for K-State guards to drive down the lane and be productive when dribbling.

There seem to be more ways for Kentucky to prevail in this game than for K-State, and diversity is king this time of year.

Kentucky 72, K-State 68

Predict the last match: K-State 77, Montana State 64 (actual: K-State 77, Montana State 65).

Season record: 23-10.

Season record vs. difference: 17-16.