Kansas State-UC Irvine basketball preview: lineups, time, TV and a prediction
UC Irvine at Kansas State
When: 8 p.m. Friday
Where: Bramlage Coliseum, Manhattan
TV: FSKC
Radio: KCSP (610 AM)
Projected lineups:
P | No. | Kansas State | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
C | 1 | Mawdo Sallah | 6-9 | Jr. | 6.5 |
F | 32 | Dean Wade | 6-10 | Jr. | 14.0 |
G | 20 | Xavier Sneed | 6-5 | So. | 10.5 |
G | 5 | Barry Brown | 6-3 | Jr. | 12.0 |
G | 3 | Kamau Stokes | 6-0 | Jr. | 8.5 |
P | No. | UC-Irvine | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
F | 5 | Jonathan Galloway | 6-10 | Jr. | 5.0 |
F | 42 | Tommy Rutherford | 6-8 | So. | 12.7 |
F | 11 | John Edgar Jr. | 6-5 | So. | 10.3 |
G | 14 | Evan Leonard | 6-1 | So. | 11.7 |
G | 2 | Max Hazzard | 5-10 | So. | 3.5 |
The lowdown: UC Irvine has won back-to-back games after opening the season with a road loss to South Dakota State, but this will be their most difficult game yet. The same can be said for Kansas State, which has won both of its games by lopsided margins. College basketball statistician Ken Pomeroy ranks the Anteaters 177th nationally. That’s a step up from American (288) and UMKC (309).
UC Irvine (2-1) player to watch: Tommy Rutherford, a sophomore power forward, could pose problems for the Wildcats inside. He averages 12.7 points and 7.3 rebounds.
Kansas State (2-0) player to watch: Kamau Stokes. The junior point guard has gotten off to somewhat of a slow start this season, averaging just 8.5 points, but this could be a bounce-back game for him. His matchup against Max Hazzard is favorable. Don’t be surprised if he knocks down some three-pointers.
Prediction
It might be difficult for K-State to win by 20-plus points like it did against American and UMKC, but the Wildcats should still control this game.
Kellis Robinett: @kellisrobinett
This story was originally published November 16, 2017 at 4:25 PM with the headline "Kansas State-UC Irvine basketball preview: lineups, time, TV and a prediction."