K-State Wildcats vs. Drake Bulldogs: Basketball game time, TV, odds and prediction
The Kansas State men’s basketball team will be back in action after a 10-day layoff between games when it takes on the Drake Bulldogs on Tuesday at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City.
Here’s everything you need to know before tipoff, including a score prediction:
When: 7 p.m. Tuesday
Where: T-Mobile Center in Kansas City
Stream: ESPN+
Radio: KCSP (610 AM) in Kansas City, KFH (1240 AM and 97.5 FM) in Wichita
Betting line: K-State by 1.5
Over/under: 136.5
STARTING LINEUPS
P | No. | Drake | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
F | 54 | Daniel Abreu | 6-6 | Sr. | 13.9 |
F | 3 | Cam Manyawu | 6-8 | So. | 9.7 |
G | 22 | Mitch Mascari | 6-5 | Sr. | 12.2 |
G | 14 | Bennett Stirtz | 6-4 | Jr. | 17.8 |
G | 4 | Isaiah Jackson | 6-3 | Sr. | 3.7 |
P | No. | Kansas State | Ht. | Yr. | PPG |
F | 33 | Coleman Hawkins | 6-10 | Sr. | 7.2 |
F | 1 | David N’Guessan | 6-9 | Sr. | 14.2 |
G | 2 | Max Jones | 6-4 | Sr. | 8.6 |
G | 11 | Brendan Hausen | 6-4 | Jr. | 15.2 |
G | 3 | CJ Jones | 6-5 | Jr. | 6.6 |
About Drake (9-0)
The Bulldogs are off to a dream start under first-year coach Ben McCollum. They have won all nine of their games, and some of their victories have come against notable competition like Florida Atlantic, Miami and Vanderbilt. McCollum made the jump to Drake after winning big at the Division II level for years.
Bennett Stirtz leads the Bulldogs in scoring. Cam Manyawu is a product of Staley High School. Four of his teammates also grew up in the Kansas City area.
About Kansas State (6-3)
The Wildcats are off to a disappointing start that has featured losses to LSU, Liberty and St. John’s. K-State will try to break out of its slump when it plays its first game in nearly two weeks against the Bulldogs. It will be interesting to see if Jerome Tang made any major adjustments during that time off.
Brendan Hausen has been a pleasant surprise for K-State. The Villanova transfer leads K-State in scoring and 3-point shooting. But David N’Guessan is the only other K-State starter who averages more than 10 points per game.
K-State game prediction
Things couldn’t be going any better for Drake. The Bulldogs are undefeated and in the hunt for an at-large berth into the NCAA Tournament under new coach Ben McCollum.
Kansas State is in a different boat.
The Wildcats are off to a disappointing start, one of their players just left the roster and they have the lowest NET ranking (107) of any team in the Big 12. This is not what anyone in EMAW nation envisioned when Jerome Tang used millions of NIL dollars to assemble this roster.
So you might expect me to pick Drake to beat K-State easily when they meet on Tuesday at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City. That is the safe way to handicap this game, no doubt.
But I think the Wildcats can exceed expectations in this matchup.
Why? For starters, they will enter this game with an underdog mindset even though they are slim favorites. They also tend to play some of the best basketball in Kansas City. K-State has won both of its regular-season games at T-Mobile Center under Tang, defeating Nebraska 71-56 in 2022 and Wichita State 69-60 in 2023.
The Wildcats should be fired up to play against an undefeated opponent in front of a big crowd.
K-State also has a track record of playing well when it finds itself in awkward situations. For example, the Wildcats surprisingly flattened LSU 75-60 last season a few days after Nae’Qwan Tomlin was dismissed from the team. Many viewed his departure as a crippling blow, but it brought the team together.
I won’t be surprised if this team responds favorably to the departure of Achor Achor.
One more reason to like K-State here: the Wildcats haven’t played a game in 10 days. Jerome Tang should have some new wrinkles to throw at Drake.
This pick could easily blow up in my face. Drake has been a much better team than K-State this season. But the Wildcats have more talent and more motivation heading into this game. I think they play one of their best games and find a way to win.
K-State 67, Drake 66
Last game prediction: St. John’s 74, K-State 69
Actual score: St. John’s 88, K-State 71
Season record: 7-2
Season record ATS: 3-6
Season record O/U: 4-5.
This story was originally published December 17, 2024 at 6:30 AM with the headline "K-State Wildcats vs. Drake Bulldogs: Basketball game time, TV, odds and prediction."