Scouting the Kansas Jayhawks and Wichita State Shockers ahead of Saturday’s game in KC
On Saturday, for the first time since 1993, the No. 2-ranked Kansas Jayhawks will play Wichita State in a regular-season men’s basketball game.
The Jayhawks (11-1) defeated Yale last week, while the Shockers lost to K-State in their most recent game (Dec. 21).
KU holds a 12-3 all-time record against Wichita State.
Here’s a scouting report and prediction for Saturday’s game in KC:
No. 2 Kansas vs. Wichita State
When/where: 3 p.m., T-Mobile Center
TV/streaming: ESPN2
Opponent’s record: 8-4
KenPom (Ken Pomeroy) ranking: 117
Betting line: Kansas is a 13-point favorite
All statistics are from KenPom.com, Hoop-Math.com and EvanMiya. KenPom stats only include Division I competition.
Wichita State Team Strengths
Quality defense: Wichita State ranks No. 47 overall in opponents’ effective field-goal percentage (46.1). In comparison, KU ranks 26th.
Offensive-glass savants: The Shockers are excellent at getting second-chance opportunities, ranking No. 67 in offensive-rebounding percentage (33.7).
Block Kings: Wichita State also does a nice job of blocking shots, ranking No. 46 in block percentage (12.7).
Wichita State Team Weaknesses
Lack of 3-point shooting: Like Kansas, the Shockers don’t attempt a lot of 3-pointers. Wichita State ranks No. 301 in 3-point rate (33.3%). Meanwhile, KU ranks No. 318 in the same category (30.7%)
No bench contributors: Shockers coach Paul Mills doesn’t use his bench much, ranking No. 346 in bench minutes (26.9%)
Struggles at the line: Wichita State doesn’t convert its free throws at a very high rate, shooting just 69.9% at the line. That ranks No. 228 nationally.
Wichita State Name to Know
6–foot-4 redshirt junior guard Colby Rogers (No. 4)
+ Leading scorer (16.8 ppg)
+ Five straight games with double-digit points
+ Sharpshooter (42.2% from deep)
+ Steal savant ( 1 steal per game)
- So-so free-throw shooter (73.9%)
- Not much of a passer (1.9 APG)
Tale of the Tape
The Shockers love to get easy buckets through their bigs. Here, WSU guard Harlond Beverly finds big man Quincy Ballard for an easy alley-oop.
The Jayhawks must mark the Wichita State bigs, mainly Ballard, who’s shooting 76.7% at the rim this season. KU will need to block off the paint whenever possible and not let Ballard find his spots or get open for easy alley-oops.
Game Prediction
A neutral location makes this game between the two in-state programs even more fun.
The key for KU will be quality defense and rebounding. The Jayhawks must continue to force a bad offensive team to take bad shots. KU must also keep this tall, athletic team off the boards.
If they do that, the Jayhawks should come out on top.
Kansas 76, Wichita State 65
Shreyas’ pick to cover the spread: Wichita State (+13)
Shreyas’ season record: 8-2
Shreyas’ record against the spread: 8-2.
KU Player to watch: Nick Timberlake
Timberlake scored a season-high 13 points, including two 3-pointers, against Yale.
Afterward, he said this: “I finally felt good. I had a great week of practice ... and it just carried over.”
Well, the Jayhawks need to see that version of Timberlake again. If he has a similar game, it will only help grow his confidence and pay dividends later in the season for a team that otherwise lacks quality 3-point shooters.
This story was originally published December 30, 2023 at 5:00 AM.
