Preview: Kansas State

Vitals

Tip: 12:45 PM
Location: Manhattan, Kansas
TV: Big 12 Network
Online Stream: here
Radio: Cowboy Radio Network
Online radio: here
Announcers: Mark Neely and Chris Piper
Line: Wildcats -2.5

Records

Cowboys – 10-2
Wildcats – 11-2

Best win

Cowboys – NC State (KenPom: #27)
Wildcats – Florida (KenPom: #4)

Worst loss

Cowboys – Virginia Tech (KenPom: #132)
Wildcats – Gonzaga (KenPom: #14)

KenPom rank

Cowboys – #18
Wildcats – #50

Data nerds

[table id=77 /]

Adj. efficiency – Points per 100 possessions (adjusted for quality of opponent and site of game).
Adj. tempo – Possessions per game (adjusted for schedule and pace of other team).
Effective FG % – Takes into account extra value of 3s.

Three things to watch

1. Octagon-less – Kansas State students are still on winter break which means the Octagon won’t be rocking like it would be on, say, a Monday night in mid-February. That’s a great break for OSU — in fact, if somebody could schedule at KSU, at KU, and at Iowa State at the very beginning of January before any students are back, that would be just swell.

2. O-SU – Everyone knows OSU is elite on defense (8th in KenPom adjusted efficiency) but they’re becoming pretty slick on offense as well. They jumped 10 spots in KenPom’s offensive efficiency ratings after putting up 68 on a really strong Gonzaga team. If the Pokes win today, it’ll be because they have too much scoring in Nash, Brown, Smart, and Forte for KSU to handle.

3. Road woes – Hold on, let me recap for you the great conference road wins of Travis Ford’s career at OSU: at KSU in 2009. Yes, that’s it. Ford only has three of them in the last three seasons so to say this would be a massive monkey off his back is like saying Johnny Heisman was pretty good last night.

Prediction

KyPort: Cowboys 66-62

KenPom: Cowboys 60-59