No. 5 seed Kansas State and No. 12 seed Fairfield meet on Friday in Lexington, Kentucky in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats are expected to receive a major boost in this game as star center Ayoka Lee is expected to return from injury, but Fairfield won't just roll over. The Stags have a top-10 scoring defense and will be a handful for Kansas State, even if the Wildcats are rightfully favored to win the game. Fairfield has lost just one time since mid-December and has already played one Big 12 team close this season, losing by two to Oklahoma State.
The winner of this game will advance to the second round to face the winner of No. 4 seed Kentucky vs. No. 13 seed Liberty. With a win on Friday, the Wildcats would advance to the second round for the second season in a row. From there, the Wildcats could work on something they haven't done in a long time: making the second weekend of the tournament. The program's last Sweet Sixteen appearance came way back in 2002.
How to watch Kansas State vs Fairfield
- Date: Friday, March 21
- Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
- Venue: Memorial Coliseum
- How to Watch (TV): ESPNEWS
- Streaming: Fubo
- Kansas State record: 26-7
- Fairfield record: 28-4
H2: Kansas State vs. Fairfield odds, spread and total
Odds provided by FanDuel Sportsbook
Moneyline
- Fairfield +760
- Kansas State -1400
Spread
- Fairfield +14.5 (-110)
- Kansas State -14.5 (-110)
Total
- 134.5 (over -110/under -110)
Kansas State injury report
- Ayoka Lee, F: Probable (foot)
Fairfield injury report
- Janelle Brown, G: OUT
Kansas State and Fairfield series history
- This is the first meeting all time between these schools.
Kansas State vs. Fairfield prediction
After contending for the Big 12 title for much of the season, a foot injury to star big Ayoka Lee disrupted Kansas State's season. Since suffering the injury on Jan. 19 against Arizona State, Lee has played just five minutes, and the Wildcat have lost six times without Lee after suffering just one loss all year before her injury.
But the Wildcats expect to have Lee back for the NCAA Tournament, providing a major boost against Fairfield on Friday. While the team will likely limit her minutes, having a dominant big on the floor for stretches will provide a major advantage.
Fairfield is a good basketball team. The Stags have their own elite big in Meghan Andersen, who is averaging 15.4 points and 1.4 blocks per game. The problem for Fairfield is that Andersen at 6-foot-1 is the tallest of the team's primary starters, as Fairfield plays small, working methodically to get good looks. It will be much tougher for the Stags to do that with Lee on the floor.
Even if Lee isn't back to her normal self, Kansas State has another big advantage, which is the presence of Serena Sundell. Now in her fourth season with the Wildcats, Sundell is averaging 13.6 points and 7.1 assists per game. Her playmaking ability will give the Stags fits.
Fairfield has had two really strong back-to-back seasons, but the team doesn't have a ton of experience against elite teams. The Stags were 0-1 this year against Quad 1 opponents. Kansas State should win this game but don't expect a blowout.
Prediction: Kansas State 68 Fairfield 58