Kansas State basketball: How to watch, odds, key matchups, and more vs. No. 8 Kansas

How to watch

Channel: ESPN I Fubo TV
Date: Monday, February 5
Game time: 8:00 p.m. CT
Radio: K-State Sports Network
Venue: Bramlage Coliseum

All-time series

• Kansas leads the all-time series 95-203 over Kansas State
• Kansas State and Kansas split their matchups last season 1-1
• Kansas State broke a seven-game losing streak against Kansas last season

Odds

It is no surprise that Kansas is favored in this matchup. What is surprising is that they are only a 4.5-point favorite. Kansas State has now lost four straight and Kansas is now on top of the Big 12 standings. I believe Kansas is not a bigger favorite because they are not playing at home. The Jayhawks are 12-0 at home and 2-3 away, all three losses coming from conference opponents.

The betting line for this game is 144.5 and with how these teams tend to play each other, I would take the over in this one. Last season when the Wildcats beat the Jayhawks at home, the game went into overtime with K-State prevailing 83-82. I believe that even though Kansas State is struggling right now, this could still be a close matchup.

Cam Carter needs to be elite

Cam Carter has scored in double digits in all but two games this season. Carter is the only returning starter from the 2023 lineup and has the most experience playing under Jerome Tang. Carter scored a total of eight points in the Wildcats' two matchups against Kansas last season. Now as the leading man on this K-State team, he has to come out and be elite.

Carter has struggled with foul trouble this season, fouling out three times this season, and has finished with four fouls three times. K-State can not afford to play without Carter in this game. Tylor Perry and Arthur Kaluma are great and can also lead this team, but Tang needs Carter. He is the leading scorer for this team averaging 16.3 points per game with a 0.336 three-point field goal percentage.

K-State needs to keep track of Kansas star Hunter Dickinson. The Michigan transfer is the leading scorer for the Jayhawks averaging 18.8 points per game. He is a problem for any team to deal with simply because he is seven foot two and towers over most players.

Prediction

As much as I would love to call the upset here because I love seeing Kansas lose especially in basketball, it is very difficult to. Kansas State has dropped four in a row, most recently to Oklahoma State who is at the bottom of the conference. The Wildcats at the beginning of conference play had a defense that was good enough to allow their offense to win, and now that defense is nowhere to be found.

While Kansas struggles on the road, especially in hostile environments, I just don't see how Kansas State can pull this one off. I can assure you that the students and fans will be out there to be a sixth man, but I think Kansas State has just lost its identity recently, and I don't think this is a game they will find it.