The Kansas State Wildcats (11-1) and No. 24 West Virginia Mountaineers (10-2) open Big 12 Conference play on Saturday at Fred Bramlage Coliseum. West Virginia topped the Stony Brook Seawolves 75-64 at WVU Coliseum on December 22, their fourth win in a row. Kedrian Johnson was the key player with 18 points.
Kansas State won their fifth in a row on December 21 at Fred Bramlage Coliseum, beating the Radford Highlanders 73-65. Nae’Qwan Tomlin had 26 points and nine rebounds to lead the team.
The teams are meeting for the only time this season. They last met in the Big 12 Conference Tourney first round when the Mountaineers knocked out the Wildcats with a 73-67 victory at T-Mobile Center on March 9. West Virginia and Kansas State split their regular season matchups last season, each team taking one game.
The Mountaineers triumphed in the last meeting 73-67 at T-Mobile Center on March 9. Sean McNeil led the Mountaineers with 21 points and six rebounds. Nijel Pack had 18 points in the losing effort.
Erik Stevenson and Tre Mitchell, averaging 14.5 and 12.8 points per game, respectively, are leading the Mountaineers in scoring this season. Meanwhile, Jimmy Bell Jr. is grabbing 6.1 rebounds per game, and Johnson is dishing 3.3 assists.
Keyontae Johnson has been the primary provider of the Wildcats’ offense, averaging 17.7 points per game. Johnson also has posted 6.8 rebounds per game. Markquis Nowell has doled out 8.3 assists per game.
The Mountaineers rank 12th in the country in offensive efficiency, while the Wildcats are 26th in defensive efficiency. The Mountaineers have come up short more often than not in recent games at Fred Bramlage Coliseum, losing six of the last 10.
In the last 10 games, West Virginia is 8-2 with an average margin of +13.8 (81.9-68.1). Kansas State has a 9-1 record over the last 10, scoring 74.5 points per game on average while allowing 61.7 (+12.8 margin).
MOUNTAINEERS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Jimmy Bell Jr.: 17.2 | 13.0 | +4.2
Mohamed Wague: 4.4 | 8.7 | -4.3
Points per game:
Kedrian Johnson: 12.0 | 9.6 | +2.4
WILDCATS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Nae’Qwan Tomlin: 25.2 | 18.6 | +6.6
Ismael Massoud: 1.2 | 3.4 | -2.2
Points per game:
Nae’Qwan Tomlin: 16.4 | 11.7 | +4.7
Rebounds per game:
Nae’Qwan Tomlin: 7.8 | 6.1 | +1.7
SportsTips’ College Basketball Pick:
Kansas State (-120)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
