Big 12 foes will battle when the Kansas State Wildcats (14-9) take on the No. 21 Baylor Bears (17-6) at Fred Bramlage Coliseum. Action gets underway at 8:15 pm ET on Wednesday, Feb. 10 and can be seen on ESW and ES3.
The Wildcats come into this game on a high note after defeating Oklahoma 80-69 on Saturday. Wesley Iwundu was the team’s leading scorer with 22 points on 7-for-11 shooting. The Bears, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after their 80-69 loss at the hands of West Virginia on Saturday. Ishmail Wainright had a team-high 11 points.
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Bears won the first game 79-72. Johnathan Motley had a stellar game with 15 points, nine rebounds, one assist, two steals, and four blocks.
The Wildcats look to build on their records of 14-9 Straight Up (SU) and 13-6-1 Against The Spread (ATS). Opposing teams know they’re in for a battle when they play Kansas State’s stingy defense. The Wildcats are one of the top teams when it comes to defense, allowing just 63.5 points per home game. The Wildcats have limited opponents’ efforts from beyond the arc, allowing 5.0 three-pointers made per game. The Wildcats are the 49th-best team in the country at taking the ball away from their opponents, averaging 7.5 steals per game.
On the other side, the Bears have a 17-5 SU record, but have struggled ATS with a 5-10-1 record. Offensively, the Bears have really sputtered in the last 10 games. Their season average has fallen to 78.4 points per game after averaging only 70.3 during that stretch. The Bears have controlled the offensive glass with an average of 14.2 offensive rebounds per game, 13th in the country. The Bears rarely make costly errors handling the ball. They have the eighth-best assist-to-turnover ratio in the country at 1.57. Shifting to the other side of the court, the Bears are a terror in the passing lanes, averaging an impressive 8.3 steals per game.
Following the Bears’ latest win over Kansas State, their SU record rises to 6-4 over Kansas State in their most recent games. The teams are even ATS, with a 5-5 record. Baylor held the advantage in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers two times in the last five matchups. On the other side of the court, Kansas State never accomplished this feat in that span.
Predictions: SU Winner – Baylor, ATS Winner – Baylor
Notes
Kansas State averages 72.3 points per game, placing the team just 158th in the nation. Baylor ranks 78th in points allowed, giving up 68.1 points per game.
Baylor scores just 71.0 points per away game (ranked 122nd). Kansas State ranks 50th in points allowed at home, giving up 63.5 points.
The Kansas State Wildcats average 69.6 possessions per game and 1.038 points per possession, while the Baylor Bears earn fewer possessions (67.8) but more points per possession (1.156).
Baylor has an average effective field goal percentage of 51.9%. Kansas State has not won a game this season when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage (0-5).
Kansas State attempts an average of 18.0 three pointers per game and Baylor attempts 17.0. In games where they have 20 or more three point attempts, both teams are 4-3.
The Baylor Bears rank eighth with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.57, while the Kansas State Wildcats rank outside the top 100 at 193rd with an A/TO of 1.02.
Kansas State ranks 37th in offensive rebounding. Baylor ranks 233rd in defensive rebounding.
Baylor records 8.3 steals per game (ranked 17th). Kansas State is 5-6 when allowing at least 8 steals.
