Who’s Playing

Kansas State Wildcats @ Wichita State Shockers

Current Records: Kansas State 6-4, Wichita State 8-3

How To Watch

What to Know

Kansas State is 3-0 against Wichita State since December of 2021, and they’ll have a chance to extend that success on Saturday. The Kansas State Wildcats will be staying on the road to face off against the Wichita State Shockers at 7:00 p.m. ET at Charles Koch Arena. Both of these teams will be coming in off a loss in a game they were expected to win.

Kansas State fought the good fight in their overtime matchup against Drake on Tuesday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They lost 73-70 to the Bulldogs on a last-minute jump shot From Bennett Stirtz. The close game was extra heartbreaking for the Wildcats, who almost overcame a 20 point deficit.

The loss doesn’t tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Coleman Hawkins, who went 6 for 9 en route to 16 points plus five assists and five rebounds. He has been hot recently, having also posted three or more steals the last three times he’s played. David N’Guessan was another key player, almost dropping a double-double on 13 points and nine rebounds.

Meanwhile, Wichita State entered their match against Kansas City on Tuesday without any home losses, but there’s a first time for everything. Wichita State took a 74-64 hit to the loss column at the hands of Kansas City. The Shockers have been going strong on the season, but this is now their second defeat in a row.

Despite the loss, Wichita State had strong showings from Xavier Bell, who went 9 for 15 en route to 21 points plus five rebounds and two blocks, and Quincy Ballard, who posted seven points along with 11 rebounds. Bell continues to roll, besting his previous point total in each of the last three games he’s played.

Wichita State struggled to work together and finished the game with only seven assists. They were destroyed by their opponents in that department as Kansas City posted 16.

Kansas State’s defeat dropped their record down to 6-4. As for Wichita State, their loss ended a six-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 8-3.

Keep an eye on the arc in Saturday’s contest: Kansas State has been dynamite from deep this season, having drained 37.2% of their threes per game. It’s a different story for Wichita State, though, as they’ve only made 30.2% of their threes this season. Given Kansas State’s sizable advantage in that area, Wichita State will need to find a way to close that gap.

Kansas State was able to grind out a solid win over Wichita State in their previous matchup back in December of 2023, winning 69-60. Will Kansas State repeat their success, or does Wichita State have a better game plan this time around? We’ll find out soon enough.

Series History

Kansas State has won all of the games they’ve played against Wichita State in the last 3 years.

• Dec 21, 2023 – Kansas State 69 vs. Wichita State 60
• Dec 03, 2022 – Kansas State 55 vs. Wichita State 50
• Dec 05, 2021 – Kansas State 65 vs. Wichita State 59