Kansas State vs Wichita State prediction, odds, pick for College Basketball
12/21/2024 02:11 AM
It’s time to continue our College Basketball odds series with a Kansas State-Wichita State prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Kansas State-Wichita State.
There are a number of in-state college basketball games on Saturday, and this is one of them. It’s a matchup of teams which have a lot to prove and a lot of work to do if they want to come anywhere close to sniffing an NCAA Tournament bid.
It’s going to be an uphill battle for both KSU and WSU as they try to snag a ticket to March Madness. Both teams have put themselves in bad positions with their nonconference bodies of work so far this season. Kansas State is 6-4, and it has lost to LSU, Liberty, St. John’s, and Drake, a mixture of power conference and mid-major opponents. Of the four, St. John’s and Drake are better, but neither is an NCAA Tournament lock. Losing to LSU at home and also to Liberty could do real damage to KSU’s profile. The Wildcats really, really need to win this game to begin to repair their resume. It will only be the beginning of a long and arduous process. Beating Wichita State isn’t so much a quality-win opportunity for KSU as it is a “loss avoidance” situation.
Wichita State has an 8-3 record which seems good on the surface, but when you look under the hood and see the deeper details of this 8-3 record, it doesn’t look very good. An overtime win over Minnesota and wins over mid-majors Northern Iowa and Montana State might be the best wins Wichita State has. In the biggest game on the schedule so far this season, against Florida, WSU was crushed by 37 points, a disaster for NET ranking and other metrics. Wichita State also got destroyed by 19 points against DePaul — another catastrophe — and lost outright at home as a 14-point favorite to Missouri-Kansas City. UMKC outclassed the Shockers from start to finish and won by 10 over WSU. The Shockers don’t have a good profile at all. Kansas State really cannot afford to lose to such an opponent. There is a lot of urgency on both sides in this game. KSU has to avoid falling further. WSU has to stand up and beat a decent team. The fact that in-state bragging rights are on the line makes this all-Kansas showdown even more spicy.
Here are the Kansas State-Wichita State College Basketball Odds, courtesy of FanDuel
College Basketball Odds: Kansas State-Wichita State Odds
Kansas State: -2.5 (-110)
Moneyline: -140
Wichita State: +2.5 (-110)
Moneyline: +116
Over: 151.5 (-110)
Under: 151.5 (-110)
How to Watch Kansas State vs Wichita State
Time: 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT
TV: ESPN Plus
*Watch college basketball LIVE with fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)*
Why Kansas State Will Cover The Spread/Win
KSU has made significant investments in the transfer portal this year. The offseason efforts to create a good roster have not paid off, but it’s hard to think this team won’t begin to figure it out at some point. The loss to Drake in overtime earlier this week might have created a feeling among the Wildcats that being close just isn’t good enough. Expect a strong effort here, coupled with a better crunch-time performance which will be good enough to win the game and cover.
Why Wichita State Will Cover The Spread/Win
Wichita State looked ahead to this game when it played UMKC the other night. That was a classic look-ahead situation. Don’t think that WSU will play as poorly in this game as it did versus UMKC. That’s a familiar trap college basketball bettors can fall into.
Final Kansas State-Wichita State Prediction & Pick
Kansas State is a better and more talented team. The spread is small. Take KSU.
Final Kansas State-Wichita State Prediction & Pick: Kansas State -2.5
The post Kansas State vs Wichita State prediction, odds, pick for College Basketball appeared first on ClutchPoints.
