The Kansas Jayhawks (17-4, 5-3) host the Kansas State Wildcats (13-8, 2-6) in what should be an exciting game rivalry game.
Coming off a big non-conference win vs the Kentucky Wildcats, the Kansas Jayhawks hope to tame more Wildcats, this time in the form of Kansas State. The win over Kentucky should serve as a huge confidence boost for the Jayhawks as they hope to continue their winning ways against Kansas State, who lost their last 9 games in Allen Fieldhouse.
The Jayhawks can’t look past the Wildcats and assume this will be a routine win. The Wildcats beat the Jayhawks 70-63 in their most recent meeting in Manhattan, KS. This will be an inspired Wildcats bunch, a team coming off a solid home win vs Ole Miss seeking to improve their tournament hopes with a resume building win.
What to watch for:
Perry Ellis vs Kansas State’s Front Court
Ellis could not establish an offensive rhythm vs Kentucky due to his early foul trouble. He scored a total of 10 points, 8 of which came from the free-throw line. To make up for his offensive woes, Ellis came up clutch with key rebounds late in the game.
Ellis enjoyed playing against the Wildcats twice last season, he scored a total of 40 points and collected a total of 21 rebounds. Ellis might not be the tallest or strongest of players on the court but he’s very crafty around the basket and has a variety of moves he can use to score with.
The Wildcats have a trio of front court players that will attempt to stop Ellis from having a bounce back game. Senior forward Stephen Hurt (6’11” 265 pounds), junior forward D.J. Johnson (6’9″ 250 pounds), and freshman forward Dean Wade (6’8″ 225 pounds) will be tasked with defending Ellis throughout the game.
Turnovers
The Jayhawks average 12 turnovers per game (4th in Big 12 play). They had a hard time taking care of the basketball against Kentucky, turning the ball over 11 times in the first half. They settled down in the second half as they limited their second half turnovers to 4. It will be important for the Jayhawks to take care of the basketball early and often against the active Kansas State Wildcats.
The Wildcats account for 7.57 steals per game (3rd in Big 12 play). They have to create at least 10 turnovers in the first half to keep this game close. If they’re unable to disrupt the Jayhawks high scoring offense early on, this game could be out of reach before the second half even begins.
Wayne Selden Jr.
Selden Jr. is coming of a career game vs Kentucky. He scored a career high 33 points as the Kentucky Wildcats has no answer for him throughout the game. Selden Jr. is second on the team in scoring (15.4) and he should look to add to his scoring average vs Kansas State.
The Wildcats best all around player, Wesley Iwundu will be tasked with slowing down Wayne Selden. Iwundu is 6’7″ 210 pounds and very versatile on the defensive end as he often defends the opposing teams best player. Iwundu’s length and athleticism can create some problems for Selden Jr.
When it’s all said and done
I expect the Jayhawks to carry over the momentum they build in their win against Kentucky into this game vs Kansas State. The combination of Perry Ellis and Wayne Selden Jr will be too much to handle for the Wildcats. Jayhawks win 76-65.
Where to watch/Game information:
You can watch the game live on ESPN2 this upcoming Wednesday, February 3rd at 8:00pm CT time.
John Barry and Fran Fraschilla will call the game as a part of ESPN’s NBA-College Hoops crossover.
ESPN3 will carry a live stream of the game online.