[awhitejackson]

Kansas State has really been pouring in on for the last 25-30 days.. If you don't include a hotly contested game in which they lost @ Missouri by 3 points, K state has won their last 6 games by an average of 17.8 points.. This includes a 10 point victory over KANSAS, and a 21 point victory over TEX A&M.. Now both of these games were at home and K State has not had its share of road contests yet (5 of last 8 are on the road).. However, this team has really come together as a unit..Beasley and Clent Stewart have turned out to be a dominating duo and the teams depth has proven to be strong.. In the recent clobbering of Ok State Stewart was out (mother's death) as well as starter Gilbert (F) and key sub man Sutton (G), and K State had to work with green reserves who stepped up big...
Stewart is listed as questionable for this game but his arriving at home to watch win over OK. State from the bench shows he has this team on his mind and I think its very likely he will play.. Sutton will be back as well.
Rebounding for this team has been awesome as well..Last 7 games (including Mizzou loss) they have outrebounded opponents... Average 8.9 more rebounds per game during this stretch...
K State has dominated the possessions in these games as well showing they can win even when shooting at a lower percentage than their opponents...They just get off a massive amount of shots per game averaging 13.6 more shots than opponents in last 6 victories..

On the other hand Texas Tech has struggled in its last two games...It has only one major win at home (A&M)...It has just lost its coach...Many are wondering if the new coach is a right fit (including fans and boosters)...and it has struggled to sellout its arena...They have been outrebounded in 6 of last 7 which is huge when looking at KSU's rebounding potentials...

They can play solid D especially when 6"11" Maric is on underneath...Also before loss to Nebraska they had forced very bad outside shooting from their opponents...Now this would usually be a strong point if it wasn't for K State's versatile offense that has proven to adapt to differing conditions...A few teams even changed their defensive sets all together when playing them...

Basically these are two teams going quickly in opposite directions...I see a 10+ point win for KState and with the line sitting at -2.5 I see this game as free money, but dont take my word for it...

GL to all on WEDNESDAY!!!

Big Plays 1-1

W...Purdue-Penn State line -11 (Purdue wins by 14)
L...Marquette- Notre Dame line -7 (Notre Dame wins by 3)

[Quebb Diesel]

im on them tomorrow too...i figured the line would be more around 6-8 points on the road for k state? i just dont think ttech matches up to their bigs at all...

[freeVICK]

yea this game stood out to me as well. i will be on it for big

[EaglesPhan36]

Not on my board for tomorrow. Even as good as K-State has been, I don't trust them. I've watched a few games and Beasley has a real bad tendency to try to be "the man" which forces some really bad shots. First home game for Pat Knight, that spells no play fo' shizzle! If anything, I would take Tech. 10-1 (7-1 ATS) at home, K-State 2-3 on the road. Nothing to me points to the Wildcats. Not to mention that haven't won in Lubbock this decade.

[Quebb Diesel]

they also never had the best player in the nation on their team either. their only losses on the road are against ND (the longest active home winning streak), xavier (plays amazing at home this year) and missouri (the next game after upsetting kansas)...i dont see how k state will lose this game...

[WestsidePete]

I'm also on Kansas St tomorrow...here's more about the team and game...

GAME PREVIEW
No. 18/22 Kansas State (17-5, 7-1 Big 12) starts the second half of the Big 12 schedule on Wednesday night, as the Wildcats travel to Lubbock, Texas to face Texas Tech (12-10, 3-5 Big 12) at United Spirit Arena beginning at 8 p.m. CT. The squad, which has won just four meetings in the series since the start of Big 12 play, will be looking to snap a five-game losing streak to the Red Raiders in Lubbock. The Wildcats’ last road win in the series came on Dec. 4, 1986.

Kansas State capped the first half of Big 12 play on a strong note, as the Wildcats snapped a five-game losing streak to Oklahoma State with a decisive 82-61 victory on Saturday before a sold-out Bramlage Coliseum. The 82 points were the most scored against the Cowboys since the start of conference play and the most by the Wildcats in the series since they collected 88 in a win at Gallagher-Iba Arena on Jan. 28, 1987. Although K-State shot a season-low 38.7 percent from the field, the team had nearly twice as many field goal attempts as OSU (75 to 41 attempts) and held a 51-29 rebounding advantage. The Wildcats also outscored the Cowboys, 38-14, in the paint and held a 28-7 edge in second-chance points.  After Monday’s game, K-State is now back in first-place by a half-game over Kansas and Texas.

Kansas State’s 17-5 start to the season is the best by a Wildcat squad in 26 seasons since the 1981-82 squad also started 17-5. The 7-1 start to league play is the best in the Big 12 era and the best since the 1974-75 team also started 7-1.

Kansas State is averaging 80.2 points on 44.6 percent shooting with 43.0 rebounds, 17.1 assists, 8.2 steals and 3.9 blocks per game, while holding their foes to 66.3 points on 40.1 percent shooting. Only one team at Kansas State - the 1952-53 squad - has averaged 80 or more points for a season, which averaged 81.4 points in 21 games. The Wildcats rank among the top-25 nationally in scoring margin (16th), scoring (20th) and assists (21st). The team has topped 80 or more points in 11 games (all wins) this season, which equals or surpasses the single-season totals of 80-point games from the last 17 seasons, including the eight in 2006-07.

A trio of Wildcats are averaging in double figures led by Beasley, who ranks fourth nationally in scoring at 25.2 points per game. Beasley, who paces the nation in rebounding at 12.3 per game, is shooting 56.2 percent from the field to go with 1.7 blocks, 1.5 steals and 1.4 assists in 30.5 minutes per game. He leads the squad in 15 categories, including scoring, double-doubles, 20-point games (17), field goals (205), free throws (121), rebounds, blocks, steals and minutes.

Rookie Bill Walker ranks second to Beasley in numerous categories, including scoring (15.8 ppg.), rebounding (6.8 rpg.), field goals (110), field goal attempts (249), blocks (14), double-digit scoring (17), and double-doubles (three). Since being moved back to the interior 14 games ago, Walker is averaging 17.7 points on 46 percent shooting, including 38.3 percent from 3-point range, with 7.1 rebounds in 26.4 minutes per game. He has now scored in double figures in 21 of 26 career games, including 17 of 20 games this season.

The backcourt of Jacob Pullen, Clent Stewart and Blake Young has also continued to play well for the Wildcats. Pullen, who started the team’s first nine games, is first on the team in assists (3.5 apg.) and 3-point field goals (26) and third in scoring (10.0 ppg.). During the last nine games, Pullen has posted 34 assists to just 11 turnovers while averaging 10.1 points per game.

The Wildcats look to receive a boost with the return of Stewart, who has missed the last two games after the loss of his mother, Vanessa, who lost her courageous battle with bone cancer on Feb. 5. The team’s most experienced player with 110 appearances and 84 starts, Stewart has scored in double figures in nine of his last 14 games. The squad, which wore pink shooting shirts to honor her memory against Nebraska on Feb. 6, will continue to wear a patch on their uniforms bearing her initials.

Young, who has the team’s longest current game streak at 57 games, is averaging 6.5 points on 41.9 percent shooting in Big 12 play with 4.4 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 31.1 minutes.

The trend so far this season has been that Kansas State tends to get better as the game goes, as the team is averaging 41.4 points on 48.6 percent shooting (including 33.6 percent from 3-point range) in the second half this season. In comparison, the Wildcats are averaging 38 points on 41 percent shooting (including 33.2 percent from 3-point range) in the first half this season. However, in the last three games, this trend has turned with the squad averaging 42.3 points on 49.5 percent shooting in the first half in comparison to just 34.3 points in the second half on 37.5 percent shooting. After topping the 40-point barrier just six times in the first half in the first 19 games, the team has eclipsed the barrier in the games against Missouri and Nebraska. In comparision, K-State has posted 40 or more points in the second half of 14 games, including three 50-point outings. The team has also connected on 50 percent or better from the field in the second half of 11 contests, including a span of seven straight games.

improved 3-point shooting
After a dismal start, Kansas State has improved its consistency from the 3-point line in the last 13 games where the team is connecting on 39.3 percent (103-of-262) from the field. In the span, three Wildcats - Clent Stewart (48.7), Michael Beasley (47.1) and Fred Brown (46.4) - are connecting on 45 percent for better from beyond the arc. The improvement is in contrast to the first nine games, where the squad connected on just 25.4 percent (48-of-189). The percentage has increased during the last nine games, where the team has averaged 8.1 treys on 39.8 percent (73-of-180).

the book on texas tech (12-10)
Texas Tech (12-10, 3-5 Big 12) saw its losing streak reach two games on Saturday, as the Red Raiders dropped a 73-62 decision at
Nebraska. The squad ran into a red-hot Cornhusker team that shot 49 percent for the game, including 56.5 percent in the first half. Texas Tech shot just 39 percent for the game, including 35.5 percent in the second half, in falling for the eighth time in nine road games. The team used a balanced scoring effort, as senior Martin Zeno led four players in double figures with 16 points on 6-of-13 shooting. Junior Alan Voskuil posted 14 points and freshmen John Roberson and Mike Singletary added 12 and 11 points, respectively.

Texas Tech is averaging a 69.2 points on 46.2 percent shooting, including 38.1 percent from 3-point range, with 30.7 rebounds, 12.8 assists, 7.0 steals and 2.5 blocks per game. The team is holding foes to 64.7 points per game on 42.8 percent shooting from the field. In contrast to a poor road record, the Red Raiders have one of the best home court advantages with wins in 10 of their 11 games this year.

A balanced scoring squad, Texas Tech has three players scoring in double figures led by Zeno’s 16.0-point per game average. He has connected on 47.1 percent of his field goals (115-of-244) and is also the team leader in rebounds (4.5 rpg.) and minutes (30.7 mpg.). Roberson averages 12.5 points to go with a team-best 3.4 assists per game, while Voskuil adds 12.1 points per game to go with team-highs in 3-point field goals (44) and steals (1.6 spg.).

The team is led by head coach Pat Knight, who took over for his legendary father, Bob, on Feb. 4. The elder Knight won a Division I men’s record 902 games during his 42-year career that included stops at Army, Indiana and Texas Tech. The younger Knight, who was a four-year lettermen (1991-95) for his father at Indiana, spent 10 seasons as an assistant at Indiana, Akron and Texas Tech. During his time as an assistant coach, he helped teams post seven 20-win seasons and advance to six NCAA Tournament appearances.

series vs. texas tech
This will be the 23rd all-time meeting between Kansas State and Texas Tech in a series that dates back to 1955. The all-time series is tied at 11-each, however, the Red Raiders have won 10 of the 14 meetings since the start of Big 12 play in 1996. Texas Tech owns a 5-0 record against K-State in Lubbock since the inception of the league. The Wildcats’ last road win in the series came back on Dec. 4, 1986 when they posted a 73-72 victory at Municipal Auditorium. Last year, K-State snapped a five-game losing streak in the series with a 66-45 win in the first round of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City, Okla.

last year vs. texas tech
The squads split their two meetings last season, as Texas Tech posted a 62-52 win at Bramlage Coliseum on Jan. 8, 2007 before Kansas State posted its first win in the series since 2003 with a 66-45 win in the first round of the Big 12 Championship in Oklahoma City, Okla.

K-State shot just 30.2 percent from the field, including 13.3 percent from beyond the arc, as the Red Raiders collected a 62-52 on Jan. 8. Only one player - junior David Hoskins - scored in double figures for the Wildcats, while senior Jarrius Jackson led three Tech players in double figures with 23 points in playing all 40 minutes.

In the rematch at the Big 12 Championship, senior Lance Harris had a team-high 20 points to pace three players in double figures. K-State shot 48.1 percent from the field, including 52 percent in the first half, while out-rebounding Texas Tech, 39-25.

[onlooker]

I will probably taking a shot with Texas Tech tomorrow on the ML.

Good luck guys.

[Quebb Diesel]

you love going against the forum and taking the ML dog...it actually seems to work a lot too...

[onlooker]

you love going against the forum and taking the ML dog...it actually seems to work a lot too...

It has nothing to do with the forum. But it does seem that way more often then not.

[Louisvillekid1]

I can't believe this line is so low only -2! Texas Tech blows and has a new coach.

[TinySox13]

It has nothing to do with the forum. But it does seem that way more often then not.

Fellas, K State is not the right play here, regardless of if they win and cover. Be smart, Texas Tech will be fired up for this game, and own K State at home. K State has shown nothing more than they are a good home team, losing to Missouri by 3 (who had 8 players on the bench), should clearly show you the Sharp money will be on the Home Dog.

Tiny "Sox" -