Kansas Jayhawks Basketball Predictions: Kansas State Wildcats

The Kansas Jayhawks host the first leg of the Sunflower Showdown tonight, as the Kansas State Wildcats come to Lawrence fresh off an upset won over West Virginia. Can they pull off an even more miraculous upset tonight?

Take a look at what our staff thinks, then give your own prediction in the comments below.

dnoll5: Well, K-State somehow crushed West Virginia, but let’s not forget that they have lost to Bradley, Pitt, Texas, Oklahoma, Marquette, and St. Louis. That’s not exactly a powerful group. But, I suspect they’ll be up for the first of the only two games that matter to them every year. Still, KU should handle things easily and rest the banged up guys when they get a nice lead. Kansas 80, K-State 60.

David: Kansas State forces a lot of turnovers and generally does a decent job of defending overall, so this game could be a bit frustrating. There’s no doubt KU has far more talent and is the better team, but I foresee a game where the Jayhawks can’t quite pull away and win big the way it feels like they should. At the same time, it shouldn’t come down to the wire, either. Kansas 67, Kansas State 56

Brendan: I think KU should win this one decisively. K-State is a good defensive team and is going to be riding high after its win over West Virginia, but I think the Jayhawks are going to let their talent shine in a big win. Point guard is a huge mismatch advantage for KU, and once Dotson gets going I think everything else will follow. Kansas 70, Kansas State 55

Kyle_Davis21: I agree with David that given K-State is a top-50 defense that forces turnovers, this could be a bit sloppy, but KSU has really struggled to score this year and doesn’t hit 3s, 2s, or FTs particularly well (outside the top-165 in all three). It’s hard to see how K-State can score enough to keep it close, unless Kansas is ice cold, and I don’t think the Jayhawks will be. Kansas 72, K-State 60

Mike.Plank: dnoll mentioned K-State’s losses, but their wins aren’t impressive either, especially when you consider close games against perennial powerhouses Tulsa, UNLV, and whatever a UAPB is. The Wildcats are the worst Big 12 team per Kenpom, and will struggle to stay above #100 for the rest of the season. If Kansas loses to this crap K-State team, go ahead and fire Bill Self. Kansas 85, K-State 62

Fizzle406: Yesterday I took a break from the engineering firm I own and I played pickup basketball. I ripped the skin off of my fingers when dunking the ball but I went right back in after taping them up. I live this shit just like KU is going to win tonight. Kansas 77, K-State 64

Andy Mitts: This one’s easy. Kansas 78, Kansas State 52.