Kansas State basketball is a double-digit underdog in its first true road game Saturday against St. John’s at Carnesecca Arena in Queens, New York. The matchup is part of the annual Big 12/Big East battle series between the two conferences.
The Wildcats (6-2) have won four of their last five games, including two straight, coming off victories over Longwood (80-64) in the Paradise Jam third-place game and then a 120-73 blowout of Arkansas-Pine Bluff last Sunday at home. St. John’s (6-2) beat Harvard last Saturday, 77-64, after going 1-2 in the Baha Mar Hoops Championship in Nassau, Bahamas, two weeks ago.
Graduate forward David N’Guessan leads K-State in scoring with 14.1 points per game and is second in rebounding at 6.8, while sharpshooter Brendan Hausen averages 13.8 points on 40.9% 3-point shooting. Point guard Dug McDaniel adds 11 points and 5.9 assists off the bench and forward Coleman Hawkins a team-best 7.0 rebounds.
For St. John’s, coached by hall of famer Rick Pitino, Massachusetts transfer guard RJ Luis leads the way with 17.6 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. Former Kansas forward Zuby Ejiofor adds 11.8 points and 6.8 rebounds, and Seton Hall transfer guard Kadary Richmond 10.3 points and 5.0 assists.
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Wildcats force an early timeout
K-State goes up 16-7, forcing Rick Pitino to call timeout.
Kansas State off to a good start
K-State has hit 4 of 8 shots, including 1 of 2 from 3-point range, and leads St. John’s at the first media timeout, 9-5, with 15:40 left in the first half. Brendan Hausen has five points for the Wildcats.
Here are your starters for today’s game
There are no changes to K-State’s starting lineup: CJ Jones, Max Jones and Brendan Hausen are the guards, while David N’Guessan and Coleman Hawkins start at forward. Wildcats wearing gray today.
For St. John’s, it is Kadary Richmond, Aaron Scott and JR Luis at guard, Zuby Ejiofor and Brady Dunlap up front.
Tipoff coming right up.
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Kansas State vs St. John’s prediction
K-State has raised its game the past couple of weeks, but this is its first road game and St. John’s represents a step up in competition. Look for the Wildcats to keep it close, but ultimately come up short.
Prediction: St. John’s 77, Kansas State 72
Kansas State vs St. John’s betting odds
Game lines and odds from BetMGM as of Saturday:
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Arne Green is based in Salina and covers Kansas State University sports for the Gannett network. He can be reached at agreen@gannett.com or on Twitter at @arnegreen.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas State basketball vs St. John’s live score updates
