Kansas State basketball vs Drake: Score prediction, scouting report for Tuesday’s game

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas State basketball has had a 10-day break for finals and now heads to T-Mobile Center to take on unbeaten Drake in a key nonconference matchup.

The Wildcats (6-3) are coming off a disappointing 88-71 loss at St. John’s in which they blew a four-point halftime advantage. They face a Drake team that has flourished under first-year coach Ben McCollum, who won multiple NCAA Division II national titles at Northwest Missouri State.

Drake is off to an impressive start, outscoring opponents by an average of nearly 20 points per game. The Bulldogs proved themselves in late November when they captured the Shriners Children’s Charleston Classic with double-digit victories over Miami (80-69), Florida Atlantic (75-63), and Vanderbilt (81-70).

K-State has been plagued by inconsistency in Jerome Tang’s third season as coach. In addition to the St. John’s loss in the Big 12/Big East Battle series, the Wildcats lost at home to LSU and to eventual champion Liberty in the semifinals of the Paradise Jam.

Here are three things to know, plus a prediction, for Tuesday’s game:

Related: Transfer forward Achor Achor leaves Kansas State basketball team after nine games

Related: It’s about to get real: Kansas State basketball schedule amps up with trip to St. John’s

Drake’s Bennett Stirtz (14) drives past a York defender during the Bulldogs’ season opener at Knapp Center in Des Moines. Stirtz leads Drake in scoring wity 17.8 points per game.

Drake has a distinct NW Missouri State flavor

McCollum, who went 495-91 with four national championships at Northwest Missouri State, brought the best players from his 2023-24 Bearcat roster with him to Des Moines.

The Bulldogs start four Northwest Missouri transfers, including leading scorers Bennett Stirtz at 17.8 points per game, Daniel Abreu at 13.9, and Mitch Mascari at 12.2. Cam Manyawu, a 6-foot-8 sophomore forward who averages a team-best 6.9 rebounds, is a Wyoming transfer.

Bulldog defense among the nation’s best

Drake has been…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/kansas-state-basketball-vs-drake-145521980.html

Author : The Topeka Capital-Journal

Publish date : 2024-12-16 14:55:00

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