Wildcats at Jayhawks: Game Predictions

Kansas hosts Kansas State tonight for the second edition of the Sunflower Showdown in 2022. The Blue Wings Rising crew tells you what you should expect to happen.

The Big 12 Conference has been doing its thing, chewing up teams and spitting them out to varying degrees just as everyone thought they had a handle on how the race was going to shake out. Case in point: if the Big 12 Tournament had started on Sunday, Kansas State would have been the 5 seed (the TCU win yesterday put them up by half a game). 

With the Wildcats needing a big win to bolster their chances to make the NCAA tournament, can they make the Jayhawks the next Big 12 upset victim? Our crew gets together to tell you what we think you can expect to see tomorrow.

Think we have it wrong? Come join us on the Blue Wings Rising Discord Server and join the conversation!

Derek Noll: Will Nijel Pack chuck up a bunch of threes and see practically all of them fall like they did for two thirds of the game last time? Can Markquis Nowell make ten circus shots again? If so, K-State has a chance. I don’t think those things will happen, and Kansas will win going away.

Kansas 83, Kansas State 65.

Kyle_Davis21: It’s impossible to predict a team’s mentality coming into a game. After Kansas overcame a 17-point deficit (with K-State playing one of its best games of the season) to win in Manhattan, it would be understandable if the Wildcats are somewhat defeated heading into this game. On the other hand, the message Weber should give is that they got KU on the ropes once, and they can again. But I don’t see KSU shooting above it’s averages from 2 and 3-point range while Kansas only hits 24% of its 3s. Jayhawks win at home.

Kansas 76, Kansas State 66

Brendan Dzwierzynski: Focus defensive attention on Nijel Pack, box out Mark Smith. That’s essentially the winning formula against this K-State team. Their post play is genuinely abominable, so this feels like the kind of game David McCormack and Jalen Wilson should thrive in. A decent effort on both ends of the floor should be enough to get it done at home.

Kansas 77, Kansas State 64.

Andy Mitts: It's another game where the opponent doesn't do anything that would indicate they should have a chance to upset the Jayhawks. But we all saw what Nijel Pack almost did to Kansas the last time these two teams met in Manhattan. What's different for Kansas this time is a willingness on the part of Bill Self to utilize the bench in situations where it makes sense, which should prevent the huge deficit they saw in the first half last time.

Kansas 82, Kansas State 68