The Kansas State men’s basketball team gets set to take on the St. John’s red Storm in Queens, N.Y., on Saturday, December 7th, 2024.
Tip-off is set for 10:30 a.m. central. Neither team is ranked.
The Wildcats (6-2) are hitting a critical stretch of their season before they start Big 12 action on Dec. 30. After the Red Storm, Kansas State will face Drake on Dec. 17 and then Wichita State on Dec. 21.
St. John’s (6-2) has already lost to one Big 12 team this season (an overtime loss to Baylor) and it is coming off a win over Harvard. Big EAST play is just around the corner, with the opener against DePaul set for Dec. 17.
How to Watch Kansas State vs. St. John’s
Date: Saturday, December 7th, 2024
Time: 10:30 a.m. CT
TV Channel: Fox
Kansas State vs. St. John’s Betting Odds, Lines
Opening Line: St. John’s -9.5
Current Line: St. John’s -10.5
Over/Under: 148.5
Kansas State vs. St. John’s Predictions
Kansas State doesn’t have a signature win — or a road game. The Wildcats want to take care of both on Saturday.
The Wildcats’ two losses are to LSU at home and to Liberty, a quality mid-major program. The rest of their wins over mid-majors. Kansas State needs a win like this.
David N’Guessan is off to a great start. The guard is averaging 14.1 points and 6.8 rebounds this season. K-State’s signature transfer, guard Coleman Hawkins, is only averaging 8.5 points. But, he’s also averaging 7.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 2.3 steals and 1.4 blocks. So, the scoring will come.
Speaking of Hawkins, however you want to put it, Red Storm coach Rick Pitino called out the Wildcats for their NIL budget, which could be taken as a compliment, one might suppose.
St. John’s has a signature win over Virginia, though the Cavaliers are clearly different without retired coach Tony Bennett. The Red Storm’s other loss is to Georgia. So, this team is a bit less tested that the record might suggest.
The Red Storm are undefeated at home. But most of that was against mid-major competition.
Both teams appear to be healthy going into the contest.
Watch the 3-point shooting in this one. The Wildcats are 5% better than the Red Storm. St. John’s has a clear edge on the glass, as they’re grabbing six more rebounds per game than Kansas State.
St. John’s 82, Kansas State 76
ESPN Matchup Predictor: St. John’s (82.4% Chance of Winning)
Odds Shark: Consensus Spread Kansas State +10
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
