MANHATTAN — Kansas State basketball is back home after two straight road games when No. 23-ranked West Virginia visits Bramlage Coliseum at 5 p.m. Saturday.
The Wildcats (7-11, 1-6 Big 12) have dropped six straight games since beating Cincinnati in their Big 12 opener on Dec. 30. On Wednesday they blew a 12-point second-half lead in a 70-62 loss at Baylor.
West Virginia (13-5, 4-3) lost at home to Arizona State on Tuesday, 65-57, but before that they upset then-No. 2 Iowa State, 64-57.
K-State has enjoyed recent success against the Cavaliers, winning the last three matchups, including a sweep of last year’s two games. They have not won on the road — a stretch of 15 games — since winning at West Virginia, 81-67, last Jan. 9.
West Virginia has exceeded expectations under first-year coach Darian DeVries after being picked 13th in the Big 12 preseason poll.
Here are three things to know, plus a prediction, for Saturday’s game.
Related: Kansas State basketball vs Baylor recap: Wildcats can’t hang on to second-half lead
Related: ‘It’s my job to man up and persevere’: How Kansas State basketball’s Hawkins is pushing forward
Slow starts and sluggish offense have plagued Wildcats in Big 12
Kansas State’s poor start in the Big 12 can be traced to slow starts on the court as the Wildcats have averaged just 27.9 first-half points on 38.7% shooting in their seven conference games. Those numbers have improved to 36.1 points on 47% shooting in the second half.
The Wildcats have struggled on offense in general during league play, reaching 70 points just twice, in the 70-67 victory over Cincinnati and an 84-74 loss at Kansas. In the other five conference games they have scored 66 points once, 62 twice and 57 twice.
A closer look at the West Virginia Cavaliers
Darian DeVries took the West Virginia coaching job this season after a successful six-year run at Drake, where he compiled a 150-55 record with three NCAA Tournament appearances. Before that he spent 17 years as an assistant at Creighton.
Senior Oklahoma State transfer Javon Small leads West Virginia and the Big 12 in scoring with 19.5 points per game, while averaging a team-high 5.1 assists. Illinois transfer Amani Hansberry adds 10 points and 5.6 rebounds.
Multiple reunions in store when Wildcats and Cavaliers meet
West Virginia associate head coach Chester Frazier returns to Bramlage Coliseum, where he spent seven seasons as an assistant under former K-State coach Bruce Weber from 2012-19. Frazier also coached current K-State forward Coleman Hawkins while an assistant at Illinois.
Speaking of Hawkins, he will be reunited with former Illinois teammates Sincere Harris and Amani Hansberry, both of whom start for West Virginia. Also, K-State guard C.J. Jones will meet up with Cavaliers starter Toby Okani, his teammate last year at Illinois-Chicago.
Prediction: Kansas State 70, West Virginia 68
K-State has played better of late with nothing to show for it, but the Wildcats should benefit from a weekend home crowd, especially with the students back on campus for the first time since the start of Big 12 play.
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 X (formerly Twitter) at @arnegreen.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas State basketball vs West Virginia: Scouting report, prediction
