Kansas State vs #4 Texas 2021 NCAA Basketball

After facing ranked teams in three of their past four games, the No. 4 Texas Longhorns catch a bit of a breather on Saturday when they host a struggling Kansas State team in Big 12 action. Texas will be a heavy favorite on the NCAAB odds.

How to Bet Kansas State at Texas NCAA Basketball Odds & TV Info

When: Saturday, 8 PM ET
Where: Frank Erwin Center
TV: Longhorn Network
Stream: ESPN app
Radio:com
Opening NCAAB Lines: TBA (Texas will be favored)

Last Meeting

Texas won both meetings last season by double digits. In Austin, it was 64-50. Matt Coleman III (still at Texas) scored 14 points and the Longhorns held Kansas State scoreless for the first eight minutes of the second half. Texas led 31-27 at halftime, then shut down everything the Wildcats tried to do. The Longhorns forced four shot-clock violation turnovers before Kansas State scored its first basket of the half. “They were very physical defensively. I thought it got our guys a little bit rattled,” Kansas State coach Bruce Weber said.

Why Bet on Kansas State? | 2021 NCAA Basketball Expert Analysis

The Wildcats are off a 70-54 loss to Oklahoma State on Saturday – they were supposed to play Wednesday vs. Iowa State but it was postponed. The Cowboys made their final 13 shots from the field to give them a 41-35 lead with 13:03 left. That sparked a 13-4 run and Oklahoma State led by double digits the rest of the way, finishing the half shooting 15 of 20 from the field.

Oklahoma State connected on 56.3 percent (27-of-48) from the field, including 75 percent (15-of-20) in the second half, as the Cowboys ran their winning streak to 3 in a row over the Wildcats. OSU’s second-half field goal percentage tied for the seventh-highest by an opponent in school history. Although K-State held the Big 12’s leading scorer – freshman phenom Cade Cunningham – to a season-low 5 points, four other Cowboys scored in double figures.

The Wildcats played with the minimum number of 8 players, including 6 on scholarship, as injuries and unavailability continued to mount. The team played without its starting point guard Nijel Pack and continued to be without season-opening game starters Kaosi Ezeagu and Montavious Murphy, who each missed their ninth games. The Wildcats were missing almost 30 points per game. Seven different players have now combined to miss 41 games this season.

Due to the low numbers, senior Mike McGuirl and junior Rudi Williams each played the entire 40 minutes, while sophomore DaJuan Gordon and freshman Selton Miguel each registered 39 minutes of action. Freshman Davion Bradford played just 12 minutes due to foul trouble, which allowed sophomore walk-on Joe Petrakis to play a career-high 15 minutes of action.

McGuirl tied the game-high with 15 points on 5-of-13 field goals, including 3-of-8 from 3-point range, while Gordon collected his third double-double in the last 7 games with 14 points on 6-of-16 shooting with a game-high 11 rebounds.

Why Bet on Texas?| 2021 NCAA Basketball Expert Analysis

The Horns (10-2) were upset Wednesday at home by No. 15 Texas Tech 79-77. Mac McClung made a long jumper with 3 seconds left to end the Longhorns’ perfect start in the Big 12. McClung’s shot was originally ruled a 3-pointer before a video review. Texas had a final chance, but Matt Coleman’s desperation 3-pointer never came close to the basket. Coleman also missed a shot in traffic for the lead with 17 seconds left.

Texas Tech has roughed up the Longhorns in recent years with six wins in seven matchups, including three in a row in Austin. Texas was 4-0 in games decided by three points or less coming in. The loss snapped UT’s six-game win streak that dated back to a Dec. 9 home victory against Texas State.

Junior Andrew Jones registered a team-high 20 points for UT. Jones converted 7-of-11 field goals, including 4-of-6 from three-point range, in 34 minutes. Senior forward Jericho Sims tallied a season-high 16 points (5-7 FG), and junior guard Courtney Ramey registered 15 points (4-8 threes). Coleman III recorded 13 points (3-6 threes) and six rebounds, while freshman Greg Brown added nine points, a game-high nine rebounds and a career-high four blocked shots.

Texas led for a total of 36:59, while the Red Raiders held the lead for just 36 total seconds during the contest. UT set team season highs in three-point field goals made (13) and three-point field goal percentage (52.0, 13-25). That topped previous season bests of 12 and 46.2-percent (12-26) at Kansas on Jan. 2.

Texas fell to 259-54 at the Erwin Center in the last 19 seasons (dating back to the start of the 2002-03 season). UT is 68-28 at home during the Shaka Smart era (5-2 this season).