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The Kansas State Wildcats will be looking for revenge as they prepare to host the Texas Longhorns in a conference showdown on Tuesday night. The Longhorns beat the Wildcats handily in their first matchup, 82-67.
However, since then, Texas have lost three consecutive games and are now four games back out of first place in the Big 12.
Meanwhile, the Wildcats have lost 10 straight games and have not scored over 80 points all season.
Match Details
Fixture: Texas Longhorns vs. Kansas State Wildcats - NCAA Men's Basketball
Date and Time: Tuesday, February 9, 8:00 PM ET
Venue: Bramlage Coliseum, Manhattan, Kansas
Texas Longhorns Preview
The Texas Longhorns have been rusty since coming off a program pause due to COVID-19 related issues. Since January 20th, the Longhorns have had three games either postponed or canceled.
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Once off their program pause, the Texas Longhorns have been extremely sloppy and have lost three consecutive games. In their latest outing, the Longhorns lost in double overtime to the Oklahoma State Cowboys, went 20 for 79 from the field, and had 21 turnovers.
Here is what Texas Longhorns head coach, Shaka Smart, had to say after Saturday's loss, via ESPN:
"We played hard and for the most part got pretty decent shots. We obviously didn't make many. Give OSU credit but we had 21 turnovers. That's 21 possessions where you don't even have a chance to get a shot up."
If the Texas Longhorns are to bounce back against the less talented Kansas State Wildcats, they will need to be smart with the basketball and shoot their season average field goal rating of 44.2%.
Key Player - Greg Brown
Greg Brown is the key player for the Texas Longhorns. He is averaging 11 points and 7.7 rebounds a game.
The freshman forward's play this season currently has him projected to go number six in the 2021 NBA draft, per Chad Ford:
However, Brown has only scored 10 points combined in his last two games and converted just 32.5% of his shots. Brown will need to get back to his scoring average for the Texas Longhorns to earn their sixth conference win.
Texas Longhorns' Predicted Lineup
F Jericho Sims, F Greg Brown, G Andrew Jones, G Matt Coleman III, G Courtney Ramey
Kansas State Wildcats Preview
The Kansas State Wildcats lost against the Texas Tech Red Raiders on Saturday, 73-62. However, the loss was a moral victory for the Wildcats. Coming into the game, the Wildcats had lost their last six outings against ranked opponents by an average of 25 points per game.
Here is what the Kansas State Wildcats head coach, Bruce Weber, had to say about his team's performance on Saturday:
"I'm proud of our guys. I wanted to win, but if they can do this every game we'll have a chance down the stretch."
The Wildcats converted 45% of their three-point attempts against Texas Tech. It was the best the Wildcats have shot from behind the arc all season against conference opponents.
The Wildcats will need to maintain their hot hand from three to give themselves a chance against the Texas Longhorns.
Key Player - Nijel Pack
Nijel Pack is the key player for the Kansas State Wildcats. The freshman guard is leading the team with 11.9 points on 44.7% shooting.
Pack has shown that he is capable of heating up from behind the arc. Earlier this season, he scored eight three-pointers in a game on 57.1% shooting.
Pack will need to heat up again from behind the arc against the Texas Longhorns to avoid the season sweep.
Kansas State Wildcats' Predicted Lineup
F Antonio Gordon, F Davion Bradford, C Nijel Pack, G Mike McGuirl, G Selton Miguel
Texas vs. Kansas State Match Prediction
The Texas Longhorns have lost four out of their last five games. However, that one game was against the Kansas State Wildcats. The Longhorns are too talented for the Wildcats, who were satisfied with a double-digit loss.
Expect Texas to come away with the win and for Greg Brown to have a big performance.
According to ESPN's Basketball Power Index, the Arkansas Razorbacks have a 93.2% chance of winning.
Where to watch Texas vs. Kansas State
The game will be broadcast live through ESPN+.
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