Kansas State vs McNeese State 12/21/21 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The McNeese Cowboys will travel to Bramlage Coliseum to take on the Kansas State Wildcats this Tuesday night in College Basketball action.

The McNeese Cowboys lost their 5^th straight game and dropped to 3-8 on the season after being defeated by the UTEP Miners, 82-72, this past Thursday night. McNeese led by a 38-34 margin at halftime, however, the Cowboys struggled defensively in the 2^nd half and allowed UTEP to pull away after the Miners took a 75-68 lead with 2:25 left in regulation. McNeese shot 50.0% from the field & 35.0% from beyond the arc while allowing UTEP to shoot 47.4% from the field & 41.4% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Cowboys was Brendan Medley-Bacon who had 10 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, & 2 blocks.

On the season, McNeese is averaging 71.7 ppg on 43.1% shooting from the field. The Cowboys are averaging 6.5 three-pointers per game on 28.6% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, McNeese has been led by Myles Lewis (10.7 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 1.2 apg, 1.3 spg), Brendan Medley-Bacon (10.1 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 1.3 apg, 1.2 bpg), Kellon Taylor (8.9 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1.0 spg), & Collin Warren (8.6 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1.6 spg).

Defensively, McNeese is allowing their opponents to average 75.6 ppg on 42.5% shooting from the field. The Cowboys are averaging 6.5 three-pointers per game on 28.6% shooting from beyond the arc.

The Kansas State Wildcats won their 2^nd straight game and improved to 7-3 on the season after defeating the Nebraska Cornhuskers, 67-58, this past Sunday. Kansas State led by a 33-27 margin at halftime and was able to pull away for the victory after taking a 57-49 lead with 6:15 left in regulation. Kansas State shot 39.0% from the field & 23.1% from beyond the arc while holding Nebraska to just 32.8% shooting from the field & 17.9% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Wildcats was Nijel Pack who had 15 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, & 2 steals.

On the season, Kansas State is averaging 70.6 ppg on 44.0% shooting from the field. The Wildcats are averaging 7.5 three-pointers per game on 33.2% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Kansas State has been led by Nijel Pack (14.5 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 2.6 apg, 1.4 spg), Markquis Nowell (12.3 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 4.4 apg, 2.1 spg), Mark Smith (9.6 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 1.6 apg, 1.0 spg), & Ismael Massoud (8.2 ppg, 4.4 rpg).

Defensively, Kansas State is holding their opponents to an average of 59.5 ppg on 37.8% shooting from the field. The Wildcats have a rebound margin of 4.4 and a turnover margin of 2.0.

The Cowboys are 0-5-1 ATS in their last 6 road games vs. a team with a home winning % greater than .600. The Wildcats are 4-0-2 ATS in their last 6 games vs. a team with a losing straight up record.

McNeese continues to pile up losses and for the most part, it hasn’t been competitive as during the Cowboys 5-game losing streak, McNeese has lost by an average of 14.0 ppg. Kansas State has played better than what I expected from them so far this season and as I think their defense, which ranks t-26^th in scoring defense & 20^th in defensive FG%, will give the McNeese offense trouble, I think the Wildcats offense does enough against the McNeese 310^th ranked scoring defense to cover this large home spread. Good Luck!