Utah vs Kansas State Prediction 2/17/25 College Basketball Picks Today

The Kansas State Wildcats and the Utah Utes meet Monday in college basketball action from Jon M Huntsman Center. Here’s a Utah vs Kansas State prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Utah vs Kansas State pick.

Kansas State Wildcats Betting Preview

The Wildcats had a rough stretch of games in December and January, but aside from that they’re not doing too badly in the record column. Kansas State opened on a 6-2 run with losses to LSU and Liberty amid wins over New Orleans, Cleveland State, MS Valley State, George Washington, Longwood, and Arkansas Pine Bluff. A rough 1-9 run came across the next 10 games, with a lone victory over Cincinnati on December 30. Kansas State otherwise lost to St. John’s, Drake, Wichita State, TCU, Oklahoma State, Houston, Texas Tech, Kansas, and Baylor during that stretch. The Wildcats got back on the horse with wins over West Virginia, Oklahoma State, Iowa State, Arizona State, Kansas, and Arizona in the next six games, which gave them a 13-11 overall run through the first 24 outings of the year.

In their Saturday matchup with BYU, the Wildcats were drilled 40-22 in the first half. Kansas State recovered from there on a 43-40 advantage but still lost by a sizable 80-65 margin. Dug McDaniel led the team with 22 points, two assists, and two steals in 37 minutes of work. Brendan Hausen was the only other team player to finish in double-figures with 12 points, two rebounds, and one assist. Tops in scoring off the bench was CJ Jones with his nine points, two rebounds, and one steal in 20 minutes of action. Max Jones, David N’Guessan, and Coleman Hawkins each chipped in six points apiece as well.

Utah Utes Betting Preview

Over on the Utes’ side, they started out quite well but they’ve been very choppy since mid-December amid some tough matchups. Utah went 8-2 over their first 10 outings with wins over Central Arkansas, Queens U, Utah Tech, MS Valley State, Eastern Washington, Radford, and Florida A&M alongside losses to Mississippi State and Saint Mary’s. Losses to Iowa, Baylor, Texas Tech, and Iowa State came next before wins over Oklahoma State, TCU, and BYU. The next seven games were a 2-5 stretch with wins over only Cincinnati and Colorado. Otherwise, it was losses courtesy of Houston, Baylor, Oklahoma State, West Virginia, and Cincinnati in that time, giving the Utes a 13-11 result in their first 24 games of the season.

Matched up against Kansas on Saturday, the Utes held a slim 39-37 halftime edge. Utah kept it up in the second half on a 35-30 run and pulled off the home-upset victory 74-67 in the end. Leading the team in scoring was Gabe Madsen with his 24 points, three rebounds, and two steals. Ezra Ausar added 12 points with eight rebounds in 29 minutes, and Jake Wahlin posted a double-double of 10 points with 12 rebounds and three assists in 32 minutes on the floor.

Why the Utah Utes will win

• Utah has won each of its last 14 night games at Jon M. Huntsman Center.
• Kansas State has lost seven of its last eight road games against non-AP-ranked opponents.
• Utah has won the first half in 20 of its last 21 night games at Jon M. Huntsman Center against non-AP-ranked opponents.

Why the Kansas State Wildcats will win

• Kansas State has won six of its last seven games.
• Utah has lost each of its last three games following a home win.
• Kansas State has won the first half in seven of its last eight games against the Big 12 Conference.

Utah vs Kansas State Prediction

I’ll lean toward Kansas State. Probably not touching this one, though. Some of the luster has worn off following the Wildcats’ ugly loss on Saturday. In that matchup with BYU, Kansas State shot a tepid 41 percent from the field with 12 turnovers and a 41-31 rebounding deficit. The free throw shooting (9-of-17 for 52.9 percent) was lacking as well. On the other side, the Wildcats gave up 49.1 percent shooting and were pretty much buried after the rough first half. The loss halts a six-game winning streak and marks the Wildcats’ lowest scoring total since posting just 62 points in a loss to Baylor on the road back on January 22.

As for Utah, they get a much-needed lift after the big Saturday win over Kansas. The Utes are still playing pretty choppy in the record column though, losing five of their last eight games. This one should be pretty close, and the outcome will depend on how each team responds after their respective weekend matchups.