The Kansas Jayhawks and the Kansas State Wildcats continue Big 12 Conference men’s basketball action on Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025, in Manhattan, Kan.
Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. central. Kansas (16-6, 7-4 in Big 12) is ranked No. 16 in the AP Top 25 while Kansas State (11-11, 5-6) is not ranked.
Kansas is in the unusual position of looking up in the Big 12 standings. The Jayhawks enter the weekend three games behind league-leading Houston and have won four of their last six games. One of those losses was to the Cougars in double overtime at Allen Fieldhouse.
Kansas State is surging. The Wildcats have won their last four games and two of those victories have been over ranked teams, most notably their 19-point upset of then No.-3 Iowa State last weekend. It’s the Sunflower State Showdown, so it will be sold out, it will be loud and it will be dramatic.
Here is a preview of Saturday’s game.
How to Watch Kansas vs. Kansas State
Date: Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025
Time: 1 p.m. CT
TV Channel: ESPN
Site: Bramlage Coliseum, Manhattan, Kan.
Kansas vs. Kansas State Betting Odds, Lines
Opening Line: Kansas -4.5
Current Line: Kansas -3.5
Over/Under: 141.5
Kansas vs. Kansas State Predictions
Don’t look at it as Kansas being in decline. Look at it as the Big 12 is far more competitive than it was when the Jayhawks won five straight regular season titles between 2014-18. Since then Kansas State, Texas Tech, Baylor and Houston have all won regular-season Big 12 crowns.
In fact, Kansas has only won three regular season titles in the last eight seasons. Kansas is in danger of going two years without a title since Baylor won back-to-back regular season crowns in 2021 and 2022.
The Jayhawks have looked better the past few weeks, but they still look a bit out of tune. The talent is undeniable, and no one should put it past Kansas to figure things out. Remember back in 2022? That Jayhawks team didn’t look like they was going anywhere until they lit things up in the Big 12 Tournament and rode that wave of momentum into another national championship.
Earlier this week, Kansas State coach Jerome Tang said he wasn’t sure how many wins the Wildcats needed to make the NCAA Tournament. He also said he didn’t care. He said he was only looking at the next game.
After some period of unpredictability, Coleman Hawkins appears to finally be rounding into the star Kansas State was hoping he would be. He has hit double figures in his last four games, he scored 17 points against Iowa State and he has been lighting up every major statistical category the last five games. Maybe Kansas doesn’t have a dominant big man, but if Hawkins can be a dominant player, that can make up some of the difference.
This is such an unpredictable game period Kansas looks like the better team on paper, but you could argue that Kansas State is the hotter team. Plus, the game is in Manhattan and in the past couple of years strange things have happened in Manhattan. Kansas State needs this game far more than Kansas does. I think the Wildcats take it in an upset.
Kansas State 76, Kansas 75
ESPN Matchup Predictor: Kansas (76.0% Chance of Winning)
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
